Silent Hill Downpour: Anne’s Story #2 Review

By Harrison Rawdin on Thursday, October 2nd, 2014

Is this scary good or just okay? Read on to find out.

The official description from IDW:

MATURE READERS

IDW returns to Konami’s horror masterpiece! Vengeful prison guard Anne Marie Cunningham continues her terrifying trek through the cursed streets of Silent Hill… and through her own horrific memories! An all-new canonical tale spinning directly out of the hit 2012 video game Silent Hill Downpour and featuring fan-favorite characters from Silent Hill lore! Written by Tom Waltz (TMNT), with artwork by Tristan Jones (Ghostbusters).

When it comes to transitioning a property between mediums any creative team faces some rather perilous obstacles. In the case of this series however there’s more than enough narrative meat to go around. And it’s within that honest accounting that this release finds some considerable legs to stand on.

Tom Walz pens a script that should be described as unsettling. For the tale of prison guard Anne, we see monsters and horrible aspects of a dreary past all of which is conveyed in subtle conversations and jarring occurrences. The author has a grasp on Silent Hill to the point that he understands the nuances of suspense, which in a comic book can be hard to master but he does. My gaze was instantly captured as I peeled back layers of a character I had little to no interest in but here I am eagerly awaiting the next entry of her story.

To be frank the text can only go so far in a horrifying romp, the visuals need to be up to par. So thankfully the pencil strokes of Tristan “T-Rex” Jones go beyond the confines of the narrative path, as each page and panel conveys varying aspects of our protagonist’s life. We visit the key moments there and thanks to a lively color palette by Michael Spicer the whole of the book gets a justifiable atmosphere that fits the terror dripping within this franchise.

Silent Hill Downpour: Anne’s Story #2 keeps a strong focus on someone that’s plagued by personal tragedy and regret but is also besieged by monsters. All that adds up to a highly recommended release.