Graphic Novel Reviews: Die Volume 1

A group of kids get together to play a homemade RPG game and their lives are changed forever. Die Vol.1: Fantasy Heartbreaker by Kieron Gillen is a fantastical adventure that turns a RPG world into a thrilling, yet terrifying, reality. With beautiful and eye-catching illustrations and an epic story, Die is a fun jaunt into the fantasy realm of pure imagination.

Dominick and his younger sister go to their friend Sol’s house to celebrate Dominick’s birthday. Sol has a present from Dom and wants to share it with him and their gamer friends. Sol has created a RPG game completely from scratch. This isn’t your everyday D&D game. This one is special. Cut to two years later and the kids find themselves standing in the middle of the road. Sol is not with them and at least one of them is quite injured. They’ve been missing for the last two years and they are physically unable to talk about their whereabouts. Flash forward to nearly 30 years later and the now-adult group finds themselves back in their role-playing world. Each player has their own strengths, weaknesses, and powers based on their personalities. They must complete the game they didn’t get to finish three decades ago by finding their friend Sol and bringing him back home. When they discover that Sol has been corrupted by the game and it’s Game Master, they must choose between saving their friend or saving themselves.

Die: Fantasy Heartbreaker is a well-written epic that spans time and space. It takes a lot to make such a complex world digestible for those who may not necessarily understand the rules of RPG games. While the language is meant to evoke a sort of folkloric purity, it does come across as slightly stiff and doesn’t flow very naturally. Gillen remains true to this Dungeons and Dragons-esque world and throws many challenges and trials at the characters. The artwork of Stephanie Hans complements the story very well. Each new and ever fantastical location is full of rich and deep coloring that gives each a unique look and feel.

Die: Fantasy Heartbreaker is appropriate for readers 16+. It will appeal to fantasy lovers and those who play RPGs. Die: Fantasy Heartbreak is enjoyable to readers of Middlewest by Skottie Young, the Gideon Falls series by Jeff Lemire, and Brian K. Vaughn’s Paper Girls series.