Well, I am just going to say it: Joe Hill is a better writer than his father. I know! Blasphemy! But, man, can Joe tell a compelling story and not go on and on, being overly verbose for pages and pages about nothing. I love someone who can tell a good story and still be concise. Now, let’s get into the newest installment of Locke & Key.

For those who haven’t read or seen the Netflix series, if you are a fan of horror, time travel, and fantasy, this is a series for you. At this point, we have – what – seven or eight Locke & Key series? But I mean, when you have magical keys that unlock different times and dimensions, you really can do a lot. Just look at what Doctor Who has done with a similar tool.

This series, Locke & Key: . . . In Pale Battalions Go . . . , focuses on Chamberlin Locke’s oldest son, John, and his desperation to be a soldier and fight in the war. He wants to use one of the keys hidden down in the vault to fight and help win, understandable seeing as he and his family sit on these powerful tools and don’t use them to aid others. This is a frequent and understandable battle of youth versus age: one sees a way to use this powerful thing for good, and the other sees the danger it posses.

Now, they don’t tell us in the comic what year it is or which war; John states on the first page that he wants to kill Germans, so it could be a few past wars. After looking up the title on the IDW site, the description says it is supposed to be 1915. You would think that they would also put the time period in the comic, seeing as it’s a time period piece. This is also the second time I have reviewed an IDW comic that is a period piece and been confused because they don’t actually tell you the time period or year.

Besides lacking in information, this is a great new addition to the Locke & Key universe. Though this new series explains the keys a little, I would suggest reading the first run of Locke & Key before picking this one up. For fans of period pieces, fantasy, and the other Locke & Key series, go and get yours at your local comic book shop!

Creators: Joe Hill (writer) Gabriel Rodriguez (artist)
Publisher: IDW Publishing
Click here to purchase.