Hola amigos, o en inglés, hello friends!
Happy Hispanic Heritage Month! Here at Locke & Key, we document and present everything about the series so folks out there can learn about the horrifying and creative world that touched up us fans throughout the years. Though it's "key" to remember, this incredible series wouldn't have been "unlocked" without its immersive world building and inventive storytelling. And in honor of the month, we will be looking at co-creator and main artist of the series, Gabriel Rodriguez.
Born in Santiago, Chile, as a child, Gabe was fascinated by comics. Gabe was determined to achieve his dream of comics.
But in Chile, there wasn't opportunity to be found for comic work, much less so for online or remote work. If Gabe wanted his comic career to take off, he would have to go to the heart of the comic book industry. Thus, in his later years, he studied Architecture at the Pontifical Catholic University of Chile where he got his degree and M.Arch (Master of Architecture) in architecture. Meanwhile, Gabe made his start at a small scale comic book market, working part time as an architect while drawing comics in his spare time for small income.
Then in 2002, he finally received his call at IDW Publishing. He left home behind to pursue his dreams in the United States as a full-time comic artist for the comic book adaptation of CSI: Crime Scene Investigation. While not a part of his journey he looked fondly back on, to Gabe, it was his personal and professional experience-proof that he could dedicate himself to the drawing task if he was entertained with the story.
During his fifth year at IDW, Joe Hill King, the son of acclaimed horror writer Stephen King and a horror writer himself, contacted Gabe on a graphic novel pitch, a story he described in brief description. Using the synopsis alone, Gabe sent his drawing proposals over to Hill. The two hit it off since then, and with pencil and inking skills under his belt, Gabe and Joe and presented their newest series in 2008.
A story set in the mundane setting of Massachusetts was no easy task. But together with Joe's literary mind, Gabe had the ability to give form to Joe's ideas, and he brought every key, character, and location, to life. For Gabe, art matters. He not only draw the comic, he takes his time to draw out everything, not giving up until it matches his vision - even frames of the same scene, he mimics to the finest detail and avoids copy-paste as much as possible. Gotta love the crisp smell of a pencil!
Thanks to his architectural knowledge, Gabe made the foundation of Keyhouse Manor as real and structurally accurate as possible. His intent of capturing the experience, so readers can likewise immerse themselves in the characters and the setting, is never one step ahead of the sinister turns Hill weaves into the story as it goes.
Today, Locke & Key has spawned more than seven volumes, nearly fifty issues and one-shots, a live-action Netflix adaptation, and even a crossover with Neil Gaiman's Sandman. And Gabe has never stopped collaborating with Hill to bring us more. Fun fact: one of the earliest influences of Gabe's dark touch was The Sandman, which he read during his college years; making the crossover was a dream come true!
Outside Locke & Key, Gabe has contributed to other fantastic series each with breathtaking worlds of imagination. You can check out his illustrations in Joe Hill's NOS4A2, Demon House, Stephen King's Fairy Tales, Ukraine: Sunflower Seeds, Little Nemo: Return to Slumberland, Onyx, and his own series, Sword of Ages.
Special thanks to Puzzle1022 for providing consult and research. We hope you've enjoyed learning the work of Gabriel Rodriguez, but there are many other amazing creators you can learn about on Fandom by clicking the link here. Stay tuned for more!