It’s the night of the big dance, and Dodge makes his first strike against the members of the Locke family. Even as some players are removed from the game, however, others must contend with new social entanglements. As has always been the case with Locke & Key, character development comes first in Omega #3. Here’s the official description from IDW:

As Kinsey Locke and the other students head to a dance at Lovecraft Academy, the demonic Dodge gathers shadowy forces of his own and enacts his evil endgame. The “Last Dance” begins here.

Throughout the entire run of Locke & Key, Joe Hill has excelled at focusing on his characters while continuing to move the story forward. I often find I’ve become so engrossed in the character work that I don’t notice great leaps forward in the plot. Take the current issue: of the 22 pages, only 6 focus on action (more or less. Some have a mix of action and drama,) and yet the reader stays completely engrossed in the conversations even as Dodge and his shadows work behind the scenes. Both Tyler and Kinsey have crucial interactions with people they love; one of these scenes provides a sense of closure to the characters’ subplot, even as we the readers are left somewhat heartbroken. The other scene has that quality that comes when we the readers know something the characters involved do not, and are unable to stop them from taking actions they’ll regret.

The greatest drawback in the story this issue is an unnecessary two-page scene that takes place at the dance itself, and is nothing more than an homage to Stephen King‘s Carrie (those of you who know that story will have no problem guessing how that scene plays out). King is, of course, Hill’s dad. I have no problem with Carrie or with allusions in general, but the scene in question breaks the narrative flow of the book more than a little bit. It provides an unnecessary character moment and generally feels like it was added as filler.

Gabriel Rodriguez’ art is, of course, fantastic. There’s probably no greater structural artist in all of comics (he does have training as an architect). The level of detail in his backgrounds is staggering. His occasional recycling of backgrounds is a necessary evil; I doubt there’s any other practical way to go about it. When you pick up the book, examine the front of the shed where Tyler and his uncle are working on the car. Compare its appearance across panels. The masonry beside the door and the pattern of the cobblestones are consistent throughout the book, even when seen from different angles. Rodriguez could easily have fudged these things, drawing random arrangements of rocks each time, and none of use would have noticed the difference. It’s a testament to his talent and dedication that he put forth such an effort when it will largely go unappreciated.

With the exception of that one extraneous scene, Locke & Key: Omega #3 is another great issue that marches us inevitably closer to  Tyler, Kinsey, Bode, and Dodge’s final bow. I’m both eagerly anticipating and dreading the next issue, when it looks as though all hell will really break loose.

 4.5/5