Locke & Key

Plot summary

This plot is presented in chronological order.

In 1775 during the American Revolution, a group of Rebels, hiding in a sea cave in Massachusetts Bay beneath what will one day be Keyhouse in the town of Lovecraft, discover a portal to another dimension, the plains of Leng. It is filled with demons who can mesmerize anyone who sees them and possess them through touch; two men are possessed over two days, and they kill several rebels. However, when the demons attempt to enter the real world without possessing someone, they are transformed into "whispering" iron, which young smith Benjamin Locke forges into a variety of magical keys. The first key he makes is the Omega Key (which has an Omega character on the head) that seals the entrance to the dimension. The magic of the Keyhouse gradually evolves over the years, including a spell that causes occupants to forget about the keys and the magic of the house when they pass their 18th birthday. In 1988, a group of teenagers, having used the keys extensively in their high school years to their great delight, decide to open the black door with the Omega Key, hoping to trick a demon into entering the real world in order to provide more metal with which to make more keys. Rendell Locke's younger brother Duncan follows the group into the cave, but he is mesmerized by demons in the open door, and attempts to walk through it. He is stopped by Lucas "Dodge" Caravaggio, who accidentally puts his hand through the doorway and is possessed by a demonic being. He plots to kill his friends and enslave the others; Dodge kills several and causes another to lose her memory. He also extracts a part of his spirit to be hidden in a jar in the home of Ellen "Ellie" Whedon, one of the surviving friends, as a contingency plan. Dodge is finally killed by Rendell before he can force more people to be possessed. Rendell discovers a small piece of "whispering" iron from the sea cave and disguises it as a fishing lure.

Around 2010, the fragment of Dodge's spirit partially possesses Ellie, who then conjures the rest of Dodge's spirit in the physical world at the magical well at Keyhouse, but Dodge is trapped within the well house. In 2011, Dodge's spirit reaches out to a young, abused prodigy, Sam Lesser, and convinces him to force Rendell to give him the Anywhere Key (which will allow Dodge to escape the wellhouse) and the Omega Key. When Rendell refuses, Sam murders him, but Sam is then incapacitated by Tyler, Rendell's oldest son, and captured by the police. The Locke family, children Tyler, Kinsey, Bode, and mother Nina, move across the country to Keyhouse, reuniting with Duncan, and begin discovering the house's secrets. Sam escapes prison with Dodge's help and follows the Lockes to Massachusetts. Sam attacks the family again at Keyhouse, but Dodge also tricks Bode into bringing him the Anywhere Key in case Sam fails again. Dodge escapes from the wellhouse with Bode's help, kills Sam, and returns to Lovecraft in the same body as he had thirty years before.

Publication history

The narrative of Locke & Key has a three-act structure, with each act covering two story arcs. Act One's first story arc, Welcome to Lovecraft, was a six-issue limited series published by IDW Publishing. The first issue of Welcome to Lovecraft was released on February 20, 2008, and sold out in a single day, requiring a second printing to be done immediately. The second arc of Act One, Head Games, commenced with the release of the first issue on January 22, 2009. The actual Head Games story was printed in four issues, with a standalone prologue ("Intermission" or "The Joe Ridgeway Story") and a standalone conclusion ("Army of One").

The first storyline of Locke & Key Act Two, Crown of Shadows, began in late 2009. The second storyline, Keys to the Kingdom, began in August 2010.

The first storyline of Act Three was announced as Time & Tide, but was retitled Clockworks. The second, and concluding, storyline is entitled Alpha & Omega.

Originally, the plan was to release the first five-story arcs in a monthly format with the sixth arc published as an original graphic novel. The plan changed, and the concluding story arc appeared in monthly installments.

Keys

In the universe of Locke & Key, there are many keys created from whispering iron that have different magical properties. Some of them are extensively featured in the series, while others are featured very briefly. The known keys are:

Alpha Key: Created by Tyler Locke. Removes demons from possessed people's souls when inserted into their chests. It instantly turns a demon into whispering iron, so if the demon is still inside the host, the key's effect is fatal.

