Paint It Black

Writer(s)

Scott Ciencin

Illustrator(s)

Shaun Thomas

Publisher

IDW Publishing

Release date

February 2005

Language(s)

English

Paint It Black is an entry into the series of comics based on Konami's Silent Hill series of games. Paint It Black features art by Shaun Thomas and was released in 2005. It was later featured/reissued in the Three Bloody Tales trade paperback.

Plot

Taken from the back cover.

Writer Scott Ciencin (Dying Inside, Among the Damned) and artist Shaun Thomas (Among the Damned) return to bring you the tale of painter and semi-professional slacker Ike, who finds his dark muse in the mist-shrouded, monster-infested reaches of Silent Hill. Then the sexy survivalist-trained, gun-toting Cheryl and her teammates arrive to rock his world. Creatures attack, cheerleaders disappear and the gloves come off! Will anything survive?

Synopsis

Paint It Black follows the story of Ike Isaacs, an artist who finds himself homeless after being kicked out of a friend's apartment. Ike has been suffering artist's block, until he meets a stranger who claims to have visited the ghost town of Silent Hill. The stranger informs Ike that he was able to leave the town because his own friend sacrificed himself. This story inspires Ike to travel to the town to seek out the truth behind it.

Oddly, the monsters of the town do not attack Ike, instead allowing him to paint them. Inspired, Ike is able to paint again; his portraits now feature the creatures that live in the town, and he has found that he is unable to leave. Moreover, his paintings have somehow been leaving and are being sold to rich clients outside of Silent Hill.

The story then takes an unusual turn as a team of cheerleaders arrive in Silent Hill looking for some friends who they believe went missing in the town. As the plot continues to follow a strange set of developments, Ike discovers that he can actually travel through his paintings and he attempts to use them to escape. His attempted escape fails and he finds that the cheerleaders have turned on him, sacrificing him so they can leave town. Because of his alliance to the cheerleaders, the monsters turn on Ike.

Characters

• Ike Isaacs - A painter and slacker, Ike is kicked off of a friend's couch after taking advantage of his friends hospitality. A chance encounter with a stranger's tale of Silent Hill sends him packing for the town where he finds his true calling.

• Cheryl - Squad captain of the Bengals Cheerleading squad, Cheryl was trained in survival tactics by her father. She takes her responsibility as squad captain very seriously.

• Bengals Cheerleading Squad - A team of competitive cheerleaders, the Bengals are forced to seek shelter in Silent Hill after their bus hits an object in the road and loses its axle.

Reception

Paint It Black received negative reviews from fans and critics.

Popular internet comedian, Lewis "Linkara" Lovhaug of ThatGuyWithTheGlasses reviewed Paint It Black on his webshow, "Atop the Fourth Wall" - a show dedicated to making fun of bad comics. He describes it as "one of the worst comics he has ever read in his life" due to its lazy artwork, unlikeable characters, and convoluted storyline. [1]

Trivia

• Paint It Black is the title of a Rolling Stones song.