A world of nightmarish delusions come to life... written by someone delusional.
NOTE: Because this is the longest episode of Atop the Fourth Wall to date, I have included the episode split into two parts for the comfort and convenience of those with slower connections.
NOTE 2: I have also added another version in SD, since many said that the HD version of the video was lagging for them.
FULL SD:
Part 1
Part 2
Monday, October 17, 2011
Silent Hill: The Grinning Man
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133 comments:
Already watching this on you know where, and good review, and interesting fight.
Though I have a question that doesn't have to do with the video. You didn't go to Fallcon this year right?
I just watched this on blip.tv, and I have a question: Why was Will Wolfgram listed in the credits?
You should have made Whatly point out that you're saying his name wrong.
Also, I relasied that it would have been a much more rewarding end if you had just "captured" Dorrelem from last year. That way she could spend all of eternity fullfilling her purpose torturing him since Whatly is virtually immortal.
Great review by the way, personally, I think this is the worst comic since the villains are so pointless.
Now this post is getting excessive, but it would have been funnier if you had the Joker laugh audio offer when you scroll over the Grinning Man laughing.
Finally, you should at least make a list from 5 to 1 which is the worst and the best Silent Hill comic.
"Though I have a question that doesn't have to do with the video. You didn't go to Fallcon this year right?"
I didn't, sorry. I stayed up light Friday night working on this episode and overslept, completely missing fallcon.
"I just watched this on blip.tv, and I have a question: Why was Will Wolfgram listed in the credits?"
Will played the second Pyramid Head.
Let's ratchet up the tension, shall we?
Actually, that "It's just the beginning" quip at the end makes me wonder exactly what you've got in mind to finish this. Because I'm pretty sure it's not what I've got in mind.
This has nothing to do with the video, but are you going to buy Batman: Arkham City. If you do, can you please do a Vlog on it.
"This has nothing to do with the video, but are you going to buy Batman: Arkham City. If you do, can you please do a Vlog on it."
I don't plan on it. I'm not that big a gamer.
It would be absolutly hilarious if you finally read Silent Hill: Past Life and it turned out to be as horrible and had to do a review on.
Also, can't wait to see you Nightmare on Elm Street review, I would love to hear your Freddy impersonation.
Dude, the old house. Nice touch for the final Silent Hill review.
Overall, great review, and I can't wait to see how you plan to wrap this all up. Though here's a question: Are we ever gonna find out the name of the little girl? Would be nice to have something to call her other than "The little girl" or "The Magic Gun".
I was wondering what your parents have done with your old review room now that you were gone for two years, and by any chance will we see your old house again in future reviews.
It's a shame your not going to get Batman: Arkham CIty, but here's a little fun fact.
Did you know that in both Arkham Ayslum and Arkham City, The Riddler was played by the same guy who did Pyscho Ranger Blue on Power Rangers, no joke!
That. Was. Amazing. and a really great wrap up to the Silent Hill stories, though my favorite part of your SH series is still the story before the Dead/Alive vids.
Also, called it! on the mobile emitter/hologram thing, though I thought it would be the real you just using the emitter to project your image, not a full separate hologram. But since it is, are we talking just generic holodeck type hologram, or is that thing sentient?
Next up, please tell me you guys were smart enough to permanently fuse 90 Kid's weapon on stun.
Finally, once again great video and can't wait to see how The Entity arc ends and what comes next.
Great review Lankara, Awesome finish.Pourquoi a fait l'entité doit prendre les critiques?!?! :o
Each video lags on my laptop something crazy, and it's in a format incompatible with iOS. Are all these videos in HD? Because my only working computer can't handle it.
"I didn't, sorry. I stayed up light Friday night working on this episode and overslept, completely missing fallcon."
Aw. Well it was mostly a bust for me, couldn't find any old Sonic comics. :/ You get some good years and some bad years.
HEY ENTITY! I GOT SOMETHING FOR YOU! SUCK LASER! *Fires a DH-17 Blaster Carbine (Star Wars Gun)*
WHAT DO YOU HAVE TO SAY NOW!
"Each video lags on my laptop something crazy, and it's in a format incompatible with iOS. Are all these videos in HD? Because my only working computer can't handle it."
Yeah, the are, sorry to say. ^^;
You could always go to the RSS feed - http://blip.tv/at4w/rss and download the flash file.
Who woulda thought you would pull a Dr.Who like twist on us for the Entity Arch,a Holo Deck Linkara I got to admit I should have seen it coming,but damn that had to be one of the most kick ass battle's and speeches you've done so far.
And nice use of the clip of Dr.Who by the way
You lied Entity! you said nothing about a France!
Hmm. Odd. Only your videos of the Grinning Man are giving me this issue. I tried out Paint it Black just to make sure and that one worked fine on my laptop. It's just this one, and it even lags in the split version. I also restarted to clear the RAM. I'm currently getting the flash file for VLC, so I'll see if that works.
I guess "breaking and entering"+"attempted burglary" would result in too short a sentence for Whatly?
Bit disappointed Scott Censien didn't show up to give an explanation, but a fun conclusion.
"Hmm. Odd. Only your videos of the Grinning Man are giving me this issue. I tried out Paint it Black just to make sure and that one worked fine on my laptop. It's just this one, and it even lags in the split version. I also restarted to clear the RAM. I'm currently getting the flash file for VLC, so I'll see if that works."
It might be because I decided to post the videos in HD for the first time.
I loved the video man, this was a worthy finish for all your Silent Hill stuff! I'm embarrassed to say that I've watched enough Voyager to know that you were wearing the mobile emitter and I saw the end coming, but still I thought it was really well done. You're dad's great by the way!
Well...Spread the horrors so people are horrified, and can't get rid of the source due to not knowing where it is? I don't know, that's the best rationale I can pull up.
"I'm glad we could reach an understanding." HA! Sentient Boxes.
A Hologram! That was rather brilliant. And answers why that little item's been on the arm the last few episodes. VERY clever.
"I am Dead, Blarg." Gotta love Red vs Blue.
