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Die #16-20
Die, Vol. 4: Bleed
We've had dragons. The award-winning bleak deconstruction couldn't end without turning its unblinking eye upon a dungeon. There's no escape. There's only down.
Collects DIE #16-20
Collects DIE #16-20
169 pages, Kindle Edition
First published November 3, 2021
47 people are currently reading
614 people want to read
About the author
Kieron Gillen
1,472 books1,907 followersKieron Gillen is a comic book writer and former media journalist.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 248 reviews
February 1, 2022
I’m not sure I fully understand everything that happened over the course of DIE. Gillen is a deep thinker who thinks deeply, and I undoubtedly lost the thread on a few occasions.
My own extensive intellectual limitations notwithstanding, DIE makes you think, feel, and examine (and reexamine) things you’ve accepted by rote while also telling a pretty darn entertaining fantasy yarn. It’s not always easy reading, but it’s worth the effort.
My own extensive intellectual limitations notwithstanding, DIE makes you think, feel, and examine (and reexamine) things you’ve accepted by rote while also telling a pretty darn entertaining fantasy yarn. It’s not always easy reading, but it’s worth the effort.
November 19, 2021
"A dream is no escape. It was a dream to think it could be."
If you haven't been on board for Die, the finale won't change your opinion. Like much of the series, it struggles to achieve the emotional depth and complexity that Gillen sees himself. In some ways, it feels like Gillen forgets that the nuances he sees in his story and its players aren't automatically present on the page. That's been true for the entire series, and it remains the case here, as the conclusion to this tremendously ambitious story resolves on the same trajectory it started on. It's not a surprising ending, but for me, it's a stellar one.
I have plenty of qualms with Gillen's writing and not infrequently struggle to get invested in his storytelling style. But with Die, I so wanted access to the world he and Hans had concocted that I muscled my way in, re-read arcs as needed, and essentially forced my way into a narrative that sometimes pushed me away. With this final arc, Gillen shows all his cards, which I found to be remarkably satisfying, especially for a writer as fond of mystery as him.
This is a neat conclusion, against all odds. Not an entirely happy one, obviously, but it understands its characters and offers them the closure they deserve, for better and worse. It often moved me, it occasionally frustrated me, and it left me both satiated and discontent. But that's what I want from most stories, honestly. I want them to leave me unsatisfied on some level because that's what life is, and fiction that captures the messy, frustrating parts of life is the fiction that often resonates with me the most. I am very confident in saying this is my favorite project from Gillen, and while I think Wicked + Divine will probably (and rightfully) go down as his magnum opus, there's something richer about what he does with Die that will linger with me.
But you can't talk about Die without talking about its art, as Hans has consistently delivered some of the most revelatory spreads in the market. Some of her expressions aren't as crisp as I might've liked, but her understanding of body language is arguably unparalleled. Whenever Gillen's script can't entirely unlock an emotional moment, Hans' artwork will often make up the difference with its stunning flourishes of color and line and momentum.
Die is a comic you feel as much as read, and that's entirely on account of Hans' artwork. Some of the dramatic moments in this finale are among her best—issue 19 is the best one in the series and one of the best single issues of a comic I've read in a long time—but it's the intimate moments that struck me the most. There's a gentleness to her work here that, while consistent with her style, is more pronounced than earlier, as Hans' draws her characters with an air of added vulnerability that completely aligns (and magnifies) with the work Gillen does with his scripts.
I read this final arc as single issues, and I continue to love the unique experience that Gillen has created by ending each installment with an essay or interview. It acts as an interstitial between story beats that allow the audience to process the events that have just taken place—which is especially relevant and appreciated in these pages—while also offering them a path that leads deeper into the themes and motivations the series reckons with. I can't imagine reading the series without them.
So yeah, this is great. I look forward to owning a fancy compendium of the series that allows me to admire it on my shelf and, as needed, reenter its worlds when I am inevitably led back to them.
If you haven't been on board for Die, the finale won't change your opinion. Like much of the series, it struggles to achieve the emotional depth and complexity that Gillen sees himself. In some ways, it feels like Gillen forgets that the nuances he sees in his story and its players aren't automatically present on the page. That's been true for the entire series, and it remains the case here, as the conclusion to this tremendously ambitious story resolves on the same trajectory it started on. It's not a surprising ending, but for me, it's a stellar one.
I have plenty of qualms with Gillen's writing and not infrequently struggle to get invested in his storytelling style. But with Die, I so wanted access to the world he and Hans had concocted that I muscled my way in, re-read arcs as needed, and essentially forced my way into a narrative that sometimes pushed me away. With this final arc, Gillen shows all his cards, which I found to be remarkably satisfying, especially for a writer as fond of mystery as him.
