Page to Screen Adaptations

I haven't had a chance to get into the Locke and Key comic series, although I've meant to for a long time - It's been recommended to me a few times, and shows up on lists of "top horror comics".

Like almost every other "genre comic" that has some success, it's now been adapted to a Netflix series. I see that "October Faction", another dark fantasy/horror comic, is also a Netflix show. I thought that one was pretty obscure, but the need for more content on streaming services requires constant material!

Anyway, I was surprised to read that Locke and Key has been in development as a TV show for about ten years. It was different people working on it over the years, and for whatever reason it just wasn't coming together. The creators of the comic said that they were excited by the new series, and by the departures it took from the comic, because they stayed true to the essence of the comic.

This is the big thing about adapting other mediums to the screen (or vice versa, I guess). What do you change and what do you keep? Which parts are free to be modernized, altered, emphasized, diminished, or thrown out altogether? It can be a challenge to figure out what really moved me about a particular story or series - forget about trying to figure out what the majority of other fans of the work got out of it!

I have noticed that the Marvel movies that work the best for me are the ones that stick to the bones of the actual comics when they do their adaptations. This applies to origin stories as well as the essence of the characters. When they go too far off, they might be okay movies, but are usually far less enjoyable (and usually less successful with the audience, too).

The Locke and Key creators sound like they were pleased with how the show has stuck with the essence of the show, regardless of the changes that were made in the adaptation.

I'm a bit torn on whether to read it first or watch the show!