Locke & Key HC Vol. 03 Crown Of ShadowsMedia Release -- IDW Publishing, a premier publisher of graphic novels and books, is proud to announce the impressive growth of one of the company's showcase titles, Locke & Key. Created and written by best-selling author Joe Hill with art by acclaimed artist Gabriel Rodriguez, the Locke & Key brand expands this week in two exciting arenas, on paper and off!

First, the fourth installment of the fan-favorite series launches in comics stores throughout North America with Locke & Key: Keys to the Kingdom #1, while comic shops and bookstores worldwide debut the graphic novel, Locke & Key: Crown of Shadows, the third hardcover collection in the series. For fans new to the series or curious about the story so far, the series' debut issue, Locke & Key: Welcome to Lovecraft #1, is being re-released in a "Legacy Edition" that carries a cover price of only $1. This 40-page, value-priced jumping-on point features the full 32-page inaugural story by Hill and Rodriguez, as well as an 8-page back-up illustrated "cheat sheet" that summarizes the series so far. Even better, this cheat sheet is hosted by Joe Hill himself, who appears in the comic and takes readers along on the journey with him.

"I'm happy to see that August 11th is now an unofficial Official Locke & Key Day in comics shops," said IDW's Chief Creative Officer and Locke & Key editor Chris Ryall. "Not only is the new Keys to the Kingdom series great for new and old readers, but the 'Joe Hill' appearance at the end of the one-dollar Legacy Edition brings back the lost art of the fumetti. Joe's appearance there might give readers nightmares for years to come. Top all of that off with even more fun Locke & Key news with the replica keys that you can read about directly under this quote."

As Ryall alluded to, the Locke & Key brand jumps off the printed page with Skelton Crew Studio, which has been granted the exclusive license for replica Locke & Key keys. Skelton Crew Studio (www.SkeltonCrewStudio.com), which previously designed the sold-out Ghost Key, will debut the Head Key in September through the Skelton Crew Studio Web site. Pre-orders for the Head Key start today, August 11, and all orders placed before September 2 will receive a little something extra: a Joe Hill autographed key tag. Then the new Echo Key will debut at the BangPop! Convention before also being available through the Skelton Crew Web site.

"Every arc in LOCKE & KEY has been out to do something different and fresh from what came before," said Hill. "And KEYS TO THE KINGDOM is no exception. Gabe and I wanted to create another good jumping on point for new readers, and loved the idea of doing a series of standalone stories that play with some of the possibilities offered by all the impossible keys laying around Keyhouse. The keys have always been the most fun thing about the story... which makes it ridiculously cool that Israel Skelton is going to forge a series of them for real."

"I'm really pumped," said studio founder Israel Skelton, who also created the actual Ghost Door that resides in Hill's home and appears in the Legacy Edition. "Joe is an amazing storyteller and Gabe consistently delivers awesome art. First and foremost, I'm a Locke & Key fan. I would have built these keys for myself anyway, so I'm really excited to be able to offer them to people who love the book as much as I do."

Concluded Hill: "All that said, I think there'll be plenty of rewards for longtime readers in KEYS TO THE KINGDOM as well, and by the time we wrap up the arc, it'll be clear we're moving into the final act. After KEYS concludes, there'll be only twelve issues left - twelve issues to clear up some mysteries, answer some questions, and kill a whole bunch of people. So, y'know, that should be fun."

Locke & Key: Keys to the Kingdom #1 (32 pages, full color, $3.99) is available in stores today. Diamond order code JUN10 0338.

Locke & Key: Welcome to Lovecraft #1 (40 pages, full color, $1.00) is available in stores today. Diamond order code JUN10 0342.

Locke & Key, Volume 3: Crown of Shadows (152 pages, hardcover, full color, $24.99) is now available in stores. Diamond order code MAY10 0382; ISBN 1-60010-6951.

Visit IDWPublishing.com to learn more about the company and its top-selling books.

Visit www.SkeltonCrewStudio.com to learn more about the Locke & Key keys.