This is a neat conclusion, against all odds. Not an entirely happy one, obviously, but it understands its characters and offers them the closure they deserve, for better and worse. It often moved me, it occasionally frustrated me, and it left me both satiated and discontent. But that's what I want from most stories, honestly. I want them to leave me unsatisfied on some level because that's what life is, and fiction that captures the messy, frustrating parts of life is the fiction that often resonates with me the most. I am very confident in saying this is my favorite project from Gillen, and while I think Wicked + Divine will probably (and rightfully) go down as his magnum opus, there's something richer about what he does with Die that will linger with me.
But you can't talk about Die without talking about its art, as Hans has consistently delivered some of the most revelatory spreads in the market. Some of her expressions aren't as crisp as I might've liked, but her understanding of body language is arguably unparalleled. Whenever Gillen's script can't entirely unlock an emotional moment, Hans' artwork will often make up the difference with its stunning flourishes of color and line and momentum.
Die is a comic you feel as much as read, and that's entirely on account of Hans' artwork. Some of the dramatic moments in this finale are among her best—issue 19 is the best one in the series and one of the best single issues of a comic I've read in a long time—but it's the intimate moments that struck me the most. There's a gentleness to her work here that, while consistent with her style, is more pronounced than earlier, as Hans' draws her characters with an air of added vulnerability that completely aligns (and magnifies) with the work Gillen does with his scripts.
I read this final arc as single issues, and I continue to love the unique experience that Gillen has created by ending each installment with an essay or interview. It acts as an interstitial between story beats that allow the audience to process the events that have just taken place—which is especially relevant and appreciated in these pages—while also offering them a path that leads deeper into the themes and motivations the series reckons with. I can't imagine reading the series without them.
So yeah, this is great. I look forward to owning a fancy compendium of the series that allows me to admire it on my shelf and, as needed, reenter its worlds when I am inevitably led back to them.
January 31, 2022
A fitting finale to this (one suspects) very personal tale by Gillen about our sad-sack of 40-something '90s kids coming to terms with how their immersion in a mystical TTRPG has shaped their lives.
One thing I really liked is how
I really don't see any sequels or follow-ups as possible so if you are looking for a well-contained 20 issues graphic novel story this is a qualified recommendation on the strength of the worldbuilding and art.
One thing I really liked is how
I really don't see any sequels or follow-ups as possible so if you are looking for a well-contained 20 issues graphic novel story this is a qualified recommendation on the strength of the worldbuilding and art.
February 7, 2022
I own this book.
I don't know what happened. I wanted to be obsessed with this book but I found myself just kind of excepting it as fine. I liked this series, don't get me wrong. Jumanji meets DnD? Okay, sure, sign me up. But I think my lack of knowledge on DnD really held me back from enjoying this story to it's full potential. We ended Vol 3 with the gang deciding to head to the centre of Die in order to save Die and save their own world too. Matt had lost control of his rage and his sadness after finding out that his dad passed away he wasn't there to see it. Chuck is dying. Andrea can't say goodbye to her daughter. Ash is struggling with her gender identity. Isabel is still super annoying in my opinion. One thing I can't fault this story on is the art. Seriously, if I could frame every page of this book, I would. Despite not fully being able to enjoy it, I do really like Kieron Gillen's writing but I feel like I would need to have read this entire series in one sitting to fully follow it.
I don't know what happened. I wanted to be obsessed with this book but I found myself just kind of excepting it as fine. I liked this series, don't get me wrong. Jumanji meets DnD? Okay, sure, sign me up. But I think my lack of knowledge on DnD really held me back from enjoying this story to it's full potential. We ended Vol 3 with the gang deciding to head to the centre of Die in order to save Die and save their own world too. Matt had lost control of his rage and his sadness after finding out that his dad passed away he wasn't there to see it. Chuck is dying. Andrea can't say goodbye to her daughter. Ash is struggling with her gender identity. Isabel is still super annoying in my opinion. One thing I can't fault this story on is the art. Seriously, if I could frame every page of this book, I would. Despite not fully being able to enjoy it, I do really like Kieron Gillen's writing but I feel like I would need to have read this entire series in one sitting to fully follow it.
June 15, 2022
One of the best graphic novels I’ve ever read. That was brilliant and struck deep.
July 23, 2022
Ao longo das quatro edições que forma a jornada de leitura da série DIE, a qualidade das histórias oscilou, mas sempre manterndo um nível de bom, para muito bom, para ótimo. Confesso que muitas vezes não entendi bem o que se passava na história e que acredito que seja muito em função da narrativa e dos desenhos difusos de Stephanie Hans. mas também tenha sido intenção dos autores dada a natureza da história. É muito legal acompanhar essa hstória de jogadores de RPG tragados por um mundo de fantasia, bem no estilo Caverna do Dragão, para adultos. Neste último capítulo temos alguns insights sobre a condição queer e a raiva e frsutração e o desejo que essa condição nos causa que são bastante interessantes. O que me faz perguntar se realmente o roteirista Kieron Gillen não é do vale. Uma coisa que me frustrou um pouco foi que achei que os autores iriam apresentar mais de seus personagens depois de deixarem o mundo de DIE, o que não acontece. Mas tudo bem, o que importa é a jornada, não o destino, E a jornada de leitura de Die foi bastante recompensadora. Recomendo a leitura aos amigos!
