Storm Lake
3 Issue Horror Mini-Series
Written by Searnold
Art by Josh Barker
Story Synopsis:
What is any horror story about? Weird shit starts happening and it scares the fuck out of our main characters. More specifically – Joe Shaw's desperation to make friends in a new town draws him into a conflict with an ancient supernatural evil whose mere presence warps reality.
Plot Summary:
Unbeknownst to its residents – the founders of Storm Lake, Iowa made a deal with a supernatural evil who granted them immortality. In exchange, they allowed it access to our plane of existence. But when it started warping reality, they sealed it away. Maintaining the seal requires a willing human sacrifice every fifty years.
Enter Joe Shaw. His father – a single insurance salesman – just got transferred to Storm Lake. One day, the local barkeep tells Joe a story about a creepy scarecrow that once killed a little boy. Alex, Kelly, and TJ – a group of locals around Joe's age – dare him to go investigate. Desperate to make friends, Joe agrees.
Joe soon finds himself investigating one creepy mystery after another: a living scarecrow, an endless corn field, sentient fog, supernaturally strong storms, a wall of man-eating bugs, and (of course) a werewolf. When Joe finally discovers what's going on, he's the only one left in a position to make the sacrifice necessary to save reality. But just as he's about to die, Joe's friends trick the werewolf into making the sacrifice instead – thus safely sealing the evil away... for now.
Characters:
Joe Shaw – the every man. 21. Pleasant demeanor. Morbid curiosity.
Alex Freeman – Joe's first new friend. Female bar tender. Believes everything has a rational scientific explanation. (She's wrong.)
Kelly Phillips – a delivery boy. A fraidy cat. A horror movie enthusiast.
TJ (Thomas Jefferson) – cocky jokester who loves all this mysterious stuff, but isn't afraid of it at all. That's why he dies.
Barret Wallace – immortal barkeep. Likes to tell creepy stories from long ago which help Joe figure out how to seal the ancient evil.
Ralph Miller – homeless drifter. One of the immortals. Also a werewolf.
George “Big Mac” MacDonald – local sheriff. Open-minded. Knows something “weird” is going on, but has no idea what.
Walter Shaw – curmudgeon. Joe's inability to find a loving relationship with his father is the main reason he's so desperate to find friends.
Stephanie Wilcox – owns the farm where Joe works. Also a curmudgeon. Romantic interest for Walter, until Ralph eats her.
ISSUE 01:
Joe Shaw is the new guy in Storm Lake, Iowa. His first night in town, Joe visits the local bar – Seventh Heaven. The barkeep, Barrett Wallace, tells him a story about a creepy scarecrow on the outskirts of town that once killed a little boy by trapping him inside a never-ending undead cornfield. Alex, Kelly, and TJ – a group of locals around Joe's age – argue about whether or not Barrett's stories are true. They dare Joe to go investigate, and – desperate to make new friends – Joe agrees.
No matter how far into the cornfield Joe walks, he never gets any closer to the scarecrow. He decides to leave... but no matter how far he walks, he never gets out of the cornfield. Suddenly the scarecrow is right behind him! Joe grabs its cowl – revealing a human skull! He freaks the fuck out, runs as fast as he can without paying any attention to where he's going – and winds up stumbling out of the cornfield, colliding with his new friends. No time seems to have passed – and the cowl is no longer in Joe's hand. His friends think he chickened out, but still give him props for trying.
ISSUE 02:
A few days after moving, Joe finally gets a job as a farmhand on Stephanie Wilcox's farm. Immediately, one of her cows goes missing, and he gets blamed. So naturally, he rounds up his gang to investigate. Apparently Ralph – the drifter who recently wandered into town – has been slaughtering and eating the cows raw. Because he's a werewolf! He gobbles down Farmer Wilcox and chases the gang to the Sheriff's office, but Big Mac is out with a hunting party – trying to find the “wild animal” he thinks has been killing the cows.
After nearly being eaten alive, Joe and his gang finally lure the werewolf into the cornfield. Joe runs as fast as he can without paying any attention to where he's going – and once again stumbles out of the cornfield, leaving Ralph the Werewolf trapped within to wander forever.
ISSUE 03:
Nearly being eaten by a werewolf was the last straw. Joe's getting the Hell out of Storm Lake, and he convinces his friends to come with him. But when they get to the edge of town, they find it surrounded by a wall of bugs that promptly devour TJ. Joe, Alex, and Kelly run back into town and realize that all of Barret's stories are true. With everyone else safely locked away in their storm shelters (due to a supernaturally strong storm), Joe and his friends are the only ones who can stop this ancient evil from coming through the seal. Joe re-enters the cornfield, prepared to make the ultimate sacrifice, but Alex and Kelly manage to trick Ralph into offering his blood instead. |
