Past Life: Esther's Baby and Fire (Questions)

[The Adversary]

>time isn't necessarily linear in this comic.<
I don't think that's the case. It's straight-forward, really. The "ghost-banging" part is a flashback—Jeb is remembering his past, he's engaging himself with what happened (C.3), he's even reenacting the dialogue, thus why Howard says, "You seemed a little . . . distracted, is all" (3:8). Even before the Fosters enter Silent Hill, Jeb's experiencing flashbacks to Awinita (let's get the spelling right, here, everyone) when she's giving birth (1:1).

As for what happened to the baby—and what it is: Awinita's spirit/soul enters Esther's baby (4:16), not necessarily to bear her murdered child, but to rebirth herself. A cloud is being wisped out of Awinita's mouth and into Esther's, and, immediately following, Awinita's skull and arms are superimposed over Esther's screaming face and clenched arms (4:17). On 4:20, both Esther and Awinita scream "Mother!" as the baby is birthed. After birth, Inola says, "Oh, precious daughter . . . you're with me again!", suggesting—and assuming Inola knwos what she's talking about, which we're led to believe she does—that Awinita is arguably the first successful attempt of a girl with concealed powers to resurrect herself, like Alessa.

The skeletal baby isn't seen in Esther until the beginning of chapter #4, while Jeb's being whisk(ey)ed away; my guess is the baby died while they were listening to Rev. Stone's sermon for "The Parable of the Lost Sheep" (Luke 15:1-7).

>That kinda looks like Murphy in the original issue, but he has a goatee<
I have the trade edition, and he looks exactly like Murph and doesn't have a goatee. The individual issue has entirely different artwork than the trade edition

[KiramidHead]

Yeah, that's kind of the point I was making. Also, I've been pondering one thing:

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Is Seth Creviston a ghost, or is he a survivor of Jebediah's past? A slash to the eye isn't necessarily fatal, but then again, in the 1800s, in the Dakota Territory, the medicine may not have been too good.

[Number 7]

^

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I thought they were manifestations of the town, kind of like Maria and Josh. Also, don't forget that someone from Jack's past came back to haunt him in Tow Waltz's last Silent Hill comic, Sinner's Reward, and she was most definitely dead. This is the same kind of thing, I guess.

[lain of the wired]

Yeah, that's kind of the point I was making. Also, I've been pondering one thing:

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Is Seth Creviston a ghost, or is he a survivor of Jebediah's past? A slash to the eye isn't necessarily fatal, but then again, in the 1800s, in the Dakota Territory, the medicine may not have been too good.

That's part of where I got my idea about wonky timelines:

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it doesn't appear that Jeb ever actually killed Seth, and yet Creviston is seen interacting- or at least acknowledging- the Leeks in the cafe, who're really, most sincerely dead, and then shows up as though he is dead in the climax. On the other hand, the only people who ever directly interact with both Jeb and Esther are Howard, Inola and the Reverend Stone. Everyone else may well be a Maria-figure. Upon further consideration, I wonder whether any of this is timeline based, or whether it's all shit goin' on in Jeb's head all at once, like the Bad ending of SH1, or Eternal Sonata. MAYBE ESTHER WAS DEAD ALL ALONG!! WHOOOoooOOOOandwhatnot

The skeletal baby isn't seen in Esther until the beginning of chapter #4, while Jeb's being whisk(ey)ed away; my guess is the baby died while they were listening to Rev. Stone's sermon for "The Parable of the Lost Sheep" (Luke 15:1-7).

Holy shit, I came up with an SH theory The Adversary liked and expanded upon. Not to say he doesn't like other people's theories ever, it's just... well, it's a first for me. I'm pleased with myself today.

whisk(ey)ed

Ha!

[KiramidHead]

I think the timeline is linear, but it many of the details are highly ambiguous. Like, what exactly does Howard Blackwood have to do with any of this, aside from being an interesting character? Also, how much was Reverend Stone actually aware of? Did he know about the

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true nature of Creviston and the Leeks,

or is he somehow only part of a bigger picture. All I can say for sure about the reverend is that he's an ancestor of Jimmy "Red Devil" Stone.

[lain of the wired]

^OH SNAP... I know too many people with the last name "Stone." It has become a basic name for me. That may actually be a neat connection.

