Locke & Key Vol. 6: Alpha & Omega

Written by Joe Hill, Art by Gabriel Rodriguez

IDW Publishing

I've been enjoying this book very much, so I came to the series conclusion with mixed feelings. On the one hand: no more Locke & Key to read. On the other hand: endings are exciting, but they're also hard. Will this one be disappointing? I'll just cut to the chase: TERRIFIC ENDING. Of course at this point anyone who has been reading the series would want to see how it ends. So I guess I want to encourage anyone thinking about starting, or who dropped out somewhere along the line. 

Now for the hard part: how to talk about what happens in this volume without completely spoiling it. Lucas "Dodge" Caravaggio has been the big villain of the piece, revealing himself more and more as the story progressed. By the time we arrive at this collection, he has taken control of little Bode Locke's body, giving him an especially innocent appearance for his evil activities. As the story opens he retrieves the Crown of Shadows--giving him control of an army of deadly shadow demons--and empties out the flooding in the Drowning Cave which had prevented access to The Black Door, the gateway to a demonic dimension. Even if you have not been following the series, it should be clear that this would be Very Bad.

So an epic battle ensues, one which threatens all of the members of the Locke family, and takes many of their friends. This is not a comic in which death is temporary, although some things can be reversed through magic. It's remarkable that Hill is able to walk that line so successfully, because there is the potential for magic to be sufficiently capricious to render all conflict and change meaningless. I never felt that as a reader: everything felt like it mattered. 

This volume collects Omega #1-5 and Alpha #1-2, which implies a clear ending and an Afterward. But in fact the action continues right into Alpha #1; only Alpha #2 (which is titled "Epilogue: The Last Door") deals with wrapping up loose ends. It does this very powerfully: it is moving, surprising, and satisfying in equal measure. It is also a new beginning, as implied by the title. Don't miss it.

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  • yeah, I dug this whole tale so much. It's probably my favorite series of the last 5 years: http://www.rpsteeves.com/2014/05/how-frakking-good-is-locke-key.html

    I agree that it was a satisfying ending, wrapping up the tale that was set forward and giving each character a chance to shine.

  • I've mentioned this before, but I absolutely loved this series. A friend of mine lent me the first two trades. I read those fairly quickly, and then went back and borrowed the rest of the series. I finished that up in less than a week. It took me a while to warm up to the art, but by then end I couldn't imagine the series without it.

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