Stephen King is one of my favorite authors. Now, I am not a horror fan in any way, but the way that he is able to use normal, everyday words to convey such haunting and eerie emotional responses is something I admire greatly. I remember reading Hearts in Atlantis and being terrified even though nothing particularly scary was happening in the book. Well I am glad to say that some of this ability rubbed off on his son Joe Hill. Locke and Key is kind of a fantasy-horror hybrid with a little Criminal Minds thrown in. This first book, Welcome to Lovecraft, collects the first 6 issues and act as a prologue to what will be a three-part story. On a side note, the pilot for the show has begun filming and is set to air on Fox in the near future.

Story: 

As I mentioned earlier, Joe Hill has obviously inherited some of his father's writing skills. I think his writing style is well-suited to the visual nature of comics. The story he tells here is easy to follow, but at the same time provides subtle intricacies and clues which will undoubtedly be realized in later issues. The dialogue is well-crafted and is absent of much of the first-time comic writer blunders that we see from other prose-turned-comic writers. The main purpose of this mini-series was to introduce us to the characters and the world in which they are living, as well as create a backdrop as to the tone of the story to come...in both cases he succeeds tremendously.

9/10

Art:

When I heard descriptions of the plot and tone of the story before reading it I will freely admit that this was not the art I was expecting. I expected some dark and gritty art like Rafael Albuquerque on American  Vampire or Adlard and Moore on The Walking Dead. Instead we get a dynamic and vibrant style, reminiscent of Frank Quitely (high praise I know...but I'm not the only one who thinks so!). His character designs are very strong, and the way he switches from back-and-forth bantering and comedy to bloody violence is a testament to his skill as an artist. The layouts are inventive and dynamic, and the poses of his characters bring a level of drama to each panel.



9/10


Overall:

This book hooks you instantly with the first issue and doesn't let go until the very end, making you want to get to the next series as fast as you can. This is truly a masterful work, made even more impressive by the fact that both Hill and Rodriguez are essentially newcomers to the comics medium. This is what a horror comic CAN be, and I hope that the upcoming TV series will generate a ton of new readers for the books. I would definitely recommend getting the first trade and giving it a go even if you are not into horror or fantasy comics...I did, and I do not regret it one bit!

9/10