[KiramidHead]

Oddly enough, I find myself wishing that I had gotten to know ol' Jimmy as a character, instead of as an annoying ass ghost. Then again, if he's anything like his creepy ancestor, then I'm not sure I'd want to meet him face to face.

[The Adversary]

>Yeah, that's kind of the point I was making.<
But you're suggesting only the man in the individual issue, with the goatee, resembles Murphy. He doesn't. The trade edition, that drawing in particular, looks almost exactly like ol' Murph—and very little like Jonas Leek, at least as he's depicted in the rest of Silent Hill: Past Life.

>Is Seth Creviston a ghost, or is he a survivor of Jebediah's past?<
On 1:7-8, Seth, Jonas and Helene are all shown as the Foster stroll through Silent Hill for the first time.
Jonas, of course, always looks normal—for obvious reasons. Helene, in later scenes, always has a scar across her breast; however, on 1:8, from what I can tell, at least, she does not. Conversely, Seth's eye is missing. This suggests, to me, he's alive as he was—a survivor of Jeb's—whereas the other two are remembrances of the past, as they were before Jeb's, ahem, encounter.

Of course, my eyes might just be shit and I can't see Helene's tit well enough. . . . Regardless, I don't see any evidence to suggest Seth died. Potsmaster Blackwood engages Jeb in a conversation about Seth, but he doesn't say anything, ever, about the Leeks. The only time he does is in chapter #4, when he glances at Leek's Tavern after the Sheriff's department.

>That may actually be a neat connection.<
Tom Waltz confirmed the two are related.

[KiramidHead]

I have hard time distinguishing faces in Riley Rossimo's art style, so I was easily mistaken. Also, Helene, definitely does have a scar on her tit, and your vision is fine on that regard.

[lain of the wired]

>Yeah, that's kind of the point I was making.<
But you're suggesting only the man in the individual issue, with the goatee, resembles Murphy. He doesn't. The trade edition, that drawing in particular, looks almost exactly like ol' Murph—and very little like Jonas Leek, at least as he's depicted in the rest of Silent Hill: Past Life.

No U! ...wait, what? I thought you were? I said it was likely Jonas Leek, but it kinda looked like Murphy in one pic. ...Why are we fighting?

>Is Seth Creviston a ghost, or is he a survivor of Jebediah's past?<
On 1:7-8, Seth, Jonas and Helene are all shown as the Foster stroll through Silent Hill for the first time.
Jonas, of course, always looks normal—for obvious reasons. Helene, in later scenes, always has a scar across her breast; however, on 1:8, from what I can tell, at least, she does not. Conversely, Seth's eye is missing. This suggests, to me, he's alive as he was—a survivor of Jeb's—whereas the other two are remembrances of the past, as they were before Jeb's, ahem, encounter.

Contradicted by his apparent ability to see the apparition/ghosts/otherwise-non-existent-beings-outside-Jeb's-mind. Again, he interacts with the Leeks. Maybe he didn't straight up die from his wounds, but the entity that we meet in the comic is obviously not a real human being. Based on the level of guilt that Jeb feels, it's not unlikely that he's committed nearly all 31 flavors of sin, and not all of them end in death. Perhaps Creviston lived, but is an entirely different person than the perception of Creviston that Jeb/we see.

>That may actually be a neat connection.<
Tom Waltz confirmed the two are related.

I continue to be proud of myself for perceiving things that were later confirmed/approved by high-ranking authorities on the subject. Don't worry, though: it never seems to last long.

[KiramidHead]

^He confirmed it in my previous thread, where I pointed it out.

[lain of the wired]

Which thing is where I say stupid things? That's liek, potentially three things that could be UTTER nonsense, and as I am the center of my own world, research is totes for f*gs.


...link fast pls. SHFSearch isn't giving me jack shit on my searches, and this filler post until I find something reasonable is regrettably homophobic thus far...

[KiramidHead]

The relevant posts are in this thread

[The Adversary]

>...Why are we fighting?<
I wasn't aware we were. Go to 1:8 (of the trade edition)—he looks like Murph. The individual issues, however, have a different artist with different depictions of (apparently) the same people—in which he does not look like Murph (otherwise I would've been all, like, "He looks like Murph!")

In the context of the trade edition: Clearly "To be remembered" (1:8) is supposed to be Jonas Leek. However, he looks (in said trade edition) exactly like Murph—and not much like Jonas from the rest of the series—meaning the writers/artists decided to depict him differently from the original publication.

