Image Comics’ DIE No. 5 review: Can we all go home now?
By Monita Mohan
The characters in DIE prepare to battle the Grandmaster, their former friend Sol, so that they can all go home, but are they ready to leave yet?
DIE No. 5
Writer: Kieron Gillen
Artist: Stephanie Hans
DIE No. 5 cover (Credit: Image Comics)
Ash and his friends reached Glass Town in the previous issue of DIE. This is Grandmaster Sol’s base, and the place where they must fight their old friend so that they can finally go home. Together, each person uses their gifts to bring Sol out of hiding. Ash uses her Dictator magic to herd the people to safety, while Isabelle calms them down and asks one of the gods to give the people of Glass Town a new home. Matt destroys the fortress that’s been keeping Sol at bay, while Chuck is the bait. Finally, Angela uses her tech-magic to reinforce the team’s strength.
The showdown plays out as planned, but Ash and the others haven’t counted on DIE having more tricks up its sleeve. Have they really vanquished the Grandmaster? And can they leave the people of DIE to the mercies of war? The end of the first arc, “Fantasy Heartbreaker,” isn’t as clean cut as the group of friends had hoped.
This was an action-packed finale to the first arc of DIE. The past four issues have been building up to this moment, and it was worth it. Seeing all the friends come together as a team was a brilliant culmination of how they have overcome their personal struggles so far in the series. However, DIE No. 5 lacks some of the emotional punch that it deserved because all the characters weren’t given in-depth characterization in the past four issues of series.
Ash is the only one who has come alive on-page, but the others weren’t given very rounded arcs up until issue No. 4. Even then, it doesn’t feel like we truly understood the characters or their motivations. Hopefully, the lack of personality for the rest of Ash’s friends will be rectified when the series returns later this year.
DIE No. 3 (Credit: Image Comics)
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For gamers, this series is a delight. Kieron Gillen has built such an immersive and complete gaming world in DIE, one can imagine many readers looking forward to the upcoming rule book. The mechanics do change in this issue, though, and it can be a little confusing for some.
What has really been a highlight in this series has been Stephanie Hans’ art. Her colors are truly spectacular in DIE No. 5 and add to the beauty of Glass Town. Hans’ work really stuns with the glimpses of the creatures that we see in this issue — everyone loves dragons, but Hans’ dragons are spectacular to behold. Some of the panel shapes also add to the disorienting perspective of the scenes, which again adds to the ethereal atmosphere of the story.
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What will the next arc hold in store for Ash and the others now that they’ve reached an impasse? Now that the foundations of the series and the world is over, Gillen and Hans can kick the story into high gear from issue No. 6 onwards. In the meantime, fans can look forward to the TPB, out in May, and immerse themselves in a game of DIE.