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Die: Loaded Volume 1: Zero Sessions
Not yet published
Expected 2 Jun 26What if the fantasy game you played as a teenager became real—and refused to let you go? The cult-favorite, "goth Jumanji" series returns for an epic new story of a dark fantasy adventure game gone horrifically right or wonderfully wrong.
A year after their return from the hellish game world, the players gather for Chuck’s wake. They’ve finished with the game. The game isn’t finished with them.
The three-time Hugo Award-nominated series from Kieron Gillen (The Power Fantasy, The Wicked + The Divine) and Stephanie Hans (We Called Them Giants) is back. Get ready to roll initiative. Who’s going to DIE this time?
Collects DIE: LOADED issues #1-6.
A year after their return from the hellish game world, the players gather for Chuck’s wake. They’ve finished with the game. The game isn’t finished with them.
The three-time Hugo Award-nominated series from Kieron Gillen (The Power Fantasy, The Wicked + The Divine) and Stephanie Hans (We Called Them Giants) is back. Get ready to roll initiative. Who’s going to DIE this time?
Collects DIE: LOADED issues #1-6.
- GenresGraphic NovelsFantasy
176 pages, Paperback
Expected publication June 2, 2026
About the author
Kieron Gillen
1,480 books1,929 followersKieron Gillen is a comic book writer and former media journalist.
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
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November 11, 2025Even as a long-time fan and friend of Kieron Gillen, I was especially invested in Die, his comic about a cursed role-playing game. Partly this was because I got to be one of the early playtesters of the actual role-playing game (not cursed (probably)) which he created in tandem with the comic. Partly it was that, after a number of comics about glamorously fucked-up young superstars of their own stories, Die was, among other things, about people who.used to be geeky kids in the Midlands now facing up to middle age, and the damage the past always does once you've accumulated enough of it. Which, yes, felt relatable in exactly the same way all those insufferable/irresistible Phonogram cool kids used to.
Now, I'm in a slightly tricky position here, in that I never entirely know where to draw the line between explaining the premise of a piece of narrative art, and spoilers. That goes double for a sequel series, where you're not introducing the players wholesale, but referring to an established cast with whom readers are likely already connected. And it's yet more acute here where, thanks to Edelweiss and Image and generally being a very lucky boy, I've read the first trade the day before the first issue comes out. Which means there's a limit to what I can say before I start ruining surprises. So in the next paragraph I'm going to make some still fairly oblique observations, and drop a quote or two with minimal context, and I'll do my best to be careful, but if you want to go in completely fresh, don't even read that much, OK? Exit on this: Kieron and Stephanie are absolutely not doing an easy cash-in here. This is still an excellent comic, not to mention a visually delightful one. I would say still the Die you know and love, but I suspect by the end we'll be referring to the original series, all its revived trauma and impossible choices notwithstanding, as the early, funny stuff.
So. Without saying exactly who is doing what where, the first key distinction is that Die was a story about giving a bunch of RPG nerds what they wanted, turning the tropes inside out and following a gaggle of insiders desperately trying to game them. This time out, possibly in response to the further increase in wider cultural awareness of the hobby, there's a little more about how it looks to outsiders. And the obvious, responsible way to play that would be to have everyone realising what lovely fun games are, but a) that would be boring and b) this is Die. I was particularly taken with the awed, horrified line "He's researching history, culture, and... It's all for a game? What kind of game could have all of that inside it?"
As for who those outsiders are, well: if Die was partly a response to middle age, Loaded is, appropriately, about the next level of encumbrance: parenthood. Not something where I have the same direct experience, at least not from the parent side, but I've still seen enough people I know make the transition that I can sympathise with the horror of it – the exhaustion, the inability to ever feel you've done enough, the worry about every possible threat from the imminent and drastic to the lurking possibility of one's offspring having the wrong influences and growing up dreadful. And then, curled inside that, the worry of what it says when you've become the exasperated old git muttering about kids these days, and the chill of alienation when young folk look at you and see another uncomprehending adult, despite the fact that surely they should be able to tell you're still young at heart, right? You've still got it?
All of this, of course, could be expressed in plain old realist clothes. But isn't it so much less tiresome, not to mention more faithful to the inward reality of these huge experiences, when you turn it into quests through warped fantasy realms which, if not quite as explicitly doubling as a history of the genre this time, are still dotted with plenty of little nods to make anyone familiar with the territory smile and/or sigh in recognition?
