Collecting storylines into trades and hardcovers has become an industry standard, so much so many writers are accused of “writing for the trade.” However, crafting a story which works well in both single installments and as one story can be difficult, with many opportunities to stumble. This column will focus on trades, and evaluate them against criteria specific to the collection format, including narrative structure, art consistency, and value.
“Locke & Key” receives universal praise, and by now you should know you should be reading it. But the question remains: Should you get it in single issues or in trade? This review column will let you know!
Written by Joe Hill
Illustrated by Gabriel RodriguezLocke & Key tells the story of Keyhouse, an unlikely New England mansion, with fantastic doors that transform all who dare to walk through them… and home to a hate-filled and relentless creature that will not rest until it forces open the most terrible door of them all…
$19.99 / 152 pages
One of the biggest challenges for comic writers is to start each issue off in a way which offers an introduction for a new reader while reading smoothly when collected into a trade. Most of the time, writers err in favor of the former and have a character recap the previous ending, and sometimes will even duplicate the scene. Perhaps it’s Joe Hill’s history as a novelist, or IDW’s practice of recapping important events in prose inside the front cover instead of the panels themselves, but the chapter breaks in “Locke & Key” are incredibly smooth. Even when the single issues end mid-action, like between chapters five and six, Hill is able to avoid repeating any dialogue and redundant exposition.
Another area where trades can falter is in the use of a narrator. Changing narrators between issues can add flavor to a book from month to month, but a sudden shift in who is telling a story can shock a tradewaiter out of the book. The first volume of “Locke & Key” has four different characters who narrate in the first person, but Hill matches changes in narration to changes in scenes, and avoids any ill effects in the process. The book employs flashbacks continuously but sparsely throughout the early chapters, and Hill uses them wisely to reveal information naturally without breaking the books forward pace.
The book’s art manages to remain very consistent, in large part because Rodriguez inks his own pages and each chapters is colored by Jay Fotos. Rodriguez proves his mastery of beat panels and visually revealing the thoughts of characters in the volume’s first ten pages. His scene with Ty laying bricks in chapter three (page 68) is a superb example of his skill. The whole cast have distinct appearances, making it easy to keep them straight when they are all introduced in bulk. Their expressions are also easy to decipher, and Rodriguez can convey how the characters feel without Hill having to help him out with dialogue. (That makes me feel angry!)
The book doesn’t have much in the way of bonus features, which are limited to a cover/art gallery, a few character sketches, and an introduction from Robert Crais. It covers how he first met Hill, and how much he likes him as a writer. It doesn’t add much background to the story, but it does get a reader excited for the story that follows.
The book retails for $19.99, which is a great deal for six issues which were $4 each when they were new. Considering you’d be hard pressed to find them for that price now, buying this series in trade is a no brainer.
Final Verdict: 9.5 – Buy it now, if you haven’t already
