Locke & Key Vol 5 by Joe Hill

Vol 5, Clockworks: illustrated by Gabríel Rodriguez
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Dodge is continuing his dangerous quest to find the Omega key, and a skirmish leads to Tyler and Kinsey discovering another - the Timeshift Key. This key can be used to time travel, although in Tyler and Lindsey's case, it can only go backwards because they can't program it past 1999.  The two decide to go back and learn the grim history of the keys, made possibly by a detailed list inside the grandfather clock's casing that contains dates and crude drawings of each key. They "meet" Ben Locke and his sister, who had to watch their parents hanged by the British, and see Ben discovering the Black door and forging the first of the keys from a dangerous metal. They also go back to watch their dad and see how the keys played out in his lifetime. From this travel, we finally learn the dark and tragic past of Dodge.

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This volume has all the backstory that I've been craving through the first four volumes. As we're coming upon the ending of the saga, the wait is such a sweet payoff. The history woven into the Locke family backstory is so rich, and the creation of Dodge is truly heartbreaking.  We also learn more about the keys and the magic that governs their use, which explains quite a bit from the very beginning when the Locke children first started discovering and using keys.  There are some more beautiful full-page illustrations from Rodriguez.  The coloring of this series is so crips and varied - dark and twisty when the horror elements are on stage, but colorful when the magic is happening.

This title is for older teen audiences and above.  There is liberal use of the "f' word, violence with some blood shed, and alcohol and drug use/discussion.  There are also some sexual situations, but no nudity is ever shown.

Sara's Rating: 10/10
Suitability Level: Grades 11-12

Reviews of previous volumes in this series: vol 1, vol 2, vol 3, vol 4

Publisher: IDW
Publication Date: July 1, 2013
ISBN: 9781613772270 (Paperback)

Tags: Rating: 10/10, Suitability: High School, Comicbooks, Horror, Magic, IDW