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.

What You Should Have Read #65

Comic Book Reviews

for the Week of June 20, 2012

This week’s issue of Avengers vs. X-Men is the best I’ve read so far. There’s enough dialogue to make this last more than a couple of minutes, and there’s a lot going on. I thought the hunt for Hope was pretty stupid. Leave Hope to Scott, and if you’re worried about the Phoenix, send your people to try and take care of it (which, yeah, that happened, but the whole Utopia strike team thing was ridiculous). It’s good to see the Iron Fist plot from New Avengers finally being brought into the main book. It didn’t clear anything up, but it’s good that those ideas are here. I’m enjoying the new art from Olivier Coipel. I have no problems with John Romita, Jr., but I find that his work doesn’t flow all that well. His panels look more like tiny pin-ups. Coipel is much easier to flip through. I knew the ending of this issue was going to happen, but I wasn’t planning on Cyclops being the one to utter the words. I was expecting it’d be Scarlet Witch. After spending the previous five issues wondering how disappointed I was going to be at the end of the crossover, I find myself a little excited to see where this is going to go.

This was my first issue of Avenging Spider-Man, and I picked it up because it was the “Ends of the Earth” epilogue. It was bad, but I don’t think it was really necessary as an end cap. Except for the beginning and ending bookends, the story is a flashback where Spidey recounts a previously untold adventure with Silver Sable who, despite the lack of a body (also no Rhino body), is in fact dead. Never mind the fact that Sabra and Kangaroo also apparently bought it while helping out Spidey. Sable was a friend; the other two were just random international characters that were easy cannon fodder. There was one thing about this issue that made me sad. An editorial box said that this took place after Web of Spider-Man #72. I had that issue! Anyways, Spidey tells Sable and Strange that he can’t get married because he has a girlfriend. Web took place well after Pete and MJ got married, so why didn’t he say he was already married? Because that was scrubbed. It made me sad when I realized Pete and MJ never got married. It was a great nod to current continuity, though. There was also a member of the Wild Pack. Yay ‘90s!

Not a single member of the Dark Avengers appeared in the Dark Avengers this issue. Not a problem, though, because the issue was awesome. We finally find out why the Thunderbolts have been bouncing through time. There’s a wonderful guest star that is firmly rooted in current continuity. The story looks like it wraps up rather quickly, but I think the issue flows wonderfully. The whole thing centers around the Man-Thing, and this new version of him/it is terrific. I’d really rather read more stories about this team than the new team, the Dark Avengers. Of course, I have faith in writer Jeff Parker to flesh out this new team and get me to care about what happens to them.

Truth be told, I was a smidge disappointed in this week’s Invincible Iron Man. Stane was taken out like the chump he is. The hostage situation made absolutely no sense. Why didn’t Justine have her soldiers take out Doug from a distance? A good sniper with a head shot would be able to take him out with no harm to Sasha, correct? And Spymaster took the easy way out? Really? Still, the art by Salvador Larroca was as great as always, and the dialogue flowed wonderfully, but I can’t get behind the actual plot…except for the Tony/Bethany/Rhody stuff. I was totally okay with everything that happened there. Despite my disappointment, I do like that I have no idea where writer Matt Fraction is going with the story. I like to be surprised.

The best part of this week’s Journey into Mystery was the recap by King Arthur. I thought the bit in the club with Hellstrom was rather pointless, since we don’t see him actually doing the job that Loki tasked him with. Loki could have just mentioned his plan to Leah, and we would have gotten a bit more of their excellent back-and-forth. Of course, then we wouldn’t have learned about the Trashcan of Doom. I hope that comes into play by the end of the storyline.

Ah, finally an issue of New Avengers that isn’t utter crap! Sure, it’s still all about the Phoenix’s connection with K’un Lun, which isn’t explained, but we do get to see a red-headed Iron Fist who becomes the Phoenix. Also, this issue also actually has two members of the New Avengers in it, and it’s Spidey who brings the issue home. I love Hope’s skepticism at her reason for being at K’un Lun and her complete and utter turnaround once Spidey gives his speech. Granted, it’s a speech he’s given to himself plenty of times, but it’s a wonder when we get to see someone else’s reaction. So, yeah, great bit of story. And the art? Wonderful. When he first started out, I was not a fan of Mike Deodato. Not at all. But now, his work is art, not just lines on paper.

I’m giving X-Factor a second read because it was late when I started reading it and I really had to work at staying awake. That’s not a comment on Peter David’s writing. I was just really, really tired. Hell, I didn’t even notice that Jamie and Guido were talking over Longshot, who was laid out on a slab. While the last issue set up Rahne’s big journey, this issue set everybody’s new arc in motion. Rahne takes off with Rictor and Shatterstar to look for her abandoned son. Banshee and Havok head to Ulster, NY to see why it looks like Theresa is killing people. Maddrox continues investigating Far Sight’s death…right after he has a roll with Layla. And Lorna and Monet wait for Longshot to wake up. They have the easiest job. There was no action at all in this issue, but that’s par for the course with set-up issues. That doesn’t mean it wasn’t a meaty issue. Dan Slott should be very happy with it. I know I was…on the second reading…when I was awake and alert.

