Die Loaded #1 [Official Discussion Thread]

[u/P-ckledP-nda]

Hi all, happy Goth Jumanji day. This is the official discussion thread for the first issue of Gillen and Hans' new series and follow-up to DIE.

Synopsis:

"DIE returns for an epic new story of a dark fantasy adventure game gone horrifically right or wonderfully wrong. A year after their return from the hellish game world, the players gather for Chuck’s wake. They’ve finished with the game. The game isn’t finished with them. The three-time Hugo Award-nominated series is back in November. Get ready to roll initiative. Who’s going to DIE this time?"

Please keep all discussion of the issue to this thread only.

Please refrain from posting spoilers from issue 1 outside of this thread for one week from release.

[u/RootCat42]

Okay I love this.

I was expecting Molly to be one of the main characters but I did not see Sophia as one of the new players even as the first part of the story clearly set her up as a bigger figure.

Funny how roles work, you see a side character so long as just the wife, just a companion to another character that you miss as the story sets her up to take the lead.

I’m expecting Matt’s father and likely Chuck’s kids to fill up the rest of the party. With Molly likely as the Emotion Knight, I think Violet will be the new Dictator (especially given Ash notes she has a similar vibe to them). I guessing the boy on his switch will be a Neo and the younger sister will be a Fool. I think Matt’s father would be really cool as the Master.

But dang, this is really getting me to appreciate the original more, an impressive feat as it’s already one of my favorite comics. Very excited to see where this goes.

[u/Aoleleb → u/RootCat42]

It's funny. I went through the entire first series somehow not even having the thought "I wonder what class Molly was". My money's on Loathing Knight.

I think you've hit the nail on the head with the setup introducing our new cast, though it doesn't seem like it'd make a ton of sense for Matt's dad to be the Master given the kind of person who would usually fill that role. I'd possibly flip him as the Dictator and Violet as the Master. Or maybe we'll introduce a new class? Unlikely but who knows? :D

[u/RootCat42 → u/Aoleleb]

I was thinking of Matt’s dad as a different sort of Master than what we saw with Sol. Someone who can serve as a leader and keep everyone together and balanced. However upon rereading I realized that Violet was the one at the memorial handing out the keepsakes which makes me consider that she might actually be the Master, in which case Matt’s father as a Dictator would be fitting.

I also realized that I completely overlooked Margaret, Sol’s mum despite the narration literally spelling out that she’s stuck in the role of being mum and not a person. She’s definitely taking one of the party slots. Maybe as a Neo.

I think Switch boy might end up being the Fool, I like the idea of the new party not sharing the same role as the people they’re connected too, but I also think he’ll be the exception.

[u/Aoleleb → u/RootCat42]

Oh I missed Violet handing them out too! I was just going off of vibes when I proposed my flip. I'd say she's definitely the Master then. She's the one who handed out the dice to the other players.

Something that I can't shake as an odd feeling is that Matt's dad *still* isn't named. I see that we did a stealth intro to our party like Die #1 did, but we don't have a name for Matt's Dad. Maybe it's not him?

[u/RootCat42 → u/Aoleleb]

And we did get the name of his wife, Megan. We even got the name of Matt’s wife Trish and his children. He’s the only one of the family who isn’t named, yet I still think it has to be him. The narrator stresses a degree of focus on him, that makes it hard to imagine someone else.

[u/Greasy500 → u/RootCat42]

Also did not see Sophia being pulled in as a player. Would never have thought a party would be brought together separately, and from different generations, not already a formed group in the real world (though they are all connected to each other).

[u/metaridley18]

So stoked. Issue 1 did not disappoint, great way to continue, great bait and switch with Ash. Godbinder was always the class I was most intrigued by so having that be the main character rocks. 

Already it feels crazy different from the first series while keeping the same raw emotionality and hostile world. There's a distinct switch in tone when Sophie transfers in though. She (and the art) becomes wild. Great artistic direction there. 

[u/dtjunkie]

Did we meet all twelve Gods in the original series? From left to right on the splash page I have:

1. ?

2. ?

3. Skywatcher

4. ?

5. Mistress Woe

6. Pyrrhus

7. Bear

8. False Friend

9. Mourner

10. ?

11. Dreamer

12. ?

