Reviews

Die, Vol. 1: Fantasy Heartbreaker by Kieron Gillen

thedragonswarrior's review

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5.0

It’s the guy who wrote Wik+Div of course it’s good.

But also it’s REALLY good. 5/5 stars.

jeffammons's review

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3.0

Unique story and take. Not sure where it's going really though.

robwcote's review

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3.0

The art is stunning, and the book is almost worth reading for that alone. The issue here is that art, fun premise, and interesting setting aside, there's not a lot of substance to this book. The characters are flat and there's little plot. When we get to the ending, it felt like I had read a synopsis more than a proper story. Hopefully it picks up.

popcar2's review

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2.0

Reading DIE is the equivalent of going on a school trip, but none of your friends made it and you're stuck with only people you dislike and can't get along with. It's supposed to be fun, but it isn't.

I appreciate the gorgeous artwork and fleshed out world (hey, the entire world is literally a giant die), but the story is trying too hard to be ambiguous, and the characters are insufferable. All the characters are gloomy middle aged adults that hate their lives, they rarely ever talk unless it's to whine about something or take jabs at eachother, and they act like children. Even the main character seems to be a person that loves being the leader despite being hated and kind of an apathetic asshole.

It's a shame, because I really wanted to love this comic, but by the end of the volume it just felt like a slog to read through the edgy narration and extreme amounts of exposition. Despite feeling too long, the events of the volume felt too rushed, and it feels like a great concept that quickly turned into a mess. Very disappointing.

drengy's review

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4.0

The first trade sets-up the premise well, and I look forward to seeing where the series goes. Recommended for RPG and/or Kieren Gillen fans. The art by Stephanie Hans is very dynamic. I like it more with every page.

Be sure to read the supplemental essays. They're fascinating, especially if you have any history playing tabletop roleplaying games. I'm currently experiencing a slight RPG obsession, so these essays are right up my alley.

doctoraction's review

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1.0

I bought this without knowing what it was about; I'd just heard it was good. It started off ok but then I really didn't like the turn it took. Held no interest for me whatsoever and i dropped it before i even got midway through.

If you don't love role playing games, dungeons and dragons, etc, stay away.

Looks beautiful, though.

in_need_for_a_journal's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious sad tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.25

m4rceline's review

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adventurous dark mysterious fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? N/A
  • Loveable characters? N/A
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes

5.0

ellin's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark emotional funny mysterious sad tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

cokimberly's review

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4.0

A mature, postmodern take on rpgs, the people who play them, and what happens when those people look back and take stock of how their real lives compare. This is a dark and depressing take, with a fair amount of horror and very little nostalgia. The world-building is fascinating, and the essays deepened it a lot for me, with all the meta analysis and game theory I could hope for.

For me, Die is perhaps darker and more analytical than I was expecting, with very little of the joyful badassery of Rat Queens or Kings of the Wylde I was hoping for. But Die plays intelligently with all the familiar tropes and classes of rpgs (particularly D&D), deconstructs them to get to their heart, and twists them into something new and interesting. It's painful and horrific at times, but certainly compelling enough to make me stay tuned for more.