Frost Road - An Apocalyptic Horror Graphic Novel

The creative team behind Image Comics’ award winning graphic novel, Ascend, is set to unveil Frost Road, a 200 page apocalyptic horror graphic novel. Keith Aram (Call of Duty) & Christopher Shy (Dead Space) are the creative duo behind this upcoming graphic novel, which is currently crowdfunding on Kickstarter. The thriller comic is best described as a high-intensity graphic novel that blends apocalyptic horror and suspense, perfect for fans of The Last of Us, A Quiet Place, & Silent Hill.

From the visionary creators behind Image Comics' award-winning Ascend, Keith Arem (Call of Duty) and Christopher Shy (Dead Space) return with their latest graphic novel, Frost Road. This campaign-exclusive oversized acrylic delivers over 200 pages of immersive storytelling and breathtaking visuals.

The story of Frost Road is described as: “A small coastal town is devastated by an invisible contagion. A man awakens from a car accident to discover he is one of few survivors in the aftermath of a mysterious outbreak that has wiped out the small town of Frost Road. Somehow immune to the deadly waves, he tries to save the remaining survivors from themselves, as he desperately struggles to prevent the deadly signal from spreading across the planet.”

The novel also boats a pretty impressive cast Yuri Lowenthal (Spider-man, Naruto), Chris Jai Alex (Transformers, Extraction) and Ed O’Ross (The Hidden, Full Metal Jacket) lending their likeness to the characters in Frost Road. Additionally, it is also being developed into an audio drama in partnership with Dead Meat.

PCB Entertainment and Arem are partnering with James A. Janisse and Chelsea Rebecca of Dead Meat, a horror centric YouTube channel with over 6.7 million subs, to flesh out Frost Road’s stretch goal rewards to develop a new immersive audio drama, based on the upcoming book. Once funded, the Frost Road campaign will officially reveal tiered stretch goals along with their partnership with Dead Meat, to produce an ongoing series of dramatic episodes directly from the pages of the book.

I was fortunate enough to have the opportunity to interview Frost Road co-creator Keith Arem about the upcoming project.

So Keith, tell us about this upcoming graphic novel in your own words?

"Frost Road is a psychological survival thriller wrapped inside a small-town apocalypse. The story follows a man who wakes up from a car crash with no memory and stumbles into a town being torn apart by invisible subsonic waves. As he struggles to figure out who he is and what’s happening, he realises the remaining survivors are losing their minds—and that he may be at the centre of it all.

At its core, Frost Road is about isolation, trust, and survival—how people react when faced with the unknown. It’s a character-driven thriller that challenges the cast and audience who they can trust. Christopher Shy’s artwork brings a distinctive decayed world to life in a way that feels cinematic, oppressive, and unsettling. It’s a journey through paranoia, memory, and the fear of losing your mind in a world that’s already lost."

What inspired you and Christopher Shy to come together to create Frost Road?

"Chris and I had an amazing experience working together on Ascend, and ever since, we’ve wanted to reunite for another project. He has this incredible way of blending realism with abstract, dreamlike horror, which makes his work feel like a living nightmare—which is perfect for the tone of Frost Road.

The concept started with Brandon Humphreys and I developing the original story years ago. We kept evolving it, layering in elements of real-world science, sound weaponry, and psychological horror. When it came time to visualise that world, Chris was the only artist I could imagine bringing it to life. His work makes the town feel like a character—twisted, broken, and barely holding itself together, just like the people trapped inside it."

Were you a big fan of comics/graphic novels growing up, and if so, what were you reading?

"I grew up surrounded by comics. Heavy Metal Magazine was a huge influence, especially Moebius and the darker, more experimental stories. Books like Arkham Asylum by Grant Morrison and Dave McKean, The Crow and Sandman stories showed how comics could push boundaries, visually and narratively.

I was always drawn to storytelling that felt cinematic and immersive, which is probably why I ended up in games and film. But comics have a unique ability to experience them. There’s something about the combination of pacing, art, and storytelling that creates a world you can explore at your own speed, and that is what I wanted to capture with Frost Road."

Throughout your career, you’ve had the opportunity to work on many different forms of media. Why choose a graphic novel format for Frost Road?

"A graphic novel gave us complete creative freedom. We had no budget constraints, no studio or publisher directives, and I could focus on pure storytelling. Chris and I could craft exactly the experience we wanted, and now with Kickstarter we can deliver it straight into the hands of fans without compromise.