April 29, 2022
Having encountered Charlotte Bronte, H.G. Wells, and J.R.R. Tolkien in Die, it was only a matter of time before H.P. Lovecraft turned up. He plays a fine role in this fourth volume, sending our adventurers deeper into the dungeon/Mines of Moria.
Is Bleed a compelling conclusion to the often obtuse but endlessly intriguing Die series? Sure! Kieron Gillen clearly lays out his goal for the series in the end pages: games are ways that we process the world. Die offers a much larger, deadlier game than we typically encounter, but it's still a game nonetheless. The explanation of where and how the Die world was created is...lackluster, to be sure, though I'm not sure I expected anything better. Reminds me a bit of Jumanji, where the game just is, and that's fine.
The characters I've come to cherish all have satisfying, appropriate conclusions. Sacrifices are made, smartly. And, wildly enough, the endgame of the Die world matches up with our pandemic year in 2020. So the final issue features . It's unsettling!
So yes, a solid conclusion. Could have been better, but could have been much, much worse. Die is clearly a very personal story for Kieron Gillen and I think that shows in the heart and soul of the tale. It's nice when a compact, four-volume series can be so expansive and attempt to say so much.
Is Bleed a compelling conclusion to the often obtuse but endlessly intriguing Die series? Sure! Kieron Gillen clearly lays out his goal for the series in the end pages: games are ways that we process the world. Die offers a much larger, deadlier game than we typically encounter, but it's still a game nonetheless. The explanation of where and how the Die world was created is...lackluster, to be sure, though I'm not sure I expected anything better. Reminds me a bit of Jumanji, where the game just is, and that's fine.
The characters I've come to cherish all have satisfying, appropriate conclusions. Sacrifices are made, smartly. And, wildly enough, the endgame of the Die world matches up with our pandemic year in 2020. So the final issue features . It's unsettling!
So yes, a solid conclusion. Could have been better, but could have been much, much worse. Die is clearly a very personal story for Kieron Gillen and I think that shows in the heart and soul of the tale. It's nice when a compact, four-volume series can be so expansive and attempt to say so much.
November 26, 2021
My score might go up if I ever do a binge re-read of the series - I think each volume is too dependent on the ones before it to have read so sporadically.
This book ends the series and provides a strong sense of closure, giving meaning to all that has come before it while also recontextualizing things yet again. There's a density of themes and meanings here that would probably reward a reread. The plot moves forward to an earned conclusion, but I feel like our characters could have used even more time to develop - this series laid the groundwork for several more volumes to flesh out the world, the characters, and everything in it, but it feels a bit rushed to get to its conclusion.
The best aspect of the book is a toss-up between the still stunning artwork and the very informative back matter, which goes to some strange topics that are RPG-adjacent, but make for worthwhile reads.
All told the series doesn't quite live up to the expectations set by the first volume, but I would still recommend it to anyone who has an interest in Role Playing, especially anyone who is deeply into that world. Between the sheer imagination, the historical aspects, the world building, the character building, and the gorgeous art, any rushed endings are a small price to pay for the trek.
This book ends the series and provides a strong sense of closure, giving meaning to all that has come before it while also recontextualizing things yet again. There's a density of themes and meanings here that would probably reward a reread. The plot moves forward to an earned conclusion, but I feel like our characters could have used even more time to develop - this series laid the groundwork for several more volumes to flesh out the world, the characters, and everything in it, but it feels a bit rushed to get to its conclusion.
The best aspect of the book is a toss-up between the still stunning artwork and the very informative back matter, which goes to some strange topics that are RPG-adjacent, but make for worthwhile reads.
All told the series doesn't quite live up to the expectations set by the first volume, but I would still recommend it to anyone who has an interest in Role Playing, especially anyone who is deeply into that world. Between the sheer imagination, the historical aspects, the world building, the character building, and the gorgeous art, any rushed endings are a small price to pay for the trek.
November 23, 2021
An excellent ending. The artwork in this series has been a feast for my eyes, and the story came together in the end in a most satisfying manner.
December 14, 2021
A mostly great finale to a story and world I’ve loved spending time in. These issues conclusively wrap up an impressive number of lingering threads; that can sometimes feel like loose ends being tied up more than the natural pacing of the earlier issues, but I appreciated its journey and where it ends up.
Gillen is prone to dialogue sections that read like him speaking instead of his characters or otherwise being a little too cutely meta, and that’s especially present in the last couple issues here, but what he’s saying about games and fantasy worlds is interesting enough that I’m mostly a fan of it. The literary allusions and literal author inclusions are a treat again (and particularly Lovecraft and Fellowship-focused this time); that’s one of the elements I’m most sad there won’t be more of with this series finished.
