Worlds collide in exclusive first look at Sandman / Locke & Key comic crossover

Comic books are built on crossovers. Seeing characters from different fictional worlds or even different publishers come face-to-face on the page is one of the most unique and exhilarating experiences the medium can offer. Usually, such crossovers involve superheroes (different Marvel heroes coming together to form the Avengers, say, or their even bigger encounters with DC Comics rivals), but this fall, it's time for two popular dark fantasy comics to get acquainted when Locke & Key meets The Sandman in a new crossover comic from IDW and DC Comics.

Originally created by writer Joe Hill and artist Gabriel Rodríguez and recently adapted into a Netflix series, Locke & Key is the story of the Locke family, whose ancestral Massachusetts home of Keyhouse contains a wide variety of magical keys: One that opens up people's minds, one that turns you into a ghost, and many more. The Sandman was originally created by Neil Gaiman, Sam Kieth, and Mike Dringenberg, and has its own Netflix adaptation on the way (in the meantime, the first few volumes of the comic were recently adapted into audiobook format by Audible). The Sandman is mostly the story of Morpheus, King of The Dreaming, as his life intersects with various mortals, monsters, and myths. But it does feature at least one very important key: The Key to Hell, which the devil Lucifer gives to Morpheus after abandoning his post as ruler of demons and the damned. This key will apparently form the connection between The Dreaming and Keyhouse.

The crossover comic will be titled Locke & Key / The Sandman Universe: Hell & Gone, and will kick off in October with a #0 issue that reprints key stories from both universes (in case you're only familiar with one, or just need a refresher). The series proper will kick off with issue #1 in November, beginning an all-new story that connects the Locke Family of Keyhouse to the realm of The Dreaming by way of Lucifer's Key to Hell. The series will be written by Hill and illustrated by Rodríguez.

Below, check out two different covers for issue #1. The first, by Rodríguez, features The Sandman characters Cain, Abel, Death, Fiddler's Green, and the Corinthian in what looks like '20s period costumes, while a mysterious blonde woman in the front wears Morpheus' helm and holds one of the Keyhouse keys (the Anywhere Key, by the looks of it). The second, by The Sandman: Overture artist J.H. Williams III, again features that helm (given the ruby necklace and cloak, it appears to be actually Morpheus wearing it this time, but that's just a guess) and one of the Locke keys.

Related content:

• Neil Gaiman talks Sandman Audible adaptation, how it differs from upcoming Netflix series
• Locke & Key comic creators discuss the changes from book to screen
• Locke & Key showrunners discuss that finale twist, answer burning questions