It's hard to review the first part of something, particularly when what you're talking about is the first half of the first act of a three-act story. And yet, Welcome to Lovecraft is presented as a self-contained story, one that's designed to both introduce the larger picture of Locke and Key while still remaining a self-contained story on its own terms. Add to that the huge acclaim Locke and Key has collected over the years and my love of Joe Hill's work and you have a recipe for disappointment. But somehow,Welcome to Lovecraft lives up to expectations, delivering the rich, complex character work Hill is known for while also creating a rich, genuinely unnerving and horrific story that consumes their lives. And make no mistake: Locke and Key is a horror story, through and through. It opens with a home invasion that leaves two people dead, and while the violence never quite returns to that graphic level of the beginning, there's an undeniable air of dread that hangs over Locke and Key even before the horror elements begin to enter into the story, as the surviving members of the family move into a family home and begin to realize that there's more to the house - and its keys - than they ever expected. What follows is incredibly unnerving, not only in the story beats, but in the art, which mixes realism and the supernatural perfectly, creating unease out of blood and shadows equally well. It's hard to judge Locke and Key based solely on this first entry, but taken on its own, Welcome to Lovecraft is a fantastic read, one that leaves me wanting more and has left me scouring the libraries nearby to see how quickly I can pick up volume 2.
- Josh Mauthe
- Josh Mauthe