PANDA! Noooooo. Now we'll never get that second season of Panda (and Welshy) Q&A.
hey linkara i just want say while to videos worked for me there was some pixilation at some parts dont know but there was. anyway good vids
Watched this on Blip and I got to say, great episode and wrap up to the Silent Hill comics. Scott Ciencen has got to be one of the worst writers ever. I have never played the games, so I ask this as a noob but, is the town alive? What is the story behind it? I get that it manifests its obstacles based on the psyche of the main character but how? I probably may never play the games because I don't have a tv in my dorm room and I haven't used my PS2 in over a year because of well college but this series is really interesting. Better then the jump scare crap that gets put in theaters.
Anyway, I liked the ending fight with Whately or Whatly, or whatever its supposed to be. Honestly, Whatly was a worst villain and less intimidating then Maester Seymour and Yu Yevon from Final Fantasy 10 put together. Nice idea to end it all where it began: your parent's house. Kudos to your dad for working with you on this. I gotta say, if I did something like this with my father, he would be asking me what the heck he was saying. Your dad, heck, your entire family is very supportive of you and this great show. And I respect that.
"It's a shame your not going to get Batman: Arkham CIty, but here's a little fun fact.
Did you know that in both Arkham Ayslum and Arkham City, The Riddler was played by the same guy who did Pyscho Ranger Blue on Power Rangers, no joke!"
Yeah, that's Wally Wingert. He's a big-name anime voice actor. Some other notable roles of his are Rufus Shinra in Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children, as well as Orbot in Sonic Colors. Also, you misspelled "Psycho."
Just a quick comment on the swordplay:
You do not block edge-on-edge, as that destroys the blade (the swords basically cut into each other). I understand the blade you were using has no do defensive capabilities, a flaw inherent in its design. However, the way to make up for that would have been dodging instead of blocking.
Sorry for sounding nitpicky, but it's just something that bugs me, and really, the only negative thing I have to say.
Anyway, this is a great review, and I loved the dialogue. Having the color balance off after the SIlent Hill alarm thing was a nice touch.
I just noticed that your pronounce worship like I pronounce warship. Funny... since we're both from Minnesota... well, probably different parts of Minnesota since I'm from Duluth (and my parents are from Ely, so I picked up that strange accent...). Sounds like you're more from the Twin Cities area or thereabouts...
By the way, I've been able to connect with several of my 9th grade students through comics. I've recommended your site to them as well. It's great to be able to recommend some kind of mentor for them. So thanks for being an inspiration to comic book lovers.
I don't think that the holo-Linkara was sentient. After all, he didn't break down into a quivering mental mass of goo after reading those comics.
The grinning man reminded me of Alucard from Hellsing, if Alucard sucked. All he needs is a nice suit under that giant coat and some scary-shiny sunglasses and he would have been set. He had the regeneration and lunatic grin down pat.
Wow, there was a lot of people who vanished in the empty town. With that many confirmed disappearances you think that the place would have been thoroughly searched or cordoned off by now. Vagrants setting up shop and getting chased out is one thing, but loads and loads of mysterious disappearances is another.
Those asshole cops must have been watching too many episodes of Scooby Doo.
So the guy who believes in the supernatural freaks out as soon as he discovers that he's right, but the guy who doesn't believe in that stuff just takes it all in stride. Still, since the FBI apparently keeps an occult database with spells and counter-spells in it, you would think that the existence of the paranormal would be a bit more accepted in law enforcement since this stuff has apparently been encountered before. I guess no one but this loser takes Mulder seriously.
And France surrenders to the Entity. *rimshot*
Great ending. I love it when you are being smart and professional, rather than just blindly stumbling into the fights. Nice nod to continuity with the magic gun. By the way, how did the hologram Linkara kill the first pyramid head? Shouldn't the blade have gone right through it? or if the blade was real, how did a hologram pick it up?
Awesome review Linkara! Great end to the Silent Hill series of comics. I honestly marked out a bit when I realized you were in the old house, thank god I went back and watched the olod Silent Hill reviews or I wouldnt have known where the hell you were, lol.
I am SO psyched to see who or what the entity is! Keep up the good work!
"You do not block edge-on-edge, as that destroys the blade (the swords basically cut into each other). I understand the blade you were using has no do defensive capabilities, a flaw inherent in its design. However, the way to make up for that would have been dodging instead of blocking."
The sword in question is called a bat'leth, it's a Klingon weapon from Star Trek. Here's one in action, and a lot of the maneuvers used for it are defensive against a more traditional-style sword.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ypz5Q-qYgB8
It was designed by Dan Curry, who is a martial arts expert and designed a fighting style around it.
Also, that's probably because the inner edge there ISN'T the true edge of the sword. The bladed regions are the curved bits on the ends - the middle is more solid and is used a lot for a hard strike, usually to the face, to knock them back.
Cewl review! That guy did remind me of the Joker the moment I heard the title and saw that cover! Like an elseworlds Joker from a Western Waistland style story!
I like the Cthulhu mythos and I like looking for simular stories related in hints to it but Silent Hill I think of more in the Hellraiser or Phantasm gene of supernatural creatures and ghost!
Well, this is another story that'd been better conceved as a Hellraiser comicc to men with Watley as Pinhead! The imagdry would've been alot cooler.
Where was Iron Liz firing there at the end she looked like she was stearing at a wall and 90s Kid looked to be aimed at the actual targets. Must just be the cinematogrophy!
So the Entity isn't not completely Silent Hill related?
I still say it's 90 kid!
Oh, not that the French!
You made some really good Pyramid Head helmets/mask! Or, did ya'll buy thm from like a prophouse or memrabilia company!?
"Nice nod to continuity with the magic gun. By the way, how did the hologram Linkara kill the first pyramid head? Shouldn't the blade have gone right through it? or if the blade was real, how did a hologram pick it up?"
Holograms in Star Trek are a combination of light and force fields - essentially, it can control how solid it is, thus how it can pick up objects and manipulate them. Thus it was able to use the batleth to kill the first Pyramid Head, but the other Pyramid Head was strong and fast enough to pierce the holographic field projected by the mobile emitter.
Uuuuuuugh...every time you bring up the whole "the magic gun is powered by the soul of a little girl" thing, Odin kills a kitten. Seriously, are ANY of the goofy and humurous elements from the earlier reviews allowed to remain goofy and humurous? I swear, if you ever try to do a "serious"/"horror" explanation for Nostalgia Critic's gun or Spider Smith, there'll be Hell to pay.
