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Key of Z #1-4
Key of Z
From the creators of THE AMORY WARS saga and KILL AUDIO comes a new vision of New York City! The zombie apocalypse has transformed the city into two battle-hardened fiefdoms, controlled by twin warring factions! One man, whose family has been ripped away from him, stands between these two superpowers. With power drawn from an artifact from better days, his quest for vengeance starts now!
122 pages, ebook
First published October 1, 2011
About the author
Claudio Sánchez
133 books411 followersClaudio Paul Sanchez III (born March 12, 1978, in Suffern, New York, United States) is an American writer and musician of Puerto Rican and Italian descent best known for being the lead singer and guitarist for the alternative/progressive rock group Coheed and Cambria. He is the creator of the comic book series The Amory Wars, as well as Key of Z and Kill Audio, both co-written with wife Chondra Echert. Sanchez co-authored the novel Year of the Black Rainbow with Peter David.
From Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Claudio...
From Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Claudio...
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Displaying 1 - 25 of 25 reviews
June 4, 2012
Erik Pike
Key of Z review
The Key of Z is probably my favorite book that Claudio Sanchez has ever written. I'm not just saying that because it has zombies in it, and infection is one of my personal favorite topics ever. I'm saying that because it was a well thought out book. Key of Z, is about New York City, and presumably the rest of the United States, being hit by an infection of sorts. It throws you into a Zombie apocalypse on the first few pages. And even in the first few pages, you get to know the characters in the book. When the main character, meets up with a man named Ewing, after leaving his colony. They embark on adventures to try and get civilization started again.
This book was fantastic. There are too many reasons to like this book and not enough reasons to dislike it. Which leads you reading it for too long, you finish it too quickly. As it's a short book anyways, you end up not being able to put the book down which, is a plus I suppose. I would absolutely recommend this book, to anybody that likes The Walking Dead series, which I do plan on reading at some point.
Finally I rate this book a solid, 5/5. There is nothing I could complain about if I wanted to. It was a really well thought out story that cut's straight to the point. It's well worth the money that you would pay to buy it. It was an incredible idea, on Claudio Sanchez's part, making a book that so many people wish they could relate to. When in all reality, apocalypse would not be fun. The Walking Dead showed this, a little bit. However, I think that The Key of Z, did a perfect job of showing the apocalypse, is actually a bad occurrence.
Key of Z review
The Key of Z is probably my favorite book that Claudio Sanchez has ever written. I'm not just saying that because it has zombies in it, and infection is one of my personal favorite topics ever. I'm saying that because it was a well thought out book. Key of Z, is about New York City, and presumably the rest of the United States, being hit by an infection of sorts. It throws you into a Zombie apocalypse on the first few pages. And even in the first few pages, you get to know the characters in the book. When the main character, meets up with a man named Ewing, after leaving his colony. They embark on adventures to try and get civilization started again.
This book was fantastic. There are too many reasons to like this book and not enough reasons to dislike it. Which leads you reading it for too long, you finish it too quickly. As it's a short book anyways, you end up not being able to put the book down which, is a plus I suppose. I would absolutely recommend this book, to anybody that likes The Walking Dead series, which I do plan on reading at some point.
Finally I rate this book a solid, 5/5. There is nothing I could complain about if I wanted to. It was a really well thought out story that cut's straight to the point. It's well worth the money that you would pay to buy it. It was an incredible idea, on Claudio Sanchez's part, making a book that so many people wish they could relate to. When in all reality, apocalypse would not be fun. The Walking Dead showed this, a little bit. However, I think that The Key of Z, did a perfect job of showing the apocalypse, is actually a bad occurrence.
November 29, 2021
this was pretty good. Not great, not bad. Wish the harmonica was more fleshed out (pun intended)
June 30, 2023
This was a decent read. Aways cool to read Claudio’s work outside of the Amory Wars series, but this one left some things to be desired. I loved the concept of a gang war in NYC amid a zombie apocalypse. The story’s premise and art were awesome, but the story just seemed to fall flat. I couldn’t get myself to care about the characters too much, as they all seemed a bit cliche. I’d recommend this to someone who wants a quick and brainless (pun intended) read.
June 3, 2024
Imagine someone mashed up The Walking Dead and DMZ, watered it down, threw in a revenge plot and crammed it into 4 issues. You'd have Key of Z. It's not nearly ambitious or good as those other two but still entertaining. The artwork is very good.