Comics also let us control pacing in a way that’s hard to replicate in other media. The reader dictates how long they stay on a panel, how the tension builds between moments. That’s ideal for Frost Road, where every panel feels like cover art, and the psychological horror is just as important as the action. The art itself tells a story, with its isolation, paranoia, the decay of the town.

It also opens the door for future adaptations. While Frost Road started as a screenplay, developing it as a graphic novel first gives us a visual blueprint for a potential film, game, or audio drama."

I can see this isn’t your first time dabbling in a post-apocalyptic world, what would you say draws you in about that setting?

"I think as a kid, growing up in the shadow of the Cold War, I’ve always been fascinated by stories that explore what happens when everything falls apart. Not just the spectacle of destruction, but how people react when the rules of society are gone.

Post-apocalyptic worlds strip everything down to the rawest human emotions—fear, survival, trust, betrayal. They force characters to confront who they really are when everything comfortable is taken away. That’s what Frost Road is about.

The horror isn’t just the disaster itself—it’s the uncertainty, the psychological toll, and the fear that something far worse is lurking just beneath the surface."

I did see from the press release, Frost Road is said to draw inspiration from The Last of Us, A Quiet Place & Silent Hill. Were there any other video games, TV shows, comics or films that you would say influenced you with this project?

"The Thing by John Carpenter is a massive influence—the paranoia, the isolation, the distrust between characters. Annihilation also has that creeping dread and slow psychological unraveling that mirrors what’s happening in Frost Road.

Resident Evil and The Suffering had an impact—the way they build tension through environment and sound. Frost Road plays with the idea of sound as a weapon, much like A Quiet Place, but in a more psychological way.

I’m also a huge fan of David Fincher’s storytelling, and his ability to build tension through atmosphere and character. That’s the kind of aesthetic we wanted to bring into the book."

What have been some of the challenges you’ve faced with Frost Road and how have they differed from the likes of some of your previous work (such as Ascend or the Call of Duty series)?

"The biggest challenge with Frost Road was time. Frost was an independent project that evolved over the years, mainly because of life circumstances and the evolution of our careers. 

But the biggest impact was the personal devastation of our company. Our studios at PCB were wiped out in a massive fire 10 years ago, and it forced us to rebuild our facilities and support our clients. We were also working on Call of Duty, Silent Hill, and dozens of other games, so rebuilding our company took priority over producing our movie.

This stopped Frost from moving forward, and we decided to put the project on hold for several years. We finally decided to finish the graphic novel during COVID, which seems like an appropriate influence in itself, and use that time to finish the artwork and complete the book."

I understand this is to become an immersive audio drama in conjunction with Dead Meat. Can you tell us a bit more about that, and what fans can expect?

"As part of our stretch goals, we’re working with Dead Meat to develop an audio drama adaptation of Frost Road as part of our Blind Terror series. The idea is to take the cinematic approach of our graphic novel and bring it into a fully immersive sound experience.

It’s not just a narrated audiobook—we’re treating it like a sonic horror film, using binaural sound, spatial audio, and voices from the original cast. We want you to feel the town closing in around you, to experience the subsonic waves and paranoia just like the characters do.

James and Chelsea from Dead Meat bring a deep knowledge and love of horror, and working with our team at PCB Productions gives us the technical ability to push the boundaries of immersive storytelling."

What’s next for you? Anything else us horror fans can look forward to?

"While our current focus is on Frost Road - releasing the graphic novel, the Kickstarter, and gearing up for the audio drama - We’ve already had renewed interest in the film adaptation, and that’s something we’re actively developing.

This summer at San Diego Comic Con, we’ll be announcing our new projects and immersive experiences. The next few years are going to be a circus, we’ll be announcing several new titles we are developing."

If you had the chance to do whatever you wanted with any horror character or franchise—what would you pick and why?

"I’d love to do something with Brainstorm or Dreamscape. Both of those movies have the potential for pure nightmare fuel—sci-fi thrillers done right. There’s so much more to explore in those universes, especially with today’s technology and immersive storytelling.

My hope is to push horror storytelling into new formats—something that blends games, spatial audio, and interactive experiences to make horror feel inescapable."

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Frost Road - An Apocalyptic Horror Graphic Novel

Huge thank you to PCB Productions and Keith Arem for this exclusive interview. The project is currently crowdfunding on Kickstarter folks, so if you want to head over and support the project they've got some pretty great perks up for grabs as well.

These include digital, print, and immersive access, including educational resources and classes from PCB Productions. These educational tiers will offer learning opportunities such as virtual masterclasses, Q&A sessions, mentorship opportunities, and in-person events at PCB’s Los Angeles facilities and San Diego Comic Con.