Angel Key: Gives the user control of a winged harness that grants the ability to fly.

Animal Key: Used on the right door in Keyhouse, it allows the user to travel through the door and transform into an animal. It is unclear whether they have a choice in the matter. It appears that the key assigns the animal according to some spiritual affinity. Returning through the door transforms a person back into a human. This works for human ghosts that have possessed animal bodies. Animals may also transform into humans if they enter through the opposite side of the door.

Anywhere Key: Opens a door to anywhere the bearer can visualize in their mind. It is also capable of allowing Echos to leave the well house unharmed.

Chain Key: A large chain, ball, and shackle-shaped key. Controls the Great Lock, which guards the catacombs with entangling chains.

Creation Key: Resembling a pencil, this key causes anything drawn with it to become real, living, or otherwise. These things can also be erased by touching the other end of the key to them.

Demon Key: When held against the spine of a person, a lock will appear. Upon being inserted, the victim becomes possessed by a demon.

Echo Key: Allows entry to the Keyhouse wellhouse and, with the Echo Key in hand, allows a person to return a spirit from the dead to the world of the living. Leaving through the wellhouse door, however, banishes the spirit back to wherever it came from. This also applies to spirits that have possessed living bodies using the Ghost Key.

Keys with unknown purposes

These keys have not made an appearance in the official comics but appear in merchandise, promotional tie-ins, and/or non-canon materials. They may have also appeared in concept art. Regardless, their purpose or abilities are unknown.

Ankh Key

Audible Key

Biblio Key

Compass Key

Freemason Key

Illuminati Key

Jetpack Key

Phoenix Key

Scepter Key

Snow Angel Key

Toy Key

Trident Key

Yin-Yang Key

Locks that hint at potential keys

These are locks that are seen in the art that could hint at the existence of potential Keys. Names are not official.

Cat Key: (Lock seen in Small World). A lock can be seen on the collar worn by Jean and Mary Locke's pet cat, Tiberius.

Gauntlet Key: (Lock seen in Keys To The Kingdom #3) A gauntlet with a lock on it can be seen in the Harlequin Wardrobe when it is first opened by Bode.

Keys to Omega Doors #1-#10: (Locks seen in Crown of Shadow #2: "In the Cave" & Clockworks #4: "The Whispering Iron"). While exploring the Drowning Caves, Kinsey Locke and her friends encounter an Omega Door marked with a #1 that they cannot open. This is shown to be a door separate from the Black Door, as the Black Door is deeper in the caves and is marked with a #11. This door reappears in a flashback to Rendell Locke and the Tamers of the Tempest on their way to the Black Door. Omega Doors marked with a #5 and #3 are also seen. This implies that there are at least 10 Omega Doors (not counting #11) in the caves, which may have their own Keys. It is unknown if the Omega Key has anything to do with these doors.

Penny-farthing Key: (Lock seen in Golden Age 9: "Hell & Gone #2"). One of the items in the Harlequin Wardrobe in 1927 was a Penny-farthing bicycle with Keys as its wheel spokes and a lock on its handle.

Radio Key: (Lock seen in Dog Days). A keyhole shape can be seen on the old-fashioned radio that the two sons of Mary Locke listen to with their dog.

Stained Glass Key: (Lock seen in Omega 2). Assuming the keyhole on the Glass Ceiling is an actual keyhole and not just an image. Much like how the keyhole for the Giant Key was also a glass window.

Keys to the Classics

These keys were designed as merchandise and are based on several famous novels and fairy tales. They were created as a limited series by Skelton Crew. Skelton Crew is solely responsible for making all purchasable replicas of Locke & Key keys. These specific keys do not appear in the comics or the Netflix Series.

Key to Ahab's Quarters: Based on the book Moby Dick by Herman Melville.

Key to Atlantis: Based on the story Timaeus by Plato.

Key to the Brick House: Based on the short story The Three Little Pigs by Joseph Jacob.

Key to Castle Frankenstein: Based on the novel Frankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus by Mary Shelley.

