Carlos Morales
Bestselling We Called Them Giants juggernauts Kieron Gillen and Stephanie Hans will return to the twisted RPG realm of Die in an all-new story arc, Die: Loaded. The brand new campaign will invite fans back to the British Fantasy Award winning, three-time Hugo Award nominated Image Comics series this November.
Alongside this spectacular new issue, will be The Die RPG Quickstart Game Guide, by Gillen and Hans—released simultaneously in November—for fans interested in trying out the Origin Award winning Die RPG in a standalone and inexpensive format. It includes everything needed to play—rules, characters and a multi-session scenario fans need to play. Just add dice, friends, and a desire to get sucked into a game.
“DIE was created by us to talk about fantasy and reality, for as long as we have stories to tell. Suffice to say, we do, and DIE: Loaded exactly how much else we have to share, to delight, move and horrify you,” said Gillen. “Plus it’s also important for DIE that we give other people a chance to tell their stories. It’s why we wrote the RPG, and with the Quickstart, we want to let even more people in on the party.”
A year after the hellish game world events of Die #20, the players reunite in Die: Loaded to gather for Chuck’s wake. They’ve finished with the game. But the game isn’t finished with them. Get ready to roll initiative. Who’s going to DIE this time?
Hans added: “As an artist, it is such a unique to come back and expand a universe in which we poured so much love. Die is an ever extending work of art and I have the privilege to shape it alongside Kieron.”
Over the course of its original run, Die topped Image Comics’ sales charts, with multiple distributor-level sellouts and strong reorder activity fueling its rise. Often described as “goth Jumanji,” the series has gained a cult following since its 2019 debut and helped spark a wave of RPG-inspired storytelling.
This year, eagle-eyed fans caught a glimpse of new art from the series’ Die: Loaded return story arc displayed prominently on the Image Comics booth wrap at San Diego Comic-Con.
Readers interested in catching up or binge-rereading the Die series so far can read it digitally or find it in print format at local comic book shops, independent bookstores, Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Books-a-Million, Indigo, and Waterstones.
Select praise for the Die series:
“Gillen subverts high fantasy adventure tropes with an infusion of creepy horror, resulting in an exploration of arrested adolescence and the effects of childhood trauma made truly haunting by Hans’ realistic illustrations and Cowles’ gloomy color palette.” —Library Journal
“Makes for a heady combination of fascinating worldbuilding, compellingly broken characters tearing each other apart (sometimes emotionally, sometimes literally), and vivid, striking artwork.” —io9/Gizmodo
“A deliciously dark Phantom Tollbooth-like journey told through a lens of broken humanity and a deconstruction of the role-playing game’s roots. I am entranced.” —Matthew Mercer, Critical Role
“Kieron Gillen and Stephanie Hans are a powerful merging of talents. Feels like a well-oiled team that’s been working together for years. Image Comics continues to innovate.” —Rick Remender, Deadly Class, The Sacrificers, Grommets
“Wonderfully nerdy and emotionally complicated and… utterly beautiful.” —The Hollywood Reporter
“A smart, gripping story about fantasy, gaming, aging and things that can’t be said.” —Al Ewing, Immortal Hulk
“A remarkable Jumanji-esque story for fantasy fans.” —GrimDark magazine
“If ever you’ve played a TTRPG and thought, ‘I’d love to just live in this world,’ this series is for you.” —The Comics Beat
Available in trade paperback:
- Die Volume 1 (collects issues #1-5) – ISBN 9781534312708
- Die Volume 2 (collects issues #6-10) – ISBN 9781534314979
- Die Volume 3 (collects issues #11-15) – ISBN 9781534317161
- Die Volume 4 (collects issues #16-20) – ISBN 9781534319264
Available in hardcover:
- Die (collects issues #1-20) – ISBN 9781534323445
Die: Loaded #1 will be available at comic book shops on Wednesday, November 12:
- Cover A by Hans
- Cover B by Peach Momoko
Die: Loaded will also be available across many digital platforms, including Amazon Kindle, Apple Books, and Google Play.
