As each installment draws closer to its grand finale, the reading experience of Locke & Key: Omega #5 will definitely leave you breathless. Once you get to know them, you will be rooting for the deeply flawed Locke family to make it out alive. As the “Locke & Key” series comes winding down, each issue delivers an unforgettable punch of story and art.
WRITTEN BY: Joe Hill
ART BY: Gabriel Rodriguez
PUBLISHER: IDW Publishing
PRICE: $3.99
RELEASE: June 5th, 2013
The powerful demon named Dodge has lied, cheated, and murdered to find the key that would unlock the mysterious Black Door. Deep inside the Drowning Cave, the Black Door has let loose the shadow monsters of hate and madness from their prison. With the Omega Key in the hands of Dodge, the whole world will soon become a nest for his demonic kind. The Devil has been released on Lovecraft Island, brining about his tide of never-ending darkness. As the moon sets, shadows are now darker than ever.
What I really loved about Joe Hill’s writing is how he cleverly mixes straight-up horror and laugh-out loud comedy. At one moment, you feel anguish for the pain that Locke family member is feeling. Hill then tops the scene with a memorably hilarious line. The witty humor doesn’t break the suspenseful tension because the Locke family isn’t out of trouble yet. It’s just a chance to relieve some of the anxiety and stress that the characters are going through. Hill brings out the heart of his characters and makes heroes out of them during these intense situations.
What’s great about Hill’s writing is how he portrays teenagers with the angst and complexity of a John Hughes movie. The teenage partygoers at the prom are watching their world literally fall apart. In their dialogue, one of the partygoers makes references to pop culture because she’s trying to understand her bizarre predicament. Like in “The Breakfast Club,” you see characters break out of their stereotypes and make some genuine sacrifices. What’s scary is how the comic relief suddenly turns into a bully.
Artist Gabriel Rodriquez captures the emotional roller-coaster that the characters are going through. In close-ups, Rodriquez illustrates how each of the Locke members are going through their own turmoil. Kinsey is trying to be brave, but she doesn’t want anyone to see that she is really a scared little girl. This is a tricky thing to draw, but Rodriquez brilliantly focuses on her body language and facial expressions. There is an arc to Kinsey’s emotional defeat as your eyes follow her from one panel to the next.
Rodriquez takes a simple idea and visually turns it into epicness. In a race against time, Tyler is on the run from the shadow monsters. Aided by Jay Fotos’ colors, there is a stylish look to the light source, like a lens flare. White and yellow tones are altered when they come from torches and flashlights. Fotos and Rodriquez are playing around with light and darkness, while making great use of shadows.
“Locke & Key: Omega” #5 leaves off with a nail-biting cliff-hanger. With two issues left to go, the “Locke and Key” series is heading really close to its final chapter. I’m anxious and scared to see how the story ends.
4.5/5 Skulls
Reviewed by – Jorge Solis
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