Way back when some fifteen or so years back, Backwood Folk had its inception as a webcomic. Only felt right that the new iteration at least have some kind of webcomic component. So now I’m very happy to announce THESE GHOST TOWNS ARE FULL! Short stories across a haunted Ozarks. We’ve started up with three complete stories of folks becoming part of the scenery, some more literally than others. 

In making a comic like Backwood Folk there are a lot of ideas that pop up from research and setting up a little fictional world. There are tangents and side stories that don’t really have a home in a serialized story, but take root in your brain anyways. This is a little corner to exorcise some of those ideas. The three stories posted today are very much in the style of Backwood Folk’s folktale shorts that occur in the middle of each issue. They take place over a pretty wide range of Po’Dunk’s history, and have some relations running around of characters you might see in the main series. 

Future entries might be completely different in style and tone! I’m not setting many rules for this webcomic. There won’t be any release schedule to speak of. Just a slowly growing library of short comics that I release as I finish them!

The first story TOBY STILL HAS HONEY TO SPARE is a sister story to Backwood Folk Issue One’s THE PHANTOM FIDDLE. I like the idea of revisiting some of the Main Series’ folktales through -what would be- different storyteller’s variations. And this is a little flirtation with that. 

The next story, CHIPPER HOWELL FIND HIS PITCH, was originally composed as a performed piece at the Ozark Jubilee Live Tribute Show, with the comic art projected behind me as I read! This is a much condensed version. 

The final story, OL’ DEAD DOE SITS A SPELL, was heavily inspired by the true Arkansas story of Old Mike. A dead body kept on display in Prescott, Arkansas for decades. I was introduced to the story by Sharp Woolston on an episode of We Always Lie to Strangers.

In any case, hope you guys enjoy these shorts! I’ve got a lot more percolating.