June 1, 2026
Pop culture zombie mania has shuffled into the sunset, and we were left with many, many graphic novels. This one is a stronger entry in the genre, with its meditation on human nature taking a front seat to the shuffling hordes.
December 21, 2024
Really enjoyed the story. The art work was a lot of fun as well. Hoping for a continuation...
February 4, 2025
I thought this was pretty well done for an extremely played out genre. Zombie obsession is obviously prevalent in the species but so is ignorance 🤷🏽😀
3.4
3.4
April 11, 2026
So many great ideas with such underwhelming execution. Artwork is awesome tho
May 17, 2026
this was a fantastic mini-series, lots of action but not short on characters either
March 17, 2023
A zombie comic that's not really about zombies. There's 2 warring gang factions in New York after the zombie apocalypse. There's also way more people alive than I'd expect NYC to be able to support after a zombie apocalypse. The zombies aren't at all threatening. They are just kind of in the background. These gangs operate out of Yankee Stadium and Madison Square Garden with both their leaders striving to be top dog in New York, even at the expense of the remainder of humanity. In the background is a badass loner who lost his family and a coward learning to fight back. This goes exactly how you'd expect it to go. There's some solid early artwork from Aaron Kuder.
June 3, 2019
"In stories, miracles are reserved for heroes. But in real life, heroes and miracles die as unexpectedly as they appear. The only thing truly reliable, truly consistent is hurt."
When New York City is crippled by the zombie uprising, the five boroughs divide into factions to provide safe haven to survivors from a world gone mad, giving them shelter within some of the city's most recognizable landmarks. Two men emerge in the struggle for power- Yankee LaVoe and Jackson Met- and their quest for control over the Big Apple leaves very real, very human consequences in its wake- protagonist Nick Ewing's wife, Mina, and son, Henry, among them. After Yankee Lavoe catches his rival unaware and levels the Garden, Nick sets out on a quest to avenge their deaths by pitting the two men who backed the wholesale slaughter of the residents of the Garden against one another through an impressively complex scheme to get their attention and making sure the man who has earned his ire doesn't walk out alive, that his wife and son's memories are done justice. What's more dangerous than a man with nothing to lose, am I right? A man with nothing to lose AND a companion with insider knowledge that walks him right into the living room of the guy whose guts he hates the most.
Eddie's story had a lovely coming-of-age tint to it- a young man who grew up under the thumb of Yankee LaVoe and his older brother finally finding the courage to stand on his own feet and be his own person and defy the expectations placed on him and FINALLY step out of his older brother's cruel shadow. Justice being served was one thing but it was impossible for me to not root for the kid watching Eddie Alvarez step into his own power.
I loved that the harmonica alluded to on the cover in between the teeth of the red zombie skull played a central role, a common thread from start to finish in how Nick uses the zombies in his master plan to plunge the two biggest players in the game into war with each other. The pitch Nick used to command the zombies' attention was fascinating and not being one for zombie stories myself, it was a twist I cherished in the story. How Nick's grief was crafted into a driving force for revenge tempered by the relationship he was forming with Eddie- an almost father and son vibe he never got with Henry, mentoring a young man on how to survive the world falling down around their ears- kept me hooked on this graphic novel until the very end, just hoping for another glimpse of this character's grit.
Like any seasoned reader, we all run into cliffhangers we don't like and this story was no exception for me. You'll know what I'm talking about when you see it. We all want a happy ending or whatever I'm trying to get at but the more I think about it, this was the best place to end the story and keep you guessing. Who makes it? Who doesn't? What happens to the rest of the Big Apple? Not all cliffhangers are bad, this one wasn't but God if I don't have all these questions to let my imagination run wild with now.
Aaron Kuder's illustrations were top notch. The colors popped, the emotions in each character's face were tangible and real... not everything was balls-to-the-wall dark and damp in this post-apocalyptic, zombie-filled stage. Call me biased because I'm a Coheed fan but I loved seeing Claudio and Chondra's vision mingle with Kuder's art. I can't wait to find more work from this illustrator because I enjoyed his style.
Five out of five boroughs, highly recommended for any zombie lover.
March 24, 2012
It's not cool that the artwork / cover art for this graphic novel is unavailable, because it's hands down the most impressive cover I've seen for any graphic novel (and that's saying something). seriously, amazing. I want the original art so I can hang it on my wall. absolutely brilliant. amazing work by Nathan Fox.