My back issue purchases were Amazing Spider-Man #s 655 and 656.

Here are my planned purchases for next week:

Amazing Spider-Man #688

Spider-Men #2

Wolverine and the X-Men #12

What a gloriously tiny week. That makes up for the Ultimate Spider-Man Omnibus that I pre-ordered a month or so ago and received earlier this week.

And if I can make a little gripe, DC also has the Infinite Crisis Omnibus HC solicited for next week. I’m not going to get it, but I wanted to check out what was included in it to make it an omnibus edition. The main mini itself wasn’t going to be big enough. Sure enough, it includes ALL of the Infinite Crisis minis…except the main one. If your book is called the Infinite Crisis Omnibus HC, shouldn’t you have the main series included in it? Or title it something slightly different?

If my LCS gets a Locke & Key Card Game in, I’ll buy it. That’s somewhat of an empty promise, though, because I’m 95% sure they didn’t order one “just in case.”

What You Should Have Read #60

Comic Book Reviews for the Week of May 16, 2012

Big week this week. Almost too big. So big that I decided not to get the Fantastic Four Point One issue that I had planned on getting.

Also, spoilers, because it’s hard to have a spoiler-free discussion.

I thought the Ends of the Earth one-shot was pointless. I kind of wish I would have flipped through it before just buying it sight unseen. Spidey recruits some international heroes to thwart Doc Ock’s plans in their respective countries, but personally, I would have been fine with this all happening between the panels of the regular ASM comic. If you read the most recent issue of Amazing Spider-Man, you know that ONE of these international heroes died. This comic was a smidge vague. I assume both Kangroo and Sabra were killed by Lady Deathstrike and Crossbones, but there’s no confirmation. Sure, Lady D slashes Kangaroo in the midsection and we see some decent blood spatter, but that’s it. And it sure looks like Crossbones hit Sabra with a headshot, but all we see is her face-down in a bit of blood. Out of the two ambiguous deaths, I’d say hers is the least ambiguous.

I hated Walt Simonson’s artwork in the previous issue, and his work in Avengers #26 is only marginally better. The stuff with Noh-Varr was pointless. He was character that Bendis did nothing with other than give him a new identity and a girlfriend. He wasn’t fleshed out at all, and he’s on my deadpool as the guy to get whacked in this crossover. He was great in Grant Morrison’s Marvel Boy mini-series, and he was decent in the Secret Invasion crossover. Since then, though, he’s been pretty useless. I also don’t understand why he’s so loyal to the Kree. These aren’t his Kree. He’s from an alternate dimension/universe. I really think Bendis is dropping the ball with the crossover issues in both this title and New Avengers.

So far this was my favorite issue of the mini-series. From the opening with Wolverine wearing a polar bear (not a polar bear pelt, but the whole damn animal), to the end with Thor crashing to the moon and the Phoenix showing up, it was all pretty solid. I like that they didn’t draw out the Phoenix’s arrival. With such a big thing happening so early in the series, I’m really interested in seeing how this is going to play out. The Thor stuff doesn’t quite line up with what happened in Avengers #26 this week, so it looks like we’ve got to wait another week to see how that ended. He WAS the only one to return to Earth (the Moon) though. I was okay with Wolverine duping Hope, but I’m wondering why he didn’t just try and end her right there. Scared? I don’t need to read Versus to know how the fights turn out. I don’t really care. I thought the first issue was poorly thought out, and I’m okay with just seeing a couple panels for the fights. I’m enjoying John Romita, Jr.’s artwork, but I think Colossunaut looks stupid. I don’t have a problem with the Peter possessing the power or anything like that, I just think is a cumbersome look, and that isn’t JRJr.’s fault.

Did anyone really believe Tony was going to quit being Iron Man? Nope, didn’t think so. Although solicits for this issue touted a new man in the armor, I don’t think the identity was much of a surprise, especially if you’ve seen the cover for the next issue. Flip to the back of this issue and you get the cover for the next issue. The suit is black and silver/gray. The suit has a ghost mode. The suit…well, other than it looking very Tron-ish, there’s nothing else that might betray the wearer’s identity, but c’mon, it HAD to be Rhodey. Fraction is doing his part to rehash (in a good way, I’m truly loving the series) old storylines. Tony loses his company. Tony gets drunk. Tony isn’t Iron Man anymore. It’s his greatest hits. So who subbed for Tony before, had a suit of his own that was black and silver/gray, and who’s latest suit had a ghost mode that was heavily used? James Rhodes, War Machine, of course. The same James Rhodes who was fake killed…last issue? So the last page shouldn’t have been a surprise to anybody. Rehashing or not, like I said, I’m still loving the book. I loved Tony’s scenes with the extraction of his current armor and the revelation of his latest armor. I loved Stane’s determination and the flashbacks of both men. I loved the Spymaster stuff and how Cabe was such a badass. The only thing that threw me for a loop were the Detroit Steel pages. It looked like some sexual roleplay gone wrong. I guess we’ll learn more about that later.

