If you enjoyed Netflix’s supernatural horror series Locke & Key, you should check out Amazon’s deal on the original comic book series. The Locke & Key: Keyhouse Compendium is on sale for only $68.51 (was $125) at Amazon. This beautiful compendium collects all six volumes of the original run in one 976-page hardcover book.
Released in 2021 by IDW Publishing, the Keyhouse Compendium still frequently sells for its full $125 cover price, and Amazon’s current deal is within a few bucks of the all-time lowest price. Deals on the Keyhouse Compendium tend to disappear fast, so check it out while you. It’s currently the cheapest way to get the full series in physical format.
$68.51 (was $125)
Written by best-selling horror novelist Joe Hill and illustrated by Gabriel Rodriguez, Locke & Key debuted in February 2008 and ran for 37 issues before the story reached its conclusion in December 2013. Heralded for its great writing and awesome full-color illustrations, Locke & Key was one of the most popular horror comics of its era.
The six books listed below are compiled in the Keyhouse Compendium. We’ve included the price of each individual hardcover edition. Spoiler: You’d spend a lot more, as each volume is $20-$30, and Volumes 4-5 are only available from third-party resellers.
Locke & Key (Hardcovers)
- Welcome to Lovecraft — $20.82 (
$25) - Head Games — $20.82 (
$25) - Crown of Shadows — $25
- Keys to the Kingdom — $30
- Clockworks — $25
- Alpha & Omega — $30
The Keyhouse Compendium is 7.38 x 1.89 x 11.06 inches, so the pages are slightly larger than the original hardcover editions and trade paperbacks.
Locke & Key follows three kids who move into their father’s childhood home after his murder. Known as Keyhouse, the kids quickly discover it’s hiding a bunch of horrifying (and magical) secrets.
Complete your Locke & Key Collection
While the Keyhouse Compendium gets you the entire main story, you’ll need a few other books to truly complete your set. None of the stories not included in the compendium are required reading, but they are worth checking out if you enjoy the mainline series. Locke & Key: The Golden Age is the newest collection of stories in the comic book’s universe. This 232-page hardcover collects three prequel stories about the Locke family’s ancestors who lived during the early 20th century. Amazon has a limited-time deal on The Golden Age that drops the price to $21.43 (was $30).
The Heaven and Earth collection features three previously uncollected stories, including “Open the Moon,” which won an Eisner Award. Small World Deluxe Edition, meanwhile, includes stories from The Golden Age prequel arc. The difference here is that the Deluxe Edition has extra pages from Hill’s early drafts. There’s also a digital-only standalone issue called The Guide to Known Keys for $2.
$83.33 (was $100)
There is an alternative to the Keyhouse Compendium for those who prefer individual trade paperbacks instead of one huge hardcover book. The Locke & Key Slipcase Set collects the same 37-issue arc found in the Keyhouse Compendium. The six paperback books total 984 pages and are packaged in a custom slipcase display box that looks pretty cool.
The Locke & Key Slipcase Set was published by IDW in 2014 and remains in print today. It’s typically cheaper than the Keyhouse Compendium since it retails for $100, but at the moment it costs about $15 more. You can get the Slipcase Set for $83.33.
Check out the cover art of all six volumes included in the box set below. We’ve included links to each volume in trade paperback. Once again, buying the box set is cheaper than buying all six volumes separately. That said, if you simply want to give the series a try, Volume 1: Welcome to Lovecraft is available for only $12 right now.
Locke & Key (Paperbacks)
- Welcome to Lovecraft — $12 (
$20) - Head Games — $14.56 (
$20) - Crown of Shadows — $18 (
$20) - Keys to the Kingdom — $17.27 (
$20) - Clockworks — $18.59 (
$20) - Alpha & Omega — $25
Locke & Key Master Editions
Before the Keyhouse Compendium released in 2021, the collected hardcover option was the Master Edition series. Each of the three Master Editions collects two volumes of Locke & Key. These editions are very nice, but the problem here is that they appear to be out of print, and Volume 2 has been sold out for a long time. As such, the only way to complete your set of Master Editions is to spend way above MSRP on Volume 2. We’re only mentioning these editions here because you can still get Volume 1 and Volume 3–and Volume 1 is over 50% off at Amazon.
Another cool way to experience Locke & Key is by listening to the Audible-exclusive audiobook. Voiced by a full cast including Haley Joel Osment, Tatiana Maslany, Kate Mulgrew, Joe Hill, Gabriel Rodriguez, and Stephen King–Joe Hill’s father–the Locke & Key audio adaptation is awesome. If you plan on reading the comics, though, we’d recommend doing that before listening to the roughly 13-hour adaptation.
More Joe Hill Comics and Collections
Locke & Key is Hill’s best-known comic book series, but Hill has written a wide assortment of comics and graphic novels over the past two decades. A good place to start is with the Hill House Comics Box Set, which includes six paperbacks for $57 (was $100). Some of the comics collected in the box set are also available individually, but others are only in this box set (in physical format).
On December 9, the omnibus edition of The Cape, a three-part series based on Joe Hill’s short story of the same name, releases in paperback. You can preorder The Cape Omnibus for $28 at Amazon. Some of the comics and graphic novels listed below are adapted from Hill’s short stories by other writers, while others are original works by Hill. Joe Hill’s mystery graphic novel Dying is Easy releases in paperback November 4. The story follows a former cop turned stand-up comic.
Joe Hill Novels and Short Stories
Locke & Key was a massive hit, but Joe Hill is probably better known for his prose fiction. Like his father Stephen King, Joe Hill writes horror novels and short stories. His debut novel Heart-Shaped Box released one year before Locke & Key’s run started. Hill’s fifth novel, King Sorrow, releases October 21. King Sorrow is a horror novel with elements of fantasy and the supernatural. Like many of his father’s novels, Joe Hill’s last few books have been huge. King Sorrow is 896 pages in hardcover and available to preorder for $26.60 (was $40).
Novels by Joe Hill
Story Collections by Joe Hill
Hill is also the author of three acclaimed collections of short stories and novellas. 20th Century Ghosts, Hill’s first book, recently celebrated its 20th birthday with a special paperback edition with stained edges and eye-catching artwork. 20th Century Ghosts includes more than a dozen great stories, but it’s claim to fame is “The Black Phone,” a supernatural horror story about a very creepy serial killer known as the Grabber. The story was adapted into a 2021 feature film by Blumhouse Productions. Black Phone 2 just released in theaters on October 17, and preorders are live for multiple 4K Blu-ray editions, including a Walmart-exclusive Steelbook. Walmart has opened preorders for an exclusive 4K Blu-ray Steelbook Edition.
