Review by Svetlana Fedotov
For fans of horror videogames, one of the first games that come to mind is Konami’s Silent Hill franchise. A careful mix of 3rd person action and puzzling solving platforms, this survival horror managed to join the ranks of other breakthrough exploration games such as Resident Evil and Castlevania, while creating its own bizarre and self-contained universe in the form of the creepiest town in America. Also, like its fellow brother games, it has been adapted into many forms of entertainment such as movies, books, and of course, comic books. With every new game addition to the ever-expanding lore of Silent Hill (its tenth installment was recently announced), a comic is sure to follow, and Silent Hill: Downpour is no exception. The eighth game in line, Downpour the comic revisits the tale of Murphy Pendleton, an escaped prisoner who finds himself trapped in Silent Hill, pursued by his correctional officer, Anne Cunningham. This particular tale though is written from Anne’s point of view, facing the horrors she crossed in her hunt for her prey.
Before diving into Downpour, it’s definitely suggested to play the game, but there is a brief introduction in the beginning of the comic that the casual fan can MOSTLY follow along. As stated, the original gameplay revolves around Pendleton, but the comic is focused on the story of Officer Cunningham, who loses Pendleton in the town of Silent Hill after the prison bus they were both on crashes. The game leaves Cunningham as she hangs for her life off the edge of a pit at the beginning of the first level, and she quickly fades into the distance as Pendleton makes a run for it. The illustrated version opens up on that very moment as she is rescued by a strange man in a gas mask. Left on her own, she wanders the odd town, a single flashlight her only friend. Running into monsters and humans alike, she soon learns what everyone learns about Silent Hill: that nothing is like it seems and that no one is safe. Unsure of what is real and what is a head injury, she soon meets some of the permanent residence of the city, starting with the games’ first “monster,” JP Sater, a man who is haunted by the ghost of eight children he killed in a train derailment.
Downpour the comic is a bit of a mixed bag. There is a very heavy video game tie-in with it, especially as you spot some of the similar ghosts and monsters that are only seen in the game. Honestly, it’s a bit hard to get into without the extra homework, but it never made any pretense of being a stand-alone work either; I mean, the name of the game is the title of the comic, clearly they’re meant to be together. That being said, by not playing the game, you do get the extra benefit of meeting all these characters for the first time. The writer, Tom Waltz, made a point of re-introducing all the key players as Cunningham makes her way through the town. It’s got enough of a “what the hell is happening” effect that drives the majority of the franchise without completely expecting you to take on the whole story on your own. The progression is smooth, even if some of the characters seem one dimensional; Cunningham’s dark and dirty past makes her a dark and dirty bitch, but the comic does explore some more of the town’s sordid history, which is always fun.
Keeping in the same vein of “it’s alright” type of vibe, the art by Tristan Jones is, uh, alright. Once again, the artwork, like the story, feels less like a comic aimed at comic audiences and more of an extra story for video game fans who are not too particular on the finer points of illustration. It’s a bit of an odd statement because Jones definitely understands the dynamics of comic layout; he works well with depth perception and his human figures are appropriately designed, but somewhere along the way, everything gets all mushed up. The facial features have a strange problem of floating away from each other, the inking is sloppy at best, and man, are those people ugly as sin. The only saving grace is the coloring, which has a subtle palate of grays, black, and browns mixed with splashes of red and the sharp, zooming affect for the horror scenes, which reflect accurately on the video game play. I guess, if you’re a fan of the game, feel free to grab the additional work, but for comic fans, this is more like the extra comic that got packed in for free with the videogame than a proper, standalone story.