Sucked Into the World of DIE: A Look at the Dark Fantasy Comic and Role Playing Game

article by @bryan-imhoff

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In 1991, six teenagers disappeared into a fantasy role-playing game. Only five returned.

In 2018, five adults are dragged back to discover the sixth still wants them to play…

Those two sentences by writer Kieron Gillen are the perfect pitch for his creator owned comic book, DIE. The basic premise alone was enough for me to nod approvingly and say, “Yup… I’m interested.” The stunning cover artwork (pictured above) by series artist Stephanie Hans only sealed the deal… with it’s gorgeous, stylish, and haunting imagery.

I bought the first issue when it hit the shelves in December of 2018, the second not long after, and so on and so forth. Of course, me being who I am… I didn’t get around to actually reading them until just the past couple weeks. I am sad it took me this long, but so glad that I did stockpile this series, allowing DIE to lie in wait for me until the opportunity arose to drag me into its world.

To date there are 12 total issues of DIE. Gillen has structured the tale in 5 issue arcs, leaving me now anxiously awaiting the next installment, held in suspense in the middle of the third arc.

As far as a review goes, I’ll save you the suspense and simply say that I love DIE. After each issue I was left wandering around my apartment audibly muttering to myself, “So good…” Perhaps my cats were listening to these little shell shocked mini reviews. (They probably weren’t.)

With that being said, this is less a review of any one issue or story arc, and simply my thoughts on the series as a whole; along with a fair bit of praise and promotion in the hopes others might be interested and enjoy DIE as much as I am.

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As I read through the first issue of DIE, the old 1980’s Dungeons & Dragons cartoon quickly came to mind. Upon finishing the issue and reading Gillen’s prose column in the “backmatter,” I was delighted to find that this was in fact the initial inspiration seed of DIE. For those unaware of the cartoon, it featured a group of children who went on a theme park ride that mysteriously deposited them into a fantasy world. They spent the subsequent episodes searching for a portal to take them back home. The series was cancelled before they ever found their way.

DIE sprung from a friendly conversation about that series which Gillen had while attending the San Diego Comic Con. One thought kept nagging in the back of his head… “Whatever happened to the D&D cartoon kids?”

DIE is no children’s cartoon. It’s a dark, mature, and intelligent take on that question. If I had to expand the pop culture references a bit further… I’d think of it as a mash up of D&D, Jumanji, and It.

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In the story of DIE, the children disappear for two years. When they return, none of them will say a word about what happened to them in that time. 25 years pass until the arrival of a mysterious package which brings them all back together.

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Stephanie Hans artwork is hauntingly beautiful and evocative. It perfectly fits this emotional dark fantasy concept. Through the course of the series we discover what happened to these kids 25 years ago and the ramifications those actions have as they return to the world they’d left behind. The characters are exceptionally well developed, both in their normal personas as well as the intriguing fantasy characters they’ve constructed for themselves. Gillen delights in breaking down the core archetypes of classical fantasy and rebuilding them in much more emotionally resonant ways. Forget your normal warriors, clerics, mages and rogues… DIE is a world of Grief Knights, Godbinders, Neos and Dictators.

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I was probably 6 or 7 issues into reading DIE when I came to the realization that there was very little in the way of traditional fight sequences. That’s how character driven this story is. It’s all about the build up and the aftermath of violence. The actual act of fighting itself is incidental… just the roll of the die.

Each story arc does an admirable job of exploring characters, the world, and advancing the plot. Within this exploration are some incredibly interesting issues where Gillen turns the focus to the world of DIE itself… a magical patchwork which draws on the whole of fantasy, literature, and gaming in a very "meta" way. Gillen’s columns at the end of each issue speak to how well read he is, and how much research and thought he puts into his writing projects such as DIE. That is all readily on display as he deconstructs classical fantasy with interesting takes and educational insights on everything from Tolkien to Charlotte Brontë.

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Alongside the creation of the DIE comic, Gillen has also been building a DIE role-playing game and making those beta materials freely available online. Just like the comic, the game itself is designed to push the players psychologically… and is no mere dungeon crawling slugfest. It features an intriguing “game within a game” type mechanic where players create their persona; the human role-player they are in turn role playing ... as well as that persona’s chosen character within the world of DIE. What’s most important is the persona… the human being. Their spouse, their career, their children, their hopes, dreams and insecurities. The world of DIE will prey on all of these things…

If you want to see exactly how DIE wreaks its dark magic on captive players… you’ll just have to read the comic. Though I suppose you could just jump right into the game… and hope you get back out!

The first issue of DIE is available to read online for free. You can find a link to that along with news, information, and the downloadable role playing game contents to date on the official website at http://diecomic.com/

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The first two arcs can be purchased in the collected volumes Fantasy Heartbreaker and Split the Party.

I was delighted to find that the trade paperbacks do collect most of the prose column material Gillen added to the end of each issue. I found these incredibly interesting and am happy they are being preserved in the collected editions as well.

I wrestled with the thought of picking up the trade paperbacks myself… even though I already have the individual issues! DIE is just that good. I consider it “bookshelf worthy” and want it easily at hand and on display. Since I’ve already read DIE, I’ve decided to hold off for the possibility of a gorgeous hardcover collection in the future… but for new readers the trade paperbacks are a wonderful way to experience DIE right now.

As always, if you’re already a DIE fan yourself or pick up a fresh copy and want to discuss… please make yourself known in the comments! I’d love to hear from you.

Okay… I’ve got at least a month or two until issue #13 comes out… what should I clear out of my backlog of reading materials next? I’ll figure that out and give you another review here in the not too distant future!

-Bryan “the Imp” Imhoff

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Exploring the Unlimited brings you comics reviews and related information, with a focus on stories available on todays online platforms such as Marvel Unlimited, DC Universe and Comixology Unlimited, which help make thousands of comics accessible and affordable worldwide.

All images in this post are copyright their respective owners. Images selected are freely available online through the publisher, can be found at https://imagecomics.com/read/die, and are used here under fair use for purposes of review.

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