Hans’s art continues to be incredible. A few more mundane pages and facial expressions look a little sloppier than usual, but her digitally painted art is distinctly gorgeous and I’m excited to see what she works on next.
Gillen is prone to dialogue sections that read like him speaking instead of his characters or otherwise being a little too cutely meta, and that’s especially present in the last couple issues here, but what he’s saying about games and fantasy worlds is interesting enough that I’m mostly a fan of it. The literary allusions and literal author inclusions are a treat again (and particularly Lovecraft and Fellowship-focused this time); that’s one of the elements I’m most sad there won’t be more of with this series finished.
Hans’s art continues to be incredible. A few more mundane pages and facial expressions look a little sloppier than usual, but her digitally painted art is distinctly gorgeous and I’m excited to see what she works on next.
March 13, 2022
Gillen's final volume of Die contains an interminable quest through a dungeon followed by a philosophical discussion of the nature of roleplaying games. I'm happy to see this story get proper closure, but it never again reached the heights of its first two volumes.
(Nevertheless, I'll pick up a nice hardcover collection when it comes out, some day, and see if my experience is any different when I read it as a whole.)
(Nevertheless, I'll pick up a nice hardcover collection when it comes out, some day, and see if my experience is any different when I read it as a whole.)
October 16, 2021
Always hard to stick the landing on these intriguing series that start with novel concepts. This one wasn’t that satisfying but the journey was interesting and illuminating. Liked learning about the history of gaming and hg wells and lovecraft.
November 16, 2021
Hard to end something as expansive as this in a short time, but bringing it back to the main characters was the right way to do it. And now that it's over, this is officially the most consistently beautiful comic I've ever read.
January 14, 2022
Oh DIE...how you frustrate me.
I think maybe if I were more personally invested in tabletop RPGs this series would have hit harder, but as things stand this story seems to have a frightfully overinflated sense of its own importance.
It also suffers greatly from not giving itself enough time to get to all the themes it throws at the wall, hoping something will stick. I appreciate that it was hampered by a reduced run but when the team knew they only had a minimal amount of time to end things they could very easily have streamlined. The world this story takes place in is interesting, and I think the characters could have been, but there was just too much going on to ever really get to know them.
I think maybe if I were more personally invested in tabletop RPGs this series would have hit harder, but as things stand this story seems to have a frightfully overinflated sense of its own importance.
It also suffers greatly from not giving itself enough time to get to all the themes it throws at the wall, hoping something will stick. I appreciate that it was hampered by a reduced run but when the team knew they only had a minimal amount of time to end things they could very easily have streamlined. The world this story takes place in is interesting, and I think the characters could have been, but there was just too much going on to ever really get to know them.
March 13, 2022
Pues por sorpresa el otro día me encontré en la librería con este cómic, el último volumen de la colección Die, la que me hizo volver a todo esto del cómic hace no tanto tiempo. He aprovechado para leerme toda la colección del tirón este fin de semana y poder leer el final con todo lo anterior fresco, y me ha encantado este repaso. Hago un resumen muy breve: en 1991 un grupo de jóvenes se reúnen una tarde para celebrar dos cumpleaños jugando a rol, y desaparecen misteriosamente durante dos años. Pasado ese tiempo, vuelven a aparecer cinco de ellos, y una de ellas ha perdido un brazo, pero ninguno de ellos cuenta qué ha pasado en ese tiempo, ni siquiera qué ha ocurrido con Sol, el director de juego, que es la persona que ha desaparecido. Y veinticinco años después, llega el momento de ponerlo todo en orden y que descubramos lo ocurrido: los chicos pasaron esos años en un mundo de fantasía (a lo serie clásica de Dragones y Mazmorras), un mundo basado en los clásicos del rol y la literatura, y en el que cada uno de ellos tiene diversos poderes. Así, Dom se convierte en Ash, la Dictadora; su hermana Ángela es una Neo, una especie de pícaro futurista; Chuck es el afortunado Bufón; Isabelle la Domadora de Dioses; y Matt, el Caballero de la Pena. Y ahora descubren que Sol se ha convertido en el nuevo Maestro del mundo de Die, y deben derrotarlo para poder volver a su mundo.
En los tomos anteriores habíamos ido viendo la evolución de los personajes en Die, pues pronto van a surgir diversas opiniones entre ellos, y el grupo se va a romper debido a esto, y además, habíamos conocido las diversas zonas que forman Die, un dado de veinte caras en el que cada uno de sus lados es un territorio distinto: la belicista Prusia Eterna, la Pequeña Inglaterra, las Tierras Oníricas o el Reino de Angria... Y además, habíamos ido conociendo a otras personalidades representadas en Die, como Tolkien, Charlotte Bronte o H.G Wells, que habían ido revelando fragmentos de información sobre el mundo de Die. su formación y sus causas...
