Graphic Novel Review: Locke & Key vol.6: Alpha & Omega by Joe Hill and Gabriel Rodriguez

Locke and Key, Vol. 6: Alpha & Omega by Joe Hill  and Gabriel Rodriguez

Genre: Horror

Series: Collects Locke and Key Omega #1-5 and Alpha #1-2

Publisher: IDW Publishing

Publication Date: February 2014

Wendy’s Rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars

Dodge has all the keys, as well as little Bode’s body and, with all the prom kids in the horrible cave, he’s all set to unleash hell on earth and build himself a nice demon family. Kinsey, Ty and all those that aren’t dead or under Dodge’s control must fight desperately to stop Dodge from making his violent dream come true.

As far as epic battles go, this one is brutal. With all the keys at his disposal, Dodge unleashes all manner of chaos and debauchery, turning their friends and loved ones against Kinsey and Ty, while savagely murdering others. Once again, the seemingly cute and wide-eyed innocence of Rodriguez art powers through all of this, and then settles back into the quiet comfort and pain of a family dealing with all of their losses, hoping they can somehow heal.

But the end disappointed me. It felt too abrupt and too … perfect. It was a Pyrrhic Victory, and I expected it to be so and shed the appropriate tears, but I was disappointed in one particular aspect of the ending that wrapped things up too nicely. I’m not a fan of forced happy endings, but otherwise, I appreciate the steps the story went through in the end, especially with Ty.

With thanks to NetGalley and IDW Publishing for the opportunity to read an advanced copy of this graphic novel in exchange for an honest review.