Also, two weeks ago, you promised you wouldn't shoe-horn your storyline crap in your annual Silent Hill battle this year. This week comes, and what happens? You shoe-horn your storyline crap in your annual Silent Hill battle. I really hope that, next year, Freddy Krueger won't be working for whatever deus ex machina villain control your storyline THIS time.
Now, why would the Entity kidnap Benzaie and Sad Panda? Kidnapping Spoony and Marzgurl made sense, because they Linkara's two best friends in the whole world. Linkara has no connection to Benzaie and Sad Panda past Sad Panda covering the theme song (shouldn't the Entity go after Vincent E.L. instead?).
Also, I like how you stuck with the whole "the Entity is an eldritch abomination" thing, sticking it to that one commenter who didn't like it and wanted the Entity to be something more mundane.
And I knew the Entity was the same dark god that the cult sacrificed the little girl to, but I didn't know Whately was behind this...
...HOWEVER, this also means that the Entity rules over Silent Hill. But, last year, Lord Vyce (somehow, I'm still not sure how) got ahold of the forces controlling Silent Hill. And if the Entity IS the force controlling Silent Hill, then that doesn't make ANY sense considering what we know of Lord Vyce. How do you explain that, Linkara?
Still, it was a great review. I'm kind of dissapointed that there won't be any more Silent Hill reviews, since it was really fun seeing you getting angry about Scott Ciencin. Hopefully, next year you can find some "Nightmare on Elm Street" comics that are bad enough to bring on the anger.
Also, your Halloween reviews kick the ass of James Rolfe's Monster Madness.
"Also, two weeks ago, you promised you wouldn't shoe-horn your storyline crap in your annual Silent Hill battle this year. This week comes, and what happens? You shoe-horn your storyline crap in your annual Silent Hill battle. I really hope that, next year, Freddy Krueger won't be working for whatever deus ex machina villain control your storyline THIS time."
The fact that the cult worships the Entity has nothing to do with the overall storyline of the Entity nor does it interfere with the battle.
As for the magic gun, it's my show, my props, and my story. The Nostalgia Critic's gun isn't magic and is just a gun. Spider-Smith is just a reference to the Lost in Space review. He doesn't have an ongoing storyline. I do, and the elements of my show have explanations behind them, because that is what a proper writer DOES - he thinks about the story and has reasons behind everything he does. The Linkara outfit? There are reasons for the items Linkara wears. The toys and weapons he uses? Explanations for them, as well.
You don't have to watch the storyline bits if you don't want to - that's why there's a happy little bar on the bottom of the screen that allows you to skip past them.
"...HOWEVER, this also means that the Entity rules over Silent Hill. But, last year, Lord Vyce (somehow, I'm still not sure how) got ahold of the forces controlling Silent Hill. And if the Entity IS the force controlling Silent Hill, then that doesn't make ANY sense considering what we know of Lord Vyce. How do you explain that, Linkara?"
He didn't really CONTROL the forces of Silent Hill. Mechakara was present for the events of the first review and knew about Silent Hill, Whately, and the like. Thus when he approached this from a psychological angle, Mechakara and Vyce made a deal with them to screw with Linkara and drive him insane. As Whately said, "The Conqueror and the robotic effigy had goals that coincided with our own."
Thus the Dolorem was unleashed on Linkara last year.
"Also, your Halloween reviews kick the ass of James Rolfe's Monster Madness."
Aww, shucks. XD However, much as I appreciate the compliment, I LOVE Monster Madness and wish I could do something like it myself. I look forward to it every year.
But why would Vyce "make a deal" with the very thing that he is trying to destroy? His whole motivation for conquering universes is to save them for the Entity. If he ever found the Entity, he would try to destroy it instead of "making a deal" with it. I mean, he made a deal with the Entity so he could screw with Linkara's head so he could conquer Linkara's universe so he could save it from the Entity. Does that even begin to make sense?
Hi Linkara.
How did Holinkara use a real Klingon weapon to injure the Pyramidheads? Or did that stuff happen all the time in Star Trek?
Other than that detail, great review and battle.
Just some constructive criticism here, but when you go for your next storyline, I recommend it to not take itself too seriously and be a little more light of heart. Sorry, but I can't take a story where a comic book critic is utilizing power ranger weaponry, Dr. Who devices, and various Sci Fi gear to fend off alien forces and a being of nothing and everything, and say that it's very plausible.
It͜͢ ̨ś͜͞ȩ̵è́m̧̨ś̀͢ ̷o̶n͝ę͠ ͟o̡̡͢f ̨m̧̨y̸҉ ̀͢f͞ơ͞ll͜o̵͘w̸e̛͜͡r҉̢͢s̨̨͡ ͝įś̴ ̵̧͢n͢͠o m̛̀҉o̴̢r̨̨e҉.̸..̡̕
̸̨P̨erh̀a̵̴̡p͠s̵҉ ̵I͟ ̀͟was̶ ̶̛n҉̛o̴t͢ ́t͟h̷̛͞or̷̡̛ơ̛ų̀͘g̷͟h̨͞ èn͏ǫ́͢ų͟g̡h͜.̸̡.̛҉͡.͢
The mobile emitter was predictable, but other that ending was good. I really want the entity story to end (not because it's bad because the curiosity is killing me)
"But why would Vyce "make a deal" with the very thing that he is trying to destroy? His whole motivation for conquering universes is to save them for the Entity. If he ever found the Entity, he would try to destroy it instead of "making a deal" with it. I mean, he made a deal with the Entity so he could screw with Linkara's head so he could conquer Linkara's universe so he could save it from the Entity. Does that even begin to make sense?"
No, it does. He just didn't know the cult worshipped the Entity.
"How did Holinkara use a real Klingon weapon to injure the Pyramidheads? Or did that stuff happen all the time in Star Trek?
Other than that detail, great review and battle."
While not explicitly stated, it's supposed to be implied that the batleth was a hologram, too - hence why you never saw him carrying it around.
