I Started a Silent Hill 2 Let’s Play!
Posted By: Whitney October 26th, 2010 | 8:19 pmHey guys! I’ve started another let’s play…this time it’s Silent Hill 2!
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Silent Hill Past Life Released Delayed to 11/03/2010
Posted By: Whitney October 21st, 2010 | 4:53 pm
Tom Waltz, writer of Past Life and Silent Hill 8, let us know that the upcoming Silent Hill Past Life issue #1 will be a little late. The issue was scheduled to be released October 27, 2010, but Waltz says that the November 3rd release has been confirmed (source)
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Silent Hill Past Life Issue #1 Review
Posted By: Whitney October 18th, 2010 | 12:28 am
My thoughts on the early Silent Hill comics
Cheerleaders fightin’ Pyramid Head
As a big fan of the Silent Hill franchise I’ve been quite disappointed with the past Silent Hill comic series. With the exception of Sinner’s Reward, the rest of the Silent Hill comics have left a sour taste in my mouth.
In the comics we see some familiar creatures and places but overall the connection to the Silent Hill franchise seems to me to be in name only. The stories are pretty superficial and the style of artwork made the plots at times very difficult follow. Seeing cheerleaders fight Pyramid Head (Paint in Black) and listening to a foul mouth Christabella (Dying Inside) certainly didn’t feel like any Silent Hill game I played and furthered my dislike for the comics in general.
Despite my overall distaste for the comics my opinion warmed slightly after reading Tom Waltz’s, Sinner’s Reward. It was really the first time I could see “Silent Hill” in comic form and it was the first real glimpse of the games I know and love.
Silent Hill Past Life
When I learned that Waltz was returning to not only pen the 4-part Silent Hill Past Life comic but also has a hand in writing the upcoming Silent Hill 8 my interest in this comic went through the roof! I got to say after that after reading this first issue, Waltz does not disappoint! Silent Hill fans you are in for a real treat! We have a direct tie to the upcoming game and we get to see a bit of the mysterious past of Silent Hill.
Seriously, what’s not to love?
It’s 1867 and Jebediah “Hell Rider” Foster and his new bride Esther have left their home in the Dakota Territory for the town of Silent Hill. Esther has inherited her uncle Benjamin Munroe’s farm and with a baby on the way the couple hopes that the distance from Jebediah’s past as an murderous outlaw will help them start a new life with a clean slate. Unfortunately for the Fosters dark pasts and Silent Hill can have hellish results and actually obtaining that clean slate will be a lot harder then expected.
The Fosters on route towards their new life in Silent Hill.
After their arrival into town the influence of Jebediah’s dark past immediately brings forth the town’s darker side. Jebediah catches glimpses of strange creatures and people in the corners of his eyes and significant items from his dark past mysteriously appear and trigger thoughts of his criminal past. The Fosters may have only just entered Silent Hill but it’s clear the town is already gearing up to make them face the shadows of their past.
Uh oh…
Silent Hill 8 Connection
In the first issue we meet a character that I believe has a direct connection to Vatra’s upcoming Silent Hill title that Waltz himself has hinted about in a number of different interviews.
The Fosters run into the friendly Howard Blackwood right outside of Silent Hill. Much to their surprise Howard, who is a black man, has the job title of Postmaster only two years after the Civil War! It seems that Silent Hill is a head of the times concerning equality which Howard attributes to the town not caring “…much ’bout what’s on the outside of folks.”
This is in no way confirmed but I’m convinced that this isn’t the first time we’ve seen Howard! Remember the mumbling postman Murphy meets during the Vatra E3 2010 trailer? I think they are one an the same and that Howard here is the mysterious character shared between the game and the comic. I say we should keep an eye on this cryptic postman him in future issues, he’s definitely more than what he seems…especially if he’s still alive after so many years in Silent Hill 8!
The Artwork
Menton3’s drawings are beautiful
Splotchy bgs = fuuuuuu!
