Two of DC’s biggest fantasy horror comics will crossover this Halloween. Over the weekend, Joe Hill and Gabriel Rodríguez announced an upcoming issue of Locke & Key that will incorporate elements of the Sandman universe.
A literal Dream comes true in October 2020.
By @joe_hill @GR_comics #JayFotos#LOCKEandKey: "HELL & GONE" – A #SANDMAN UNIVERSE Crossover Event, courtesy of @IDWPublishing and @DCComics#makingcomics
You're all invited pic.twitter.com/FxUwMApRaA
— Gabriel Rodríguez (@GR_comics) February 22, 2020
https://www.instagram.com/p/B83-IOihBCd/
The plot points are, of course, kept under (sorry) lock and key, but Rodríguez and Hill were gracious enough to include some major hints. The biggest are the title of the issue, Locke & Key: Hell & Gone, and the cover, which features something that looks suspiciously like the key to Hell first introduced in The Sandman: Season of Mists. Put them together, and it seems pretty obvious that the Locke siblings are going to end up unlocking the gates of Hell somehow.
This seems to be confirmed by IDW’s official announcement for the issue, which reads, “If you think you can unlock the gates of hell and just invite yourself in, you must be dreaming.” The wording of this tweet also suggests that Dream’s realm may feature in some significant way.
If you think you can unlock the gates of hell and just invite yourself in, you must be dreaming. Coming October 2020: @joe_hill and @GR_comics will debut LOCKE & KEY: HELL & GONE – A SANDMAN UNIVERSE Crossover Event, courtesy of @IDWPublishing and @DCComics. pic.twitter.com/b9I9e3Sa0h
— IDW Publishing (@IDWPublishing) February 22, 2020
Fans worried about canon and continuity will be pleased to know that the issue was made with Neil Gaiman’s blessing. “Big thanks to @neilhimself for inviting us to play in his house of dreams,” Hill wrote in his Instagram caption, while Rodríguez tweeted that the crossover was able to happen “because of a meaningful story idea, and not the other way round.” But that doesn’t mean fans who haven’t read Locke & Key will be left in the dark. As Rodríguez teased on Twitter, the issue “should make enough sense by itself to be able to follow the logic of the story,” although he also implored fans to read Sandman just because.
( the thing we like the most about the meeting of the #SandmanUniverse with the #LOCKEandKey mythology is that @joe_hill and I got to that because of a meaningful story idea, and not the other way round. We're hoping to deliver something proper )#makingcomics #storytelling
— Gabriel Rodríguez (@GR_comics) February 23, 2020
I think it should make enough sense by itself to be able to follow the logic of the story ;) https://t.co/XsxZx8Odvs
— Gabriel Rodríguez (@GR_comics) February 24, 2020
And yet, of course, all of #Sandman is #MUST read on its own :) https://t.co/vnvPedcoLF
— Gabriel Rodríguez (@GR_comics) February 24, 2020
Locke & Key: Hell & Gone also has some big implications for the series’ respective Netflix adaptations. With Locke & Key season 2 and Sandman season 1 both currently in production, a few well-placed cameos or even a crossover episode inspired by this issue would make plenty of sense—especially now that the setting of Sandman has been bumped up to the present day. Could Hell & Gone be the “little bit more” teased by Gaiman back in July? We’ll find out when the show arrives on Netflix some time in the foreseeable future.
