Die Volume 1 – ‘Fantasy Heartbreaker’ cover by Stephanie Hans
Ever wondered what an adult version of Jumanji would be like? With more brutal D&D elements, violence and childhood trauma, it looks as though Kieron Gillen did, too. Your standard knights, orcs, and sorcery fanfare are joined by festering undead corpses, midlife crises, and a healthy dose of psychosis, so don’t expect Robin Williams to offer any kind of comic relief: you’re not in Kansas (or London) anymore, and this isn’t that kind of game world.
Die explores the dangers of escapism and is Kieron Gillen’s love letter to tabletop RPGs. With gaming, comic books, and superheroes entering a kind of resurgence and reaching new heights of popularity, more people are turning to fantasy worlds to escape real world problems – though given the current climate, who can blame them? Better to fuse yourself to the sofa and take on Final Fantasy XII‘s six hour boss fight with Yiazmat than hear any more about Brexit…
“This is fantasy for grown-ups”
Kieron Gillen and Stephanie Hans explore the relationship of a group of six friends during their ‘adventurous’ RPG session that turns into a real-life game of survival, with a dark fantasy backdrop worthy of Baldur’s Gate. At its core is a story about the bond between the party in the real world and the strain their experiences in Die put on their relationships. Emerging from an intense gaming session with a missing limb would probably do that, though.
The story starts in 1991, where a party of six begin an epic game of D&D, celebrating the joint 16th birthdays of Dominic Ash and Solomon (“Sol”), only to disappear for two years, Jumanji style. When they return, one of their party is missing and another is missing an arm, and while their parents, friends, and the police have questions about where they went and what happened, they seem incapable of recounting the events – for reasons that are explained later in the story. Their silence initially comes across as a result of the trauma they endured: they did, after all, get transported to another world where they were forced to survive against hordes of fantasy creatures. Twenty five years later, however, their tranquil post-evil-Narnia, midlife crisis existence is interrupted when Sol’s prized D20 appears in a parcel, leading to events that require them to dive back into the world of Die once more, only to find their missing sixth party member still wants to play.
This was where the first issue finished, and for a prologue, as with any good D&D story concept, there’s no denying the set up offers plenty of intrigue and mystery. The two year time skip gives an impression of the perilous nature of the world they survived, building our anticipation for their inevitable return to Die. There’s no loveable Mr. Tumnus, no Munchkins, or Navi the fairy to greet and aid our adventurous heroes on their journey: just cryptic NPC’s, fire-breathing dragons, and the festering corpses of past romantic interests, hungry for blood curdling vengeance. It was a hard breakup for Ash.
Matt: Chuck! It’s not a fucking game
Chuck: Er… it literally is. We’re literally in a game
Taking inspiration from concepts that have been explored by the likes of Jumanji, Tron, and the extensive isekai manga and anime that pop up every season (seriously, how many do we need?), Die explores how escapism can become dangerous to a person who finds a preference for, and sometimes obsession with, a fictional world than the real one. As Sol becomes the new Grandmaster while the rest of the party return home, it’s clear that he has fallen for the fantasy game world in Die over the real one, perhaps an anecdote for gaming addiction and obsession, especially with the advent of alluring MMORPGs and their often limitless hours of gameplay and story.
One of the strengths of Kieron Gillen’s writing is the pacing and the dedication and passion that comes across in his intricately crafted RPG tabletop-style world Die is set in, as if there were intentions during the writing of the comic for this to be part of a massive D&D game. Incidentally, it seems there are plans to release rules for one when the series concludes. Much like D&D, the narrative finds strength in what isn’t said. The vaguely revealed story of those two years trapped in the game are impactful because they are left to our imagination to fill in the gaps and wonder what happened. Die will likely appeal to nostalgic fans of ‘90s RPGs, with a story, setting, and rules that are familiar, yet creatively implemented into the comics narrative, with a rich sense of lore, as well as dynamic themes and characters. That being said, if you claim unfamiliarity with worlds populated by good-looking pointed-eared humanoids, stocky grumpy mountain dwelling dwarves, or confused by why turn based gameplay systems are still fun, you may still likely find something to relate to in Die, whether it’s the characters, or the fact that the scenery strikes you as reminiscent of that one film about Elijah Wood and his bromantic Irish friend trying to destroy a perfectly good ring.