Long time watcher, first time commenter here. I've got to say, as a long time Silent Hill fan who's been following the series very closely (and actually looking forward to how Downpour would turn out), this series of comics really made me rage a little. Scott Ciencin seems to have these good ideas, but wastes them with nonsensical plots (that probably don't work for Lovecraft either), terrible characters, and unneeded 'mature' stuff (swearing, sex, guns, etc). Not only that, but even if he had played the games, he really missed the symbolism on what the monsters and the town really mean. Instead, the monsters just happen to be there, and the town itself is a stock abandoned ghost town (say what you will about the movie, at least that made a bit of sense on that).
Thank you Linkara for reviewing these awful comics, and for taking down the unneeded villain that was Whatly. While I liked the story for last year better, you definitely ended this review on a good note, and I'm definitely looking forward to how the Entity storyline turns out. Dunno if I'll be commenting again, but I'll keep watching.
"While not explicitly stated, it's supposed to be implied that the batleth was a hologram, too - hence why you never saw him carrying it around."
If that's the case, how was it able to hurt Pyramidhead? Was it because it was imaginary too or something like that?
Hey Linkara. Great Fight as always, but I'm still confused as to the nature of the Entity.
All this stuff with Silent makes it sound like it's Silent Hill Related, but the first time we even met the Entity was when the Vohrsoth came into our world and you fought it back with Munroe. So up until now, I thought it had something to do with Star Trek.
I've actually since a while been keen on asking you on your thoughts on nerd culture, you place amongst it and its ever-ascending rise and rise toward the mainstream mass-cultural boiling pot?
Suggestion I thought of next year maybe either Freddy vs Jason vs Ash series. Ugh second one is really bad. To confusing.
Onto the review man another good one on a bad comic. Makes me look forward to next week and in two weeks. I get chills just thinking about how this going to be rapped up.
"If that's the case, how was it able to hurt Pyramidhead? Was it because it was imaginary too or something like that?"
Star Trek-style Holograms are essentially forcefields and light projection - it can be solid enough to feel and interact, can feel as hard and strong as metal, or be transparent enough to phase through. The forcefield, however, can be breached, which is what happened when the second Pyramid Head pierced through it. The first one, however, was struck by a hologram that it wasn't prepared for and got stabbed by a forcefield that was shaped like it was as sharp as a blade.
"Now, why would the Entity kidnap Benzaie and Sad Panda? Kidnapping Spoony and Marzgurl made sense, because they Linkara's two best friends in the whole world. Linkara has no connection to Benzaie and Sad Panda past Sad Panda covering the theme song (shouldn't the Entity go after Vincent E.L. instead?)."
I believe this answer is multi-fold.
First, what makes you think Linkara isn't friends with Benzaie and Sad Panda? They are all part of Chanel Awesome, which is a very close net group. While Linkara may not be as close to them as he is with Spoony and Marzgurl, he still would consider then comrades. Besides, Linkara has worked alongside Benzaie for 3 years in a row.
Second, it has been made very clear that the Entity has been attacking the whole world, not just Linkara's assiosiates. In the Twilight Zone review, he did say that over the past few months, the Entity had taken 1/6th of the world's population, and this vid established that has not changed, with the Entity doing it at a quicker rate, hense half of France's population vanishing, with the two Frenchmen worried about it.
Third, it's a classic symphathy drive for the viewer. Seeing the Entity take these well known reviewers, showing the effect extend outside of Linkara's little show. It's like a crossover tie-in, only more self contianed.
There may be more reason's I'm not getting, but there you go. Then agien, I could just be overthinking some silly internet show.
I just want everyone to know that I called it. The Entity is the god that the Magic Gun Girl was sacrificed to. I called it. n_n;;
Hey, Linkara insted of saying forcefields when talking about how the holograms work from Star Trek say Hard Light Projections. It's the term others and I've heard more often in comics for why a hologram can be solid enough to hold a real iteams yet intangible enough for people and weapons to pass right through them.
The best exsample of this I can think of is in Superman:Our Worlds at War Vol. 1 when he fights Hard Light copies of Fatal Five from Legion of Super Heroes. In that case they could switch from being solid enough to attack Superman but go translucent enough his counter attacks pass right through them with out harm.
Not only is Lovecraft refference pointles, but it's also wrong - why would anyone try to make an ritual that requires Azatoth paying attention to you? This guy is asleep and the moment he wakes up Universe is destroyed so this dude was asking for Outher Gods to evaporate his ass. I'm okay with connecting Cthulhu Mythos with Silent Hill, but writer should at least do his reearch befory attempting something like that.
One major problem with these Silent Hill Comics,these three comics makes things make less sense for both Dying Inside and Dead/Alive. These comics have nothing to do with those two comics (which you have mentioned) but they are supposed to have taken place after Dying Inside which means Lauren is supposed to be running the Town, no matter how stupid it was. So why in God's name did she not have anything to do with these comics? I mean were there any throw away lines saying that the monsters had anything to do with little miss butt crack? It just seams like Scotty had no over arcing story in mind and was just pulling crap out of his ass (which makes soooooo much sense).
Linkara great episode, can't wait for the final battle with the Entity (keep up the good work)
You'd expect that with the Entity in the same room at the same time as Linkara that maybe it's focus would be diverted and we wouldn't have anymore abductions...but I think a certain line from "The Neverending Story" works well here:
"Maybe...it's already everywhere."
With that said, great to see the end of the Silent Hill crap, and the end of...um...Whatley. Yeah, you made him a more captivating villain even if he was still a lunatic close to Ultimate Warrior level. And hey, you even got another Pyramid Head to replace the one Vyce killed. Maybe level it up and evolve it for next time just in case.
BTW: I guess there is no special endings this time due to...you know, Whatley not even existing in the games (unless that's post Silent Hill) but I had a bizarre image of a UFO ending using the song "Calling Occupants of Interplanetary Craft"...either the original by Klaatu or the remake by The Carpenters with that weird alien thing...
The moment I saw that mobile emitter I knew something was up. Its nice to know that even the evils of Silent Hill are no match for 29th century starfleet technology!
Le gasp!!! Is Beary okay?!?!
I-I mean, oh no, Benzaie and SadPanda are gone, oh no...
Seriously, is Beary okay?!?! Entity - you harm one hair on his fuzzy rump and I'll knock your brains out until you think the Warrior comics actually make sense!!!
