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Silent Hill Downpour: Anne's Story
In the 2012 hit video game Silent Hill Downpour, players were introduced to Anne Marie Cunningham, the enigmatic prison officer bent on bloody revenge against the game's main protagonist, Murphy Pendleton. Now, at last, fans can learn what horrors Anne faced during her fateful journey through Silent Hill's fog-shrouded streets... and what led her to the terrifyingly cursed town in the first place.
104 pages, Paperback
First published March 3, 2015
11 people are currently reading
179 people want to read
About the author
Tom Waltz
733 books49 followersTom Waltz is the Senior Staff Writer and Editor in IDW Publishing, better known as the writer of the new Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles titles.
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Displaying 1 - 26 of 26 reviews
January 17, 2015
Silent Hill is probably my favorite video game of all time. There has never been a game, movie, anything that can really creep me out like Silent Hill. It just feels so...wrong.
That being said, this comic fits the Silent Hill universe perfectly. The art is great for the series, has that otherworldly quality that makes everything seem like you can't quite "see" what's really there. The story is good too, slightly confusing, but very rare is a Silent Hill story straightforward. I haven't played the DOWNPOUR game yet, but the story stood well on its own.
If you are a fan of the Silent Hill games and like comics, pick this one up for sure. If you just like creepy, disturbing stories, but aren't familiar with Silent Hill, you'd probably like this one too.
That being said, this comic fits the Silent Hill universe perfectly. The art is great for the series, has that otherworldly quality that makes everything seem like you can't quite "see" what's really there. The story is good too, slightly confusing, but very rare is a Silent Hill story straightforward. I haven't played the DOWNPOUR game yet, but the story stood well on its own.
If you are a fan of the Silent Hill games and like comics, pick this one up for sure. If you just like creepy, disturbing stories, but aren't familiar with Silent Hill, you'd probably like this one too.
January 1, 2018
I think it's hard to translate video games to other media. It's real hard. Hard to capture the mood, the atmosphere, the story. It's rare to find something that truly nails the tone and aesthetic of the game it's based on. And to make matters so much worse, all too often these types of tie-ins are just cash grabs with the quality being highly suspect. Now I've played Silent Hill Downpour. It was a good game. Then I read this, and I was pleasantly surprised to find how well this comic fit into the world and narrative of the game. The dark and dreary art hits the perfect mood, and the damaged psychological terror of the story fills in the gaps of the main game's narrative. It was worth the read, and I highly recommend it if you were a fan of the game.
October 27, 2017
If you've ever played Downpour, this is Anne's tale.
All in all a decent backstory that doesn't feel forced.
The creepy disorienting art style fits well with the traditional vibe of the game series.
And what a satisfying ending!
All in all a decent backstory that doesn't feel forced.
The creepy disorienting art style fits well with the traditional vibe of the game series.
And what a satisfying ending!
July 28, 2018
I know Silent hill downpour was not a good game compared to the previous releases but this is really good! This was amazing.The artwork was a masterpiece, the story was incredible. My god, as a silent hill fan, I am blown away, loved every detail.
October 6, 2016
Great character development with that touch of Silent Hill. Fan's of Silent Hill will enjoy this story. Also, the art is amazing.
March 17, 2019
This is straight trash.
Silent Hill: Downpour may just be the worst Silent Hill game, so I don't know what I expected when I picked up a comic based on it. The story sucks and would not make sense to anyone who hasn't already played the game. It's so disjointed and things just kinda happen without much of a reason.
The art's far too dark, which I'm pretty sure is just because the artist isn't incredible in the first place. It's far from the worst art I've seen in a comic and I get why someone would think that it fits Silent Hill, but really, it's muddy and hard to follow, which is one of the worst things art can be when you're trying to tell a story.
At the very least, I've seen what you shouldn't do when trying to write a horror comic, which is make it based off a piece of crap game.
Silent Hill: Downpour may just be the worst Silent Hill game, so I don't know what I expected when I picked up a comic based on it. The story sucks and would not make sense to anyone who hasn't already played the game. It's so disjointed and things just kinda happen without much of a reason.
The art's far too dark, which I'm pretty sure is just because the artist isn't incredible in the first place. It's far from the worst art I've seen in a comic and I get why someone would think that it fits Silent Hill, but really, it's muddy and hard to follow, which is one of the worst things art can be when you're trying to tell a story.
At the very least, I've seen what you shouldn't do when trying to write a horror comic, which is make it based off a piece of crap game.