Isabelle: I can’t believe I’m forty-three years old and I’m petrified of a dice
Ash: Die. The word is die
The characters themselves follow some conventional elements of RPGs, crafted from character cards that reflect their real world personalities, with each character fulfilling familiar party roles. In the real world, they are 40-year-olds going through midlife crises who reunite to play ‘one more game’ while their in-game counterparts take on elements of their flawed personalities, making them more engrossing and creating dynamic relationships between the party members, feeling somewhat more grounded and therefore relatable. They range from a cyberpunk ninja and a Grief Knight, who turns feelings of morbidity and sadness into power, to a Fool and a Godbinder, making deals with Gods to serve her as her ‘pets’ with somewhat of a dominatrix personality.
Ash, meanwhile, is a 40-year-old man who becomes a gender bent version of himself in his role as the attractive Dictator character, with a sorceress flare to her design. This follows standard RPG fanfare, in which the players become better versions of themselves, or characters who take on traits that force them to face flawed aspects of themselves. Curiously Chuck points out to Ash that “You never seemed interested in boys, except here. What’s going on with that?” to which Ash has no reply. Moments like this show how the characters are able to become different people entirely, or forced to face aspects of themselves they wouldn’t or couldn’t have in the real world. Yet as the story unfolds it also becomes clear that they are each torn by their responsibilities, regrets, and more personal affairs waiting for them back home which are in conflict with their responsibilities and personal investments in Die.
“Dragons are rare. Everyone loves Dragons. Until you meet one”
As the plot progresses and we journey further and further into Goth Wonderland, the script brings attention to the brutal reality of war, albeit within a fantasy backdrop, which should sound familiar to fantasy fans. One chapter in particular is set in a World War I trench, with discarded corpses of dead soldiers pilled against the walls, and shell-shocked soldiers too scared to go over the top. In fairness to them there are dragons burning everything that moves in No Man’s Land, and if you’ve seen what Dany can do with but one dragon at King’s Landing, you’ll be excused if you feel sympathy for these poor nameless arrow fodder. This does, however, serve to draw attention to visual parallels of war themes and is certainly one of Stephanie Hans’s highlight artistic moments. You might be reminded of the trench scenes from Tolkien (2019) if you caught it at the cinema, with similar visual comparisons between fire breathing dragons and bombs and mustard gas.
Just from the cover art alone, it won’t surprise anyone to know that Stephanie Hans offers some beautifully presented art, partly thanks to highlighting effects which help bring Die to life. Crafting a dark fantasy backdrop with sorcerers, knights, and dragons: the varied locations look as though they came from a Buldur’s Gate concept art book. Meanwhile the colouring style adds to the old school D&D aesthetic thanks to Hans decision to use a more painterly style over the traditional block colours of conventional comic books, adding to the brutal dark fantasy tone.
Cheery and optimistic are certainly hard to associate with Die as a result, so don’t expect any dwarves or hobbits to break out into musical cues when the party leaves town. In fact, much of Die looks more like an overcast Mordor with little indication of the clear skies and green fields of Hobbiton, and you can be sure there are no optimistically colour themed brick roads for bubbly adolescent protagonists to skip down. To compliment Kieron Gillen’s writing, a good deal of characterisation comes from her ability to use the body language and facial expressions of her characters to capture pain, frustration and discomfort, with each character looking recognisable and unique. Though while heavily stylised, occasionally these faces can look conversely stretched and slightly distorted.
“I’m the Grandmaster now. You’re not leaving till you finish the game”
Die Volume 1 ‘Fantasy Heartbreaker’ is an excellent start to a new series that explores a dark fantasy world, venturing down the potentially dangerous avenues of escapism and gaming addiction. Plot threads, rules, and aesthetic style draw from a rich history of tabletop RPGs and seek to pull you into its world, with deep and engaging characters who’s mental states and anxieties offer relatable personas to fans of RPGs, or for those who similarly find themselves escaping into fictional worlds. Just be careful you don’t end up within its pages, like Ash and Sol.
| Published by: Image Comics |
| Writer: Kieron Gillen |
| Artist: Stephanie Hans |
| Letterer: Clayton Cowles |
| Released: June 5th 2019 |