Y en Sangrar, el último tomo, vamos a encontrarnos con el desafío final para los personajes. Superadas (más o menos) sus diferencias, ha llegado el momento de descender al interior del mundo de Die para evitar que los dados mágicos que transformarían su vida viajaran a su tiempo para destruir sus vidas tal y como las habían vivido. Y lo harán a través de 13, el Mar Vacío en cuyo centro se encuentra la isla que lleva al interior de Die. Aquí vamos a disfrutar de otro de los grandes creadores de literatura fantástica, Lovecraft, pero si en el primer tomo habíamos podido ver a los hobbits de Tolkien convertidos en los soldados de Pequeña Inglaterra, aquí directamente vamos a viajar a Moria, representación de las mazmorras de los grandes juegos de rol, símbolo de estos durante mucho tiempo, para poder llegar al corazón de Die... y no todos sobrevivirán a la experiencia.
En fin, Die ha sido toda una experiencia, y leído el último tomo, sin duda es un homenaje a los juegos de rol como forma de entretenimiento pero también de crecimiento y maduración, una historia en la que Gillen, con el dibujazo de Stephanie Hans como soporte, hace todo un canto sobre la que según el mismo reconoce es una de sus grandes aficiones.
Muy recomendable.
En los tomos anteriores habíamos ido viendo la evolución de los personajes en Die, pues pronto van a surgir diversas opiniones entre ellos, y el grupo se va a romper debido a esto, y además, habíamos conocido las diversas zonas que forman Die, un dado de veinte caras en el que cada uno de sus lados es un territorio distinto: la belicista Prusia Eterna, la Pequeña Inglaterra, las Tierras Oníricas o el Reino de Angria... Y además, habíamos ido conociendo a otras personalidades representadas en Die, como Tolkien, Charlotte Bronte o H.G Wells, que habían ido revelando fragmentos de información sobre el mundo de Die. su formación y sus causas...
Y en Sangrar, el último tomo, vamos a encontrarnos con el desafío final para los personajes. Superadas (más o menos) sus diferencias, ha llegado el momento de descender al interior del mundo de Die para evitar que los dados mágicos que transformarían su vida viajaran a su tiempo para destruir sus vidas tal y como las habían vivido. Y lo harán a través de 13, el Mar Vacío en cuyo centro se encuentra la isla que lleva al interior de Die. Aquí vamos a disfrutar de otro de los grandes creadores de literatura fantástica, Lovecraft, pero si en el primer tomo habíamos podido ver a los hobbits de Tolkien convertidos en los soldados de Pequeña Inglaterra, aquí directamente vamos a viajar a Moria, representación de las mazmorras de los grandes juegos de rol, símbolo de estos durante mucho tiempo, para poder llegar al corazón de Die... y no todos sobrevivirán a la experiencia.
En fin, Die ha sido toda una experiencia, y leído el último tomo, sin duda es un homenaje a los juegos de rol como forma de entretenimiento pero también de crecimiento y maduración, una historia en la que Gillen, con el dibujazo de Stephanie Hans como soporte, hace todo un canto sobre la que según el mismo reconoce es una de sus grandes aficiones.
Muy recomendable.
May 24, 2022
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For more reviews: www.wolfmantula.com/book-reviews
Vol.1, Fantasy Heartbreaker RATING: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Vol. 2, Split the Party RATING: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Vol. 3, The Great Game RATING: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Vol. 4, Bleed RATING: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
This series is a dark ravenous love-letter to RPG’s. 6 kids play a game of D&D that ends up being far more than just a regular game. They get sucked into the world of “Die,” similar to what happens in the Jumaji remake with Dwayne Johnson and Kevin Hart where they get sucked into the world of Jumaji. The author calls it a “goth jumanji in the book description, so I’ll agree with the jumaji feel. But instead of goth, let’s call it, twisted, because I didn’t really get that gothic vibe. This is dark and brutal… and so much fun!
“You know those movies where a serial killer locks people in a room with a trap that’s about to grind them into pâté? This is that meets Narnia, right?”
The story was incredible and for most of it, it had me at the edge of my seat flipping pages to see what was going to happen next, although Vol. 2 did slow down a bit as we got a deeper dive into each one of the main characters, fleshing them out and each one having their own dynamic of personal conflicts. The world itself is very interesting, Gillen builds upon it in each volume, but Vol. 2 is where we really start to understand the world on a deeper level and things start to get even crazier afterwards. Finally, there were multiple cameos that were incredible to see, it reminded me of Stan Lee’s cameo’s in the Marvel films, but much more part of the story. What a way to honor those legends, touché!