March 15, 2020
Whoa...this one creeped me out a lot! I could totally get in to this one. It gave good backstory, and I was totally able to pick up what it was putting down start to finish. I could've done without the alien penis. That was really gross. Overall, if this was a TV show, I would've totally PVR'd it. Yep. Oh! And it still gives me the creeps when I think abt it. Which means it was a good'er.
August 23, 2017
Although the art can be a little dark and difficult to make out at times, it definitely suits the tone and feel of Silent Hill. For those who are fans of the series, I'd highly recommend this as it expands on Downpour and offers a little bit of alternate character interpretation. :)
June 5, 2015
Art wasn't the prettiest I've ever seen but for the kind of story it is, it works well. Panels could be a tad dark, which again, works well considering the setting but there were parts where it was so dark I had trouble figuring out certain details (no spoilers).
The story was interesting and set up nicely so it doesn't spoil the game at all. Since playing the game, Anne has always been a mystery to me. She sort of appears and vanishes in the game with no explanation other than to be totally obnoxious (so it seems). And it never really "finalized" her story (and by that I mean, it never gave any background information on her). It was nice to get clarification and a real story to put with her.
I don't really agree with some people that say you don't need to play the game first, the game gives key background information that clarifies some of the stuff happening in the comic, like who Pendleton is and why he's in jail. There are a lot of timeline jumps that would have left me in the dust if I hadn't played the game first to fill in the gaps.
Worth the read to get some much needed background on a key character in the game.
The story was interesting and set up nicely so it doesn't spoil the game at all. Since playing the game, Anne has always been a mystery to me. She sort of appears and vanishes in the game with no explanation other than to be totally obnoxious (so it seems). And it never really "finalized" her story (and by that I mean, it never gave any background information on her). It was nice to get clarification and a real story to put with her.
I don't really agree with some people that say you don't need to play the game first, the game gives key background information that clarifies some of the stuff happening in the comic, like who Pendleton is and why he's in jail. There are a lot of timeline jumps that would have left me in the dust if I hadn't played the game first to fill in the gaps.
Worth the read to get some much needed background on a key character in the game.
September 28, 2016
This is such a cool graphic novel-y thing. Super creepy, and it fits Downpour so well, and it was actually super interesting and well-developed backstory. The artwork was really eerie - things got a bit confusing, but I think that's a good thing. It's technically separated into 4 parts, and the conclusion of each part was the best for me - each left me with a tingling sort of dread I can only associate with Silent Hill. Man, the movies and games give me chills like no other horror does.
I really enjoyed this okay, let me fangirl.
Oooh, one thing that annoyed me though - although Anne was really well developed and it was nice to see her motives in depth, I feel like her character completely revolved around her relationships with the men in her life. She was defined by these - from being daddy's girl to being married to having sex with that creepy warden guy. Just one of my many gripes with male-authored fiction. But aside from that, it was very good.
I really enjoyed this okay, let me fangirl.
Oooh, one thing that annoyed me though - although Anne was really well developed and it was nice to see her motives in depth, I feel like her character completely revolved around her relationships with the men in her life. She was defined by these - from being daddy's girl to being married to having sex with that creepy warden guy. Just one of my many gripes with male-authored fiction. But aside from that, it was very good.
June 19, 2019
"Murphy Pendleton, a prisoner who finds himself trapped within the fog-shrouded confines of Silent Hill when the prison bus he is riding aboard crashes. On the run and desperately seeking escape from the haunted town, Murphy is ardently pursued by a mysterious corrections officer name Anne Marie Cunningham. Murphy and Anne seem to share a dark past, thought Murphy is uncertain what exactly that may be. But Anne is fully aware of the twisted and terrifying events that bind the two together. Here, at last, is her story..."
A direct tie in to the latest/last Silent Hill game and the best comic series of the lot, great art and a good story, captures the Silent Hill atmosphere. More comics filling in the blanks from the games would have been great, but we only got this one and its pretty good...3🌟
Overall I will give the Silent Hill series 2.37🌟
A direct tie in to the latest/last Silent Hill game and the best comic series of the lot, great art and a good story, captures the Silent Hill atmosphere. More comics filling in the blanks from the games would have been great, but we only got this one and its pretty good...3🌟
Overall I will give the Silent Hill series 2.37🌟
January 9, 2015
A love/hate read!!! So if you have never played the game, this features one of the side characters, don't worry no background knowledge required for this read! First off the art is crafted to perfection, its not the best art to look at, its more how its done, each panel is blacked out in such a way, that often you can't make out some of the things thats going on, which just adds to the horror aspect. As for the story, it was very good for the first half, but the second half was terrible! Overall a 3.5 score!
