The epic conclusion of the “Split the Party” story arc is finally here! Come check out the Major Spoilers review of Die #10 by Image Comics and see what happens to these poor unfortunate souls.

DIE #10

Writer: Kieron Gillen
Artist: Stephanie Hans
Colorist: Stephanie Hans
Letterer: Clayton Cowles
Editor Chrissy Williams
Publisher: Image Comics
Cover Price: $3.99
Release Date: December 4th, 2019

Previously on Die: Our heroes have been at each other’s throats for the entirety of the story arc. Half the party are in a jail cell and the other half our planning a coup of Angria. With the closing of this arc in this issue, will Ash and his crew come together or will they become mortal enemies.

A DARK PAST

Ash and Izzy are now free from their prison and must enact the rest of their plan. Teaming up with Zamorna, Ash becomes the new patron of all Dictators. Dictators have a very compelling voice and therefore must be chained to prohibit them from getting power. A patron acts has a person who holds that chain. With a new army of dictators, she uses her voice on Zamorna and uses his position to become queen. This puts her at odds with Izzy, who seems to be having second thoughts and has a bad history with both Zamorna and Ash. While all this is happening, Chuck returns to free the rest of the party and loosely admits that his behavior of carelessness has been because he is dying. The panel ends with Izzy saying that the “Evil Queen never wins” and Ash simply responds with “Watch Me”.

WHAT IS GOING ON?

Ash has always felt like the main character of the series. We often have seen her own inner monologue and thoughts throughout the story. This gives Ash great characterization and sets her up to be the driving force of the plot. To make her the villain at the end of the story was a bold step and I am anxious to see if she gets a redemption arc or if her hunger with power will get the better of her. It is an interesting choice from Kieron and if you look back at the previous issues it has been clearly foreshadowed. A good book is one where you can read multiple times and gleam new things from it. 

This story excels at character driven plots since the inception of the series. Create engaging characters that have depth gives the reader something to relate too. This allows Ash to be a great villain because we know a lot about her and his life outside of this fantasy world. I don’t know if this is the best choice for the series but it was an intelligent choice and a risk that I can only applaud. It feels that Kieron is really trying to make good and risky story choices as opposed to choices that will appease an audience.

The art was again phenomenal. The image that I was struck with this issue was watching Ash dominate another Dictator. She puts in enough mental force that causes her to bleed from her eyes, ears, and nose but still manages to keep a regal composure. Stephanie Hans has given a new interpretation to what art can be in a comic book and is setting a new standard.

BOTTOM LINE: NOT THE ENDING I WANTED BUT A GOOD ENDING NONETHELESS

This book is really intelligent and the creative team has clearly put in a lot of thought into their product. Every panel and every word seems to be well cared for and the attention to detail is amazing. I applaud them for their good work and I look forward to seeing arc 3 in 2020 and how they plan to proceed with the characters. 5 out of 5 for Die #10.