“And they need my protection. This place is a vampire, full of lesser vampires. It will sink its teeth into you, and make you want it…”
Gillen can get a little wordy at times from all the research that was put in, and could be a bit much for some, but there is a good bit of a history lesson mixed in with the cameos, and I love learning new things, especially about literature legends, so I did like that. This was a lot deeper than I expected it would be when I started reading it, as I stated above, this is like a love-letter to RPG’s and you feel it every step of the way, but also, the experience of finding yourself, both the good and bad.
“What is “Twitter”? It’s a place devoid of any sentient life, entirely hostile to humanity. A lot like here, really.”
The artwork by Stephanie Hans is breathtaking, from the details into the characters to the details in the cities, this was truly some of my favorite artwork that I’ve seen so far, so much so, that I enjoyed the art almost as much as the story itself just on how outstanding it was.
For more reviews: www.wolfmantula.com/book-reviews
Vol.1, Fantasy Heartbreaker RATING: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Vol. 2, Split the Party RATING: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Vol. 3, The Great Game RATING: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Vol. 4, Bleed RATING: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
This series is a dark ravenous love-letter to RPG’s. 6 kids play a game of D&D that ends up being far more than just a regular game. They get sucked into the world of “Die,” similar to what happens in the Jumaji remake with Dwayne Johnson and Kevin Hart where they get sucked into the world of Jumaji. The author calls it a “goth jumanji in the book description, so I’ll agree with the jumaji feel. But instead of goth, let’s call it, twisted, because I didn’t really get that gothic vibe. This is dark and brutal… and so much fun!
“You know those movies where a serial killer locks people in a room with a trap that’s about to grind them into pâté? This is that meets Narnia, right?”
The story was incredible and for most of it, it had me at the edge of my seat flipping pages to see what was going to happen next, although Vol. 2 did slow down a bit as we got a deeper dive into each one of the main characters, fleshing them out and each one having their own dynamic of personal conflicts. The world itself is very interesting, Gillen builds upon it in each volume, but Vol. 2 is where we really start to understand the world on a deeper level and things start to get even crazier afterwards. Finally, there were multiple cameos that were incredible to see, it reminded me of Stan Lee’s cameo’s in the Marvel films, but much more part of the story. What a way to honor those legends, touché!
“And they need my protection. This place is a vampire, full of lesser vampires. It will sink its teeth into you, and make you want it…”
Gillen can get a little wordy at times from all the research that was put in, and could be a bit much for some, but there is a good bit of a history lesson mixed in with the cameos, and I love learning new things, especially about literature legends, so I did like that. This was a lot deeper than I expected it would be when I started reading it, as I stated above, this is like a love-letter to RPG’s and you feel it every step of the way, but also, the experience of finding yourself, both the good and bad.
“What is “Twitter”? It’s a place devoid of any sentient life, entirely hostile to humanity. A lot like here, really.”
The artwork by Stephanie Hans is breathtaking, from the details into the characters to the details in the cities, this was truly some of my favorite artwork that I’ve seen so far, so much so, that I enjoyed the art almost as much as the story itself just on how outstanding it was.
January 21, 2022
Wow. The ending really did bring it together. The final two issues are a fantastic abbreviated mediation on what role-playing games are “for”. Really brings the entire series together in a fabulous way. Even servicing the queer character and themes better than I expected, too. wouldn’t be Die without a final love letter to fantasy, and “story”. Excellent.
December 7, 2021
I love the meta-commentary about RPGs and how they're basically social therapy. Great series, though I wish there wasn't so much focus on Ash so that the other characters could shine.
Read
November 5, 2021Read this and appreciated Gillen and Hans's love for the games and genre that shaped them and the book, but this felt absent of the stakes and momentum of the two previous arcs. There's no more wonder or remarkable acts of cleverness. Part of that feels by design, but an arc-long anti-climax stops feeling formally inventive when it's evident how this will go. Additionally, I admire how this book attempts to discuss identity, specifically queer identity, but the dialogue became much more stilted during these sections.
'Die' was pitched as a 20 issue series so Gillen and Hans have completed the story they wanted to tell. However, I wish that they had as much admiration for their own world as they do for their predecessors' because I would like to visit there again with a less Gen-X toxic group.
Maybe this whole comic then has been a long sales pitch for us to pick up the 'Die' RPG, and make our own stories in that world of worlds.
'Die' was pitched as a 20 issue series so Gillen and Hans have completed the story they wanted to tell. However, I wish that they had as much admiration for their own world as they do for their predecessors' because I would like to visit there again with a less Gen-X toxic group.
Maybe this whole comic then has been a long sales pitch for us to pick up the 'Die' RPG, and make our own stories in that world of worlds.
