What do you think?
Rate this book
Die #3
Die #3
“FANTASY HEARTBREAKER,” Part Three
One of the saddest comics in Kieron’s career. One of Stephanie’s prettiest. Clayton’s lettering, of course, remains impeccable.
One of the saddest comics in Kieron’s career. One of Stephanie’s prettiest. Clayton’s lettering, of course, remains impeccable.
31 pages, Kindle Edition
Published February 6, 2019
5 people are currently reading
150 people want to read
About the author
Kieron Gillen
1,486 books1,928 followersKieron Gillen is a comic book writer and former media journalist.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 29 of 29 reviews
February 15, 2019
Saga fans over here!
This is the best book image is currently publishing. Damn it even had Tolkien in it!
This is the best book image is currently publishing. Damn it even had Tolkien in it!
March 18, 2019
In Ash's words: "I can see the pieces. I see them better now than when I was a kid [...] That's all this is, but it's like knowing a dragon's just made of flesh and bone like everything else...". Knowing Tolkien's personal story and reading LOTR/The Hobbit are two very different things, but Gillen makes sure everyone sees the pieces. And it's one of the most bittersweet thing I've ever read, Tolkien acknowledging the horrors behind the escapism, being strong enough to see both at the same time and appreciate the latter despite the first... It's not the first time Gillen's stories have made me cry, but this is the first time this sadness mixed with beauty has stuck itself so deep into my soul. I will never be able to read the books without thinking about this scene, and it's the weirdest gift ever.
On a very different note: how edgy were these sixteen years old??! Were they all from the Goth/Emo scene before it was even created? :')
On a very different note: how edgy were these sixteen years old??! Were they all from the Goth/Emo scene before it was even created? :')
February 6, 2019
Upon the field a dragon strode.
Fire and sorrow he bestowed.
Much improved our tale of woe.
Fortunes turn to the morrow?
Fire and sorrow he bestowed.
Much improved our tale of woe.
Fortunes turn to the morrow?
February 22, 2019
Some great world building and characterisation here. Im loving the artwork more and more the deeper i go into this series.
February 6, 2019
I still dread the future. But even as sad as this issue was, it was a bright spot. We get some nice subtle (and very interesting) world building. We see that the Grandmaster, as evil as he is now, still did what every DM does, and dropped in homages to the media he consumed. An homage that is darkened considerably by the fantasy world in which it resides, but still.
I know the character's pasts are still out there. I know they will catch up with them eventually. But if they can stay ahead of their pasts long enough, I may get to liking these guys before the rug gets pulled out from under them.
I know the character's pasts are still out there. I know they will catch up with them eventually. But if they can stay ahead of their pasts long enough, I may get to liking these guys before the rug gets pulled out from under them.
February 11, 2019
"Die" is possibly one of the most emotionally devastating graphic novels I've read, and this issue most of all. I suppose I should have seen a riff on WW1 and Tolkien coming, given the whole "lost innocence" subtext and the burden of trekking through a wasteland with the inevitability of possibly never getting to return home. All the same, it was an amazing emotional moment. WW1 shaped so much of "The Lord of the Rings" and it was both incredibly clever and devastating to see "Die" link the two together: the reimagined versions of the hobbits in the trenches; the adaption of the first few lines to talk about the wet, dark trenches; the eagles coming to save the day, but at the same, not being able to fix it all.
I am also really warming to Ash, who seems to be the main character that we journey alongside. I love her perspective of things and with her role as the Dictator, it makes sense that she would be the one most invested in how Sol has twisted the things they love to make this hellscape. I can't wait to read the next installment, each issue keeps getting better and better, though I worry at what the future has in store for the party.
I am also really warming to Ash, who seems to be the main character that we journey alongside. I love her perspective of things and with her role as the Dictator, it makes sense that she would be the one most invested in how Sol has twisted the things they love to make this hellscape. I can't wait to read the next installment, each issue keeps getting better and better, though I worry at what the future has in store for the party.