The artwork in Past Life is the best I’ve seen front a Silent Hill comic to date! Menton3’s style really captures the mess and disturbing visuals we see in the games but without going over board like so many of the previous comics did before. I love how the characters are rendered very realistically for once! The brown/yellow/black/white color scheme really gives the comic the overall look of being an old story dug up from the past.
Abrupt style changes = headache
I think what I like most about Menton3’s artwork is that even though it can get messy at times I haven’t once felt lost while reading. This was a big problem for me with the earlier Silent Hill comics where the art style often left me confused about what was actually going on panel to panel. I also think it’s great that Menton3 doesn’t just focus on drawing the characters and spends the time to create some fascinating backdrops and environments. In my opinion it is the inclusion of real background that I consider a HUGE improvement over the previous comics. It was hard to follow many of the previous comics when the backgrounds consisted no more then splotches on the page.
Speaking of which…
Make sure to pay close attention to the details in those lovely backgrounds! It’s unknown at this point whether this has any relevance to the plot but I’ve noticed in several panels share a similar text and circular symbols hidden within the backgrounds. I can’t make out what a lot of it says but since it’s repeated from page to page it makes me wonder if it will have some significance in the future!
The consistency of the art style in Past Life is another big plus in the comic for me. The only time a significant difference is seen help show a shift in narrative. In previous comics the art style varied issue to issue just because there was a change in artists with no other real purpose.
A non headache inducing art style change seen in Past Life issue #1
So Silent Hill fans, the Silent Hill inspired comic you’ve been waiting for is finally here! If you’ve been hesitant to pick up this series the due to disappointments in the past… don’t be! The writing is top notch and the artwork is phenomenal. Past Life is gearing to be the best comic series yet so don’t miss out!
Past life Issue #1 goes on sale November 3, 2010! (source)
Big thank you goes to Tom Waltz for sending me a digital copy of Past Life #1 to review on my site. Totally made my week 🙂
Character with Past Life and Silent Hill 8 connection Revealed?
Posted By: Whitney October 13th, 2010 | 2:35 pmThis is a re-post of my HD article 🙂
http://helldescent.com/2010/10/13/character-with-past-life-and-silent-hill-8-connection-revealed/
The awesome Tom Waltz gave us a sneak peek at the the upcoming Silent Hill Past Life issue #1! If you are interested in seeing who we believe is the connecting character between the game and the comic read more after the jump!
Some new Silent Hill 8 news! (via Hell Descent)
Posted By: Whitney October 5th, 2010 | 11:22 amThanks to Hell Descent for the heads up!
Hell Descent:
While Games Access 2010 may not have provided any new info on Silent Hill 8; it looks like this interview by Czech video game site Doupe provides some. The site got to sit down with Lead Designer of Silent Hill 8, Mark Berka. Mark tells of how the game will be moving away from the more action oriented feel of Silent Hill Homecoming to something akin to Silent Hill 2. The games primary influence, in terms of atmosphere, will be Silent Hill 2. Seeing as Silent Hill 2 was the highlight of the Silent Hill series, this is good to hear. But didn’t Double Helix, creators of Silent Hill Homecoming state the same? Mark also states that while he and the team enjoyed the Silent Hill movie; no inspiration from the film will be used. The team is apparently also working with key members from the series. Whether this be the new ‘Team Silence’ which are the western developers, or older members like Owaku and Ito from ‘Team Silent’ is not stated.
Silent Hill 8 is also set to focus more on the psychological horror aspects of the series and less on the survival horror. Silent Hill 8 will follow escaped convict Murphy Pendleton’s journey into Silent Hill. Mark tells of how a convict protagonist seemed like a good choice because he would have so much background and depth to his character. So far everything we hear sounds good. Hopefully Vatra can channel the spirit of Silent Hill in a unique but familiar way. More info on Silent Hill 8 is supposed to be given this month.
google translated from Doupe
Some brief new Silent Hill 8 game footage!