Oblivion would be correct if you were going for the Earthworm Jim Peter Puppy Reference. (Which is a modified reference to Dune)
While I enjoyed this review, I'm looking forward to something that isn't Silent Hill next week.
"Hey, Linkara insted of saying forcefields when talking about how the holograms work from Star Trek say Hard Light Projections. It's the term others and I've heard more often in comics for why a hologram can be solid enough to hold a real iteams yet intangible enough for people and weapons to pass right through them."
Except it's not hard light. I'm going by the tech that they say in Star Trek - lights, shadows, and forcefields.
"BTW: I guess there is no special endings this time due to...you know, Whatley not even existing in the games (unless that's post Silent Hill) but I had a bizarre image of a UFO ending using the song "Calling Occupants of Interplanetary Craft"...either the original by Klaatu or the remake by The Carpenters with that weird alien thing..."
I'm HOPING to put together alternate endings, but that requires more time than I probably have (especially with Youmacon in early November), especially since usually the alternate endings are done on Halloween... which right now, is instead reserved for the surprise review and end of the Entity arc.
Question Linkara: have you ever played Blood or more particularly Blood II: The Chosen (look at the box art)? I think the Grinning Man is closer to Caleb (the villain protagonist of those games) than the Joker.
Question Linkara: have you ever played Blood or more particularly Blood II: The Chosen (look at the box art)? I think the Grinning Man is closer to Caleb (the villain protagonist of those games) than the Joker.
So who exactly are we supposed to cheer for? One's a maniac insulting to all sci-fi fans and the other's party to a serious crime based on nothing more than personal dislike.
Out of curiosity Linkara, considering the damage done in these comics have you considered repairing Lovecraft's name with a Cthulhu comic? Also would it be possible to scan what you've done of the book (the tome with the 'piece of world is missing') and post it? It's a great work and deserves nervous admiration.
Awesome Batman Gambit Lnkara. Worked like a charm.
Another year, another Pyramidhead. How it going to help against The Entity though? Good luck against that thing.
You ever notice it's "OK" for heroes to take revenge or allow it to happen, but not for villains? What's up with that?
Out of curiosity, Linkara, have you ever heard the soundtrack to the old Lucasarts game Outlaws? I was listening to some of the tracks you got from MusicLoops and was reminded of that game's fantastic score. I love the Spaghetti Western feel that comes up in some of these Silent Hill reviews...And yeah, the Grinning Man was lame. Why on earth Scott Ciencin thought Cowboy Joker would be good in Silent Hill, I'll never know.
hard light, for some reason it makes me think of arnold rimmer from red dwarf, also where did you find those phaser rifles?
Why is horror so hard to do? Also, why is a genre so devoid of original ideas? Oh well, good review as always.
That review was really fun, loved the holographic Linkara twist (for a second I thought this was gonna lead into an eventual Linkara origin story and this is somewhat like the emergency shielding psynergy from the Golden Sun games). Great little review, loved how you were just sick of Silent Hill attacking you every year.
That being said, you need to find a better way to exposition stuff sometimes. I can forgive the exposition in general for stuff like this but it seems too much "Linkara explains everything" instead of...basically anything else. Also, it kinda annoys me how this was kind of an asspull. A fun one but still...
regardless, fun little review.
Another extremely good review Linkara, i really enjoyed it - and the ending was very good.
I'm stilll very psyched and curious about the entity though, specificially the sound it makes..
What kind of program was used to make that sound? It sounds so creepy but at the same time cool.
Hey Linkara, I loved the ending to the review and the bit at what happened at end of The Video. They were both very satisfactory and the end of the video made me want to find out about what's happening next in the story line. I have one crazy wild mass guessing concerning the storyline.Diamanda Hagan will cameo because the evil Entity just might be eviler than her and She won't have it!. It's just a thought. Also,Sinner's reward looks like it's a hella good Silent Hill comic.Everything that these Silent Hill comics should've been.Excluding the one that you mentioned that was good out of the one shots. Visually and story wise of the town and monsters both scary and intriguing me into Silent Hill. Also, the protagonist looked like a good character to follow into Silent Hill.
It's funny, because if you think about it, the source of the horror in Lovecraft's stories and in Silent Hill are actually complete thematic opposites.
The primary theme of Lovecraftian Horror is that the universe is a vast place containing things far greater than we could ever hope to be, and that humanity is therefor ultimately meaningless in the grand scheme of things.
In Silent Hill on the other hand, the horror reflects deeply personal aspects of the characters. Ironically this would mean that humanity is important, and the universe really does revolve around us.
So it should be obvious who the Entity is. It has to be a character that has appeared before, because both Marzgurl and Harvey recognized it. So what character appeared regularly, was always in conflict with Linkara, hasn't been part of the story as itself this year, and only ever existed as a off-screen voice?
Clearly the Entity is the Continuity Alarm.
Good review Lewis can't wait see the other videos to see how the story end
Ah yes... the grinning man - or one could say "leftovers from last halloween", because that's how it feels: leftovers.
(But your dad does a wonderful Whately... Whatly...Wheatley... ah, you know what I mean. But he comes across as a bit more of a threat than Ciencin-Whatshisface - thanks to your writing and his performance.)
About the entity...
I have a feeling whose voice it uses, who basically is its avatar.
I know you've stated before that You wanted to stray away from Comic Book items, but Come On, We need to see more cool comic stuff in the "Arsenal of Freedom". I.e. Captain America's Shield (Which We've seen before), a Green Lantern Ring (which is like 25 cents at any comic store) and maybe Mjolnir, or something.
As far as story line goes, I'm interested in how this Entity thing turns out but.....Why hasn't the entity gone for Angry Joe, He is the most obvious threat, At least much more than Benzaie, or SadPanda (Of Coarse, if the reason is that He is busy that's understandable). If he is going for the more psychological approach, it would still have to be AJ, considering the Alliance between Linkara and His Army, Especially Now that Angry Joe is a Red Lantern. Lastly, I may be over thinking this but is Linkara noticing his friends are going missing, I do recall him acknowledging the people going missing, but what about his friends, Oh and Um, Where is Linksano, and Insano during these events. Anyway, Great Review, Can't wait for Planet of the Symbiotes :)
I...
...
*Sigh* Damn it. Not going to complain though, because the climax was super mega radical. Can't wait for the PotS review!
