Source: Public Library
Hardcover, 152 pgs.
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Locke & Key: Keys to the Kingdom Vol. 4 by Joe Hill, illustrated by Gabriel Rodríguez, is a crazy mishmash of events that flash forward and back, which is less effective than the narration in previous books.  It’s almost as though the author wanted to tell too many events in one graphic novel.  The graphics in this one also are all over the place, transforming from a cartoonish quality at the beginning to the normal style and then to a more gritty military style found in comic books.

The Locke family is about to meet the threats of the dark lady head on in this book, and there are lasting consequences for this segment of the battle.  The keys to the kingdom are at stake, and while the family may feel like they are making progress, she’s always a few steps ahead of them.  Kinsey is still without fear, and some of her decision-making becomes very skewed as a result, while Tyler is battling his own guilt and the betrayal of two people he trusted.  Bode, meanwhile, continues to play with objects he doesn’t fully understand.

Locke & Key: Keys to the Kingdom Vol. 4 by Joe Hill, illustrated by Gabriel Rodríguez, has some great battles in it, and the characters are forced to face not only the dark lady’s advances, but the effects of the keys.  These keys were hidden for a reason, and uncovering them and using them may not have been the best idea.

Other Reviews:

• Locke & Key: Welcome to Lovecraft Volume 1
• Locke & Key: Head Games Volume 2
• Locke & Key: Crown of Shadows Volume 3

About the Author:

Joseph Hillstrom King is an American writer of fiction, writing under the pen name of Joe Hill.  Hill is the the second child of authors Stephen King and Tabitha King. His younger brother Owen King is also a writer. He has three children.

Hill’s first book, the limited edition collection 20th Century Ghosts published in 2005 by PS Publishing, showcases fourteen of his short stories and won the Bram Stoker Award for Best Fiction Collection, together with the British Fantasy Award for Best Collection and Best Short Story for “Best New Horror”. In October 2007, Hill’s mainstream US and UK publishers reprinted 20th Century Ghosts, without the extras published in the 2005 slipcased versions, but including one new story.

About the Illustrator:

Architect, artist and illustrator. He started his career with myth based illustrations for card games, and then jumped into the world of professional comics working with IDW Publishing. In addition to his current work in Locke & Key, his collaborations with IDW include Clive Barker’s The Great and Secret Show, Beowulf, George Romero’s Land Of The Dead, as well as several CSI comics and some covers for Angel and Transformers.