Locke & Key Alpha #2
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Locke & Key Alpha #2

Writer: Joe Hill Artist: Gabriel Rodriguez Publisher: IDW Publishing Release Date: December 18, 2013 Cover Price: $7.99 Critic Reviews: 13 User Reviews: 3
9.3Critic Rating
9.7User Rating

"The End." A door claps softly shut. A key scrapes in a last rusted lock. It ends here: the story of the Locke children and their desperate, tragic battle with the monster set on destroying them... the past. Join Gabriel Rodriguez and Joe Hill for the final chapter of Locke & Key.

  • 10
    We The Nerdy - James Connolly Dec 17, 2013

    Locke and Key: Alpha #2 is a master course in how to close out a story and how to end a comic. Locke and Key as a whole is an achievement in comics and story telling in general. Joe Hill and Gabriel Rodriguez have completed their masterpiece. This book stands with anything that Alan Moore, Frank Miller, or any of the legends of this medium have done throughout the rich history of comic books. Locke and Key will live on to be spoken of in the same regard as Watchmen and The Dark Knight Returns. If you are a fan of comic books, horror, or dramatic story telling in general you owe it to yourself to read this series. Like I've mentioned in my “Comic's Ambassadors” article Locke and Key is a work that transcends beyond comics and that non-fans can pick up and connect with in a big way. Read Full Review

  • 10
    Nerds On The Rocks - Frank Lanza Dec 19, 2013

    I suppose it's time to get all of the cliche superlatives out of the way and simply say: gentlemen, it's been quite a ride. Thank you for this series and for the journey you took us on. Thank you for Keyhouse, and for the Lockes, and for those amazing keys that were just such damn fun to read about. It's true all good things must come to an end, and it was truly an ending that lived up to the expectations. I'll miss wandering the hallways and endless doors of this series, but as I saw someone so eloquently post on Twitter today, perhaps someday I'll come across my own Head Key and dump all my memories of this book, so that I can go back to the beginning and enjoy it all over again. If you have any love for comics, or just great stories, you must read Locke and Key. Read Full Review

  • 10
    Horror DNA - James Ferguson Dec 28, 2013

    Locke & Key: Alpha is the perfect kind of closer to a comic.  It's something that's rarely seen in the industry today as we're faced with numerous reboots and relaunches, forcing characters to go on and on.  The series has a beginning, middle, and one helluva an end.  It makes you want to pick up the very first issue and read them all over again right after you put this one down.  It's emotional.  It tugs at the heartstrings.  It's damn near perfect. Read Full Review

  • 10
    Geeked Out Nation - Jess Camacho Dec 21, 2013

    Locke & Key is a great series that will be missed so much. If you've never read this series you absolutely must. It is a classic that will be re read for years by fans of all generations. Alpha #1 and #2 are available in "floppy" form and all the arcs before this are available in trade form as well as comixology. Read Full Review

  • 10
    IGN - Joshua Yehl Dec 16, 2013

    Simply put, it's impossible to imagine it ending any other way. There's only one thing left to say: Thank You, Joe and Gabe! Read Full Review

  • 10
    Bloody Disgusting - Jorge Solis Dec 19, 2013

    It's finally time to say goodbye to "Locke & Key: Alpha". I look forward to the next projects that Joe Hill and artist Gabriel Rodriguez come up with. As a fan, I couldn't have asked for a better ending from my favorite series. Read Full Review

  • 10
    Newsarama - Brian Bannen Dec 23, 2013

    Be warned: Locke & Key: Alpha #2, the final issue in Joe Hill and Gabriel Rodriguez's seminal Locke & Key series, wants to tug at your heartstrings and bring you to tears. And it does again, and again, and again. But the tears and time are worth it. Read Full Review

  • 10
    Comic Book Therapy - Kevin Finnigan Dec 19, 2013

    Joe Hill and Gabriel Rodriguez create a perfect ending for one of comics best series. Read Full Review

  • 9.5
    Comicosity - John Ernenputsch Dec 18, 2013

    To the fans who are going to miss the book I leave you with this, “Death is not the end of your life you know. Your body is a lock. Death is the key. The key turns and you're free. Free to be anywhere. Everywhere.” The story may be over, andLocke & Keymay be”dead” but it is not the end. It will live on in the hearts and minds of all it's fans, in all those fancy collections, and will forever be an example of the best that comics has to offer. Read Full Review

  • 9.0
    The Weekly Crisis - Gord Cummings Dec 21, 2013

    Gabriel Rodriguez has been a blessing to this series. His background in architecture was a perfect fit for Keyhouse, and his ability to portray emotion allowed the reader to better empathize with the characters in this book. From interviews it is apparent that Hill had some lofty demands of Rodriguez, but it is clear that he was up for the task. I look forward to seeing his work in other comics. Read Full Review

  • 8.0
    Comics Bulletin - Keith Silva Dec 24, 2013

    Locke & Key is a team sport. The fact Hill, Rodriguez, Fotos and letterer Robbie Robbins worked together on every issue is as much of this story's legacy as the story itself. A work so grand resists prcis, best to simply ask: 'Who's there?' Read Full Review

  • 7.0
    Comic Book Resources - Jennifer Cheng Dec 20, 2013

    This isn't to diminish that this is a fine ending for "Locke and Key," but it is limited in scope, concentrating on closure and "making things right" over realism in order to put all the toys back in their proper places. It's a little too neat, but it's a satisfying issue to consume and finish, and it feels simultaneously good and bad to see such an excellent creator-owned series come to an intentional end. Read Full Review

  • 7.0
    AIPT - Sean M. Thompson Dec 18, 2013

    It's all right. I am but one man, and my opinions are but my own. I'm not a huge fan of happy endings, and I'm not a huge fan of the surprise, everything is fine, ending. Hill's musical references kill me inside, and if I have to see one more person who has some kind of mental or physical disorder who is basically an angel, I might claw my eyes out, so I can be in the next Hill novel as the blind guy who saves the day. Read Full Review

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