Locke & Key: Crown of Shadows #1

The third arc of Joe Hill and Gabriel Rodriguez's darkly imaginative series opens with a cover that immediately signals something has gone very wrong at Keyhouse — a massive, spectral face with glowing red eyes looms menacingly above a pair of ornate double doors, its smoky, semi-transparent form radiating pure malice. Rodriguez's upward-looking perspective makes the threat feel inescapable, as though whatever haunts these halls now fills the very air above you. If "Crown of Shadows" lives up to this chilling first impression, 2009 is shaping up to be a great year for fans of intelligent horror comics.