Die Volume 2: Split the Party (DIE TP)

This volume comprises issues #6 - #10 of DIE, and continues the story of Ash, Matt, Angela, Chuck, and Izzy as they attempt to reunite their group so that they might escape the fantasy-horror world of Die.Whereas the first Volume proved to be a rollercoaster of an introduction, thrusting the reader from realm to realm and building the world that these characters are forced to return to at breakneck pace, this sophomore effort slows the pace and engages more with each of the protaganists troubled histories as they grapple with the impact of their past decisions.Each character is given form and nuance through individual explorations across each chapter, with all five party members offering glimpses into their pasts that contextualise and deepen their relationships not just to one another, but to their own personas within the fantasy world. The way in which these two elements, the person and the character they embody, are woven together is an incredible achievement of writing and I am still left turning over the connections and subtlies that Gillen has so carefully embedded within.Stephanie Hans' artwork shines as well, with the dream-like watercolour palette and wonderfully detailed expressions and composition lifting every panel. The horror and majesty of this world is rendered exquisitely, with tender scenes of emotion and terrifying monstrosity depicted with a equal beauty that reinforces the dichotomies the protagnists face within themselves.This is truly a masterwork series from all parties involved, and I cannot recommend this highly enough.

Bought this product last week and settled down to read it. After getting to the 5th page I heard a snap when I stretched the book to see dialogue in the middle of the page. I flipped back to the papercover and noticed the spine had become detached partially from the pages.Really disappointed as I feel I am careful as it is with the books I buy when reading them.

Super fast and so happy, can’t wait to read

“Die – Split the Party” collects issues #6-10 of this fantasy/horror series. I call it horror because the participants are subjected to the horror of having to examine their lives and characters (unintended pun).Mr Gillen is a superb writer of mainstream comic-books, where, like the British Vertigo writers of old, he looks at their traditional stories from an Un-American angle. Here he is doing the same sort of thing, though here he is bringing his knowledge of the background of game-design/production (he was a journalist specialising in that field) as well as bringing-in the “real-world” that real people inhabit, through that self-examination of life that ‘mature’ people have to go through to reach maturity.There are the trappings of fantasy gaming and heroic-fantasy world-building, but the heart of the book is the existentialist crisis of the characters (and the real-world observations of the writer, as explained in his tet-pieces at the back).Vertigo still rules, as does Mr Gillen.