Also, this is the second Gillen comic which has made spotting magpies out and about even more of a minefield than it already was, so thanks for that. And the gods get a bigger role from the off this time out, which is largely a delight, but frankly I'm amazed Stephanie let Kieron get away with the French one.
Now, I'm in a slightly tricky position here, in that I never entirely know where to draw the line between explaining the premise of a piece of narrative art, and spoilers. That goes double for a sequel series, where you're not introducing the players wholesale, but referring to an established cast with whom readers are likely already connected. And it's yet more acute here where, thanks to Edelweiss and Image and generally being a very lucky boy, I've read the first trade the day before the first issue comes out. Which means there's a limit to what I can say before I start ruining surprises. So in the next paragraph I'm going to make some still fairly oblique observations, and drop a quote or two with minimal context, and I'll do my best to be careful, but if you want to go in completely fresh, don't even read that much, OK? Exit on this: Kieron and Stephanie are absolutely not doing an easy cash-in here. This is still an excellent comic, not to mention a visually delightful one. I would say still the Die you know and love, but I suspect by the end we'll be referring to the original series, all its revived trauma and impossible choices notwithstanding, as the early, funny stuff.
So. Without saying exactly who is doing what where, the first key distinction is that Die was a story about giving a bunch of RPG nerds what they wanted, turning the tropes inside out and following a gaggle of insiders desperately trying to game them. This time out, possibly in response to the further increase in wider cultural awareness of the hobby, there's a little more about how it looks to outsiders. And the obvious, responsible way to play that would be to have everyone realising what lovely fun games are, but a) that would be boring and b) this is Die. I was particularly taken with the awed, horrified line "He's researching history, culture, and... It's all for a game? What kind of game could have all of that inside it?"
As for who those outsiders are, well: if Die was partly a response to middle age, Loaded is, appropriately, about the next level of encumbrance: parenthood. Not something where I have the same direct experience, at least not from the parent side, but I've still seen enough people I know make the transition that I can sympathise with the horror of it – the exhaustion, the inability to ever feel you've done enough, the worry about every possible threat from the imminent and drastic to the lurking possibility of one's offspring having the wrong influences and growing up dreadful. And then, curled inside that, the worry of what it says when you've become the exasperated old git muttering about kids these days, and the chill of alienation when young folk look at you and see another uncomprehending adult, despite the fact that surely they should be able to tell you're still young at heart, right? You've still got it?
All of this, of course, could be expressed in plain old realist clothes. But isn't it so much less tiresome, not to mention more faithful to the inward reality of these huge experiences, when you turn it into quests through warped fantasy realms which, if not quite as explicitly doubling as a history of the genre this time, are still dotted with plenty of little nods to make anyone familiar with the territory smile and/or sigh in recognition?
Also, this is the second Gillen comic which has made spotting magpies out and about even more of a minefield than it already was, so thanks for that. And the gods get a bigger role from the off this time out, which is largely a delight, but frankly I'm amazed Stephanie let Kieron get away with the French one.
Review of advance copy received from Edelweiss+
I received this DRC from Edelweiss.
3.5 stars. One of my favorite things about the original comic was the artwork, and this volume continues with the same style. The costumes didn't look as elaborate thus far (I remember loving Ash's dresses), so hoping for some costume changes in future volumes. The story so far felt rushed, which made it hard to connect with the characters. There were some interesting plot points that I wish we could have spent a bit more time with. One character in particular has a plan that ends up going by quickly, but could have been much more brutal. But still overall, I'm interested in continuing with the series to see where it's going.
3.5 stars. One of my favorite things about the original comic was the artwork, and this volume continues with the same style. The costumes didn't look as elaborate thus far (I remember loving Ash's dresses), so hoping for some costume changes in future volumes. The story so far felt rushed, which made it hard to connect with the characters. There were some interesting plot points that I wish we could have spent a bit more time with. One character in particular has a plan that ends up going by quickly, but could have been much more brutal. But still overall, I'm interested in continuing with the series to see where it's going.
Review of advance copy
Ahhh i mean i guess i remember the first run of these. And i must of thought they were okay. I mean i would probably read more of this new series but i wont be looking for it. Its just kinda dull and blah.
Read in single issues
3✨
Read in single issues
3✨
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews