Where Locke & Key goes in the future? Only the upcoming third season of Netflix’s show knows for now. But where it all began is bring brought together in a brand new collection and Gizmodo has your exclusive first look.
Locke & Key: The Golden Age is a hardcover collection coming in April comprised of four previously released, and one new, stories by writer Joe Hill and illustrator Gabriel Rodriguez. Among them are “In Pale Battalions Go” plus the Sandman Universe crossover “Hell & Gone.” And all of which explore the rich past this mythological world where a family called Locke uses magical keys to do all sorts of wondrous things.
“The Golden Age was quite literally a decade in the making,” Hill told Gizmodo in a statement. “The first story was released in 2011 and the last chapter appeared in 2021. And now here it is, all together, between two covers. I don’t know if any of my own graphic novels has ever made me quite so happy, spent quite so much time in my thoughts, or lived in my dreams the way this one has… I know Gabe feels the same way. I’m over the moon to see it finally landing in reader’s hands. Few books ever lead you on such a journey but I have to say, I’ve enjoyed every step of it.”
Here’s the cover of the book, exclusive to Gizmodo.
“We had a very unique creative opportunity with The Golden Age,” Rodriguez said. “Free of the traditional calendar and format boundaries of any standard comic book series, these tales really take risks and bold chances as a storytelling medium. We also had the opportunity to explore an entirely different age of the Locke family history and the key mythology, and on top of that, we got the chance to tie the story arcs in one of our most ambitious episodes ever, combining the universe of Locke & Key with The Sandman Universe, an absolute classic of this genre (which was also an undeniably direct inspiration for us to create our book). And yet, the most rewarding part of it was to see the family of Chamberlin Locke growing, getting depth and becoming fully fleshed-out over the course of a storyline that conquered a very special spot in our hearts… and one we hope will unlock new dreams in our readers’ minds.”
In addition to “In Pale Battalions Go” and “Hell & Gone, the book contains the previous released stories “Small World” and “Open the Moon,” as well as the brand new “Face the Music,” which includes a never before seen orchestra key. What the heck is an Orchestra Key? We don’t know, but you can see it in brought to life in these pencils and inks by Rodriguez followed by colours by Jay Fotos.
Locke & Key: The Golden Age is out April 12 and retails for $US30 ($41). Pre-order it here.