Silent Hill: Dying Inside (2004) Comic Review

Silent Hill is certainly one of the most beloved survival horror series to come out of Japan, with dedicated fans from all over the world falling in love with its oppressive atmosphere and palpable body horror. Although it has been a long time since fans have had a new game to the series, we decided to take a look at some other pieces of media released as part of the series – American comic Silent Hill: Dying Inside, written by Scott Ciencin and illustrated by Ben Templesmith and Aadi Salman.

Plot

Silent Hill: Dying Inside was the first comic book for the series, published in 2004, the comic tells the story of Lynn DeAngelis, A film student who traveled to the town, later becomes mentally ill from the town’s effects, and was hospitalized. Lynn is under the care of Dr. Troy Abernathy, who takes her back to the town in hopes of it curing her ailment, but when they arrive, they are greeted by Christabella, a young girl who has control over the monsters in the town and uses them to target the two. Christabella has her own agenda, which becomes known in later issues of the story. Later on, we are introduced to a new character, Lauryn LaRoache, who becomes the protagonist of issues 3-5. Traveling to the town after discovering Lynn’s Videos, Lauryn and her friends begin studies of the town’s occult writings, but when Christabella finds out, all goes to hell. Lauryn had acquired a book full of magic that she intended to use to bring her sister back from the dead, but fails and assumes her role of controlling the dead, something that she at first had no idea she was capable of doing. Lauryn has many dark secrets, and they will show in the end.

Interesting facts about the project

The first 2 issues of Silent Hill: Dying Inside are actually illustrated by Ben Templesmith, the illustrator for 30 Days of Night.
The character backstories are much like the games, where small amounts of their information are gradually handed out.
The plot thickens making it quite an enjoyable read, even foreshadowing the sequel comic Dead Alive.
Dying Inside and its sequel Dead Alive is the only comic in the series to have 5 issues.
Dying Inside references its title multiple times throughout the comic.
Though the comics, movies, and games all take place in different universes, the comic references characters from games.
The comic series shows monsters from the games, as well as some gruesome original beasts!
Like the games, the comic is full of references to films such as Stephen King’s It, Poltergeist, and Blair Witch Project.

Review

Silent Hill: Dying Inside has a wonderful way of telling the main story in ways different than the games, or the films. Comic books rely heavily on their visuals, and this comic has surely brought justice to these stigmas. The art is dark, horrifying, and most importantly disturbs the reader. Each page takes about a minute to read, not only for the words which are few but because the book immerses you, draws you into its artwork, and makes you want to see every detail from the characters to the marks on the walls. Dying Inside is not perfect, but it is a fun read, especially if you are a fan of the series. Though the characters are not very likable in any form, they all have unique stories and personalities, which make it fun to learn their dark little secrets. I have read most of the comics, besides the ones released in Japan only, along with Anne’s Story, and I have to say that Dying Inside is my favorite. Written by Scott Ciencin, the story builds up over time and is full of jokes and references to other forms of media, such as films, television series, and novels. Ciencin may write like an old dude trying to be hip, but nonetheless, he gets his point across that Silent Hill is a spooky town full of horror, if you haven’t read any of the novels, I strongly recommend starting at the beginning, with Dying Inside.