Locke & Key is an American comic book series written by Joe Hill, illustrated by Gabriel Rodríguez, and published by IDW Publishing.
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.
Dodge intimidates his way into living in Ellie's home, who is now a teacher at the same high school she originally attended with Dodge, and where Tyler and Kinsey are enrolled; Dodge also re-enters the school under the guise of a new student and Ellie's cousin. Over the next year, Dodge secretly tries to recover the various keys – particularly the Omega Key – from the children, collecting many, though hindered by Tyler and Kinsey. Dodge is eventually discovered but manages to switch bodies and possesses Bode before they can kill him. Now free to explore the house as Bode, Dodge finally finds the Omega Key and plans his takeover during the after-prom party in the sea cave. Demons possess several students, and many others are killed. Dodge is ultimately undone by Tyler, having re-discovered the "whispering" iron from his father; he forges an "Alpha Key" with Duncan's help, which can exorcise a demon from the possessed soul, though it is fatal to the physical host. Dodge spirit in Bode's body is forced back into the well, killing the spirit again, though Bode's empty body is cremated before Bode's soul has a chance to return into it.
In the epilogue, Tyler conjures Dodge's spirit again and uses the Alpha Key to finally exorcise Dodge from Lucas' soul, allowing Lucas' unpossessed soul to finally rest in death. Tyler uses the well's magic to speak with his father one last time. Finally, Tyler restores Bode's spirit to his physical form using the Animal Key.
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. Enigma Key: The purpose of this key seems to be intentionally unknown. Gender Key: Unlocks a half-sized door between rooms, which changes the sex of a person who enters it. Ghost Key: When used in the right door in Keyhouse, it separates the soul from the body of whoever travels through the door. The body falls dead while their ghost is free to roam the Keyhouse grounds. Ghost souls can inhabit any other bodies nearby and clash with other ghosts. If the door is closed while the user is a ghost, they will become permanently separated from their own body. If the user is possessed by a demon, the demon will become visible when the user is a ghost, appearing to be physically attached to their spine. Giant Key: This physically large wooden key, once inserted into a keyhole-shaped window in Keyhouse, transforms the bearer into a massive giant. Grindhouse Key: Transforms whatever door it opens into a giant fanged mouth that consumes whatever enters it. Harlequin Key: Unlocks the Harlequin Wardrobe and allows objects not normally inside to be seen. Head Key: Inserted into the base of someone's head, it allows one to peer inside the mind of a person, where memories and mental concepts (including "sanity" itself) are represented as tiny beings. The memories can be removed and swapped between people. Books inserted into a head with the Head Key transfer their contents to the bearer of the key, though in such a situation, the knowledge of the text is accurate but superficial. Hell Key: The bearer is automatically the Lord of Hell and can open the gates of Hell. Hercules Key: Embedded in a necklace, it grants the bearer considerable strength and bulk. The necklace was replaced by a belt in the Netflix series. Identity Key: Upon inserting into the base of one's chin, the bearer can change any aspect of their appearance, including clothes, body, or even gender. Also allows a bearer to forcibly change the appearance of others. However, the new appearance cannot match that of any existing person, and the user has to create a new face in their mind. IDW Key: Opens an outhouse in the woods bearing the eye of the IDW Comics logo. Once opened, the outhouse summons characters from other IDW comic books. Keyhouse Key: A large hammer-shaped key that fits into a stone slab and regenerates the Keyhouse after it is destroyed. Matchstick Key: Creates fires when inserted into a door or touched to an object, including a body. Shaped like a burning matchstick. Mending Key: Opens a magical cabinet in the Keyhouse into which a broken object can be placed (the cabinet can resize itself to the size of the object). Once the object is locked inside the cabinet, it is repaired. While it can heal severely wounded people to some extent, it apparently cannot resurrect the dead. Mirror Key: When inserted into a mirror, it allows the user to open a doorway to a parallel-pocket universe, called the Prison of the Self. This key affects a mirror's reflection if it is held toward a mirror, as it makes the reflection eerily pleasant and beckons the person to enter. The user is then enticed to come into the mirror by their reflection, and upon entering, they find themselves in a dark, empty abyss. Moon Key: Allows the user to reach and open the Moon like a door, which allows the user to pass on to the afterlife peacefully. Inhabitants who cross the door see the living world like a stage they can observe, and the afterlife like the backstage of a theater. Music Box Key: Inserted into a magical music box, it will cause the box to play a song that compels whoever is listening to obey its lyrics. Whoever turns the key can supply the commands. Commands are carried out so long as the music is playing and the listener can hear it. Omega Key: Opens the lock on the demonic door. The first key to be created. Orchestra Key: Inserted into a gramophone, this harp-shaped key will summon an orchestra composed of miniature humans. Owl Key: Gives the user control of a mechanical owl.