Die #1: Fantasy Heartbreaker
Image Comics.
Written by Kieron Gillen, illustrated by Stephanie Hans.
Synopsis: Die is a horror/dark fantasy comic surrounding a group of adults in their 40’s who are forced to band together once again to face an evil they barely survived as teens. All while dealing with the decades-old consequences of their earlier visit to this ‘dark realm’.
Firstly I’ll just say, from the get-go I was sold on Die, the artwork is incredible and the concept alone was enough to hook me, pretty much anything tabletop RPG and I'm there. Of course, you do not have to be a fan of fantasy RPG or Dungeons and Dragons at all to read Die, however, I will say for me it most definitely added an extra element of enjoyment to the comic. That aside, Die definitely has the potential to be another great epic fantasy, but one that subverts expectations entirely. Gillen takes the typical character classes of the holy Cleric or the Valiant Knight and completely turns them on their head. Even with how oversaturated the market can be with Fantasy in general (not that I'm complaining) and the current resurgence of D&D, Gillen still manages to make Die feel completely unique and exciting. If you are a fan of fantasy at all this is a must-read. I personally cannot wait to explore more of the dark world that is Die, particularly now that each player has 25 years of emotional baggage and trauma accompanying them to the game world.
If you enjoyed Die I recommend checking out some of Kieron Gillen's other comics ‘The Wicked and The Divine’ in particular is fantastic. However, If you want to take it that step further, and you haven't already delved into the world of tabletop RPGs, definitely give Dungeons and Dragons a go. If you are more of an observer there are a number of D&D twitch streams or of course Critical Role on both YouTube and Twitch, we even have a D&D society here at Coleraine so it couldn't be easier.
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