Locke & Key Alpha #2 (2013) cover a

Locke and Key, as a whole, is one of those stories that is so good, you become afraid of the ending. I was afraid not just that it would stop, but also that the ending wouldn’t be good enough. When you really love a story, be it comic book or otherwise, you hope more than anything for a satisfying ending that ties up all the loose ends. You fear more than anything a rushed, disappointing climax. Well, I didn’t need to be afraid because it felt like Alpha #2 took me by the hand and told me everything was going to be all right. It lifted my spirits and broke my heart at the same time. Joe Hill has thought of everything. If there is a happening in this issue that at first seems too “magical”, I promise you that Hill already set it up in previous issues so it makes sense. Most importantly, the characters who have driven this entire saga, and we’ve grown to love, are given their proper journey’s end. The art helps you really feel how they’ve grown. In many panels Rodriguez uses metaphor and symbolism to capture the bitter sweet mood perfectly. I’m really going to miss this book, and now that I know how good the last issue is, I’m going to miss it that much more.