| Title | : | Locke \u0026 Key, Vol. 2: Head Games |
| Author | : | |
| Rating | : | |
| ISBN | : | - |
| Language | : | English |
| Format Type | : | Kindle Edition |
| Number of Pages | : | 160 |
| Publication | : | First published September 1, 2009 |
| Awards | : | Mythopoeic Fantasy Award Adult Literature (2015), Premios FIC Santiago Mejor Comic Extranjero publicado en Chile (2013) |
Locke \u0026 Key, Vol. 2: Head Games Reviews
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I've read this multiple times now and I keep thinking that this time I won't like it as much.
Not so.
This is such an awesome title that I would honestly recommend it even if you're not traditionally a fan of horror or the graphic medium. Really. It's just storytelling at its best.
Volume 2 is about the Head Key. As far as the Key goes, I thought it was less scary and more sci-fi. I'm sure a lot of you would disagree with me, but it just didn't seem creepy to unlock your head. Weird, strange, and slightly unsettling, but not horrific.
No, all the horror in this one came from seeing Zack slowly insinuating himself into their lives.
Ellie's connection with Luke/Zach gets a bit more exploration, and you find out how he came to live with her this time around. There's some sinister shit afoot with that, but you end up liking Ellie quite a bit more because of it. Or at least, I did.
There is also an introduction from
Warren Ellis that is not to be missed. So don't miss it.
Re-read 2015 -
The second volume of Locke & Key sees the reborn 'Zack' worm his way into the lives of the Lockes, with some delicious tension an OMFG moments for us readers! This volume also expands on some of the past and present characters in Lovecraft. This is shaping up to be yet another great series NOT from the House of (Marvel) Ideas, or DC Comics! 8 out of 12.
2016 read; 2012 read -
This book starts with someone dying and then goes on to find another key.
The head key.
You stick the key in the back of your neck and viola! your skull pops open. You can even look into your own head.
You see what all's in there. You can put stuff in and take some things that bother you out.
You know that's not going to end well. Unless you are like some of us and there isn't much there to begin with.
This volume does have quiet a bit of back story so be ready for that if you are reading it. Not that it's bad. It just doesn't have the bang! Pow! that the first one had.
I want my own copies of these pretty little books but dang! graphic novels are expensive. I get it as to why with all the pretty ink and pictures. However, my butt is on a tight budget.
So I will now be stalking the interwebs for affordable copies of these suckers. I plan on making the boy child read them. I caught his interest with the whole stuffing knowledge in your head the easy way like in this book. I will trick him and make him read. That is my evil plan anyways.
Book source: Library. -
These are really really good?!
Thank you Kindle Unlimited, without you I would've never started this series lol. -
Just like the great second chapters in epic series (like Empire Strikes Back or The Two Towers) this ends on a very dark, down, disturbing note. Things just keep getting worse for the Locke family, and I'm really glad that I'm so late to the party on Locke & Key, because I can go right into Volume 3 without letting the despair of Volume 2 linger too long.
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There are so many crazy, wacky elements of this story to go along with the horror side. It's a fantastic mix of the two. The whole idea of the head key and the visuals when looking into one's own head is just bonkers and I love it. Especially seeing each person peek over the top into their own head. We really see how evil and manipulative Zack / Luke / Dodge is in this.
Rodriguez's art continues to impress. I love how he uses heavy inks to outline and weight the important elements of each panel. His creativity of what is in everyone's brain is out of sight. Bring on volume 3!
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It’s disconcerting watching someone open up their head and rummage around amongst their memories. Like, literally open up their head and physically manipulate memories.
That said, I enjoyed this a great deal, moreso than volume 1, and am looking forward to more... -
Okay, I'll admit it: you guys were right when you kept recommending this series to me for ever and I was wrong thinking this was another over-hyped comic that I'll end up hating! I absolutely love this! This second volume was even more interesting than the first, and the story was so compelling that at some point the fact I don't really like the artwork and colouring stopped bothering me completely. Or maybe I just started liking it. I just couldn't put this down! -
Their father was murdered.
