LAKE EFFECT INVASION / ART GALLERY

Cleveland, after dark.

Cleveland, 1989. Fight. Eat. Fight again.
69 illustrations. A city worth fighting for.

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Explore the artwork

The streets

Terminal Tower above abandoned buses in Public Square.
Ontario St — Public Square
An abandoned bus blocks a rain-soaked avenue of office buildings.
Superior Ave
Theater marquees glow along deserted Euclid Avenue.
Euclid Ave
Stone banks and mirrored offices flank a deserted street.
East 9th Street
Empty civic steps and benches beneath an alien-lit sky.
Lakeside Ave
Steam rises between brick warehouses and loading docks.
West 6th
Neon reflects on the river beneath a steel lift bridge.
Old River Rd
A payphone and fire escapes line shadowy brick storefronts.
Prospect Ave
Stranded taxis sit beneath a rusted railway viaduct.
Huron Rd
A colossal mothership hangs over the industrial lakefront.
Erieside Ave

Storefronts

Record Store exterior during the invasion.
Record Store exterior
Pawn Shop exterior during the invasion.
Pawn Shop exterior
Pizza Shop exterior during the invasion.
Pizza Shop exterior
Drugstore exterior during the invasion.
Drugstore exterior
Arcade exterior during the invasion.
Arcade exterior
Radio Shack exterior during the invasion.
Radio Shack exterior
Army Surplus exterior during the invasion.
Army Surplus exterior
St. Stanislaus exterior during the invasion.
St. Stanislaus exterior
Hot Dog Cart exterior during the invasion.
Hot Dog Cart exterior
Captain Frank's exterior during the invasion.
Captain Frank's exterior

Places of refuge

A warm coffee counter with steaming mugs and a donut case.
Coffee Shop
Fresh pizza sits beneath the lights of a neighborhood slice counter.
Pizza Shop
Steam rises from a hot dog cart beneath a worn umbrella.
Hot Dog Cart
A waitress waits beside a chrome diner counter and red vinyl stools.
Diner
A bartender watches over a wooden bar beneath a glowing football broadcast.
Bar
Sandwiches, pickle jars, and a meat slicer fill a neighborhood deli.
Deli
Snack shelves and cold drinks line a fluorescent-lit corner store.
Convenience Store
Red lanterns glow above a restaurant counter and steaming tea.
Chinese Restaurant
Old jackets and mismatched lamps crowd a thrift store.
Thrift Store
A pawn broker stands among old electronics and improvised weapons.
Pawn Shop
Military rations, field jackets, and footlockers fill an army surplus shop.
Army Surplus
A pharmacist waits behind a counter of bandages and medicine.
Drugstore
Colorful arcade cabinets cast neon light over a patterned carpet.
Arcade
Instant cameras, flash equipment, and film boxes fill a camera shop.
Camera Shop
A red-vested clerk stands among batteries, wires, and portable televisions.
Radio Shack
Vinyl crates and cassette racks surround a record-store counter.
Record Store
A priest offers shelter in a candlelit sanctuary.
St. Stanislaus
A storm-darkened seafood restaurant on the Lake Erie pier beneath the alien mothership.
Captain Frank's

The invaders

A lean blue alien with a swept-back head and glowing cyan eyes.
blue alien
An armored blue alien commander with a towering swept-back crest.
blue boss
A broad-shouldered green alien crouches with hooked claws.
green alien
A hulking green alien brute with thick plated shoulders.
green boss
A slender grey alien watches with enormous dark eyes.
grey alien
A grey alien overseer with an expanded cranial crest.
grey boss
A hunched red alien bares its teeth beneath a spiny crest.
red alien
A scarred red alien boss with a crown of heavy spines.
red boss

Life during the invasion

An old shop-window television carries emergency invasion coverage.
Emergency Broadcast
Rain beads on a newspaper box holding an invasion front page.
News Stand
A frightened local shelters in a shadowy doorway.
Survivor
A battered local gestures urgently beneath the lights of Public Square.
Public Square Survivor
A stranded bus driver guards frightened passengers beside an alien-scorched tire.
Superior Bus Driver
A City Hall employee clutches a radio and files on the storm-lashed civic plaza.
Lakeside City Hall Staffer
A dockworker raises an emergency flare between warehouse loading bays.
West 6th Dockworker
The bridge tender works the lift controls above the Cuyahoga River.
Old River Bridge Tender
A shelter volunteer offers blankets outside a church on Prospect Avenue.
Prospect Shelter Volunteer
A harbormaster radios a warning beneath the mothership at the Lake Erie docks.
Erieside Harbormaster
A weary officer stands beside a patrol car and barricade.
Police Officer
An open military supply crate rests beneath a weathered tarp.
Care Package
A blue alien leaves the player wounded in rain-soaked Public Square.
Left for Dead
A compromised emergency broadcast shows the mayor under alien control.
Compromised Broadcast
A brass seafood-house key rests in a bridge tender's cabinet.
Captain Frank's Key
The Cleveland cab driver works dispatch after City Hall is secured.
Cab — City Hall Secure
A Cleveland bus sits disabled after an alien blast strikes its tire while frightened passengers shelter inside.
Bus — Tire Zapped
A Cleveland Rapid train carries passengers safely through the city at night.
Rapid — Running
A stalled Cleveland Rapid train stands parallel to its platform and rails with its door open.
Rapid — Stalled
A frightened Cleveland cab driver grips the wheel while alien light fills the street.
Cab — Frightened Driver
A cheerful Cleveland cab driver sings while driving through the invasion.
Cab — Singing Driver

How it ends

Victory
Victory
Defeat
Defeat