Interview With Tom Waltz, Writer for The Silent Hill Downpour: Anne’s Story Comic!
Check out my interview with Tom Waltz who wrote the recent Silent Hill graphic novels (Sinner’s Reward, Past Life) and now the more recent Silent Hill Downpour: Anne’s...

Interview With Tom Waltz, Writer for The Silent Hill Downpour: Anne’s Story Comic!

Check out my interview with Tom Waltz who wrote the recent Silent Hill graphic novels (Sinner’s Reward, Past Life) and now the more recent Silent Hill Downpour: Anne’s Story! We talk about how Tom’s work on the Silent Hill franchise compares to his other work in the comic world as well as the origins of Anne’s Story and some details behind Anne’s otherworld! Be sure to reblog and check out my interview with the illustrator for Anne’s Story, Tristan T-REX Jones.

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SILENT HAVEN: You are definitely no novice to the Silent Hill franchise and I would even consider you a major player within the creative team since the franchise went western with your contributions writing the stories for the last two comic series Silent Hill: Sinners Reward and my personal favorite Silent Hill: Past Life and even co-wrote for the most recent Video Game Silent Hill: Downpour! You are now writing a new comic based on a character from that Video Game called Silent Hill Downpour: Anne’s Story.  My first question for you is How does this franchise compare to the others you have worked on and why have you stayed with it this long?

TOM WALTZ:  Well, like the other franchises I write for – TMNT most notably – Silent Hill is something I was a fan of way before I ever had the good fortune to be invited to work on it creatively.  But, unlike the others, Silent Hill is actually something I’d actively lobbied to be a part of prior to me officially joining IDW back in 2007.  Matter of fact, there’s an old interview out there on the Interwebs somewhere that I did prior to my IDW time wherein I call out IDW Editor-in-Chief Chris Ryall, letting him know that my dream is to write a Silent Hill comic.  At the time of the interview, I never would have suspected that my dream would become a reality someday… that somehow the Universe would find a way to align just the rights stars and planets for me and that I’d also get the wonderful opportunity to work on an actual Silent Hill video game.  I count my blessings every day and Silent Hill continues to be something that’s near and dear to my heart.  That special town haunts me to this day I guess you could say – though very much in a good way!  I love those fog-shrouded streets… and they still terrify me (and inspire me) as much now as they ever did.

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SILENT HAVEN: Silent Hill Downpour: Anne’s Story is a project that has been “in the making” for a long time now, at one point we werent even sure this comic would see light after it became inactive. Can you tell us a bit of this comics origins and its process from Twitter leaks to various illustrators to uncertainty to confirmation at this years Wonder-Con?

TOM WALTZ:  Well, when I first started working with co-writers Tomm Hulett, Devin Shatsky and Brian Gomez on the Silent Hill Downpour game story, there was a thought at that time that the game itself would be a co-op game, wherein players could play as either Murphy or Anne (who, early on, had very different names as I recall).  But as time passed, the decision was made to develop Downpour as a single player game after all – but by then, we writers had become quite enamored with Anne’s evolving storyline, as well as her overall importance to the game’s plot.  So we found a way to keep her actively involved in Murphy’s travails during his harrowing journey through Silent Hill, including a bit of twist at the end of the game that provided an explanation as to why Anne kept popping up the way she did as the story progressed. 

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TOM WALTZ: There was a plan to then present the things that happened to her off-screen in a DLC, so Tomm, Devin and I put together an outline detailing those events.  The DLC never came into being sadly, so I asked the folks at Konami if this was something we might be able to do as a comic.  The consensus was that, yes, it would work well as a comic book story, so I spoke with my bosses at IDW about the possibility, and they were in agreement that a comic featuring Anne’s story was a great idea.  So I sought out artists to try out for the gig, with a special eye on Tristan Jones, who had done some awesome work for me on the Ghostbusters ongoing comic I edit at IDW, and who had never been shy about letting me know about his deep, dark love for all things Silent Hill.  Tomm and Devin were in agreement, after seeing all the various try outs, that Tristan was our artist, and we had him put together some early teaser images, which made their way onto the Internet.  But, there was still some contractual business that had to be taken care of behind the scenes, which took a bit longer than expected.  Good news is, it all got worked out and here we are, actively producing the comic book… and I couldn’t be more excited! 