They don’t know one of their closest friends is really their enemy...
And he’ll stop at nothing to get the key to the black door.
The other keys have the power to save them.
This is where they’ll make their stand.
“They” are the Locke kids from the title of the series: Tyler, Kinsey and Bode. In the first volume, they must overcome personal tragedy and survive the terror of being hunted by a psychopat. Now they find out that there is more to discover behind the murder of their father, that their family was not randomly targeted and that the present events are closely linked to other criminal manifestations that have taken place a generation before, in the town of Lovecraft, Massachusets. Most of these events are centered on the gothic mansion from the attached picture, a giant house filled with nooks and crannies, gazebos and cellars, roof balconies and closets under the stairs that are still largely unexplored and full of promise for new scary and mysterious discoveries in the future.
The “keys” from the title are supernatural artefacts hidden in the family mansion, used to unlock portals towards a world of magic and adventure and bone chilling terror. Apparently only young children are able to experience and understand the alternative reality opened by the keys ( grownups never believe ), since their rationality is still flexible and open to wonder, making the youngest Locke kid the prime explorer of the house and the experimental researcher of the ‘superpowers’. The older Kinsey and Tyler are on the brink of losing their native Locke ability, beset by regrets, fear, self-doubt. It was easy for me to pick Bode as my favorite character so far in the series, even as I acknowledge that all the other characters have more depth and more awareness of risks and consequences for their actions. Here’s a dialogue between Kinsey and Tyler:
- Oh, boy, I’d like life to be normal for a while.
- Well it isn’t. Get used to it. I’m scared, too – I’m so scared I feel sick – but we can’t just ignore s__t and hope it goes away.
Coming back to the keys, it appears each volume so far is focused on a special ‘power’ unlocked by them. In the first volume it was an out of body experience, allowing the spirit to wander free and invisible around the mansion. Here we have a key that unlocks the subconscious mind and allows for fiddling with the memories and emotions stored inside. Fun and terror are mixed in equal amounts as the new possibilities to use the power are explored: fun from Bode mainly and terror from their undercover adversary who is on a quest of his/her own for the ultimate key of power, still hidden at this point in the proceedings.
The series is not focused exclusively on the young adult / children point of view. Some of the best story arcs refer to the members of the older generation, as we get acquainted with the events surrounding a school play of The Tempest in which the kids father and his friends got involved in their own personal tragedy, one whose echoes still can be felt decades later. An elderly English teacher, a coach for the girls athletic team, the kids uncle Duncan and several others get their own story arcs that highlight the talent of Joe Hill to go beyond the immediate thrills of a griping horror story and tackle a host of contemporry issues like autism, racism, sexual orientation, violence, parental abuse, etc.
I really liked the first album in the series, but with Head Games I’ve become a fully committed fan of the writing style of Joe Hill and of the artwork of Gabriel Rodriguez. Hill is firmly in control of the story, you can feel he knows where he wants to lead you and that you can trust him to steer away from unnecessary filler or prolonged detours. He is a master at characterization and blends easily the real world with the supernatural, staying all the time within his chosen horror theme. Literary and pop-culture references enhance the experience, and while the violence and the dialogue is often of the graphic / explicit sort, it doesn’t feel gratuitous or excessive, given the extraordinary circumstances that the Locke kids are going through. Rodriguez excelled himself in this album, in particular in the panels describing the subconscious mind that I considered poster worthy material, and in the depictions of the Lovecraft mansion.
I have real high expectations from the next albums in the series, and I might also put forward some of the Joe Hill novels on my waiting list. -
Re Netflix series, rereading.... summer 21
Brian Vaughn writes the intro to this second volume, which made me consider how Joe Hill is beginning to match up with the contemporary horror/sci-fi/fantasy comics greats such as Neil Gaiman, Joss Whedon or Vaughn himself. In short, I'll say he's not yet at that level, though this series is already a classic. Surely Gaiman is technically better, deeper, more philosophical, more seriously writing horror in all respects, but Hill is still good: witty, scary, imaginative, good writer of dialogue. And the core of this is like most good horror, principally about character development, about a family under siege, helping us get to know these people, the Locke family and their friends and tormentors.
