My Locke & Key Obsession

I'm quitting new comics. This Wednesday, when I go to Rick's Comic City in Donelson to get my last batch of new comics, I'm going to cancel my hold box. I don't know if my dwindling enjoyment is just a thing (I've quit a few other times in the past) or a product of the re-emerging depression, but I'm okay with it. I'm pretty excited about the money I'm going to save. I'm also attempting to sell my collection. I've done that one other time, and I learned some things from it. Primarily I learned that if I REALLY like a series or character, I shouldn't get rid of it.

This time I'm keeping a few boxes, and I'm going to be slowly adding to that collection. Starman is my guy. The James Robinson series in the '90s was AMAZING. So I'm keeping all of those books. But this post isn't about Starman, it's about Locke & Key.

The only reason I started reading Locke & Key was because I'm a huge Stephen King fan, and Joe Hill is King's son. At the time of its release, though, I was at the tail-end of my previous no-buying kick. I was, however, reading them online. I was hooked after the first one. When I got back into buying, this series of mini-series was the first thing I added to my pull list.

Over the past year or so, I've worked hard to track down the issues I've missed, along with variant covers, trade paperbacks, hardcover collections, special collected volumes, and collectibles. This post is just a way for me to show off something I'm really proud of.

Bleeding Cool #5, Doctor Who Classics #2, IDW 10th Anniversary Comic, and IDW Coming Attractions 2009 #1 -
These contain either short stories or previews of one of the L&K minis. I think all I need is the retro variant cover to Doctor Who Classics #2.

This is the first mini series. The only regular issue I'm missing is #1, and apparently there's a foil variant out there, but I've never seen it. I'm also missing the Deluxe Hardcover, the Signed Limited Hardcover, the slipcase for the hardcover set (I bought all my HCs separately through Amazon), and the 2008 SDCC Slipcase sets (three of them). 

So, these pictures are going in alphabetical order, not publication order. These are ALL the issues of L&K: Alpha #1. I'm not missing a single thing.

These are the Wondercon variants for Alpha #1 and 2.

These are all the 2nd issue of Alpha. Again, I'm not missing an issue.

This is the complete Clockworks mini. The only issue I'm missing is the variant for issue #2.

This is Crown of Shadows. I'm only missing the variant covers for issues #3, 5, and 6. As a neat little aside, I've got a coworker who custom makes crowns and other items. I've shown her some pictures of the Crown of Shadows, and she's going to make me one, and hopefully I'll even be able to put the Shadow Key in it! I can't wait to post a picture when she's finished. Why don't you check out her Etsy page?

These are two one-shots: Grindhouse on top and Guide to the Known Keys on bottom. I'm missing two variant covers for GttKK, the convention variant and one with a red bar instead of a blue one in the top left corner. I think it's a 2nd print?

Here we have Head Games. I've got all the issues and variants, I'm just missing the signed limited hardcover, some black label hardcovers (I'll address those a little later), a blue label hardcover, and the Subterranean Press hardcover with dust jacket.

This is Keys to the Kingdom. I'm missing the variant covers for issues #2, 3, 4, and 5. 

This is Omega. Looks like I've got all of these. :D

These are the Welcome to Lovecraft specials that reprinted the very first issue. I just got the half-key variant that's on the far right a few weeks ago.

Here's the Red Label hardcover for Head Games.

This is one of the Black Label hardcovers for Head Games. Mine includes an original sketch by Langdon Foss.

This is Gabriel Rodriguez's Artist's Edition Portfolio. There are eight (I think) prints inside of uninked pages from throughout the series. They're pretty neat to look at.

This is the IDW 10th Anniversary Slipcase. I know I already have the comic that comes with it, but I also wanted the book. Maybe one day I'll eventually open it and read it. :D

These are the three oversized hardcover collections of the first three mini-series. I don't know if IDW is planning on releasing the rest of the series like this.

Here we've got the oversized treasury edition of Crown of Shadows.

This is the first volume of the Master Edition. Each volume will collect two of the mini-series. The one on the right is the convention variant. I've already got Volume 2 preordered from Amazon.

There's a coloring book! I bought two of these, one to keep and one to actually color. It's hella detailed and kind of a bitch.

This is a slipcase that collects all of the standard variants for L&K: Alpha #2.

Deluxed Edition hardcovers for Welcome to Lovecraft and Head Games.

All of the standard hardcover volumes, as well as the convention exclusives for volumes 4 and 6 and the covers collection.

Trade paperback slipcase.

Odds and ends: L&K the Game as well as an extra key card that was a convention exclusive, some temporary tattoos, a bookmark advertising the audio book (bookmark for an audio book? whatevs), and a L&K themed weekend pass for the 2012 C2E2 convention.

The aforementioned audio book.

Framed poster for Crown of Shadows.

Framed poster for the audio book. 

And finally, I'm pretty sure these are ALL of the keys produced by Israel Skelton and his Skelton Crew Studio. They've got some other stuff I'd eventually like to have, like a bust of Bode and some jewelry. Yeah, I'll even collect jewelry...hence calling it an obsession.