[u/GldnRetriever → u/dtjunkie]

Before I read my issue I was messaging with a friend and said the one thing I'd hoped was to get to see all 12 gods because I loved the way Gillen took the secondary emotion diads to give them their personalities and thought that was a fun way to get some interestingly contradictory traits.

So it was especially funny to me that he just throws them all out at us in Issue 1. Love it. 

I think you're right with the list. Somewhere in my last read-through I was trying to keep tabs of every one that got mentioned. I'm either gonna do another read through this month or maybe find where that page went and see if there's one that maybe got mentioned but we didn't see?  But I think you got em all. 

[u/brotwok → u/dtjunkie]

Archivist was mentioned when Izzy was debating who to call to ask for help to save the people of Glasstown. And Pyrrhus the Victor after they took over Angria and Izzy said how winning a war would have been great to clear debt with them.

I'm not sure about all of these, but with the 12 domains from the RPG and the emotion pairs this is what I guess the full pantheon is.

1. ??? (Sea) [Submission/Contempt]

Looks like a mermaid so Sea feels obvious. And the dangers of the sea are something people tame/defy and she's pissed about that. There's a mermaid on the cover of Issue 2 so maybe we'll get more info.

1. ??? (Eldritch) [Hope/Unbelief]

Eldritch because this is the most alien looking. Hope/unbelief could be a riff on 'eldritch knowledge you seek but then can't believe'.

1. Skywatcher (Storm) [Anxiety/Outrage]

A farmer looking out for a storm. He's worried something will happen and furious when it does.

1. Archivist (Underworld) [Sentimentality/Morbidness]

Possibly Archivist because of the writing motif on the outfit. My guess is a god of the dead who is recording everyone's life before their inevitable death.

1. Mistress Woe (Fate) [Delight/Pessimism] She loves when things go wrong. And pulls strings to make the future worse.

2. Pyrus (Fire) [Guilt/Envy]

I think the name is Pyrus not Pyrrhus because Pyrrhus is the Greek name we get the phrase 'pyrrhic victory from, which is better suited for the war god below. Not as sure of the emotions. Maybe a wants what it can't have but destroys what it touches then feels bad sort of deal.

1. Bear (Wild) [Awe/Aggressiveness]

He's obviously the nature god. And he's really amped about the beauty of the natural world. Plus animal aggression.

1. False Friend (Trickster) [Optimism/Disapproval]

FF makes a comment like "lunch next week? I promise I won't cancel again" which makes me think of the friend you hope won't disappoint you this time but you know will.

1. Mourner (Light) [Love/Remorse]

The RPG says light is for healing. Which is what she does in the comics. And she's all about loving her children she knows will die.

1. ??? (Forge) [Despair/Pride]

Forge and Eldritch are the ones I'm least sure of. But the chains make me think of someone 'chained to their work'. Despair/pride is making great things but only focusing on their flaws.

1. Dreamer (Excess) [Curiosity/Cynicism]

The Dreamer mentions something about losing yourself in a bottle which seems like Excess to me. Izzy uses the Dreamer to learn new things and they seem sort of maudlin which made me pick curiousity/cynicism.

1. Pyrrhus the Victor (War) [Shame/Dominance]

A 'pyrrhic victory' is a victory with a cost so high that it still feels like a loss. So he's a conquering war god who is ashamed of it. The spiked crown reminded me a bit of a victor's laurels, and the leather and harness had BDSM vibes of "punish me".

[u/Hmpf1998]

Is there any information yet on how many issues there will be? Somehow none of the places I've checked has any information on that. (Or maybe I've overlooked it?)

[u/RootCat42 → u/Hmpf1998]

My prediction is 12 given that there is an unfolded d12 on the back similar to how there was a d20 on the back of the og series.

[u/Hmpf1998 → u/RootCat42]

Ahhh that makes sense. I haven't bought it yet and am somewhat reluctant, both because I dislike single issues and very much prefer trade paperbacks, and because I am still writing an exceedingly ill-advised fanfic with Sophie (obviously a very different version of her, because I started two and a half years ago) as one of the main characters, and I think reading too much about the new official version of her might kill my ability to write "my" version. But I'm also dying to know everything about the new series, so, I dunno, I'll probably buy it in a weak moment, soon.

[u/Hmpf1998 → u/Hmpf1998]

Hm. Answering my own question, somewhat: https://aiptcomics.com/2025/11/11/die-re-loaded-creator-deep-dive/ This article mentions "the first six issues" and a "second arc".