Just wanted to say thanks, Lewis, for making SD (and split) versions available. And for generally caring about making your fans happy with your work.
Hey Lewis, what day is your live-panel gonna be at Youmacon? I ask because they have YET to post the schedule on the youmacon sight and I NEED to ask work a few weeks in advance what days I want off and I'd rather not ask for teh full weekend (Guys gotta work afterall). Oh and expect me to bring a FRESH Superman: Distant Fire (Yeah remember how beaten up that one I gave you last time was? :P ) SIGNED BY HOWARD CHAYKIN to youmacon for you to sign right next to his name :D
On a different note, I pulled out my Marvel/DC crossover books (I've got a lot) and I was curious, given how you YOU Do a lot of crossovers, ever thought of doing a crossover-month where...while you might not actually HAVE crossovers with other TGWTG people you review crappy crossover books? Doesn't have t obe Marvel/DC (For one I have yet to find a truely BAD one of those) but maybe other Marvel/Image, DC/Image, DC/Dark Horse, etc etc books. Just curious because I KNOW there are a few other stinkers besides Spawn/Batman)
"Hey Lewis, what day is your live-panel gonna be at Youmacon? I ask because they have YET to post the schedule on the youmacon sight and I NEED to ask work a few weeks in advance what days I want off and I'd rather not ask for teh full weekend (Guys gotta work afterall). Oh and expect me to bring a FRESH Superman: Distant Fire (Yeah remember how beaten up that one I gave you last time was? :P ) SIGNED BY HOWARD CHAYKIN to youmacon for you to sign right next to his name :D"
I'd say most likely Saturday, MAYBE Friday. Sunday afternoon IS a possibility, since that's when we did the TGWTG Q&A last year, buuuut I don't think it's likely.
I dunno man, I don't have a huge problem with the art style in these comics. That said, if the pages in these videos are any indication the sequential flow of the panels is terrible!
The 2nd part of that review was fucking epic! :-)
I have a question for you though:
Why are you OK with leaving written swear words, such as "f*ck" and "sh*t", uncensored in the comic scans, but you're not OK with leaving those words uncensored when you say them, even if it's just to quote the comic?
I know exactly what Scott Ciencin was thinking when he was coming up with The Grinning Man.
"Wow, y'know what characters are really, really badass in comics and stories? Those enigmatic, vaguely malicious villains who are all mysterious and usually have most of their face obscured or in sillouhette! And especially those ones who are all smiling all the time and it comes off all creepy and threatening! And they always have those really cool names like The Tall Man or the Slender Man The Cigarette-Smoking Man! Those guys are the best, I gotta make up a character like that for my next story! Also, westerns are badass, too, gotta make it western somehow."
I think every writer of comic and story is guilty of doing this or at least thinking of doing it at some point or another (me included), because admittedly an enigmatic smiling creepy villain named "The _______ Man" actually IS a very cool concept... when it works.
It obviously did not here. Scott came up with the character's design and name and then haphazardly slapped some weak "story" together to show him off in. This whole thing read very much like a 12-year-old doodling this awesome-looking character in their notebook and then rambling off a haphazard "badass" story and personality to explain how awesome the character is to their friends.
I wonder if the entity is That Chick with the Goggles, since Marzgurl recognized her?
Not watched yet (though I did notice something on your arm. A mobile emiter?) although I had to say thanks for having the full episode. To many people split up these long episodes in order to make more ad money. eg. The SF debris mass effect video that is split up into 10 parts.
Your multiplart shows I don't mind as each episode deals with one or more issues, so the break seems natural.
Just wanted to let you know I appreciate not making me get up and walk over to the PC every 10 minutes, or making me rip the videos and cueing them in a media player.
"He's the Joker!"
I dunno... From the character design I'm kinda getting "Randall Flagg" on this one.
I think someone was a Stephen King fan.
I have a theory of who the Grinning Man was supposed to represent. It's possible he was meant as an incarnation of the Wild Hunt, a group of old gods who hunt down the souls of mortals as part of some sort of judgment thing or something. If so, then that...is also stupid, since there's no indication for it, and it breaks the Cthulhu mythos.
And I knew it was a hologram of you all a long. Next time, try to hide the mobile emitter better, so it won't be as obvious what's going on.
So, there was a dog ending and an aliens ending for the previous reviews. What will the "secret ending" for this one be? I've never played Silent Hill (don't like horror or chiller movies/games), so I have no idea what all of the hidden endings are that you have left to choose from.
"So, there was a dog ending and an aliens ending for the previous reviews. What will the "secret ending" for this one be? I've never played Silent Hill (don't like horror or chiller movies/games), so I have no idea what all of the hidden endings are that you have left to choose from."
Technically there were TWO UFO endings so far.
Unfortunately, I don't know if I'll be able to do alternate endings this year. I've still got a lot of work ahead of me for the reviews themselves, plus getting ready for Youmacon, so it may not be possible.
Wait, who was Whatly referring to by "The Red Executioner?"
Should we know who that is by now, or is that to be explained another time?
There's something I've always wondered: How far ahead do you write your reviews and plot elements?
Linkara, here's a question that has been in mine and several others' minds:
will Lord Vyce play a part in the finale?
I mean, he should. He knows the Entity far better than anyone else, and he has nothing better to do, being stuck in that deserted winter planet and all.
Besides, if he does destroy (or at least, help destroy) the Entity, he would have no reason to go around conquering universes, and as such would turn good. It would be a very boneheaded mistake for Linkara to not let him play a part in the Entity's destruction.
Besides, having that badass Vyce costume go to waste would be a shame.
WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOW. This ending was AMAZING! I always enjoy your storyline bits, Lewis, and every year you've managed to top yourself. This ending to the Silent Hill reviews is classic, and the fact that it's a cliffhanger for next week makes it even better! Bravo!
I noticed the mobile emitter the first time it showed up here, and I was wondering why you were wearing it the whole time. Seeing the payoff for that was great! I also really liked the bat'leth sequence. Do you think you'll ever acquire any other Klingon weapons? Maybe someday a Jem'Hadar blade?
Can't wait for the big finish next week! The storyline only ever gets better!
