With Glass Town destroyed and our heroes still split, some may wonder if our protagonists can escape the world of Die. Come check out the Major Spoilers Review of Die #8 by Image Comics!
DIE #8
Writer: Kieron Gillen
Artist: Stephanie Hans
Colorist: Stephanie Hans
Letterer: Clayton Cowles
Editor: Chrissy Williams
Publisher: Image Comics
Cover Price: $3.99
Release Date: October 2nd, 2019
Previously on Die: As teenagers, six people entered the world of Die. When they returned to reality two years later, there were only five of them. Now that they have been dragged back to Die as adults, our heroes have to deal with the consequences of their actions. The party is split after they resolved to destroy Glass Town and must be reunited if they are ever to find a way home.
DESPAIR AND GRIEF
Ash, Angela, and Matt are in Angria trying to convince the Ruling Council for aid to find their other companions. Angela is planning to sneak into Glass Town to see what they are building there while Ash looks for more political aid. However, Matt being a warrior/fighter doesn’t have the stealth to help Angela or the charisma to help Ash and feels useless. So he instead lends an ear to his companions. When speaking to Ash, Ash reveals that when they were here before she had a kid as an 18 year old. Ash hasn’t known how to deal with her son Augustus but is doing her best to reach out to him .
Matt is then called on a quest and throughout this issue we learn that his Grief Knight sword is sentient. Matt meets with knights from the Order of Joy. In this world’s lore, knights depend on emotions to give you power. Grief is a powerful emotion but so is anger and Matt finds himself tempted to leave his sword and pick up the hammer that will make him angry. However, through the coaxing of the sword, Matt becomes sad enough to overcome the Joy Knights in their duel and earning their support in the cause. Angela returns and reveals they are building a forge for robots that seem to be trying to program independent thought. However, the book ends with Isabella appearing and revealing that she and the rest of the party destroyed Glass Town and must be punished.
REUNITING THE PARTY
The art of this book continues to amaze me. When you open that first page you see a great paint brushed style that is on the first panel. Stephanie Hans has taken a more illustration art style and applied it expertly to these pages while still showing us what is important in the scene. I really appreciate the art choices here and it appeals to my artistic preferences.
The story has captivated my attention since the very first issue because it isn’t just about the action scenes but about the character development. It occurred to me while reading this issue that these people are adults that have went back into their teenage bodies. Or at least that is an interpretation of what is happening. I wonder a little about their hormonal state? Are they adults with adult experiences but with adolescent hormones? If I were to approach this series from that perspective, then it sheds a different light on the actions of the party. I don’t think it changes the intent or meaning at all but it was a thought I wanted to share.
THE POWER OF EMOTIONS
I was happy to finally see Matt get some spotlight. Matt is the strong and silent type and therefore falls in the background of the more vocal characters. Seeing him talk about his family, approach other characters, and really see his struggle with his abilities was something I have been anticipating for a while and it was delivered well. The Grief Knight channels despair and sadness and transform it into power but it has never been explored in detail. Sadness is a pretty strong emotion and sadness allows you to truly experience joy. To be sad allows you to appreciate happiness and Matt’s happiness is within his family. His sadness is going to lead to such a great story if he is reunited with his family. And what a tragedy it will be if he doesn’t get the chance too.
BOTTOM LINE: STILL GOING STRONG
This is my favorite recent series of comic books that have come out and I am still on board. I love the fantasy element with modern philosophies and will be waiting anxiously for the next issue. 5 out of 5 stars for Die #8.
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Die #8
I was happy to finally see Matt get some spotlight. Seeing him talk about his family, approach other characters, and really see his struggle with his abilities was something I have been anticipating for a while and it was delivered well.
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Writing10
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Art10
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Coloring10
Christopher Rondeau is a storyteller based in Tulsa, OK. Finding himself with little work, he ended up creating a job as a Game Master full time on the internet. Chris spends most of his days reading everything he can, writing bad fiction, and watching old Digimon cartoons with his daughter. Sometimes you can find him Dungeon Mastering a podcast or streaming on twitch. Recently, he has completed his Master's degree with a focus on collaborative storytelling. Find out more at https://rondeaucreator.com