By Benjamin Morin — It seems now is the season of crossovers for the comic book landscape. Last month, Image treated us to Donny Cates and Geoff Shaw’s ambitious and aptly titled Crossover. Now, comic fans are being treated with a true crossover between publisher properties in Locke and Key/Sandman- Hell and Gone #0. With the main story beginning this coming February, Locke and Key/Sandman: Hell and Gone #0 seeks to provide readers with the necessary background knowledge to hop right into this landmark fantasy event.

This issue collects two reprints, each taken from the respective series. The first half of the issue presents the Locke and Key one-shot “Open the Moon.” Originally released in 2011, this Eisner winning issue delivers a glimpse into the Locke family’s mysterious history. The story follows Chamberlain Locke as he struggles to find aid for his sick son Ian. Here, the lengths of a father’s love know no bounds but the ramifications of Chamberlain’s actions may end up haunting his descendants.

It’s a heartfelt and melancholy issue that hits at an emotional level. Rogriguez art really adds another layer to the narrative. His linework captures the raw emotions of the characters and further draws you into the story. Even halfway through the issue there’s a subtle shift in artstyle and lettering adds a dreamlike quality to the narrative. Paired with this one-shot comes excerpts from the Locke family journals detailing the various keys. This creates further intrigue around the Locke’s secret keys and makes for some excellent worldbuilding. All of this works in tandem to create an engaging issue that introduces readers to the fantastical world of the Lockes.

The latter portion of the issue reprints the first 8 pages of The Sandman’s debut issue, “Sleep of the Just.” What can be said about The Sandman #1 that hasn’t already? It remains a masterclass in sequential storytelling. Every aspect of the issue from how it introduces readers to it’s world of magic and mysticism, to the creative paneling and gothic artwork blends together to craft a spectacular debut. Though it remains an interesting choice to only reprint the opening 8 pages of the issue instead of its entirety. Much like the other reprint, this excerpt does a fine job at introducing readers to the world of Sandman and seems to lay the groundwork the future series will build upon.

Overall: Locke and Key/Sandman Hell and Gone #0 delivers a succinct intro to each respective fantasy world. The selected reprints read very distinctly, while also featuring thematic overlaps. For an issue aimed at introducing readers to these worlds prior to an inevitable collision, it does an exceptional job doling out necessary info while also building anticipation for the main event. 9/10

Locke and Key/Sandman - Hell and Gone #0

Locke and Key/Sandman- Hell and Gone #0
Writer: Joe Hill, Neil Gaiman
Artist: Gabriel Rodriguez, Sam Keith
Colorist: Jay fotos, Daniel Vozzo
Inker: Mike Dringenberg
Letterer: Robbie Robbins, Todd Klein
Publisher: IDW, DC Comics
Price: $3.99
If you think you can unlock the gates of Hell and just invite yourself in, you must be Dreaming!
The Sandman Universe crossover begins here, with this specially priced re-introduction of the Locke family—in  “Open the Moon,” meet patriarch Chamberlin Locke, whose Moon Key will set in motion events he cannot possibly fathom… what other secrets lurk in Keyhouse? And what strange new world will be unlocked? The lead-up to IDW and DC Comics’ Locke & Key/Sandman: Hell & Gone #1, by L&K co-creators Hill and Rodriguez!
Release Date: December 9, 2020
Buy It Here: Locke and Key/Sandman - Hell and Gone #0

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Ben is a comic buff and film fanatic. A journalism major by day and a comic reviewer by night, he ardently consumes all forms of sequential art. On Twitter, he goes by @BiglikeBen.