Understandable on story matters regarding the non-alternate endings considering Halloween is the big finish this year (and it's on Monday, which is when you release your videos on the site). Besides, I did say it earlier: you've already proven Whatley has no connotation or connection to Silent Hill whatsoever...so giving an alternate ending to that loser is just a waste of time considering that he deserves nothing that makes it Silent Hill if he's not Silent Hill.
Whateley is officially more interesting here than he ever was in the comics.
But I actually thought, as soon as I saw the cover, "Grinning Man looks like Cowboy/Fabio Joker," and then you made both those jokes in the review. I am highly amused.
"It͜͢ ̨ś͜͞ȩ̵è́m̧̨ś̀͢ ̷o̶n͝ę͠ ͟o̡̡͢f ̨m̧̨y̸҉ ̀͢f͞ơ͞ll͜o̵͘w̸e̛͜͡r҉̢͢s̨̨͡ ͝įś̴ ̵̧͢n͢͠o m̛̀҉o̴̢r̨̨e҉.̸..̡̕
̸̨P̨erh̀a̵̴̡p͠s̵҉ ̵I͟ ̀͟was̶ ̶̛n҉̛o̴t͢ ́t͟h̷̛͞or̷̡̛ơ̛ų̀͘g̷͟h̨͞ èn͏ǫ́͢ų͟g̡h͜.̸̡.̛҉͡.͢"
Yea, It will be even harder when I PUT A LAZER BLAST TO YOUR FACE!
(I spelled Laser with a z. "Because poor literacy is kewl!")
If there is a "Grinning Man" out of all of this, it's me. I just hate these Silent Hill reviews.
Not that it's your fault, but it's just the comics are so awful that it's painful. I can watch reviews of bad comics like All Star Batman and Robin over and over but these Silent Hill comics just suck all the life out of me
Honestly, I'll argue your Lovecraft statements. The basic principle of Lovecraftian myths is that the universe, at large, does not give a damn about humans - we are, in the end, on our own. This isn't too far off from Silent Hill's own isolation and disinterest themes. That being said, Scotty is more of a Lumley writer - screw the actual principles, let's just shoot stuff! This guy doesn't deserve the privilege of referencing Silent Hill OR Lovecraft, as he understands neither.
Yeah, you couldn't really top last year, but using simple logic to beat the puzzles was fun to watch. And the showdown with Whateley - nice to see the return proper of the gun's spirit. She may not hold a grudge but she certainly never forgot.
NO! NOT BENZAIE AND SADPANDA! THEY WERE.....NOT THEM!
"the inner edge of the blade is not the true edge of the sword" slightly confusing wording there, but good to know! I had never come across that bit of info before, and it makes perfect sense, and is actually a point of brilliance. Thanks for clearing that up!
PS: I knew about the sword's (is it still a sword?) origins, but not its name nor the name of it's creator.
I love the story line, I really do its just.. *sniff* I miss Harvey Finevoice and the Ninja style dancer
Two full reviews in one week, truly you spoil us sir. If you do a "thats all I'm saying" you will have officially secured your current position as my favorite reviewer.
p.s. Even without one this week due to other work your still the best in my opinion. Also I would like to say that I have officially gotten into comics because of you. : )
"Wait, who was Whatly referring to by "The Red Executioner?"
Should we know who that is by now, or is that to be explained another time?"
Pyramid Head was originally referred to as "That Red Pyramid thing," and was based on a painting of ancient executioners of the town.
I was *wondering* what that Mobile Emitter you were wearing was for. It's been so long since I last watched Voyager that I didn't actually put it together that you *were* a hologram, though. That was a great plot point!
What makes this comic even more of a shame is that the Grinning Man is an actual figure in real world UFOlogy and paranormal lore.
The actual Grinning Man (for what measure one can put urban legends and paranormal lore into the term "actuality") is an enigmatic entity that follows UFOs for unknown reasons, and doesn't attack people so much as scare them witless by being a creepy stalker. While mostly a blank slate due to his enigmatic nature, I'd say "being a gun-toting wannabe cowboy" is pretty low on the list of Grinning Man motivations.
Also, that Tommy Wi-Show reference made me laugh more than it probably should have.
So
Where is the real Linkara?
That an the ELH with a Mobile emitter
Hey , Linkara, long time no see!
Congrats for surviving this " The hell's happening?" the series!
Since your next review is about one of my fav Spidey stories (well the last one where my boys Eddie, Cletus & Ben were written well anyway...), I really want you to take a look at this postcard ( even though it's highly unlikely that you'll end up using it, & yes Pollo has been Symbioted...)
http://devilkais.deviantart.com/art/AT4W-planet-of-the-symbiotes-264237472
Take care & give us your opinion!& salutation from your regular tunisian viewer! (if you know a good colorist it might help..)
ok, I know that Silent Hill is supposed to be all cryptic, but they at least give you hints of what's actually going-on
It really seems like he just played the games without paying attention, and thought they were just pulling everything out of their ass, and he attempted to emulate it
A couple of suggestions/requests if I may:
1) If Halloween is the conclusion to the 'Entity' Arc, any chance of a 'previously on' during the week before? As in just collecting all the relevant scenes. I know you posted a checklist before now, but it'd be nice to sit down and see them all collected together.
2) I know you're sick of terrible Silent Hill comics, so any plans to mock the terrible Silent Hill movie? I totally forgot about it 'till you mentioned it.
You obviously have a great deal of both knowledge and love when it comes to the franchise. It'd be interesting to see your take on it. Team up with Spoony and it'd be perfect.
"1) If Halloween is the conclusion to the 'Entity' Arc, any chance of a 'previously on' during the week before? As in just collecting all the relevant scenes. I know you posted a checklist before now, but it'd be nice to sit down and see them all collected together.
2) I know you're sick of terrible Silent Hill comics, so any plans to mock the terrible Silent Hill movie? I totally forgot about it 'till you mentioned it."
1. As part of the Entity reveal, there will be flashbacks in-episode to a lot of the relevant points.
2. Phelous pretty much covered the Silent Hill movie in two videos and pretty much listed all the complaints I had - good atmosphere, but they screw up the story monumentally.
