Keith Arem, a Visionary Creative Whose Latest Project Will Have You Reading With the Lights on
Keith Arem is the type of creator whose energy and drive are motivational in the volume of works he has been a part of. As Creative Director and President of PCB Productions, his experience includes the Call of Duty Black Ops and Modern Warfare series, and he has recorded and produced more than 700 commercial releases for clients such as Disney, Nintendo, and Microsoft. In addition to his production work, Arem is also a storyteller at heart and directed his first feature film Phoenix Incident, and has produced several graphic novels such as Ascend, Infex, Dead Speed, and The Exiled.
His latest title, Frost Road, is an apocalyptic psychological horror comic book with its own storied history. Fortunately for comic book readers, this graphic novel is complete and has an crowdfunding campaign on Kickstarter for fans to get their own printed copy. Click here to access the campaign.
Arem was kind enough to talk with Pages and Panels about his latest Kickstarter campaign, his love for visceral imagery in comics, and how he connected acclaimed voice actor Yuri Lowenthal (Spider-Man/Naruto) to lend his likeness for Frost Road.
Additionally, Chris Yates II, Director of Special Projects and Outreach of PCB Production, talked about what supporters of the campaign can expect for this exciting new horror title.
Seth A. Romo: Keith, thanks for taking time to connect, you have such an impressive background—and that’s the trimmed down version! Let’s talk about love of the comic book medium, how did that begin for you? Was it from your background in film or were you a fan of sequential art before that?
Keith Arem: I’ve always loved comics and I am a huge fan of Heavy Metal [the magazine] with its high-end artwork. I also fell in love with Arkham Asylum from Grant Morrison and Dave McKean. I thought the art style known as ‘painterly’ was exactly perfect for that Batman story. So when I did my first comic, Ascend, and met Christopher Shy [the illustrator for Frost Road], his painterly dreamlike images really resonated with me.
Your latest graphic novel Frost Road, what can you share about this horror title and why the significance of the name?
Arem: The name actually comes from a street that a friend of mine grew up on and I thought it was phenomenal. It was creepy sounding and perfect. I worked on games like Silent Hill and the mystery of how the town was a character in the story resonated with me. But I will let Chris share more.
Chris Yates II: We like to say it’s like a zombie movie in reverse that is rooted in real science. I don’t want to spoil anything, but there are elements of sound and sensory that affect the town of Frost Road. The story revolves around a man named Chris who was injured in a car crash and can’t remember any of the events leading up to it. As the story unfolds, there is a sense of distrust in the characters he meets and readers get to follow along. This is where the psychological thriller aspect comes to play because every character—even Chris—has their own secrets.
I’ve heard in other interviews how this project was a 10-year journey. Can you talk about that journey and how has the story been shaped by modern media—even the pandemic?
Arem: There is an understanding that scripts can take seven years to make it to screens. Frost Road began a while back and was a project that I thought I would work on once my career had gotten a little further along. Then, our studio was wiped out in a fire and had to be rebuilt. At the time I was in the middle of working on Modern Warfare 2 and fortunately the team at Activision/Infinity Ward let me pause recordings, but I had to put my graphic novel and film career on hold.
Years later I was making a film called Phoenix Incident with Yuri Lowenthal, Troy Baker, Liam O’Brien, and Travis Williamham—guys who have gone on to have amazing careers—and when the pandemic hit I thought that was the perfect time to get the book [Frost Road] finished.
So we are running a Kickstarter to get the graphic novel printed, but the graphic novel itself is finished. We want to get it out to fans now.
A lot of video game fans know Yuri Lowenthal’s name as the voice of Spider-Man and he lended his likeness for his graphic novel, but how did that connection happen?
Arem: Yuri and I are like blood brothers, we have the same birthday, he is the godfather to my children—but we have also worked together on projects for many many years and are close friends. He’s also a phenomenal actor and when I was developing framing and storyboarding, Yuri would pose or do the action needed for that moment. His appearance is so striking and recognizable.
I’ve noticed there is a distinct style—you had mentioned painterly. Why that style and why specifically for Frost Road?
Painterly helps establish a mood and look for a world and gives depth. Because the town of Frost Road is also a character, painterly adds elements like soot or snow in the ground. When you add the photorealism of buildings or facilities there is a nice juxtaposition with the blend of the environments that looks cinematic.
With the Kickstarter being live as of this interview, Chris, what can you tell readers about the campaign?
Yates II: The crowdfunding is to print the graphic novel, and we hope to get it out to supporters by San Diego Comic Con. We also added some digital tiers for backers like a virtual Q&A, mentorship for people wanting to get into comics, voice acting, or gaming. We also have some partnerships ready like working with James and Chelsea from Dead Meat where we plan to make an audio experience that fits in the Frost Road world.
This interview has been edited for clarity. To back this Kickstarter, be sure to check out the tiers available here. For the full unabridged audio, check out the link below!