Back in 2018 writer Kieron Gillen and artist Stephanie Hans, known for their acclaimed comic collaborations such as Marvel’s Journey into Mystery, came together for their latest comic, Die, from Image Comics. Described as a “horror story where D&D meets Jumanji,” the Die comic follows follows a group of six teenagers who disappear during a role-playing game session in 1991, only to reappear without explanation two years later, having been changed by their experience.

Sadly, all games must come to an end and Gillen and Hans will kick off the final story arc with Die #16, ominously titled “Bleed,” which will lead to the series finale with Die #20 later this year.

Check out the Die #16 cover by Hans, as well as a variant cover by Alberto Varanda, plus the full announcement from Image below. Look for Die #16 to arrive in comic shops and digitally in May.

Bestselling series Die by Kieron Gillen and Stephanie Hans will kick off its final story arc—ominously titled “Bleed”—beginning with Die #16 out from Image Comics this May. The highly anticipated conclusion for the series will be revealed in Die #20.

To go into the dark, you have to get to the dark. They never put a dungeon anywhere accessible, do they? Past sins haunt our party, and future sins permeate the landscape. Die’s closing arc begins as we began: with regrets and screaming.

Die has consistently held a seat as one of the top selling Image Comics series with multiple sell-outs at the distributor level and regular reorder activity that’s skyrocketed with each new installment’s release. Perhaps best described as Jumanji with goth sensibilities, the series has stolen headlines since its launch for ushering in a new trend in RPG themed storytelling.

“The concluding arc is always bittersweet,” said Gillen. “Sad that the adventure is coming to the end, but the wicked glee of finally being able to reveal all the bleak secrets we’ve been keeping.”

Die #16 Cover A by Hans (Diamond Code MAR210062) and Die #16 Cover B by Alberto Varanda (Diamond Code MAR210063) will be available at comic book shops on Wednesday, May 5.

Die #16 will also be available for purchase across many digital platforms, including Amazon Kindle, Apple Books, comiXology, and Google Play.

Select praise for Die:“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, Low, Black Science, Seven to Eternity

“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

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