February 9, 2019
I absolutely adore the steady buildup that this series has been doing. Each issue makes the world feel more real, and in this instance, that’s actually pretty terrifying. This is not a world I would wish on my worst enemies.
I love that this issue took the time to humanize the NPC’s in this world. It may seem like an odd choice, but our main characters are living and risking their lives in this world - literally – so doesn’t it make sense that the other people filling the world would feel more real as well?
There was one character, in particular, that was introduced that I found fascinating. I hope we see him again because I am very curious about him. I also love the way some of the main characters’ abilities work – and how sometimes just being human in this world is enough to trigger something larger. It’s beautifully done.
The artwork for this issue was absolutely striking – but that’s really no surprise. All of the artwork for this series has proven to be breathtaking – both the beautiful scenes and the horrifying ones.
I love that this issue took the time to humanize the NPC’s in this world. It may seem like an odd choice, but our main characters are living and risking their lives in this world - literally – so doesn’t it make sense that the other people filling the world would feel more real as well?
There was one character, in particular, that was introduced that I found fascinating. I hope we see him again because I am very curious about him. I also love the way some of the main characters’ abilities work – and how sometimes just being human in this world is enough to trigger something larger. It’s beautifully done.
The artwork for this issue was absolutely striking – but that’s really no surprise. All of the artwork for this series has proven to be breathtaking – both the beautiful scenes and the horrifying ones.
March 20, 2019
In the third issue, the party is forced to head into a war zone and commits the ultimate RPG playing sin. If Sol really is building this world, I can't help but be impressed. I mean, obviously horrified but damn, such a skillful blending of history and alternate reality. Far from cheerful but still enthralling and Hans' art continues to be just fantastic, in the very best of ways.
February 11, 2019
This might have read a bit corny had I not seen They Shall Not Grow Old (the work of another Tolkien devotee, it must be said) a few days ago. Enormously affecting in terms of its real-world references and in the way it reveals how much Gilles will be killing his own darlings through the series. As ever, the backmatter remains my favorite stuff, as I love creative process and his is particularly humbling.
February 6, 2019
The episodic nature of this was not expected. And whoa, do I love it! I do. So much.
This issue is rough and dark and lovely. I enjoyed the way war and Tolkien came about. I often see Tolkien as an inspirational source. Things can be bleak and awful, but at the same time there's humanity and good in the world. That messes around in really cool ways in Die #3. We're attached to the stress and violence. We're also not attached at all because we're removed. But the heart belongs somewhere in between, and I think that's the true task set before our characters. They want something. They can't have it without going through terrible things, both internal and external to themselves. It may be worth the journey, though we'll only know by the end.
42.75/50
This issue is rough and dark and lovely. I enjoyed the way war and Tolkien came about. I often see Tolkien as an inspirational source. Things can be bleak and awful, but at the same time there's humanity and good in the world. That messes around in really cool ways in Die #3. We're attached to the stress and violence. We're also not attached at all because we're removed. But the heart belongs somewhere in between, and I think that's the true task set before our characters. They want something. They can't have it without going through terrible things, both internal and external to themselves. It may be worth the journey, though we'll only know by the end.
42.75/50
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 17, 2019
El tercer número de Die recurre a un elemento clásico del género: la referencia a Tolkien, pero lo hace de una forma extraordinaria por la gran cantidad de lecturas que se puede tener. Me he quedado impresionado por la maestría de Kieron Gillen para lograr un homenaje sincero a la obra de Tolkien, poniéndose frente a éste a través de su personaje. Gillen se disculpa con él, pero al mismo tiempo lo deconstruye y hasta se atreve a "asesinar" a la solución favorita de Tolkien.
Quizás lo más cercano que haya visto a ésto es "El Problema de Susan" de Neil Gaiman, aunque Gillen aquí lo supera. He tenido que leerlo un par de veces para digerir todo lo que tiene que decir incluyendo sus notas al final. El arte, aunque no es todo de mi gusto, cumple la función que requiere la historia.
A Die aún le falta mucho camino por recorrer, pero este número es una obra de arte en sí misma (no es necesario leer el resto para apreciarla), capaz de hacer llorar a un fan de Tolkien de múltiples formas.
Quizás lo más cercano que haya visto a ésto es "El Problema de Susan" de Neil Gaiman, aunque Gillen aquí lo supera. He tenido que leerlo un par de veces para digerir todo lo que tiene que decir incluyendo sus notas al final. El arte, aunque no es todo de mi gusto, cumple la función que requiere la historia.
A Die aún le falta mucho camino por recorrer, pero este número es una obra de arte en sí misma (no es necesario leer el resto para apreciarla), capaz de hacer llorar a un fan de Tolkien de múltiples formas.
June 6, 2019
"You only have to play at Little Wars three or four times to realize what a blundering thing Great War must be." - H.G. Wells
At the end of Die #2 we are told that the group can survive anything but their past, and so they've decided to go through the War Zone. The beginning of the third issue starts in the midst of a war zone with a dragon wrecking havoc on the land and the group. They are separated and the story focuses on Sol, who winds up meeting a figure who appears to be J.R.R. Tolkien.
The letter from Gillen after the comic itself says this issue is about world building supporting the meta-fantasy of the comic. In this letter he explains that "DIE is a planet-sized 20-sided polyhedron consisting of 20 equal-sized triangular planes." It will be interesting to see how far this war zone expands.
At the end of Die #2 we are told that the group can survive anything but their past, and so they've decided to go through the War Zone. The beginning of the third issue starts in the midst of a war zone with a dragon wrecking havoc on the land and the group. They are separated and the story focuses on Sol, who winds up meeting a figure who appears to be J.R.R. Tolkien.
The letter from Gillen after the comic itself says this issue is about world building supporting the meta-fantasy of the comic. In this letter he explains that "DIE is a planet-sized 20-sided polyhedron consisting of 20 equal-sized triangular planes." It will be interesting to see how far this war zone expands.
February 13, 2019
Wow. DIE has many influences of course, and this is "the Tolkien issue". Playing in the spaces between Middle Earth and World War I, Ash is confronted by seeing previously-childhood-fantasy through adult allegorical eyes. The backmatter was particularly interesting on this one as well. Not much plot happened, this issue was more esoteric. Gillen mentioned in the essay that there will be more of these side-stories, and I super look forward to them. They remind me of the WicDiv specials, which I read without reading most of the main story. Self-contained, referential-to-the-max Gillen is excellent. I loved it.
February 24, 2019
I can't express how much I love this book.
This story is gorgeous. I mean this as a complete package. Both in the art and in the story. In this issue the character that can manipulate people’s emotions (yep, I can't remember her name or her class) falls into a trench that is filled with hobbits who are fighting some war. It is brutal. And it resonates so incredibly well on an emotional level. Ugh... the scene at the end It’s just so well done and sad.
Really. If you've not read this yet, get on it.
This story is gorgeous. I mean this as a complete package. Both in the art and in the story. In this issue the character that can manipulate people’s emotions (yep, I can't remember her name or her class) falls into a trench that is filled with hobbits who are fighting some war. It is brutal. And it resonates so incredibly well on an emotional level. Ugh... the scene at the end It’s just so well done and sad.
Really. If you've not read this yet, get on it.
August 10, 2020
Siento que me estoy perdiendo de algo. Personajes entran y salen sin razón, se supone que hay una guerra en curso o algo, pero no termino de entender ni de simpatizar con las situaciones en las que terminan los personajes...
I feel like I'm missing something. Characters come and go for no reason, there's supposed to be a war in progress or something, but I can't quite understand or sympathize with the situations the characters end up in...
I feel like I'm missing something. Characters come and go for no reason, there's supposed to be a war in progress or something, but I can't quite understand or sympathize with the situations the characters end up in...
February 17, 2019
Dragons are esential. Dragons are rare. Everyone loves dragons.
Until you meet one.