As far as the book, I'm excited about Claudio Sanchez's (lead singer/songwriter for Coheed And Cambria) foray into the world of making comics and graphic novels, and I'm even more excited that he is doing more than just staying inside the fictional universe he's created with his C&C albums and his first few comics. Seriously. That whole "Amory Wars" stuff lost me from the get go. However it seems him and his wife Chondra Echert are now a writing team and "Key Of Z" from Boom Studios is one of their first efforts. I'm impressed.
I'm also shocked and how many people are still coming up with really cool, original concepts and storylines within the same type of "post-apocalyptic, post-zombie outbreak" universe. It's awesome, for a fan like me. I love what they did with this idea... basically, the only true safe zones in the Five Boroughs of NYC after the zombie outbreak were the stadiums for our sports teams... Yankee Stadium, Citifield (Mets), Madison Square Garden in Manhattan, etc. These stadiums became protected, sealed off and eventually 'home' to entire towns worth of people, and each were headed by a 'leader' of some sort. These leaders were who you would expect to rise in a dire situation; gangbanging psychos, level-headed organizers, and so on. These stadiums of survivors eventually devolved into gangs and carved out territories. What a great setpiece in which to tell the story of a family man who loses everything, and then plans out some revenge.
Oh, and you know what else? Zombies are attracted to certain notes, say, from a harmonica. And they HATE other notes. Not bad.
My only complaint is that I felt robbed after I finished. It went too quickly. They set up such an amazing plot and backstory, and there's so much you can do within this universe. I barely got to know anyone aside from a bit of the narrator/main character, and we blew through great scenarios. I want more. Not such a terrible complaint, eh?
And dear god, Boom Studios or Evil Ink, get your fucking cover artwork up on goodreads. Jesus. And send me the original.
As far as the book, I'm excited about Claudio Sanchez's (lead singer/songwriter for Coheed And Cambria) foray into the world of making comics and graphic novels, and I'm even more excited that he is doing more than just staying inside the fictional universe he's created with his C&C albums and his first few comics. Seriously. That whole "Amory Wars" stuff lost me from the get go. However it seems him and his wife Chondra Echert are now a writing team and "Key Of Z" from Boom Studios is one of their first efforts. I'm impressed.
I'm also shocked and how many people are still coming up with really cool, original concepts and storylines within the same type of "post-apocalyptic, post-zombie outbreak" universe. It's awesome, for a fan like me. I love what they did with this idea... basically, the only true safe zones in the Five Boroughs of NYC after the zombie outbreak were the stadiums for our sports teams... Yankee Stadium, Citifield (Mets), Madison Square Garden in Manhattan, etc. These stadiums became protected, sealed off and eventually 'home' to entire towns worth of people, and each were headed by a 'leader' of some sort. These leaders were who you would expect to rise in a dire situation; gangbanging psychos, level-headed organizers, and so on. These stadiums of survivors eventually devolved into gangs and carved out territories. What a great setpiece in which to tell the story of a family man who loses everything, and then plans out some revenge.
Oh, and you know what else? Zombies are attracted to certain notes, say, from a harmonica. And they HATE other notes. Not bad.
My only complaint is that I felt robbed after I finished. It went too quickly. They set up such an amazing plot and backstory, and there's so much you can do within this universe. I barely got to know anyone aside from a bit of the narrator/main character, and we blew through great scenarios. I want more. Not such a terrible complaint, eh?
And dear god, Boom Studios or Evil Ink, get your fucking cover artwork up on goodreads. Jesus. And send me the original.
April 26, 2014
Signed by Claudio and Chondra at Wonder Con 2014!
Alright. Key of Z was my first zombie graphic novel now. And while I consistently watch The Walking Dead on AMC, I've never read the graphic novels--I kind of want the books to end before I start because I really don't have the patience to start a story with no ending. Then having to wait for it.
Key of Z has a really clever storyline, which I honestly was a bit surprised with. I've read a fair amount of zombie books and seen a fair amount of zombie movies, and for the most part the story is essentially the same with few variances. Key of Z had the obstacle of not only keeping my interest, but in generating a story line that was different enough I would remember it a year from now. While it hasn't exactly been a year, I can absolutely say this will stick.
Ewing didn't lose his family to zombies. He lost his wife and son to gang wars--two men fighting for domain over the survivors of New York. They've each taken refuge in different stadiums, the main ones being Yankee and Mets. That alone was enough to interest me--my favorite zombie series, Rot & Ruin, focuses more on the evil of people than the zombies. And Key of Z had the same idea. Lavoe especially was brutal--he would just kill anyone without a second thought.