I think artist Gabriel Rodriguez is also a gifted storyteller here, and the images tell a tale that the words don't have to be redundant about. This is a mistake lots of comics collaborations make, too many words when the visuals tell the story. Again, I am not typically a horror fan, so I leave the expert commentary to horror fans, but I am a story fan, a fan of dialogue and character creation and world creation, and this series accomplishes these things really well. I like this series a lot, I'm entertained. -
Review of the first volume:
Locke & Key, Vol. 1: Welcome to Lovecraft
I immediately went ahead and read the second volume of the Locke and Key series. The first volume was very satisfactory, providing a good introduction to the series. The second volume didn't disappoint either, as the novel developed even further.
The first volume was pure introduction to the world and characters, but it didn't focus much on the keys. I'm very glad that the second one focused on one particular key, and the secret of the key was very entertaining. I feel that Joe Hill finally cranked it up a notch with the second volume. The characters were more likable now as they further developed, and the plot became even more interesting.
I only have one complaint, and that would be the artwork. Not much changed with it, and i didn't see much improvement. It was slightly better than the first, but it still felt a bit dull.
4.5/5 stars. A lot better than the first, but still doesn't deserve a 5 from me. I do hope that the plot continues to be this good, and hopefully I'd be able to give at least one of the volumes a 5 star rating. -
Dark, creepy, awesome. These comics are so freaking cool! I love them! The story is cool and so is the artwork. Can't wait to read more.
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Find all of my reviews at:
http://52bookminimum.blogspot.com/
It’s time for another visit to Keyhouse : )
Head Games is the second volume in the Locke and Key series. While I’m still holding firm to the hope that this will end up being a 5 Star collection, this particular volume only earns 4 . . . Which is still good, so lay off! After a gut-wrenching and action packed debut, Volume II settles down a bit in order to go over some much needed, but not as exciting, backstory. In order to move forward, it is necessary to learn about Zack and his past – and said past isn’t in any way, shape, or form dull, it’s just not a driving plotline like the story of the house. I mean, really, you can’t deny the main character in this set is the house.
Luckily, there was a side story in play featuring another key - the Head Key. This key was A-W-E-S-O-M-E . . .
Yep. So awesome. And the artwork was once again stellar as well . . .
Not to mention the things this little key could make possible . . .
Wouldn’t it be tempting to to remove things from your memory you don’t want? I’m sure this idea won’t backfire (/end sarcasm)
Once again, highly recommended - Especially for fans of horror/suspense who haven’t yet had the courage to dive into the deep end of the graphic novel pool. -
oooooo..... more eerie adventures on that strange island in that creepy Key House with that poor, haunted family. wonderful! this volume is as strong as the first. while the first book was focused on slowly bringing the family and the reader into this fascinating world - introducing a handful of magical keys, throwing out a few hints of the incredible backstory, setting up a confrontation between the family and both a dreadful psycho & a creepy spirit villain - the second book zooms in one particular key and one particularly fertile concept.
the key in question is fascinating: it gives you the ability to unlock your own head, put things into it (like a textbook! who needs to study? just pop that baby right into the box and all the answers are instantly available), and take things out as well (like bad memories... like fear... like an ability to feel sadness or doubt or even cry). and how this is exactly accomplished is one of the most enjoyable and rather jaw-dropping conceits of Head Games. i literally gasped out loud, then laughed and laughed and laughed. awesome.