November 16, 2021
actual rating: 3.5
Overall a really good conclusion to the series. I think the strong point of this series has always been how much it plays with structure both in how the series and volumes are structured with there being 20 issues and it ending in 2020 etc [I'm assuming the original plan was for this to actually be published at the end of 2020 before everything happened] and also in paying homage to big names in genre fiction that also have a huge impact on modern RPGs like Tolkien. I do feel like this is sometimes a detriment as well because at times it can get a bit bogged down in the big picture and individual characters can get overlooked in the moment because of that, but overall a really strong series that does a lot of interesting things with story structure. Also so glad that we finally got to explore Ash's gender in this one, I'd been waiting for that since basically the beginning!
Overall a really good conclusion to the series. I think the strong point of this series has always been how much it plays with structure both in how the series and volumes are structured with there being 20 issues and it ending in 2020 etc [I'm assuming the original plan was for this to actually be published at the end of 2020 before everything happened] and also in paying homage to big names in genre fiction that also have a huge impact on modern RPGs like Tolkien. I do feel like this is sometimes a detriment as well because at times it can get a bit bogged down in the big picture and individual characters can get overlooked in the moment because of that, but overall a really strong series that does a lot of interesting things with story structure. Also so glad that we finally got to explore Ash's gender in this one, I'd been waiting for that since basically the beginning!
December 31, 2021
NOTE: I will be writing a much longer review of this book next time I read it, which will be all 4 in a row, to increase retention and story comprehension.
The final Volume of DIE is much more about the interpersonal relationship than the previous Volumes, at least to my recall. With the end in sight, the group goes together towards the center of Die, trying their hardest to make their way home. Only 5 return home, though this time Sol does make it back, though forever changed. It seems like the end of the story, but there could always be a sequel or "Return to DIE" story in the future.
Kieron Gillen is a master storyteller and I would definitely come back to the world. Easily one of the best short series in recent comics. Really looking forward to seeing how the game will turn out.
Recommend.
The final Volume of DIE is much more about the interpersonal relationship than the previous Volumes, at least to my recall. With the end in sight, the group goes together towards the center of Die, trying their hardest to make their way home. Only 5 return home, though this time Sol does make it back, though forever changed. It seems like the end of the story, but there could always be a sequel or "Return to DIE" story in the future.
Kieron Gillen is a master storyteller and I would definitely come back to the world. Easily one of the best short series in recent comics. Really looking forward to seeing how the game will turn out.
Recommend.
March 2, 2022
(3,8 of 5 for Gillen repelling me out of his fantasy)
Kieron set the bar way too high at the start of this series. With the third book, it started to feel it is losing its grip. I can appreciate references, some more than others. But references to Garth Marenghi couldn't hold the ever-expanding narratory pillar of Die for long. It slowly became comics about some D&D sessions where characters more discuss than play and we also get the inner monologue from one of them. And rich one, because Gillen wants to elaborate and explain the whirlwind of the mechanics and events of his story, which is trying to be philosophical and meta. I struggled to pay attention. I never managed to start caring about any of the characters and this just made it worse. I don't know if Gillen would end it with a bang if that at least would leave some nice feeling in me, but that's not the case here.
Kieron set the bar way too high at the start of this series. With the third book, it started to feel it is losing its grip. I can appreciate references, some more than others. But references to Garth Marenghi couldn't hold the ever-expanding narratory pillar of Die for long. It slowly became comics about some D&D sessions where characters more discuss than play and we also get the inner monologue from one of them. And rich one, because Gillen wants to elaborate and explain the whirlwind of the mechanics and events of his story, which is trying to be philosophical and meta. I struggled to pay attention. I never managed to start caring about any of the characters and this just made it worse. I don't know if Gillen would end it with a bang if that at least would leave some nice feeling in me, but that's not the case here.
February 19, 2022
My Rating: 2.5/5
This volume was really a love letter to tabletop RPG and what they offer their communities. That being said, I feel like through most of this series I was just confused. And that's ok. It doesn't always have to make sense but for graphic novels, I like to have a good time and not have to think too terribly hard (that could be a me problem). I look forward to getting my fiancee to read these as he is an avid DnD player and I'm curious to see his thoughts.
Thanks for reading,
Sidny
This volume was really a love letter to tabletop RPG and what they offer their communities. That being said, I feel like through most of this series I was just confused. And that's ok. It doesn't always have to make sense but for graphic novels, I like to have a good time and not have to think too terribly hard (that could be a me problem). I look forward to getting my fiancee to read these as he is an avid DnD player and I'm curious to see his thoughts.
Thanks for reading,
Sidny
May 1, 2022
Kind of fizzles out to a rather "meh..." conclusion. This really could have been something. Gillen does a much better job with Once and Future of making a potentially obtuse story (all the various King Arthur/Albion legends) clear for the average reader and I think he easily could have done the same here. But Die was never very clear and I'm not really sure who the readership for this series was supposed to be, other than diehard role-playing gamers. The artwork, as usual, is the main draw here...
