Netflix renews supernatural series Locke & Key

Netflix has renewed its spellbinding live-action adaptation of Locke & Key for a second season, which should please self-isolating fans (myself included).

Based on the graphic novel series by Joe Hill and Gabriel Rodríguez, Locke & Key had a long and winding road to television screens. But, the wait was worth it. I binge-viewed the first season back in February before the coronavirus lockdown and have championed the series on social media.

"We are thrilled to be continuing the journey of Locke & Key alongside all of our amazing collaborators," showrunners Carlton Cuse and Meredith Averill said in a statement. "We are grateful to Netflix for all their support, especially at this difficult time, and look forward to bringing you the exciting next chapter of our story."

Like other studios, Netflix suspended all production in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic. So, the second season of Locke & Key doesn't have a release date.

Are you looking forward to the second season of Locke & Key? Let me know in the comments below.

Locke & Key is a millennial The Goonies

Netflix's latest fantasy series Locke & Key, adapted from IDW’s graphic novel series created by writer Joe Hill and artist Gabriel Rodriguez, is a spellbinding spin on haunted house and familial trauma tropes, underscored by a lush soundtrack channelling the devilish whimsy of composer Danny Elfman (Batman).

To my comic book reading shame, I'd never heard of Locke & Key until it appeared on Netflix!

Over the past twenty years or so, local comic book specialist stores have closed down, my personal life was subsumed by a family tragedy (from which I will never recover) and haven't set foot inside Forbidden Planet since the nineties.

So, I was curious to see what this new series entailed. Would it be The Haunting of Hill House lite meets The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina? Well, in a manner of speaking, yes, and that's a really good thing as Netflix has cornered a niche for supernatural nostalgia beginning with Stranger Things.

Locke & Key follows the fallout from a father's brutal murder, school guidance councillor Rendell Locke (Bill Heck), and how a family copes in the aftermath. Teens Tyler (Connor Jessup) and Kinsey (Emilia Jones) and kid brother Bode (Jackson Robert Scott) move, with their mother Nina (Darby Stanchfield), to a grand gothic pile in the tradition of The Addams Family.

Here, mysterious keys start to appear: gateways to dreams, fears and the fantastical. Thus begins a coming of age tale that draws influences from Harry Potter to The Goonies as our intrepid band of heroes try to thwart a merciless evil and demons within.

Hasbro's toys combine in IDW's Revolution

A generation grew up playing with Action Man, Rom, G.I. Joe, Micronauts, M.A.S.K. and Transformers toys. Now IDW combines Hasbro's beloved toy and animated properties into a comic book universe beginning this September.

Here's the official IDW press release:

IDW Publishing has unveiled its most ambitious comic book publishing venture in its history revolving around its fan-favorite titles based on Hasbro properties.

The “Revolution” event marks the birth of a comic book crossover that will be comprised of not only the TRANSFORMERS and G.I. JOE properties, but also all-new properties MICRONAUTS, ROM, and ACTION MAN, as well as the launch of a long-awaited M.A.S.K.: Mobile Armored Strike Kommand series.

This is not a reboot—rather, the Revolution series takes many of the building blocks of what has come before from IDW and builds on them anew, bringing all these elements together in an epic event that results in an all-new status quo for all involved. Everything fans have enjoyed up to this point remains intact as part of this ongoing continuity. The ramifications of Revolution will extend well beyond the event, as all of these iconic characters will henceforth exist in the same universe, altering the scope of IDW editorial in all the Hasbro series from this moment onward.

Revolution, the bi-weekly five-issue event series that launches this initiative, will be co-written by Cullen Bunn (MICRONAUTS) and John Barber (TRANSFORMERS) with art by Fico Ossio (MICRONAUTS). The event kicks off with a world-shaking threat that brings all opposing factions together in a storyline that just might see the destruction of the universe before it can truly begin!

“The Revolution series builds out of a detail that was introduced in IDW’s first-ever issue of TRANSFORMERS in 2005,” said IDW’s Chief Creative Officer, Chris Ryall. “So to finally be able to build upon the various story elements we’ve seeded over the years, and which come into play in a big way starting with July’s ROM #1 even before the launch of Revolution, is a blast. We’ve been working toward a full-fledged universe for some time and it’s great fun to be able to finally bring it to vivid life, especially since it allows us to give the world new titles like the very-requested M.A.S.K., as well as some exciting new books still to be announced.”

“We’ve done plenty of crossovers in the past,” said Michael Kelly, Head of Global Publishing at Hasbro, “but nothing near this scope or scale. Our heroes, whether they are from Earth or from distant reaches of the galaxy, all have one thing in common: their powers and abilities are based primarily on technology. We have been able to use this fact to build a natural and believable link between all of these disparate characters. The result is a complex and dynamic world where all manner of conflicts and team-ups can and will exist. If you are a fan of Hasbro’s brands, your time is now.”

Are you excited for IDW's crossover? Let me know in the comments below.

Download Transformers comics on iTunes

To mark the theatrical release of Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen, IDW Publishing has launched the official comic book prequels on iTunes!

Journey across the globe as humans and AUTOBOTS join forces to defend Earth against the DECEPTICON threat in Transformers: Alliance. The very origins of CYBERTRON are revealed in Defiance, which leads directly to the start of the movie. Get all eight comics on iTunes or at your local book store.

Download from iTunes