4. Outstanding Horror And Action
If you're looking for a story that will scare the bejesus out of you, then Locke & Key is perfect. Friends that have read the book on my recommendation have reported back that it gave them nightmares. I'm not sure if it'll have that effect on everyone, but I am sure that it's the kind of thing that inhabits your thoughts and makes you think about the book even when you aren't reading it. Now that's some good horror. A great thing about the horror though is that it can be something that can be battled. I want my horror stories to give characters the opportunity to fight. They might lose, but they should be able to fight whatever monsters come their way and have a legitimate chance of winning. So even though our leads are children who are pitted against a demon and other malevolent forces, they have a fighting chance with the keys. And it is often exhilarating to watch these battles (spoiler alert: especially a jaw-dropping Kaiju fight somewhere in the middle of the series). Artist Gabriel Rodriguez does a great job with drama and conversations. It's important because there is so much dialogue in the work. But when he's allowed to let it rip in action sequences, these are vibrant and filled with impact.