Key to the Churchyard: Based on the story The Legend of Sleepy Hollow by Washington Irving.

Key to Dracula's Castle: Based on the book Dracula by Bram Stoker.

Key to the Falcon's Nest: Based on the novel The Swiss Family Robinson by Johann David Wyss.

Key to Geppetto's Workshop: Based on the novel The Adventures of Pinocchio by Carlo Collodi.

Key to the Giant's Castle: Based on the fairy tail Jack and the Beanstalk by Benjamin Tabart.

Key to the Glass Coffin: Based on the fairy tale Snow White by The Brothers Grimm.

Key to the House of Pain: Based on the book The Island of Doctor Moreau by H.G. Wells.

Story arcs

Locke & Key

The final arc is titled Locke & Key: Alpha & Omega; it collects Omega #1–5 and Alpha #1–2.

World War Key

At the 2019 San Diego Comic-Con, Joe Hill confirmed that a new Locke & Key series called World War Key was in the works. This storyline as Hill puts it is "about the idea that the past is never gone... and I think a lot of ghost stories are about ways the past keep bleeding through to the present. We'll visit the Revolutionary War, Civil War, and World War II to show how those past events have had lingering effects on our heroes today." As of 2019, the series is expected to run thirty-seven issues across six books (not including The Golden Age). World War Key is designed to be both a prequel and a sequel to the original run of Locke & Key.

A series of short stories set in the past. In his newsletter, Joe Hill referred to the book as "World War Key 0: The Golden Age".

Locke & Key: …In Pale Battalions Go… will be a three-issue story that leads into World War Key, set at the beginning of the 20th century and will feature characters from "Small World" and "Open the Moon". It will also lead into the Locke & Key/Sandman Universe crossover comic. On February 21, 2020, IDW announced via their Twitter that Locke & Key would be crossing over with DC Comics's Sandman Universe. The story, Hell & Gone, will center around DC's Key to Hell from The Sandman: Season of Mists. Hell & Gone will wrap up The Golden Age arc.

According to Joe Hill, ...In Pale Battalions Go... was originally supposed to be just two issues, but he quickly realized that it wasn't enough to tell the full story, so it was increased to three.

Joe Hill has stated that the chronological order of the Golden Age chapters is as follows:

Small World

Open the Moon

Face the Music

...In Pale Battalions Go...#1

...In Pale Battalions Go...#2

...In Pale Battalions Go...#3

Standalone issues

Many fans believed that "GRINDHOUSE" and "DOG DAYS" were a part of the Golden Age arc until Joe Hill stated via Twitter that they are at the moment their own standalone stories that are not a part of any arc.

Collected editions

Standard editions

On November 11, 2014, the first six volumes were collected as a slipcase set of paperbacks.

Master editions

Locke & Key was also collected in three hardcover books with all-new cover art and design by Gabriel Rodriguez.

Locke & Key Master Edition Volume 1 (May 19, 2015). Collects the first two arcs, Welcome to Lovecraft and Head Games.

Locke & Key Master Edition Volume 2 (March 22, 2016). Collects the third and fourth arcs, Crown of Shadows and Keys to the Kingdom.

Locke & Key Master Edition Volume 3 (October 18, 2016). Collects the fifth and sixth arcs, Clockworks and Alpha & Omega.

Keyhouse Compendium Edition

All six arcs (Welcome to Lovecraft, Head Games, Crown of Shadows, Keys to the Kingdom, Clockworks, and Alpha & Omega) of the main story are published in one compendium edition, featuring new front and back cover art by Gabriel Rodriguez. The compendium had an original release date of October 2020, but it was delayed and eventually published July 20, 2021.

Signed limited editions

On November 11, 2007, Subterranean Press announced a pre-order for a hand-numbered, signed, limited edition of the six-issue run of Welcome To Lovecraft. This edition consisted of 250 numbered copies and 26 lettered copies, both of which sold out within 24 hours of being announced. This edition was a hardcover release in a specially designed and illustrated slipcase, and featured exclusive dust jacket art by Vincent Chong and reprinted all 250 pages of Joe Hill's script in addition to the actual comic work.

