In 2005, Hill sold his first book of short stories and his first novel, Heart-Shaped Box, which received critical acclaim. “But I didn’t pass on it,” reiterates Hill. But Marvel, DC, and other comic companies passed on it. Hill worked on a series of pitches for Marvel, including one about a house full of enchanted keys that granted their owners superpowers.

“I felt this tremendous sense of validation and excitement, like maybe I didn’t have it in me to write a novel but I have it in me to write a comic and if I could get an on-going gig in comic books that would be a pretty happy ending.” Hill’s first big break came in the form of an eleven-page Spider-Man story. And, I was like: who doesn’t want to do that!” Hill says, “A talent scout there got in touch with me and asked if I had ever wanted to write about men wearing capes punching each other in the face. It was around that time that Marvel Comics opened a programme to discover new talent. His last four books had not sold to publishers and he had “pretty much decided that I didn’t have a novel in me.” The concept had been playing in Hill’s head since 2003 or 2004, a time when he felt like “a failed novelist”. The House with the Clocks in its Walls is about an enchanted house with mysterious secrets and I think that was on my mind, especially from early on.” “In some ways, Locke & Key is kind of like a young adult fantasy novel gone horribly wrong. The idea for Locke & Key came partially from a book that Hill had loved as a child, The House with the Clocks in its Walls by John Bellairs. Locke & Key Rose From the Ashes of Disappointment I attended a talk by Joe Hill and Gabriel Rodriguez at the Emirates Airline Festival of Literature in Dubai where they discussed their influences for the series, the process of creating it, and their hopes for the TV show. The conclusion of the series, Alpha & Omega, published in 2013, was chilling and full of unexpected plot twists. The first book, Welcome to Lovecraft, combined pathos with horror, leading the way for Hill and Rodriguez to unlock their imaginations-literally-with the following books. Locke & Key was a phenomenal success throughout its run. It follows the Locke family, particularly the Locke children, Tyler, Kinsey, and Bode, as they fight demons within and without after the horrific murder of their father.

The Locke & Key series is a horror-fantasy that is equal parts gruesome and dramatic. There is now a very real possibility that Locke & Key will grace television screens in 2018-IDW Publishing announced a partnership with Hulu last year. The series went on to become a bestseller and a household name for many horror readers. A little over ten years ago, writer Joe Hill and comic book artist Gabriel Rodriguez published the first of six Locke & Key graphic novels.

Locke & key books