Posted By: Whitney September 23rd, 2010 | 1:47 pmThe parent company of Vatra games has added a promotional reel for some of their upcoming titles. A brief clip of Silent Hill 8 is shown which shows quite an improvement to graphics shown in the e3 trailer! Check it out on the front page of their website:
To see more SH8 check out my e3 2010 trailer screen cap gallery
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Any Deadly Premonition fans?
Posted By: Whitney September 9th, 2010 | 4:17 pmHi Guys!
Not really much on the SH news front lately bu tI’m sure that will change next month with the upcoming comic’s release!
In other gaming news I fell in love with Deadly Premonition couple weeks back and I was sad to see there really wasn’t really any fansites for it. I decided to change that and make my own!
Welcome to Greenvale
http://greenvale.shshatteredmemories.com
It’s still under heavy construction but I thought I would put a link here in case any of you SH fans like this game as well!
I’m also working hard on a DP LP that I’m putting up on the shshatterememories youtube channel (52 parts so far!). The game has a great story and characters and well worth the watch if you can’t play it yourself
https://www.youtube.com/view_play_list?p=0AC2DAA43EF73293
The Let’s Play is a 100% completion run through of the game that includes:
-the completion of all side quests
-the location all the DP trading cards and special weapons.
Find out what’s behind the ??? door in the Special Room and see as many character conversations as possible so you can get the full effect of the quirky town!
All while kicking ass and taking names in HARD mode!
It’s still in progress but I would love to hear what you think of what I have so far.
Comic Book Resource: Waltz On “Silent Hill: Past Life”
Posted By: Whitney August 14th, 2010 | 3:20 pmTom Waltz recently talked to Comic Book Resource news about the upcoming Silent Hill Past Life and a little about his role in the upcoming Silent Hill 8. I think this is the “juiciest” interview to date! Overall a bit more is revealed on the plot of the series, we get some backstory to why it’s set in 1867, learn how Tom got involved in Vatra’s Silent Hill 8 and finally got a sneak peek at some of the comic artwork!!
Full interview here: http://www.comicbookresources.com/?page=article&id=27818
The Story
Set in 1867, “Silent Hill: Past Life” tells the story of Jebediah “Hellrider” Foster, a notorious outlaw in the Dakota Territory whom Waltz described as having “a soft, troubled heart lying beneath the cold, hard exterior.” “When this soft spot is finally exposed, it will lead to Foster’s greatest happiness, as well as a tragically infinite sadness,” Waltz told CBR. “Foster, while carousing in Deadwood City, meets and falls head over spurs in love with Esther Monroe, a beautiful widow whose life’s travels have lead her to Deadwood – a place she longs to leave for a better life.” Together, Jebediah and Esther venture back east to her abandoned family estate in Silent Hill. “Esther sees it as the escape from the Wild West and back to civilization – an opportunity for both she and Foster to start their lives fresh and anew,” Waltz said. “But, of course, Foster’s dark past follows closely behind and he’ll soon learn he’ll have to face his sins, and that, in doing so, will drag his beloved wife and unborn child into his own personal hell, as well.”
The eponymous town has a long, storied and eerie history as established in the “Silent Hill” games, and Waltz’s latest miniseries will build off its brief prosperity as a mining town. “Silent Hill is, at this time, on the backend of a coal mining boom and we’re starting to witness what I call the de-evolution of the town,” the writer told CBR. “Many folks have started to leave the area, and we’ve already got a rift in the religious group the Order, as some of its members have split and set up a separate camp in the newly-founded and neighboring Shepherd’s Glen, with the separatists calling themselves the Sect of the Holy Way (and if you played ‘Silent Hill: Homecoming,’ you know the huge impact that has on the universe). The American Civil War has ended and the infamous Toluca Prison Camp (which housed Civil War POWs) has been converted into the ultimately equally infamous Toluca Prison.
