Locke & Key: Welcome to Lovecraft #1 is the first issue of the series.
Plot[]
In Willits, California, the Locke family are spending their summer. Tyler Locke, the oldest son of Rendell and Nina Locke, is upset that his own summer plans had been cancelled by his father after an argument.
The family is soon attacked by Sam Lesser. Sam, under the orders of "Dodge", demands Rendell turn over the Anywhere Key and the Omega Key. Rendell refuses, and is killed.
The Lockes move to Rendell's childhood home, Keyhouse, in Lovecraft, Massachusetts. While exploring the manor, Tyler's youngest sibling, Bode Locke, discovers he can use the Ghost Key to leave his body and become a ghost.
Meanwhile, Sam is contacted by Dodge, who promises to help him escape from the detention facility he was taken to after murdering Rendell.
"Only Bad" Alternate Ending:[]
Bode reaches for the sword above the mantel. He discovers its Key and inserts it into the handle and turns it. However he accidentally falls and the sword slices Bode clean in half, killing him. His bisected body is later discovered by his horrified family.
Variant Covers[]
15th Anniversary "...Only Bad" Edition Variant Covers[]
Trivia[]
- This is the first appearance of the series' recurrent Death's Head Moth, which appears twice in this issue: first at the beginning and then on the eleventh page.
- On July 19, 2023, a special 15th Anniversary Edition was published that features a "never-before-seen process art"[1] and an alternate ending issue", "Locke & Key, Only Bad".[2][3]
- The alternate ending was originally a "joke script" written by Hill a few years ago he had rediscovered.
- Gabriel Rodriguez's Cover A from the 15th Anniversary "...Only Bad" Edition was originally going to be part of the box art for a Locke & Key board game called "Locke & Key: Shadow of Doubt". The game would've involved 3-6 players and would've been a "find the hidden traitor" kind of game. Where one or more players would secretly be a demon whose goal was to open the Black Door as well as sabotage other players. The rest of the players' goal would've been to deduce the identity of the demon player. The game, however, was never released.
–Description from the publisher[4]