Anyway, Ewing decides he will find his purpose in the post-apocalyptic world by exacting revenge against the men who killed his wife and son. This is helped along by his broken harmonica, a surprisingly effective tool. And I loved the originality of that as well. The way everything played out was fantastic.
Plus, the ending was very well done. It wasn't some cheap gimmick, or too gooey or too depressing. It was perfect, and I was very happy. Can't deny these guys have talent.
Alright. Key of Z was my first zombie graphic novel now. And while I consistently watch The Walking Dead on AMC, I've never read the graphic novels--I kind of want the books to end before I start because I really don't have the patience to start a story with no ending. Then having to wait for it.
Key of Z has a really clever storyline, which I honestly was a bit surprised with. I've read a fair amount of zombie books and seen a fair amount of zombie movies, and for the most part the story is essentially the same with few variances. Key of Z had the obstacle of not only keeping my interest, but in generating a story line that was different enough I would remember it a year from now. While it hasn't exactly been a year, I can absolutely say this will stick.
Ewing didn't lose his family to zombies. He lost his wife and son to gang wars--two men fighting for domain over the survivors of New York. They've each taken refuge in different stadiums, the main ones being Yankee and Mets. That alone was enough to interest me--my favorite zombie series, Rot & Ruin, focuses more on the evil of people than the zombies. And Key of Z had the same idea. Lavoe especially was brutal--he would just kill anyone without a second thought.
Anyway, Ewing decides he will find his purpose in the post-apocalyptic world by exacting revenge against the men who killed his wife and son. This is helped along by his broken harmonica, a surprisingly effective tool. And I loved the originality of that as well. The way everything played out was fantastic.
Plus, the ending was very well done. It wasn't some cheap gimmick, or too gooey or too depressing. It was perfect, and I was very happy. Can't deny these guys have talent.
March 7, 2013
Claudio is one of my favorite artists, second only to Steven Wilson.
I am obsessed with his progrock band Coheed and Cambria.
I enjoyed the Black Rainbow book and am reading the other graphic novels his music is taken from.
(His other book, Kill Audio, on to read list)
Key of Z is a great story about trying to keep your dignity when everything else is taken from you.
Damn, I love that story foundation. Throw in some zombies and good art and now you got some great literature!
Coheed fans, comic readers and zombie fans should not miss this!
Dave
I am obsessed with his progrock band Coheed and Cambria.
I enjoyed the Black Rainbow book and am reading the other graphic novels his music is taken from.
(His other book, Kill Audio, on to read list)
Key of Z is a great story about trying to keep your dignity when everything else is taken from you.
Damn, I love that story foundation. Throw in some zombies and good art and now you got some great literature!
Coheed fans, comic readers and zombie fans should not miss this!
Dave
August 20, 2013
As a big fan of Sanchez's music and storytelling, I came into these comics with high expectations. Key of Z gives a fresh, though not too drastically different, view of the zombie apocalypse. The over-the-top gang members and characters mesh well with the zombie setting and the lead's brooding bad-ass style.
March 11, 2013
Interesting take on the zombie apocalypse theme even if it's somewhat of a re-hashing of the pied piper.
My only disappointment was that the internal comic art didn't match the style of the cover. That cover is sick!
My only disappointment was that the internal comic art didn't match the style of the cover. That cover is sick!
September 26, 2013
Great and interesting take on a zombie apocalypse. Although the artwork isn't my favorite style, I can still appreciate great art/drawing when I see it.
February 23, 2013
Full review on HorrorTalk.com: http://www.horrortalk.com/comic-revie...
March 1, 2013
Great take on the zombiegeddon idea.
October 21, 2014
A really quick read, this took me about 2 hours to finish. This was my first time reading a graphic novel, and I loved it.
October 28, 2014
Zombies, NYC, revenge.
October 13, 2016
Fun while still being incredibly dark. Great art and story.
October 12, 2015
Beautiful art. Amazing writing. Post zombie outbreak New York teaming with zombies and gang members. I love it. Claudio Sanchez knows how to create something beautiful.
January 14, 2021
Interesting take on a NY zombie apocalypse story where the various Baseball fields fight for power in the new dark world.
August 25, 2014
I'd love to see more of these characters.
Displaying 1 - 25 of 25 reviews