Comic Book Review: Silent Hill – Among The Damned

Among the Damned tells the story of Jason, a former soldier haunted by dreams of what happened to his military unit. He is racked with guilt because he is the only survivor so has decided to kill himself. He drives to a mountain range that he has dreamt about but ends up crashing & waking up in Silent Hill.

There he comes under attack from the insane beasts of the town before running into a missing singer known as Dahlia. The pair is saved by Jason’s old friend from the same unit that was attacked. The only problem being that Aaron is now dead. He saves Jason but promises that their business is not done.

The next day Jason & Dahlia attempt to escape but end up being attacked by Aaron & the rest of Jason’s old unit. They are here to claim him but he’s not going to go without a fight.

Written by Scott Ciencin, Among the Damned is a really interesting story telling two sides. One is about the horror that exists within the town & the other is the horror that exists within Jason’s mind, His survivors guilt makes him a sympathetic character with all being revealed in the last few pages.

What isn’t so good is how difficult the story is to follow at times with dream sequences blurring into reality. This might have been on purpose but it does make the tale less coherent.

The art is excellent showing plenty of detail & imagination, the Silent Hill monsters are incredible to look at & it fits the story well. Shaun Thomas, the illustrator has done an excellent job here.

The bleak style matches the bleak story yet Silent Hill feels more alive than anytime before. You get the impression that it’s not just Jason trying to survive within the town. All over many others are fighting their own battles with both the monsters of the town & their own personal demons.