So why did Tom decide to set his comic in Silent Hill’s past? For the fans 😀
“The very fact that we’re displaying a moment in the town’s history has got to be the biggest experimentation. If you go online to SH fan forums like Silent Hill Heaven, you’ll quickly find that SH fans are not only super passionate, they’re well-versed in the town’s history as well. What Menton and I hope to do with ‘Silent Hill: Past Life’ is bring the history that’s been so talked about and debated about on the forums over the years to living color in the pages of our comic,” Waltz said. “Having worked so intimately with the good folks at Konami now for the last few years, I have a much better understanding of the town and its inherent quirks and rules as set by the original Team Silent, which I think makes my ability to tell an accurate ‘Silent Hill’ story that much stronger. The events – and the monsters – in our story will make sense to the characters in play and will only be directly related to them and their circumstances, as they should be in any good ‘Silent Hill’ story. No Pyramid Head this time around.”
What’s the connection between the upcoming game and the comic?
Waltz described the opportunity to work simultaneously on the next “Silent Hill” game and comic rooted in the game’s mythology as “getting my veritable cake and eating it too.” Indeed, there will be some crossover between the game and the comic, as a certain character will appear in both. “The character will have to remain unnamed for now (nothing comes easy in ‘Silent Hill,’ so fans are gonna have to get our comic to learn more), but I can say we provide a look at his origin story, something you won’t get in the game, so reading our comic book – though not necessary to enjoy the game and the character’s role in it – will definitely add the overall experience,” the writer told CBR. “And we’re telling the first full-length ‘Silent Hill’ historical tale, which, in and of itself, is exciting!”
How he got involved with Silent Hill 8
“I’d met with Konami reps at Comic-Con [International in San Diego] in 2008, and at that time they shared their happiness with ‘Silent Hill: Sinner’s Reward,’ the miniseries I’d just finished up for IDW with artist Steph Stamb, which was voted in the top ten of horror comics for 2008 by Fearnet,” Waltz said of his first encounter with the game publishers. “They asked me if I’d be interested in helping them with next game’s story. I was flabbergasted! Really, as a true fan of ‘Silent Hill’ before I ever started writing in the spooky universe, it was like a dream come true. So, I gave them a resounding, ‘Yes – yes I would!’ and a number of months later, Konami producers Devin Shatsky and Tomm Hulett called me to talk about the game they were developing. We all hit it off from the start (Devin and Tomm are truly great guys) and now, along with the fantastic development team at Vatra, we’re deep into creating what I’m confident will be a fine new addition to the long-running ‘Silent Hill’ universe.”
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Silent Hill Past Life Comic – Preview Character art!
Posted By: Whitney August 7th, 2010 | 4:23 pmOver on the Silent Hill Heaven forums Tom Waltz posted some character art from the upcoming Silent Hill Past Life!
Wanted to share some early character art for SILENT HILL: PAST LIFE characters Jebediah “Hellrider” Foster and Esther Monroe. Art by the awesome Menton3, artist for the series.
Message from Tom Waltz: How to get SILENT HILL: PAST LIFE
Posted By: Whitney August 7th, 2010 | 2:48 pmTom Waltz has recently become a member of our very own Silent Hill Community! And has a special message to all Silent Hill fans!
We really want to keep doing Silent Hill comics, but we can’t continue without some support from our fellow SH and horror fans. What we really need folks to do is to reach out to their local comic book sellers and ask them to preorder Silent Hill: Past Life — the bigger the numbers we can get, the better our chances of continuing our dark journey through Silent Hill and beyond.
To find your closest store, simply phone 1-888-COMIC-BOOK, or go to COMICSHOPLOCATOR.COM. Tell them you want them to preorder SILENT HILL: PAST LIFE #1 through #4. Give them DIAMOND ORDER CODE AUG100356 . Preorders are actually happening now, so no time like the present to let your retailers know you want them stocking Silent Hill comics for you, otherwise you may miss the cutoff for preorders.
And, if your Retailers need more info, let them know the ad for the first issue can be found on page 155 of the August 2010 Previews Catalog.
And please know, your support is greatly, greatly appreciated by Menton and I!
Thanks!
Tom Waltz
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