April 19, 2015
A great companion to the game with absolutely wonderful art work. It's great getting a little more background into Annie's life pre Downpour. Really makes me wanna play through the gane another time!! If you were a fan of Downpour, definitely worth picking up!!!
August 22, 2022
El abuso de un mismo concepto a veces puede terminar siendo contraproducente. Específicamente hablando de Silent Hill, más allá de sus videojuegos, los comics que fueron lanzando son bastante dispares a mi gusto. Algunos entienden la premisa y regalan una muy buena historia, como podría ser el ejemplo de Past Life, ya reseñado hace varios meses. El problema es cuando sólo se quedan con el concepto básico de Silent Hill, al estilo “Silent Hill es un lugar donde la gente revive a sus propios demonios y todo es una cuestión psicológica”. Es como querer adentrarse en el mundo de Lovecraft y pensar que poniendo tentáculos ya estamos hechos. Y ese es el principal error, a mi gusto y entender, de Anne’s Story.
Escribir el guion de un comic no tiene nada que ver, siendo específicos en el concepto, con escribir una historia para un libro, por ejemplo, donde tenemos libertad de caracteres, por así decirlo. En el comic la acción tiene que ser compacta, las situaciones son minimalistas y todo ocurre con una velocidad diferente. En ese camino, hay una búsqueda entre el guionista y el ilustrador, para complementarse entre sí, y que las viñetas colaboren con los textos o diálogos. Anne’s Story se apresura demasiado en todo, no deja el sentimiento de estar construyendo algo, es como si solo diera excusas de un problema planteado muy por encima.
Y como me pasó también con Dying Inside, no lo sentí parte del universo Silent Hill. Me hizo recordar quizás a esas películas de Hellraiser, después de la cuarta entrega, donde quitan de lado bastante a los cenobitas y los convierten mas que nada en demonios internos que terminan siendo el castigo de personajes conflictuados. En Anne’s Story recién al final hay un momento que tiene un pequeño atisbo digno de la saga, pero no mucho más que eso. La historia del personaje principal y el “enemigo” al que persigue es demasiado sosa, no termina de enganchar nunca. Es puro cliché, básico y ajeno a lo creativo.
Visualmente tampoco ayuda demasiado. El ilustrador cae en los lugares más comunes que ofrece, justamente, la creatividad de Silent Hill y hace eco de eso todo el tiempo. No propone nada nuevo, no se arriesga. En sus trazos vamos a encontrar poca definición de conceptos y eso quita de lado el horror que debería generar una historia situada en Silent Hill. En los videojuegos, Masahiro Ito creaba seres muchas veces extremadamente confusos, bizarros si se quiere, pero con una morfología marcada, donde como espectadores entendíamos lo que estábamos viendo y eso nos generaba miedo, rechazo o repulsión. Acá son simplemente trazos tirados de forma caótica, junto a sus colores, buscando generar algo que nunca se termina de entender qué es.
Anne’s Story es de lo peor que he leído sobre Silent Hill, uno de mis conceptos favoritos del terror, que como experiencia suele dejarme un sentimiento completamente diferente al que me dejó este comic. Son cuatro tomos cortos, que se leen rápido y, guste o no, terminan siendo parte del mundo expandido que estuvo creando durante los años el clásico de Konami.
Escribir el guion de un comic no tiene nada que ver, siendo específicos en el concepto, con escribir una historia para un libro, por ejemplo, donde tenemos libertad de caracteres, por así decirlo. En el comic la acción tiene que ser compacta, las situaciones son minimalistas y todo ocurre con una velocidad diferente. En ese camino, hay una búsqueda entre el guionista y el ilustrador, para complementarse entre sí, y que las viñetas colaboren con los textos o diálogos. Anne’s Story se apresura demasiado en todo, no deja el sentimiento de estar construyendo algo, es como si solo diera excusas de un problema planteado muy por encima.
Y como me pasó también con Dying Inside, no lo sentí parte del universo Silent Hill. Me hizo recordar quizás a esas películas de Hellraiser, después de la cuarta entrega, donde quitan de lado bastante a los cenobitas y los convierten mas que nada en demonios internos que terminan siendo el castigo de personajes conflictuados. En Anne’s Story recién al final hay un momento que tiene un pequeño atisbo digno de la saga, pero no mucho más que eso. La historia del personaje principal y el “enemigo” al que persigue es demasiado sosa, no termina de enganchar nunca. Es puro cliché, básico y ajeno a lo creativo.
