Zombies are super hot right now, thanks to Robert Kirkman’s “The Walking Dead,” which has struck TV gold on AMC and created a horde of new comic book fans.
Like many comic book companies, Boom! Studios have decided to get in on the action as well.
But unlike the myriad of imitations,the first issue of Claudio Sanchez and Chondra Echert’s zombie-inspired series, “Key of Z†doesn’t stink.
With some fantastic art, a cool story and interesting main character, the first issue of “Key of Z” will leave you wanting more.
As always the case with any good story containing zombies, the people in peril take precedent. Sanchez and Echert have done a more than solid job making this zombie apocalypse relatable and terrifying. The characters are polished and aren’t capable of being stereotyped. The action is fast-paced and the plot is full of surprises.
To go from opening up Christmas gifts to watching a zombified Santa chew out a pedestrians neck may seem ludicrous, but it sets the scene for the larger story quite well.
Above all else, “Key of Z” is a solid narrative that is only going to pick up more steam once more ideas and characters are introduced.
New York is infested with zombies and two gangs, each of which station themselves in one of the city’s major league baseball stadiums and share their names, are out to carve up the city in the way they see fit. After he loses his family in the epidemic, Ewing has ideas of his own. With a Kurt Russell “Escape from New York” look and tough and nails demeanor, this character is going to be a heck of fun to watch develop.
That, combined with gruesome and colorful art from Aaron Kuder, which mixes a graffiti-inspired palate with a variety of panel sizes to maximize the peril and quick pace the story induces, makes for a great read. When this is all combined, you have a fresh series that is anything but a play on a monster trend.
In the end, this is an undead series with plenty of life left in it.
Clever kicker.