Locke & Key: Keys to the Kingdom, Vol. 4

This is the fourth book in the Locke and Key series. It was an excellent book; many more keys are found and things come to a head. Things proceeded a bit too rapidly for my liking, but it was still a very good addition to the series.In this issue many more keys are found in quick succession. The first chapter focuses on Bode and his finding the Beast Key and becoming a sparrow. The next chapter quickly propels you through a calendar month of craziness at the Locke household. Just when things seem to be going right for the Locke kids they run into a lot of trouble. Dodge gets desperate and things really come to an awful/desperate/surprising conclusion in the final chapter.I totally agree with other reviews I have read that say the new keys are introduced too quickly. There were so many points where the authors/illustrators had wonderful opportunites to depict shadow battles and beastly transformations, etc. These are breezed through with each one only being given a single scene in the February chapter. The new keys are introduced rapidly and I found myself having to use the index that describes each key at the back of the book to keep track of what was happening. I really do wish they had drawn this out more over a couple of books.Other than above I really enjoyed this book. The book itself was a beautiful hardcover edition, it is missing the pretty bookmark ribbon that other earlier volumes had...but it still very beautiful and high quality. There are a couple different styles of artwork in this edition; the first chapter featuring Bode has a more cartoony artwork style to it. This new style is well-blended in with the old style. The old style of art is most prevalent and continues to be beautifully done and matches the story very well.The new keys introduced are all very interesting and I am very attached to all of these emotionally scarred characters. I couldn't believe how things unfolded in the final chapter; I was absolutely rapt and could not put the book down. Now I am dying to know what happens next!All of our favorite characters from previous volumes appear in this book and the mystery surrounding the Locke family deepens and comes to a climax of sorts. The wait for the next book may just kill me; I have been contemplating buying the comics issue by issue to find out what happens next...Overall an excellent addition to the Locke and Key series. The introduction of the new keys went too rapidly for me and I wish the story had been drawn out a bit more. Still the new keys are interesting, the mystery is deepening, and the conclusion will leave you riveted and dying to read more. Definitely a book for older teens or adults only; very gorey, bad language, and a number of disturbing scenarios. I can't wait to read the 5th book in this series, Clockworks, due out late spring/early summer of 2012.

Keys to the Kingdom, the fourth full-length installment of the captivating Locke & Key series, raises the stakes to terrifying levels. Life continues to get stranger and more dangerous for the three Locke children as they endeavor to unlock the mysteries of Keyhouse. Meanwhile, Dodge steps up his pursuit of the Omega Key. Several storylines rise and fall, new keys are uncovered, battles are waged, relationships are jeopardized—and yes, there are even some casualties along the way.Locke & Key is strikingly dark and wickedly funny. Joe Hill and Gabriel Rodriguez cut loose and experiment with different styles of storytelling and art, respectively. The inaugural story, "Sparrow," spotlights young Bode as he unearths the Animal Key capable of transforming its user into, you guessed it, an animal—in Bode’s case, a sparrow. Dodge, on the other hand, uses the Animal Key to take on a more wolfish form in order to extract the Omega Key's whereabouts from Tyler and Kinsey. What distinguishes this issue from the others is that a potentially horrifying series of events is toned down by a clever use of humor and artistic chic. While portions of the episode are drawn in familiar Locke & Key fashion, Rodriguez conveys the "Sparrow" story from Bode’s perspective in a "Calvin and Hobbes" pastiche that’s worthy of Bill Watterson, and intersperses the illustrative styles in a way that is both playful and unexpected. Every panel is a pleasure.The subsequent episode, "February", covers an entire month in just a handful of panels. The small calendar pages alongside the panels deftly bridge several key events (pun intended) and hard-fought battles in rapid succession. Most readers will appreciate seeing the ongoing war between the Lockes and their shadowy nemesis played out in a brisk series of vignettes, though others might feel cheated in that several increasingly bizarre keys—the Music Box Key, the Angels Key, the Hercules Key, and a bizarre toy key—are introduced way too quickly without the details of their discovery or the specifics of their use being disclosed. The pacing here is either masterful or sporadic depending on your outlook.Locke & Key is unlike any other graphic novel series. Here you have a horror/fantasy comic featuring an issue-long tribute to “Calvin and Hobbes” and another issue that dips into pulp war comics. Joe Hill even takes the time to delve into racial politics in a well-handed manner, skillfully blending real-world problems with the supernatural, while propelling the story forward and still managing to deliver some massive shocks.Major events are brought to a head in the final pages, casting the central characters in a new morass of confusion. And with that absolute beast of a cliffhanger—I’m telling you, it’s a real jaw-dropper—readers won’t want to wait long to find out what happens next!

Okay, so I've read Locke and Key parts 3 and 4 back to back tonight and I'm forcing myself not to read 5 until at least tomorrow just so I can look forward to it because nothing else is as good.As I said in my review of part 3, Locke and Key is the hardest thing ever to review as you just don't want to give any spoilers. All I'll say it's the story never slows up it's pace, the artwork is outstanding as usual, there is some great ideas in it, we get to see more new keys and the end of this one took an interesting twist I thought.I know there is no way that you're reading this not having read the first three so this review is for the fans. If however you are reading this by chance and haven't read the last three then I strongly advise you to start at the beginning. It's not the kind of thing you can pick up half way through. You'll just have missed too much.As amazing as ever. I'm kind of sad that I'll read part 5 tomorrow as part 6 isn't out yet. An easy 5 stars.

Chomping at the bit to read through these as fast as I can as I’m hooked! Always an avid reader but never comic books or graphic novels until I started watching the series on Netflix. And well it’s so far so good and looks like I’m here to stay! Just wish the series contained all the details from the originals but guess that’s typically adaptations for you.

It was nice seeing some of the changes wrought in this one and far more of the older characters come back as well as a few shorts on a couple of keys. Still dark twisted and with no real reason behind any of the keys.

I'm going to come back to the Locke & Key series another time, I didn't vibe with this one at all.

As a child, I used to read lots of comics. Now in my 30s, I'm rediscovering them, and Locke & Key is amazing! I love Stephen King, and Locke & Key is partly made by his son. I have recently bought the last one, but I haven't read it yet, as I'm afraid I won't be able to put it down until I finish it, and it'll be gone too quickly!