Me ha gustado muuuuuuuuuuuuucho más que los dos primeros. He sentido una pena infinita la verdad, disfruto como una enana con el mundo creado, el sistema de magia, etc. Aún así sigo un poco confusa por el rumbo de la historia.
Y quiero seguir destacando los dibujos. Vaya pasada.
Until you meet one.
Me ha gustado muuuuuuuuuuuuucho más que los dos primeros. He sentido una pena infinita la verdad, disfruto como una enana con el mundo creado, el sistema de magia, etc. Aún así sigo un poco confusa por el rumbo de la historia.
Y quiero seguir destacando los dibujos. Vaya pasada.
February 14, 2019
In DIE No. 3, Ash is separated from his friends in the RPG world, and is faced with the realisation that there are more people suffering in this realm.
Read my full review at BamSmackPow.
Read my full review at BamSmackPow.
June 7, 2019
This was good enough that I’ll forgive a Tolkien cameo in a world indebted to Gygax (who was no fan of Tolkien). The writeup in the end about wrestling with Tolkien and general world building is very thoughtful. This is likely my favourite comic series altogether now.
June 2, 2023
Die #3 hits different. Beware though — some J.R.R. Tolkien knowledge is required. I don’t think Gillen and Hans could fit more Tolkien references in if they tried. If this is just one face of the D20 world of DIE, I’m excited to see the others.
February 12, 2019
the tolkien symbolism WOW
February 17, 2019
I do love a good Tolkien reference.
March 3, 2019
Brilliant in D20 ways...
Die is fantastic both as a deconstruction and exploration of fantasy and gaming and as a bloody great, rollicking, sometimes horrifying adventure.
Die is fantastic both as a deconstruction and exploration of fantasy and gaming and as a bloody great, rollicking, sometimes horrifying adventure.
March 3, 2019
Absolutely stunning art and world-building. I love the relationships and characters that are slowly being revealed.
March 31, 2019
The Tolkien one... And a dragon!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 4, 2022
Ash doesn't have to use the voice to make everyone feel miserable. This realm is already mixed with sadness, tragedy and beauty. It's woven into every line.
August 18, 2022
This issue was just sad and brutal with no hope, revealing the worst part about war. That last few scenes was the worst.
October 16, 2022
I think this is kinda lost on me, somewhat boring..
February 6, 2019
This was the issue where everything clicked for me. I was already onboard with issues 1 and 2, but this has stayed with me since I finished it mid-afternoon into writing the review at night. Gillen's exploration of the trauma and consequences of a D&D-like setting are impressive. But layer onto that an uncompromised interpretation of what Tolkien's fantasy World War 1 may have been is what I keep returning to.
It's heartbreaking, being introduced to 4 NPCs with tragic backstories that temporarily motivate our protagonists. And like true NPCs, they stop existing once the party moves on. BUT, the coda at the end of this issue is what sells the emotion. Watching the eagle (always the eagle) get shot down and the wizard officer burn the letter home, sealing the cycle of violence and lies that the war is built on, while sending a new party of 4 halfings over the top to once again try to complete an impossible mission, puts the Lord of the Rings in an entirely new light. You have the clean, good versus evil of LOTR, compared to what must have inspired it in this muck-ridden parable about trench warfare. The only sad part of this series is that it's only 6 issues long. Cannot wait to see where Gillen takes it.
It's heartbreaking, being introduced to 4 NPCs with tragic backstories that temporarily motivate our protagonists. And like true NPCs, they stop existing once the party moves on. BUT, the coda at the end of this issue is what sells the emotion. Watching the eagle (always the eagle) get shot down and the wizard officer burn the letter home, sealing the cycle of violence and lies that the war is built on, while sending a new party of 4 halfings over the top to once again try to complete an impossible mission, puts the Lord of the Rings in an entirely new light. You have the clean, good versus evil of LOTR, compared to what must have inspired it in this muck-ridden parable about trench warfare. The only sad part of this series is that it's only 6 issues long. Cannot wait to see where Gillen takes it.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Displaying 1 - 29 of 29 reviews