>Contradicted by his apparent ability to see the apparition/ghosts/otherwise-non-existent-beings-outside-Jeb's-mind.<
Yet Seth has a lot more interest in his surroundings as evidenced in 4:13: "This is about that baby bein' born upstairs. This ain't no end, Hellrider . . . it's just a beginning." He's giving Jeb a look during Rev. Stone's sermon (3:16), with the Leek's behind Jeb: Seth is more than just a sheriff. He's actually involved—which is more to say than anyone else, save Inola. Potsmaster Blackwood surely would have mentioned the dead sheriff in one of his interlocutions with Jeb. He doesn't, though. Seth is just there, or down by Toluca.

>the entity that we meet in the comic is obviously not a real human being.<
So what happened to the real Creviston? We see in the Fosters' visit to the church other people—people not affiliated with Jeb's past. I understand we're supposed to make the parallel between all three victims, but Creviston, as I write above, has more to do with Inola and Awinita than the Leeks, suggesting his circumstance is special.

>Perhaps Creviston lived, but is an entirely different person than the perception of Creviston that Jeb/we see.<
Given my hard-on my consistency, I don't see a reason to vary the Creviston Jeb sees from the Creviston we see. If they were different, they'd be depicted as such, yet the two don't act differently from interaction to interaction: They're both pretty dickish (in context). Maybe if Jeb remembered the past differently from how it actually it happened—but as far we know he doesn't.

All that aside: You don't get shot with a shotgun in the shoulder and not flinch (4:13). . . .

>I continue to be proud of myself for perceiving things that were later confirmed/approved by high-ranking authorities<
Same! I remember when I first read how the director of Brookhaven Hospital was the author of the "letter and the wrench," and how, over a year or two earlier, I'd theorized the director of Brookhaven Hospital was the author of the "letter and the wrench."

[lain of the wired]

Honestly, I didn't read that link at all because I didn't want to spoil it for myself, since I didn't have any of the comics yet. I congratulated kiramid and then went somewhere else. Sorry to seem like an ass.

[Don, Aman]

Yet Seth has a lot more interest in his surroundings as evidenced in 4:13: "This is about that baby bein' born upstairs. This ain't no end, Hellrider . . . it's just a beginning." He's giving Jeb a look during Rev. Stone's sermon (3:16), with the Leek's behind Jeb: Seth is more than just a sheriff. He's actually involved—which is more to say than anyone else, save Inola. Potsmaster Blackwood surely would have mentioned the dead sheriff in one of his interlocutions with Jeb. He doesn't, though. Seth is just there, or down by Toluca.

Now, this is an interesting take. I thought it was odd how much he seemed to know about what was really going on. Another hint is Creviston's dialogue during Jeb's visit to the jailhouse. So, he is like the Leeks in his connection to Jeb, yet unlike them in that he could still be a living person?

[Yuki]

>...Why are we fighting?<
I wasn't aware we were. Go to 1:8 (of the trade edition)—he looks like Murph. The individual issues, however, have a different artist with different depictions of (apparently) the same people—in which he does not look like Murph (otherwise I would've been all, like, "He looks like Murph!")

In the context of the trade edition: Clearly "To be remembered" (1:8) is supposed to be Jonas Leek. However, he looks (in said trade edition) exactly like Murph—and not much like Jonas from the rest of the series—meaning the writers/artists decided to depict him differently from the original publication.

Maybe they think more people will buy the trade edition because it's complete? I wonder if Murphy will have to do with Jonas Leek.
To be honest, I hope that the connection between Downpour and Past Life isn't that obvious.

[KiramidHead]

So far we have Howard Blackwood, and that's the only definite connection so far.

[TomWaltz]

I LOVE reading these! Thanks for being so interested in PAST LIFE, my friends!

By the way, was curious what the folks who've purchased the trade thought of Jason Henderson's intro? I was so proud to include that in the book -- Jay's a fantastic talent (and a wonderful buddy) and to have him say such nice things about the SH:PL was a true thrill for me.

Talk soon...

Tom W.

[KiramidHead]

The intro was actually quite good, IMO. Sometimes they just turn into "omg this comic is a must read," but Henderson's thoughts were pretty interesting to read.