Head Games is a lot more than just a perfectly realized and fairly unique idea. it takes that idea and expands upon it, in a truly literary style. no, scratch that, not "literary"... this is a graphic novel and the artist Gabriel Rodriguez is an equal partner in the undertaking. his art is wondrous. the word that comes most immediately to mind is limpid. Head Games deals with a lot of cloudy, ambiguous, mysterious goings-on and the art illustrates these mysteries with a clarity that is nearly hallucinatory. does that make any sense? a kind of hallucinogenic, so-real-it's-stylized pellucidity. wow i'm really tossing out the $10 words in this review.
but back to what i was saying. what makes Joe Hill such a strong writer is that he doesn't just unveil his gem of an idea and leave it there. he expands upon it, he works through it: what the inside of a person's imagination may look like (some extraordinary details there), how someone's fears and emotions can both hold them back and make them who they are, how we are controlled by our memories of different events and how those memories may differ from reality, how different people engage in different ways with their own personas, and more. a lot of food for thought. it is exciting to see how Hill plays with his ideas while keeping them carefully rooted in an astute, clear-eyed view of how our emotions rule us - how the human mind actually works.
all that plus the stories of two very different but equally tragic supporting characters, a villain who is slippery & cunning & menacing & yet terrifically real, a well-developed gay character, an increasingly intriging backstory, and some very endearing kid protagonists. this is a must-read series. -
SECOND READ:
I'm completely fascinated by the Head Key-- so many possibilities, but so dangerous, especially in the wrong hands. Dodge being the obvious choice of course, but Tyler and Kinsey are able to wreak some havoc as well. Poor Ellie goes through a really awful time and I felt so sorry for her, especially during the Epilogue.
FIRST READ:
Brilliant! I was especially excited about the Head Key because that was one of my favourite parts of the TV series. It's works differently here, and I think each way is suited the format. Looking into the head works beautifully when you are reading -- having them actually go into their own heads in the show seems to make more sense and would probably be nicer to film too.
This is proving to be just as good as I had been hoping! -
A solid entry from Joe Hill and team. Again, most of what I loved about the first Vol. is present here, and the stakes are up-ed for the Locke family with the mind games. However, I wish there were more horror elements present. Maybe it's just me though.
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Me sigue gustando bastante si bien es cierto que se aleja bastante del argumento de la serie, pero esta historia es casi más entretenida.
Lo único que me chirría es que la cara de algunos personajes son muy similares siendo unos chicos y otras chicas, lo único que los diferencia son los pelos y poco más.
Por lo demás el dibujo me encanta y los colores también.
Seguiré en la serie.
8/10 -
2015 re-read. Magical, wondrous, crazy series continues to feel magical, wondrous and crazy. Like Warren Ellis in his introduction to this volume, I too want to find a key that opens up Joe Hill's head and steal from within all the "clever bits" -- because Mr. Hill is just too clever for his own damn good. Can this series possibly end as Herculean strong as it's begun? Also, a resounding standing ovation for the artwork of Gabriel Rodriguez.
2012 review:
If you've yet to begin on the wondrous and amazing journey that is Joe Hill's
Locke and Key series, what are you waiting for? An engraved invitation? Life is short and our TBR piles huge, but this one? This one you absolutely, unequivocally do not want to miss.
It's so charming and whimsical, a touch of fairy tale mixed in to a raw and rollicking story about grief and loss, ghosts and monsters, mysterious doors and the magical keys that open them. It's about childhood and family and sibling bonds.
And it all comes back to the keys scattered about the magisterial and aptly named Keyhouse that holds a dark and dangerous secret. -
I don't read graphic novels nearly enough but I will say I do really enjoy this series. It's hard for me to rate it though. I really like it, but also I'm so lost and I cant make much sense out of it. I still cant wait to read more! All in all this is so far a good series that makes you question a lot.
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Excited to go to sleep so I can wake up and read the next one....... That level of love for this series right now!
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Once again, my original review has spoilers. I don't recommend you reading past the 2014 numbers.
HEAD GAMES was an excellent second part to this story. I sometimes wish I had more to say when I love a book other than “holy shit, this is amazing…” However, I normally don’t.
I still very much suggest trying this series out if you haven't yet. It just gets better in this second volume. If I remember correctly, the head key is my favorite. It's a fascinating idea.
6/8 - 6/9 2014
Locke & Key Volume 2: Head Games was an excellent second part to this story. I sometimes wish I had more to say when I love a book other than “holy shit, this is amazing…” However, I normally don’t.
