Why is Joe Hill smiling?

OH GOD, WHY IS THAT INSANE MAN IN THE PICTURE ABOVE SMILING IN THAT CLEARLY SINISTER AND DERANGED WAY, WHY, WHY?!

Trust me, you don’t really want to know what’s going on inside that head. None of us do.

But on the other hand… he might be smiling like that because he knows he’s “starring” in his first comic book.

The smile also comes from kn0wing that August 11 is now shaping up to be an unofficial LOCKE & KEY Day in comics shops.

We got advance copies today of the three L&K titles that are in stores that second Wednesday in August:

• LOCKE & KEY: KEYS TO THE KINGDOM #1 (you gotta see Gabriel Rodriguez’s stylistic choices inside this issue!)
• LOCKE & KEY: WELCOME TO LOVECRAFT #1 Legacy Edition (40 pages for a damned dollar!)
• LOCKE & KEY: CROWN OF SHADOWS HC (lots of good bonus material and new key information!)

So yes, I know that Crown of Shadows #6 got delayed through a printing error and in many cases just got into your hands today, but look at it this way–the wait for the new series to begin is less than a month.

Oh, and that photo of Joe above and the mention that he’s starring in one of these issues? Well, the Legacy Edition of L&K: WELCOME TO LOVECRAFT #1 is where that happens. Sure, some could say that issue has already been released five ways to Sunday (the regular issue, the hardcover collection, the TPB edition, the Special Edition, at iTunes, and the PSP. Damn, SIX ways to Sunday!), but in this case, it’s set up as a perfect and perfectly affordable jumping-on and catching-up point for readers. Did I mention it’s only a damned dollar?

You need more enticement, even if you already own it those six ways? Well, other than the 32-page story that starts it all, it features an 8-page illustrated summary in the back that catches you up to where we are in the story. And Joe not only narrates the summary himself, but he appears in a few pages to really overact emphasize the important bits. And you get to see the actual Ghost Door that resides inside Hill House, courtesy of artisan and keymaker Israel Skelton. The art of the fumetti is lost on too many readers so it’s time to bring that back.

To give just a taste of what I’m talking about, and to show all the new releases coming on 8/11, look at the photo below. Don’t look too closely into Joe’s eyes, for that way lies madness… although really, if the price of madness is only a single buck, it’s probably worth it.

August 11. That’s the day you can take home a little piece o’ Joe. Just remember to wash your hands after.