Die #19 Review

Writer: Kieron Gillen / Artist: Stephanie Hans / Image Die ends next month. I am only going to be able to talk about this stellar comic book one more time after I am finished singing the series’ praises in this review. And while the party is more than ready for this prolonged ordeal to be over, I’m not sure I’m emotionally ready to see how it all ends. Nearly three years of suspense, drama, historical references, literary allusions, and some of the most gorgeous artwork from Stephanie Hans is barreling to the end, and the penultimate issue is pulling no bunches as it sets sight on the end. As revealed in the last issue, the party has crawled to the bottom of the dungeon only to find the giant visage of Ash in all of the old-school biblical angel splendor and magic. This is one of the last obstacles the party has to overcome. However, this boss fight rests squarely on Ash having to deal with it. Or rather Dominic Ash. One of the things that Gillen has deliberately done with the party spread page at the start of every issue is clearly state that Ash is “Dominic Ash in the real world, Ash in the world of Die.” And it’s a fact that’s almost easy to gloss over considering all of the other wild machinations going on in the world. But Die #19 is the emotional denouement of the whole and is an entirely heart-wrenching issue. Ash must reckon with the very core of their identity that has manifested at the core of the world that is Die. Meanwhile, the rest of the party rallies around As…