In Head Games, we continue to see the Locke family evolve, either for the better or worse in the wake of Rendell’s death. Tyler is still angry, wrapped in guilt; Kinsey is beginning to open up out of hiding, and well, Bode is still adventurous Bode. He’s also the one that finds the main key, again, in this story: the Head Key. Which is a freaking awesome key.
Oh, if I had the Head Key, I’d like to say I’d be like Bode - just willing to pop open my head and see all the worlds and memories in it. Maybe toss a few books or videos into my head for epic-ness, like learning martial arts or new languages. It would be amazing.
Of course, if I really did find the Head Key, having read this wonderful story by Joe Hill, I’d run far, far away. I know what comes with the keys - you know, crazy demon lady from the well. Yeah, is getting the Head Key worth being killed? Well maybe, it’s a pretty great key.
Joe Hill did an outstanding job at continuing the plot and his vision with Head Games, and Gabriel Rodriguez brought Hill’s words to life with his brilliant artwork. I really don’t have anything negative to say regarding this book or this series in general.
I’m ecstatic that I finally read this second volume, and once again with my pimping - seriously try this series out. -
The second Locke & Key graphic novel volume follows directly on from the first as we find the three Locke children in deadly danger from a visitor from the past. This volume wasn’t as tension filled or action packed as the last, relying more on plot and character development to drive it forward instead of action. As such, I found the pace a lot slower, with the enemy moving forward with their mysterious plans unknown by the children, but nothing really happening in terms of questions being answered.
The key itself is a weird one this time, and has the ability to open the head and add or remove memories and information at will. Although there may be some people immune to this one, and allies in unusual places, I didn’t find it as interesting as the ghost key from the previous volume. That said, I love the unique concepts within this series and was continue to read on. -
What an amazing imagination!
Locke&Key Vol 2: Head Games by Joe Hill continues this wild and crazy story! In this book, Bode finds out what the next key does and it freaks out everyone but his mom, ( she is in shock). What this does will leave you with a creepy feeling, at least it did me! The thing in the well house is a big player for Team Evil and has a large role.
The graphics are super tremendous! I loved just looking at the illustrations! Pick up this graphic book series but start with book one! -
Honestly, this is one of the best series I've read in a long time. Hill's imagination seems boundless, and our heroes seem to be in serious peril and they don't even know it. There's a lot going on that we haven't been told yet, but things are starting to come together. Concepts seem to have been well thought out and the characters are certainly believable, even the ones we don't like. I don't think I've been this excited about a series since discovering Death Note, maybe even Sandman. This is top notch work!
Addendum 2021:
The star of this volume is the Mind Key and all it can do. Now if only the Locke siblings would stop confiding in the wrong people …
I love the pacing on this series. Hill and Rodriguez drop their hints at precisely the right moments. The supplemental material at the back of the book is nice. We get a recap of the various keys that we've seen, and it's done in a way that sheds light on their history. And there's an engrossing look at Rodriguez' art process.
Series is holding up well on the rereading. I keep discovering things that I either missed or just plain forgot about the first time through. Highly recommended! -
www.melissa413readsalot.blogspot.com
This second installment was awesome! It was creepy, weird and I loved it. You will never guess where the other key goes!
I loved the graphics and the continuing storyline. I look forward to the next book in the wonderful world of Joe Hill! -
Rtc
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This stuff is really great! I wonder what will happen next!
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Well, I was hoping that if I kept on with the series, I'd get used to the art, but unfortunately not. Giant chins and tiny, lipless mouths everywhere. And everyone looks like a pallid corpse thanks to the questionable choice of shading all fleshtones with an unsaturated grey. It's just not pretty.
And I don't think it's some deliberate attempt at disquieting horror art, either, because low-saturation isn't the way to make unsettlingly corpselike characters. There's a whole palette of greens, blues, and yellows out there that have been used to great effect in horror comics, and that's not what we're getting. It's not realistic, nor is it stylized, which seems to be my problem with this book in general.
We've got more and more plot unfolding everywhere, but no small story or character arcs to keep us entertained in the meantime. If Hill isn't going to give us small payoffs as we go along, the one at the end is going to have to be gobsmacking to make up for it. Too many good authors have dug that hole and proved how daunting it is to escape.