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SILENT HAVEN: Obviously this comic’s main character is about corrections officer Anne Cunningham from the video game Silent Hill Downpour, which I must say like many of the other fans, a female protagonist is something im definitely excited for. I have a few questions regarding her within this comic. Please answer as many as you can: Without giving too much away what can you tell us about the story or psychology behind Anne’s role in Silent Hill? What are her Manifestations?

TOM WALTZ:  Well, to say too much would be to spoil things that we want to keep for the comic itself.  I will say, however, that in general Anne represents the futility of revenge.  She seeks vengeance for a tragedy in her past – a tragedy she blames Murphy for – but her vengeful quest drags her deeper and deeper into darkness and despair and chaos. In the game she mentions the “sick things” she has had to do to get Murphy in her sights, and her manifestations will reflect this… and Tristan’s got some cool designs cooking for the comic book.
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SILENT HAVEN: How about her otherworld? In Downpour we saw the main motif was rain, warning us when something bad was about to happen. What will be some themes or motifs in Anne’s Story?

TOM WALTZ:  Anne’s story will revolve around loss, anger, and, as mentioned above, cold, heartless, soul-killing vengeance. There will still be rain, but not Murphy’s rain.  That’s all I’ll say.

SILENT HAVEN: Will we read into more of Anne’s past life? No pun intended ;) Like Her childhood with her father or possibly her marriage?

TOM WALTZ:  Absolutely!  Yes on all accounts – and we will see that Anne Marie Cunningham was not always the rage-filled individual we witness in the game.  She was happy once… very happy… until that happiness was stolen away.  It was only then that she became laser-focused on punishing Murphy… nearly sacrificing her very soul to complete her vengeful mission.

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SIILENT HAVEN: Im wondering about the timeline and setting for this story: We are obviously in Silent Hill, but what part? Are there any other towns we will be visiting?

TOM WALTZ: The timeline corresponds to Murphy’s in Silent Hill – we will explore some of the same areas he did but from Anne’s POV.  We will see some familiar faces and some new ones… and we will visit parts of Anne’s past.
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SILENT HAVEN: If anyone out there hasnt played Silent Hill: Downpour yet will they understand what is going on in Anne’s Story?

TOM WALTZ: While it would certainly help to have played the game, we will do our very best to make this accessible to folks who have not.  Our goal is to make this a satisfying story for old and new fans alike.

SILENT HAVEN: People are super curious about two mysterious characters from Downpour, Howard Blackwood and DJ Bobby Ricks. Will we see a return of these characters? If you cant say can you tell us one new character and one reprising character?

TOM WALTZ: Yep, we’ll be seeing Howard and DJ Ricks… and other familiar faces from the game.  All from Anne’s POV, which hopefully gives these established characters a fresh take.
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When can fans expect a release date or pre-order date for Anne’s Story?

TOM WALTZ:  The first issue (of four) releases in August 2014.

SILENT HAVEN: Any last statements you’d like to say about Anne’s Story?

TOM WALTZ:  Just that it’s an honor and pleasure to bring Anne’s Story into being and I couldn’t be more proud to work with Tristan Jones and, of course, my excellent collaborators Tomm Hulett, Devin Shatsky and Brian Gomez on all things Silent Hill Downpour.  Konami, too!  I’m excited for my fellow fans to see what we’ve all created together!
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Thanks Tom!

silent hill silent haven silent hill downpour downpour comic silent hill downpour annes story annes story anne cunningham Murphy Pendleton Tom Waltz IDW Comics silent hill downpour comic

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