“This is home, guys. We’re not going to run from shadows here. Not tonight. Not ever.”

Plot: A gigantic Tyler unknowingly battles his friend, Dodge, who has taken possession of the Crown of Shadows and is attempting to lay siege to Keyhouse. Or so it seems.

Comments: A word of warning: If you are inclined to assess the value of a comic book based upon its word count you will be sadly disappointed with this installment of Locke and Key. If this describes you, please heed my advice and purchase instead any one of this month’s numerous books written by Brian Michael Bendis (or, better still, dig through back-issue bins for virtually any title published under DC’s Vertigo imprint prior to 1995). The first twelve pages of Crown of Shadows #5 contain no dialog whatsoever, and the first ten consist of only a single large panel each (Rodriguez continues his habit of “framing” the artwork throughout). Does this, however, detract in any way from the quality of the comic? Not one bit.

After repeated physical blows to Dodge’s shadow construct prove futile, Tyler steers the creature into the path of an intense beam of light emanating from a nearby lighthouse. The resulting explosion allows Dodge to escape unnoticed, leaving the Locke children none the wiser to his involvement in the shadows’ attack. Though he loses the Crown of Shadows, Dodge has nonetheless managed to accomplish his true goal: Gain possession of the Wellhouse Key. Afterward, Tyler and Kinsey use the Head Key to remove Bode’s memories of the evening’s events and then, in a later discussion with their mother, blame Keyhouse’s disarray upon a fictional houseparty.

Locke and Key’s popularity probably owes as much to Joe Hill’s mature and complex storytelling as anything. The deeply layered mythology, which governs the existence and rules of the various magic keys, is second only to the superbly written cast and their all-too-real emotional struggles. From Tyler’s ineffectual attempts to establish himself as the family’s new patriarch to Kinsey’s pursuit of a chillingly ill-fated relationship with “Zack”/Dodge to Bode’s heart crushing innocence (which is at least partially manufactured, as we learn this issue), each of the Locke children positively teem with reality. Each month (or so) I wait with equal parts eagerness and impatience for the next chapter of their story, desperately hoping for Tyler to emerge as the leader he wishes to become and fearing for the inevitable manifestation of the sometimes-violent consequences that stem from usage of the titular keys. My only complaint with this issue, be it a legitimate product of the first half’s “silence” or simply my own selfishness as the reader, is that this month there just didn’t simply seem to be enough. This is a small complaint, though, given the unfailing quality of the preceding 16 issues and the significance of these events to the overarching narrative.

With each new issue Gabriel Rodriguez continues to prove why he is not only the perfect choice for this series but also one of the greatest talents to join the industry this past decade. In fact, I are say that few artists could so effortlessly meet the demand of keeping twelve dialog free pages engaging for the reader. The environmental destruction wrought by Tyler’s battle with the shadow construct is rendered extremely well, and finer elements, such as the spray of dirt caused by the impact of Dodge’s mudball projectile or the splash of water between Tyler’s fingers as he is tossed into the ocean, evidence the painstaking effort Rodriguez clearly pours into every page. For the keen eyed reader, it is especially fun to watch for smaller details. An example would be the consistent presence of the Wellhouse Key in nearly every panel of the fight sequence, grasped tightly in the jaws of one of the construct’s snake-headed tendrils. Another is the presence of Bode’s Pan-esque shadow as he sits oblivious in the kitchen, a winking acknowledgement of the previous night’s true events and culprit.

Jay Fotos’ colors are equally fantastic. Fotos applies an appropriately inky blackness to the shadow construct, an attention to luminosity that properly accentuates the importance of light within the script, and an overall consistency that is absent from many of today’s comics.

Final Word: While I can’t promise this comic would be engaging to new readers (anyone interested in this series should start with the Welcome to Lovecraft collection, available in both hardcover and trade paperback format), Crown of Shadows #5 is another excellent entry in the smart and entertaining Locke and Key saga.

---

What did you think of this book?
Have your say at the Line of Fire Forum!

---