So far, the main impetus for the plot is watching the fox in the henhouse and waiting for them to stop him. It's about as dynamic as a car wreck in slow motion. You see everything coming, and there's a kind of unpleasantness as Hill slowly brings about the inevitable, but I'm not sure that it constitutes 'horror'.
Horror has to surprise us, not just make us squeamish, and there aren't going to be any surprises unless they start with the characters. So far, they're mostly archetypal: tools for facilitating the plot. Hill is all about pacing and getting the plot moving, which is impressive, but without the depth, voice, and character to back it up, what's the point? It's all getting a bit tedious.
It's unusual to see someone who has polished the structure of his writing so much but who is so otherwise lacking in subtlety and style. Usually, these aspects develop in tandem, but sometimes you find authors who work to perfect one aspect of their craft so much that the rest suffers.
It's those little things that make characters stand out: turns of phrase, emotional reactions, hypocrisies; things that indicate that the character has a past and an existence outside of the story (including plot-revealing flashbacks). I'm just not getting that from Hill and it's disappointing, because I want to like this story, I want to connect with it, I want to see its ideas explored, its influences nodded to and twisted around, but so far it's all too convenient, too plainly artificial.
And yet, it doesn't save itself by relishing its own artificial nature; a strong cliche can be a lot of fun, a weak, degraded cliche rarely is. It's neither realistic, nor an adventure, and I feel like this story is really losing itself between the extremes.
The background art is still far and away the most impressive part of the comic, but unfortunately, it never becomes the focus for longer than an establishing shot. It could be very effective if the comic quietly lingered on it, shifting through scenes and places and letting them become real, like in Hellboy. But we've got a lot of expositionary dialogue and flashbacks to get through if we're going to get to the good vs. evil climax any time soon, so we march on.
I can't stand a villain without a motive, and if ours has one, there's no indication of it in his one-track personality. So far, he just feels like a tool, in more ways than one, and the way the camera lingers on him, I'm starting to think the author has an unhealthy passion for his villainy, since we see it demonstrated over and over. We get it, he's the bad guy, now make us care!
My Suggested Reading In Comics -
In this 2nd volume of the series we get the Head Key. The Head Key opens what you'd expect: people's heads. You get to see their memories and can put knowledge in there or take something out.
Kinsey and Tyler have made friends with a boy that looks an awful lot like one who has been at their school one generation earlier - a friend of Kinsey's and Tyler's dad to be exact. For those, who have seen the show, the mystery is no mystery and I must say that it was almost painfully obvious in the comic as well. I thought that was handled much better in the Netflix production.
Anyway, one of the teachers (which one will also come as no surprise to those who've seen the show) dies. Was it suicide? Well, the comic doesn't leave room for speculation there, either, because we're shown everything chronologically. Hm.
We're also introduced to Ellie and her son Rufus.
Other than that, not too many new events, just a glimpse at yet another key hidden in Key House (one which we DON'T know from the show) and lots of headspaces and flashbacks/memories.
I must say that I like the ideas in / behind this comic much more than the actual end result. Especially now that I have the show to compare this to. The people on the show are much better (more detailed, more nuanced, not as crass) and the chronology of events talked about and shown leaves much more room for viewers to discover parts of the tale for themselves. Which tells me that the creators loved the ideas as well but saw just as much room for improvement.
The art remains as we saw in the previous volume and I don't think I'll particularly warm up to it. However, there were two exceptions:
These two I liked very much. The rest was ... crude? At least that was my impression. Shame.
By the way: definitely watch the show first and then read the comics if you read them at all. A much better puzzle to solve that way. I'm really glad I decided to do it this way around. -
Obično me nastavci filmova, romana, grafičkih novela,... razočaraju ali Hil i Rodrigez definitivno znaju svoj posao. Mislim da sam totalno navučen na ovu grafičku novelu. Oduševljava me Rodrigezov smisao za detalje i mračan ton Hilove priče.
Moram priznati da je Darkwood odradio pravu stvar sa ovim izdanjem, a Marčelu svaka čast za prevod!
