The Haunting of Hill’s House
By James Roland
In the horror world, author Joe Hill stands ready to take the throne from the likes of Barker, Gaiman, and King.
He made his mark four years ago in Europe with his first short story collection, 20th Century Ghosts, and last year in America with his debut novel, Heart Shaped Box. Since then, buzz around Hill has grown on two fronts. The genre-world was an instant fan of his fantasy and horror elements, while the literary crowd recognized his deftly woven plots and subtle, realistic characters. His work has garnered multiple awards and Heart Shaped Box has already been optioned by Hollywood.
Now Hill is tackling a new medium: comics.
In his debut graphic novel, Locke and Key, Hill introduces the three Locke children.
After two teenage thugs from the inner-city invade their family’s summer cabin and murder their father, they move to live with an uncle in Lovecraft, Massachusetts, at a mysterious family mansion called Keyhouse. Within minutes of their arrival, Hill’s gift for the fantastic makes its first appearance as the youngest sibling, Bode, discovers a magic door with . . . interesting qualities.
It feels like a children’s story, albeit a Grimms’ Fairy Tale complete with bloody murder, sinister spirits, and even a mysterious witch whose face appears in a pool of water.
It’s a standard set-up, but Hill quickly establishes complex characters that take the story beyond its potential trappings. The oldest Locke sibling, Tyler, must step in as patriarch after disaster strikes the family. With a barrel chest, broad shoulders, and blue-collar good looks, he’s “Jock” personified, but filled with enough emo angst to make Edgar Allen Poe depressed. We first see his character in the reflection of a stream as he imagines himself as party-boy, a faux-goth, anything but his real life image.
Bode, the real gem of the first issue, barrels head-long into danger with hardly a word of dialog. He chases animals, swats at insects, and climbs precarious stacks of books so he can reach wall-mounted swords. He’s a scrawny little Spartan, searching for manhood about five years too early.
Kinsey, the middle Locke child, is the least-realized of the three siblings, but her dreadlocks and facial piercings indicate she’ll travel a similar character arch of self-discovery.
Hill enhances these existential themes with specific visual cues: magic doors, mysterious keys, and butterflies. Character bodies include cartoonish archetypes, such as broad lower jaws for the tough men, bony knees for the impish younger brother, and, as in all good comics, the women have perfect thighs and cleavage. But close attention reveals subtle details. Illustrator Gabriel Rodriguez blends gritty style with childish cartoon features; the perfect choice for a story where a child saves his family by bashing a man’s face with a brick.
The first issue of Locke and Key crams murder, magic, and thirty years of family history into only thirty pages. It sets up story threads for later issues while fulfilling a solid stand-alone story (the first frame shows a door and welcome mat, the last image reveals a similar door slamming shut). A tight narrative, vibrant images, and gripping characters make for a fun and fascinating read, and if the next five issues are as good as the first, Joe Hill has mastered another genre.
Locke and Key Issue #1: Welcome to Lovecraft
Release Date: February 20th, 2008
Publisher: IDW Publishing
Price: $23.94 + Shipping (for all six issues)
Available: IDW Publishing Online Store