This was followed by the publication of Head Games, which was also limited to 250 hand-numbered and signed copies as well as 26 lettered copies.

The third volume, Crown of Shadows, is available for preorder, and like the previous editions is signed and numbered with the same limitations and also comes with an illustrated slipcase.

Cloth-bound trade editions limited to 1000 copies (unsigned, unnumbered, and without the slipcase) were also released. Trade editions for the first two volumes are sold out.

Awards and nominations

Comic Book/Graphic Novel

Netflix Adaptation

Awards and Nominations received by the Netflix series

Adaptations

Film

A film trilogy was officially announced at the 2014 Comic-Con. Alex Kurtzman, Roberto Orci, Bobby Cohen and Ted Adams would produce the film with Universal Pictures and Kurtzman and Orci's production company K/O Paper Products.

In October 2015, Joe Hill confirmed that the films are no longer happening, though a TV series was still possible. In May 2016, Joe Hill announced he would write a TV pilot, serve as executive producer and pitch the show to various networks and streaming companies.

Television

Dimension Films acquired the film and television rights for Welcome to Lovecraft from IDW Publishing with the intent of developing the property as a feature with John Davis producing. In February 2010, it was announced that Dimension had lost the adaptation rights to DreamWorks with Alex Kurtzman and Roberto Orci signed on to develop and produce the project. In August 2010, Steven Spielberg also joined as a producer, and the production became a TV series rather than a movie adaptation, with Josh Friedman writing episodes for the show and acting as show-runner.

The TV series adaptation then landed at 20th Century Fox Television. The network greenlit a pilot, produced by DreamWorks TV and K/O Paper Products through the latter's deal with 20th Century Fox TV.

Miranda Otto played Nina Locke, Sarah Bolger was Kinsey Locke and Nick Stahl co-starred as Duncan Locke. Skylar Gaertner played 6-year old Bode, and Harrison Thomas played a teenager possessed by an evil spirit. Actor and singer Jesse McCartney appeared as Ty Locke, the series' male lead and Ksenia Solo was cast as Dodge.

Mark Romanek directed the pilot episode, which was filmed at the mansion in Hartwood Acres and in Ellwood City, Pennsylvania, in February 2011. The pilot was also shot throughout Pittsburgh that same month. In May 2011, Fox announced that the project would not be picked up as a series. The studio attempted to sell the project to other networks but eventually ceased efforts due to rising costs. The pilot was screened at the 2011 San Diego Comic-Con, where it was well received.

On April 20, 2017, Hulu ordered a pilot based on the comic with Carlton Cuse, Scott Derrickson, and Lindsey Springer as producers. In July 2017, Derrickson was replaced by Andy Muschietti as the pilot's director. In August 2017, Frances O'Connor was cast as Nina in the show. In a March 2018 interview, Samantha Mathis revealed that Hulu had passed on the show, and it was now being shopped around to other networks.

On May 30, 2018, after Hulu had passed on Locke & Key, it was announced that Netflix was nearing a series order for a re-developed version of the show with Cuse and Hill involved once again, and Muschietti as executive producer. The show found a new director for the pilot and an entirely new cast except for Jackson Robert Scott as Bode Locke, who was cast in the Hulu pilot as well.

Audio drama

All six books of Locke & Key were adapted as a 13-hour audio drama released on 5 October 2015. Produced by the AudioComics Company for Audible Studios and directed by William Dufris, the work features voice actors including Tatiana Maslany, Haley Joel Osment, Kate Mulgrew, and Brennan Lee Mulligan, with appearances by series creators Rodríguez and Hill, as well as Hill's father Stephen King, in addition to almost 50 voice-over actors and an original score by Peter Van Riet. The work received critical praise and in 2016 was nominated for four Audie Awards from the Audiobook Publishers Association of America, including "Best Original Work" and "Excellence in Production."

Card game

In 2012, Cryptozoic Entertainment released a card game based on the series.

Webtoon

In 2025, the series was reformatted as a webcomic on Webtoon.