Visualmente tampoco ayuda demasiado. El ilustrador cae en los lugares más comunes que ofrece, justamente, la creatividad de Silent Hill y hace eco de eso todo el tiempo. No propone nada nuevo, no se arriesga. En sus trazos vamos a encontrar poca definición de conceptos y eso quita de lado el horror que debería generar una historia situada en Silent Hill. En los videojuegos, Masahiro Ito creaba seres muchas veces extremadamente confusos, bizarros si se quiere, pero con una morfología marcada, donde como espectadores entendíamos lo que estábamos viendo y eso nos generaba miedo, rechazo o repulsión. Acá son simplemente trazos tirados de forma caótica, junto a sus colores, buscando generar algo que nunca se termina de entender qué es.
Anne’s Story es de lo peor que he leído sobre Silent Hill, uno de mis conceptos favoritos del terror, que como experiencia suele dejarme un sentimiento completamente diferente al que me dejó este comic. Son cuatro tomos cortos, que se leen rápido y, guste o no, terminan siendo parte del mundo expandido que estuvo creando durante los años el clásico de Konami.
June 20, 2022
No recuerdo que me gustara cuando lo leía antes, quizá porque fue online y no en físico.
Y es que en físico el arte es mega genial. A pesar de no tener nada de realista y mucho fanservice a la saga, en sí se ve genial. Sobre todo el contraste azulado luminoso de las calles llenas de lluvia en un pueblo abandonado. Pero en verdad que los colores aquí fueron geniales.
La historia podría decirse que es el pretexto para hacer un resumen de la trama del juego, y quizá lo malo es que quizá se siente forzado al querer comprar.
Y es que en físico el arte es mega genial. A pesar de no tener nada de realista y mucho fanservice a la saga, en sí se ve genial. Sobre todo el contraste azulado luminoso de las calles llenas de lluvia en un pueblo abandonado. Pero en verdad que los colores aquí fueron geniales.
La historia podría decirse que es el pretexto para hacer un resumen de la trama del juego, y quizá lo malo es que quizá se siente forzado al querer comprar.
August 23, 2020
Pretty good
There weren't as many monster scenes as I was expecting with this being silent hill and all, but to be honest I didn't play the game for this one so I didn't really know what to expect. I picked this one as my first silent hill graphic novel because it seemed like a good place to start, and got a little back story with it. On to the next one.
There weren't as many monster scenes as I was expecting with this being silent hill and all, but to be honest I didn't play the game for this one so I didn't really know what to expect. I picked this one as my first silent hill graphic novel because it seemed like a good place to start, and got a little back story with it. On to the next one.
December 9, 2020
Been a few years since played game, but very interesting seeing Anne's point of view. Only complaint is that art/story at times is fragmented and hard to follow. Climax of story is confusing, maybe the game would have filled in some of missing pieces but the book should be able to stand on its own.
May 8, 2022
Art in this is really uncanny at times. Normally I would harp on it for roughly-drawn anatomy and some murky colors, but this really is the only franchise which those features are probably intended to be that way. Great story and a fun little read for those who've played and those who didn't.
February 7, 2024
It felt so good to read this graphic novel. It brought back the nice memories of the game's Mailman & DJ. The artwork is nice. The dialogue is few. I wish they made Anne's story just a bit more longer.
March 3, 2024
Por si sola la historia no es nada, pero si jugaste al juego y quedaste manija te da un poquito más. Las ilustraciones están muy buenas en su mayoría y a pesar que no es la gran narración supera por creces al anterior guionista (lo cual no es muy difícil)
January 5, 2019
The art is beautiful but it’s weirdly juxtaposed against much more comic-y text design. The writing is a little forced and oddly paced in places.
November 4, 2019
I want more....
October 22, 2017
If you are a fan of the Silent Hill games and/or movies, especially Downpour, I highly suggest checking this graphic novel out. It gave me so much more understanding on Anne's character and the demons that haunted her in own journey through Silent Hill.
For my full review, visit my blog:
http://taleswithnicole.blogspot.ca/20...
For my full review, visit my blog:
http://taleswithnicole.blogspot.ca/20...
September 16, 2025
I enjoyed it quite a bit, and it adds to the game's story while re iterating the story elements related to Anne. The story segments from the game are taken word for word in this graphic novelization, and the new stuff is pretty interesting too. Art style is great, but the position and lighting of the art seems to not fit quite right. This is the compilation of the comics, so maybe the original comics were clearer. Some scenes I could not tell what I was looking at, and some scenes had key pieces right in the spine of the book. But overall I don't mind that too much, and I like having a compiled version.
October 5, 2015
Fun. Creepy. But fun.
December 5, 2025
Even better than I remember.
Displaying 1 - 26 of 26 reviews