The end for the series of Locke and Key series is quickly coming to an end. I have yet to read a bad issue. Hell, one of them made me cry. In the last issue of the Clockworks mini, we get the resolution to Rendell and Dodge’s (and their best buds’) adventures with the keys. It satisfying, and it does a good job of setting up the final mini-series. Man, I HATE that the pilot didn’t get picked up by FX. If anybody reading this has run across a copy of it (or, if maybe Joe Hill is reading this and wants to drop a brother a tweet?), I’d love to see it.

I won’t lie, this is not a normal book for me. I got it only because of the crossover with Journey into Mystery. I probably won’t continue to get the book after the crossover ends, but I was not unhappy with having to purchase this issue. As crossovers go, it’s working well for me. It’s pulling on threads exposed earlier in Journey into Mystery, and the tie-in with New Mutants is logical what with them having a Valkyrie and some sort of Hel dog in their group. I also like that the writers of both series are noted in the credits. Just because Gillen writes JiM and not NM doesn’t mean he doesn’t have a bunch of input on what’s going on in this title, and vice versa. Also, even though Thor is in this, this could KIND OF be an unofficial AVX crossover. Kind of. Also also, the ending caught me by surprise. I like it when that happens.

I guess I’m okay with the way Thunderbolts ended. I haven’t been reading the title for the last 174 issues, only since Warren Ellis took over the writing chores. I think it’s because of that that I didn’t really have any feelings for the Fixer’s fate one way or the other. I mean, it sucks what happened, but dude brought it on himself. At least he had the wherewithal to man up and take one for the team. I’m more interested in seeing how this is going to transition into Dark Avengers. I like the idea of a dark Avengers team, and while I liked Osborn’s original team more than the most recent iteration, I’m interested in seeing where Jeff Parker is going to take the team and how quickly he’ll be able to get rid of Clor. Seriously, get rid of that shit.

One of the highlights of James Robinson’s Starman was the Times Past issues. The fact that he’s bringing the concept over to The Shade is a treat. This series is slightly odd. We’re learning so much about the Shade’s history, but as of yet we still haven’t learned how he got his powers, and I don’t think we will. Despite the murder and demonic possession, this was actually a sweet comic. The Shade meets his grandson and sees his wife one last time. There wasn’t much action, but I find that Robinson doesn’t really excel at that. His forte is history and storytelling. The thing I’m wondering most about this series is how it fits in to DC’s New 52. Although the Knight family hasn’t been mentioned, it seems like everything that we know about the Shade from that series is still in continuity. But there is absolutely no way the Knight legacy can still exist. If I understand the new continuity correctly (and the only two series I’m reading are Batman and The Shade, so I could be totally wrong with this), but Superman was the first superhero to show up, right? So there were no mystery men during World War II? So Ted Knight wasn’t Starman, and there is no Starman legacy. I don’t know, I’m just confused. In my mind, it’s all good though because I can enjoy all of those stories regardless of current continuity. But, if there’s a chance Mr. Robinson is reading this (‘cause imma tag you on Twitter, yo), please please PLEASE explain how the Shade and the Knights fit into The New 52.

Wow. X-Factor was kind of depressing, and Shatterstar and Madrox were almost useless. I mean, sure, Shatterstar saved the day and killed the bad guy, but how many innocents were killed first, some of them while Shatterstar was RIGHT THERE? I’m not 100% familiar with X-Factor’s recent history. I originally started reading the title when Peter David first came on board in the ‘90s, and I was pleased. I stopped reading it when I stopped reading all X-books, right in the middle of the Phalanx Covenant. I got back in when the current series was renumbered starting with issue #200. I need to go back and get the David issues that I missed. Anyways, all that to say…is that Mr. Tryp manipulating Far Sight? I’ve only seen him when Jamie was bouncing around the alternate timelines, and I have no idea who he is or what he can do. Like I said, I’ve got some back issues to find.

My two back issues for this week were, Ultimate Spider-Man #s 158 and 159, and I picked up a small packet of Justice League Adventures comics, issues 4, 6 and 8, for my son. He was happy.

Here’s my list for next week:

Fables #117

Amazing Spider-Man #686

Journey into Mystery #638

Oh thank God this is a small week. The past two were horrible. Hmm, that’s going to make for a small blog entry. At least I should be able to get it posted at a reasonable time. Grr.