December 20, 2021
I'm glad this is the last volume. The ending is not bad, and about as upbeat as it could be given the nature of the story that led to it, but it's still depressing. I still think this story is an anti-ad for roleplaying. It makes a nod towards RPGs being a method of self-exploration, but in the context of such exploration causing untold suffering for both the explorer and others.
I can't really recommend this story to others, but I don't regret having read it.
I can't really recommend this story to others, but I don't regret having read it.
Read
April 25, 2023probably the most represented i've ever seen myself in fiction
***
re-read for research in 2023: absolutely stellar conclusion. the character arcs... and issue 19 continues to hit me like a hammer.
also the way it ties back to reality in the 2020s, and what it says about the state of culture... brilliant.
***
re-read for research in 2023: absolutely stellar conclusion. the character arcs... and issue 19 continues to hit me like a hammer.
also the way it ties back to reality in the 2020s, and what it says about the state of culture... brilliant.
March 7, 2024
I was happy for this to be over. There were some interesting ideas, but it had gone on too long, and there was too much philosophizing about RPGs at times. I also never cared much for any of the characters.
December 6, 2021
Series Info/Source: This is the 4th and final volume in the Die graphic novel series. I bought this book.
Thoughts: This was yet another fairly disappointing ending to a graphic novel series. This had a very cliche' open-ended of ending. This is the third graphic novel series I have finished this month where you have this ambiguous and very unsatisfying type of ending.
The ending here felt really rushed. I also felt like we picked up some time after Vol 3 and that some things that happened in that “in-between” time were missing from the story. As a result, the reader is left to kind of assume what happened between Vol 3 and 4.
This volume has Ash and crew back together as a party and heading into the heart of Die. There we find out what happened to Sol and how Die was created. There are again a lot of gaming references but the world is more Lovecraftian in nature this time around, so there is more discussion of Call of the Cthulhu and those types of RPGs. There are also a lot of rather corny LoTR references.
The whole explanation behind Die felt really forced and contrived to me and I found the whole thing fairly unsatisfying. However, it does tie up some loose ends and I continued to enjoy all the artwork. While I am happy to have finished the series, I think I could have just read the first volume of this series and been happy...it went downhill from there.
My Summary (3/5): Overall I would tentatively recommend this series if you are super into RPGs and want to read a mediocre graphic novel series that deals with that subject matter. This was creative and I liked the concept; however it oscillates between hard to follow and just plain silly and the ending was pretty lame. I liked the artwork though.
Thoughts: This was yet another fairly disappointing ending to a graphic novel series. This had a very cliche' open-ended of ending. This is the third graphic novel series I have finished this month where you have this ambiguous and very unsatisfying type of ending.
The ending here felt really rushed. I also felt like we picked up some time after Vol 3 and that some things that happened in that “in-between” time were missing from the story. As a result, the reader is left to kind of assume what happened between Vol 3 and 4.
This volume has Ash and crew back together as a party and heading into the heart of Die. There we find out what happened to Sol and how Die was created. There are again a lot of gaming references but the world is more Lovecraftian in nature this time around, so there is more discussion of Call of the Cthulhu and those types of RPGs. There are also a lot of rather corny LoTR references.
The whole explanation behind Die felt really forced and contrived to me and I found the whole thing fairly unsatisfying. However, it does tie up some loose ends and I continued to enjoy all the artwork. While I am happy to have finished the series, I think I could have just read the first volume of this series and been happy...it went downhill from there.
My Summary (3/5): Overall I would tentatively recommend this series if you are super into RPGs and want to read a mediocre graphic novel series that deals with that subject matter. This was creative and I liked the concept; however it oscillates between hard to follow and just plain silly and the ending was pretty lame. I liked the artwork though.
December 12, 2021
For me, this was a deeply satisfying conclusion to a beautiful, but challenging, series. In this final arc, the adventurers (forty-somethings trapped in a fantasy world that had already trapped them decades before) delve into the final dungeon, face personal challenges, explore the role of horror in fantasy, and have meaningful conversations about why fantasy, and fantasy games, even exist.
I want to go back and read again from the beginning, knowing what I know now about the characters, the world, and its origins; the mysteries of earlier volumes make a lot of sense in retrospect. The volume ends with more interviews with people in the world of gaming, and their perspectives are fascinating -- gaming zines in the 70's, immersive live-action games, setting boundaries and creating collaborative stories, and the explosive growth of online-games-with-spectators. I almost wish that the story would continue, but then, the story does, doesn't it? In the games being played now, and yet to be played, everywhere.
I want to go back and read again from the beginning, knowing what I know now about the characters, the world, and its origins; the mysteries of earlier volumes make a lot of sense in retrospect. The volume ends with more interviews with people in the world of gaming, and their perspectives are fascinating -- gaming zines in the 70's, immersive live-action games, setting boundaries and creating collaborative stories, and the explosive growth of online-games-with-spectators. I almost wish that the story would continue, but then, the story does, doesn't it? In the games being played now, and yet to be played, everywhere.
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