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| From Left To Right: Standard cover & Variant cover. |
Just over two years after Silent Hill: Downpour was released and a couple of cancellations, we finally get read and find out what Anne Cunningham's journey was like into Silent Hill and how it parallels with the the protagonist of the game- Murphy Pendleton.
As this is a review of the comic, I will be talking about the plot of the comic and the game.
So expect SPOILERS ahead!
In the above image you can see both variants versions of the comics cover, I wanted them both because I just Love Downpour that much! That and the cover art is great!
I'm especially excited about this comic as Silent Hill: Downpour is my joint favourite Silent Hill game next Silent Hill 2. I'm also happy to read about what the Anne did and what she saw in Silent Hill along side Murphy. I'm also hoping to see what happened to the side characters, and to also see if the comic answers some of the plot holes; such how did Anne survive falling down a seemingly bottomless chasm and suddenly appears in the Devil's Pit to confront Murphy and how did she hide on the boat Murphy was to escape Silent Hill on when there was no hiding places.
So with these mysteries and hopefully many more, lets take a trip with Anne into Silent Hill....
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The Narrative, Characters And Art
Its hard to talk about the plot of this issue because it requires you to at least have completed the game once to understand whats going on and to understand the major plot points as they occur in the comic. If I tried to explain and summarise it all, it would make this post into a mini essay. I'll try my best to give you the major facts.
What you really need to know is that Anne is a prison corrections officer who hold a strong grudge and resentment towards Murphy, who is convict being transfer to her prison of Wayside Maximum Security, it seems when ever she sees Murphy he is scarred gasmask wearing figure (this will be best explained in future issues.)
Issue 1 pretty much parallels the first couple of the hours of the game, from the initial bus crash in the woods of Silent Hill to Anne confronting Murphy when he gets off the Devil's Pit train ride.
The narrative is shown from Anne's perspective, with lots of jumping back and forth and with exposition in between.
As a big fan of the game I am overjoyed to be reading this story and love the comic, but it ideally it requires you have played to game to understand it. The comic itself does have a page that summarises the opening of the game and shows how the prison transfer bus crashes of the road and into the woods of Silent Hill, but a casual reader will most likely get lost to get what the hell is going on!
But for those who have played the game and love Downpour as much as me, its real treat and a welcome return to Silent Hill and the Downpour story.
The issue thankfully answers how Anne got out escaped the chasm to confront Murphy in the Devil's Pit cave. Its resolution and how it would work will make sense to fans who have a good understanding of how the town Silent Hill works, but to an average it will require them to suspend their disbelief.
We also get to see more of Anne as a character in the comic than we did in the game.
She is shown to be aggressive and act like a "bitch" to people around her. We also get to see her in two flashbacks that help flesh her development and motivations better.
We see 8 year old Anne talking to here farther Frank Coleridge before he goes of to work and how Frank wants her to be a doctor, despite Anne wanting to become like here farther, and become a corrections officers when she grows up.
And we also get what can assume to be current age Anne being woken up by here husband and being told the news that during a riot at her farther's prison, and has found beaten to near death in the prison showers... and with Murphy Pendleton being caught red handed as the accused perpetrator... (More on this in the future)
Now, i'm no expert on art in comic books, but I feel the artists has done a good job so far.
the style fits silent Hill and really capturing the feel and tone of the game. The way the settings and lighting are drawn and coloured creates an immersive atmosphere and make you feel that you are right there with Anne. So far we have seen the 'Weeping Bat' creatures from the game; they are drawn well, giving them a distant yet threatening presence, especially as the antagonise Anne in the Devil's Pit.
My only criticism with the art is that some of that characters are drawn with weird facial expressions that look unnatural and almost look unintentionally comical.
And only problem with issue is that it ends just as it gets going, we only see a bit of the characters how Silent Hill is affecting and appearing to them. This can be put down to it being the first issue setting up the story, and hope that the future issues won't be quite like this. Particularly because it really grabbed my attention and makes me excited for when Anne actually gets into the town of Silent Hill.
Closing Thoughts And Feeling
An intriguing yet short return to Silent Hill.
Its great to see some characters get fleshed out more and see Silent Hill from their perspective,
especially getting see Anne's take on Silent Hill: Downpour story.
Some wonderfully creative and disturbing imagery combined with well drawn settings and lighting.
I can't wait for issue 2, and eagerly await for it to come out next month!
Here's my final verdict:
Rating: A solid 8/10 (Or '8 Thumbs Up' - That ones for you Daniel!)
Would I read it again?: Definately!
Would you recomend it?: Yes, but mainly to fans of Silent Hill and Downpour.
I appreciate any feedback from you readers on this review.
Especially because its the first time I have done something like this and would love hear how I can improve it.
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