Die Vol. 1, Fantasy Heartbreaker by Kieron Gillen, Stephanie Hans

Six high school friends get together to roll the D&D dice to celebrate a birthday in 1991… Sol’s DM plan spins awry and the friends go missing for 2 years, and only 5 return. None are able to talk about their experiences. Jump forward in time to when they are in their 40s and the mysterious D20 that sent them away reappears, and the crew get together to discuss if it’s a message from the other side.

As the story progresses, we find that Sol was trapped in the D&D world he created and he is bitter that his friends were forced to leave him. He has sent the D20 to pull them back into the game, a game each person is desperate to leave. They will try to use their special powers to defeat the GamesMaster Sol… yet he is ready to manipulate them in any way possible.

Die has been compared to many things… Jumanji is the closest connection that I can make. I liked the original premise and the characters. Their individual powers are unique and link directly to their personalities.

Yet, I found a lot that I didn’t like in this one. I felt more could have been done with their first trip to other dimension so as to further the characterization and explain their motivations on the second trip. Too many short quips and offhand comments are used to in some way link characters and actions. I also wasn’t sold on the art concepts. They are flat and many of the backgrounds are not as defined as I would have like.

Die is a comic that will remind you of that high school niche you were a part of and the nostalgia will probably start to come back. I had a mixed reaction to it, but if you are looking for a trip to another land with a group of old friends, take that chance.

3 out of 5 stars.

Thank you to Edelweiss, Image Comics, and the authors for an advanced copy for review.