That postcard is kind of awesome. Pollo and 90s Kid as symbiotes, Spider-man flipping the bird (I guess Spidey himself was pretty poorly written here) and Spidey, Ben Reilly, Venom and Carnage doing the can-can. Don't know if it works as a title card (I've seen Pollo on a title card exactly once (even when he maybe should have been on it (Strange Adventures, anyone?)), and that was in the mock-up of Spoony's opening in the Adamantium Rage video.) But, it'd be interesting if accepted.
"1) If Halloween is the conclusion to the 'Entity' Arc, any chance of a 'previously on' during the week before? As in just collecting all the relevant scenes. I know you posted a checklist before now, but it'd be nice to sit down and see them all collected together.
2) I know you're sick of terrible Silent Hill comics, so any plans to mock the terrible Silent Hill movie? I totally forgot about it 'till you mentioned it.
1. As part of the Entity reveal, there will be flashbacks in-episode to a lot of the relevant points.
2. Phelous pretty much covered the Silent Hill movie in two videos and pretty much listed all the complaints I had - good atmosphere, but they screw up the story monumentally."
Oh, so it's kind of like the Mechakara finale?
Speaking of which, you never answered my question from earlier: How far in advance do you write the scripts for your reviews and plot elements?
"Speaking of which, you never answered my question from earlier: How far in advance do you write the scripts for your reviews and plot elements?"
Because there is no real answer to the question. Sometimes months ahead of time, sometimes weeks ahead of when I'm shooting.
Thank you very much Volvagia, But actually spidey wasn't flipping off anyone, He was showing his Wedding ring on his Ring finger(I myself am a fan of Married Spidey) that was the hidden OMD joke (Well it's Spidey & AT4W , You knew It had to be there somewhere!). Actually the character were written well enough, & it was the Last time Michelinie wrote Eddie Brock ( good news for me). Hope you'll appreciate my other deviations , I'm always open for discussions !
At long last, that terrible waste of paper and ink that dares to call itself Silent Hill is finally over. I can not say how much these comics really really SUCK! I mean, these should have been better, but somehow IDW, especially Scott, screwed up big time. I mean, you know the writers just didn't care about writing a good Silent Hill story when they started putting in characters like Christabella and Whateley or references to Lovecraft.
And the end sequence in the Silent Hill world was epic. I mean, who would have thought that some lousy villain who was shoehorned into an already terrible comic without any backstory could turn out to be a follower of the Entity, which I have suspected was the evil god behind the cult that created the magic pistol. I also like the way you brushed through those contrived puzzles. I wish you could have actually encountered Christabella as well; it would have been nice to see her get the gruesome death she deserved for disgracing Silent Hill.
And, Linkara, you are definitely one crazy/prepared comic reviewer who can withstand some terrible horror comics, capture Pyramid Head in a Pokeball, and defeat ineffectual villains like Whateley. For this, you get the badass seal of approval!
And we wait for the Entity . . . who is obviously angry over this.
So, any bad horror comics you have in mind?
Was in intentional that the book would be an answer to the door puzzle?
The paper is made from a forest, it was printed in a city, and the from the content, the book seems to have come from hell.
The Comic: Well, another year another crappy Silent Hill comic...
Your Arc: I knew we were seeing the real you the last few weeks, but I didn't want to say anything in case I was wrong for some reason.
Fiery Little One
I actually read a fanfiction that combined Silent Hill with the Lovecraftian mythos, and it worked out pretty well
But that's mostly because allot more build-up and characterization into it.
I hope covering the specific Nightmare on Elm Street he seems to want to means he is going to talk about Chaos! Comics in some capacity next year.
Why do those cops keep shooting at everything? They hear a noise and draw their guns? What?
Jetstream: "From the character design I'm kinda getting "Randall Flagg" on this one.
I think someone was a Stephen King fan."
Yah, that's pretty much what I was gonna say. See The Stand for more info.
There have been good A Nightmare on Elm Street comics (see under 'Andy Mangels'), but there've been bad ones. I'm reminded of the time I saw the covers and read plot synopses of a bunch of A Nightmare on Elm Street comics I'd never heard of before. Then I checked, and I did own them, had read them, and completely, totally, and in all other ways forgotten them.
Great comic, guys.
Small towns, according to Hollywood (and comics) are all like that. See Nightmare's Springwood (international airport, psychiatric hospital, etc...), or, worse, Sunnydale. A "one-Starbucks town" with university, international airport, malls, etc...
Is it me, or does the Entity sound disturbingly like Iron Liz... or maybe Judas Liz?
So now how long is this Pyramid Head going to last?
Before you revealed that the hologram technology was from Voyager, I thought that it was based on Hard light holograms of Red Dwarf.
Would've been cool if you'd been wearing a blue version of your costume in order to indicate that.
How exactly can you make a bad Nightmare on Elm Street comic?
Then again, how you can you make a bad Nightmare on Elm Street movie, and they screwed that up.
BTW, a line I would have found funny.
Benzaie: Wait a minute ... we're two Frenchmen, talking to each other in France. Why are we speaking English?
Sad Panda: That's a very good [gets disappeared by the Entity]
"BTW, a line I would have found funny.
Benzaie: Wait a minute ... we're two Frenchmen, talking to each other in France. Why are we speaking English?
Sad Panda: That's a very good [gets disappeared by the Entity]"
In one of his takes, Sad Panda pointed out to me that he's having us speak English to each other when they should be speaking French. I hadn't thought of it at the time. XD
Ils parlent anglais puisque l'enitite a voler la langue de la romance.
How is it that I somehow managed to miss this review until just now? I remember the post on the website when it came out, but I didn't watch it at all until now.... Strange
I'd think some one would have pointed this out by now. (I'm watching this review for the first time today on my ongoing Linkathon to catch up to the rest of you) but "The Grinning Man" seems to be a rip off of Dante from Devil May Cry. While 3 had only been released three months earlier (and thus the shirtless version not out long enough for it to be the inspiration) Dante has a habit of regenerating and impaling himself in everything he shows up in.
AH so it's a mobile emitter. So I've been watching a hologram for a couple of weeks and I didn't even know it... I honestly don't know what's real anymore... thinking about it now... Lewis, Linkara, 90's kid and Linksano... there's something about them that's similar... it's...
Wait...
They all have the exact. same. shoes.
That must be really good, comfortable shoe and I must look into getting myself a pair.
Life makes sense again now.
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