A Million Ways to Die Hard is a graphic novel released in 2018 by Insight Comics, written by Frank Tieri and illustrated by Mark Texeira and is a story in the Die Hard series.
It is 30 years since the events that happened at Nakatomi Plaza and they are having a memorial based on what happened including John McClane's ex-wife Holly Gennero, Joseph Takagi's son, Hideki, and Hans Gruber's sister, Elsa, who wants to make amends over what her brother did. But all three are kidnapped by a serial killer from John McClane's past and once again, he's the man for the job.
The graphic novel has the following examples:
- Action Girl: Interpol agent Eleanor Sharpe, who has a beef with Mr. Moviefone herself and briefly teams up with McClane.
- Artistic License – History: The flashback to John's rookie year and dealing with Mr. Moviefone's first victim, who was killed with an arrow to the chest after her husband was forced to hold the radio up in the air, ala John Cusack in Say Anything..., which since John's rookie year was established to be in the 70s, wouldn't have been made yet. In fact, the film came out a year after the events of Nakatomi Plaza. And also, the serial killer is named Mr. Moviefone, with Moviefone not even being a thing until 1989 (also the year after Nakatomi Plaza).
- The Atoner: Elsa Gruber, who wants to make amends over what her brother did 30 years ago.
- Bald Head of Toughness: Not a single hair on his head and John McClane is still the badass cop we all know and love. Although in the flashbacks, he does have a full head of hair.
- Card-Carrying Villain: Mr. Moviefone leaves his mark with his victims and is proud of his work.
- Damsel in Distress: Mainly Holly, but Elsa also counts.
- Dude in Distress: Hideki Takagi.
- Deadpan Snarker: McClane is still as snarky as ever.
- Death by Gluttony: Recalling flashbacks, Mr. Moviefone kills McClane's partner Munchie by force-feeding him until his stomach explodes in a death he based on the movie Fatso. And he did it in front of his family, no less!
- Decoy Getaway: A villainous example. While Mr. Moviefone teases John and Eleanor, the latter chases what she thinks is the killer himself and when she catches him and unmasks him, he's revealed to be an African-American actor.
- Do Not Adjust Your Set: Mr. Moviefone hijacks the television channels to let McClane know he has kidnapped Holly, Elsa and Hideki and wants to face his old nemesis again.
- Dropped a Bridge on Him: Both Hideki and Elsa get killed after barely having any interaction with McClane.
- Even Evil Has Loved Ones: While talking to Holly, Mr. Moviefone recalls his father, who was also a cold-blooded killer, but they had a loving relationship with each other and enjoyed going to the movies together and is visibly saddened when he recalled him being gunned down after coming out of the theater.
- Faux Affably Evil: Mr. Moviefone, who puts on a jokey facade and gushes about movies while toying with McClane and killing people. He even gives Holly some food, which she shoves away, stating despite the fact he's going to kill her, he doesn't think she should starve.
- Heroic Sacrifice: Eleanor stays behind to hold the detonator of Mr. Moviefone's bombs to let John and Holly escape before the theater explodes.
- It's Personal
- McClane and Mr. Moviefone have history back to the former's rookie days when the latter started his killing spree and eventually offed Munchie. He disappears for a while to Europe and then when he find out he is Secretly Dying, he wants to finish off his old nemesis for good.
- Eleanor also has animosity towards Mr. Moviefone, when she reveals his first victim was actually her mother. Eleanor and her father move to London, where the grief of losing his wife proved to be too much for him and commits suicide, leaving Elanor orphaned and going from home to orphanage, even implying she was abused. These events left her hungry for revenge.
- Like Father, Like Son
- Hideki Takagi is just like his father Joseph, running Nagatomi and getting killed early on by the antagonist.
- Cam Powell, son of Al Powell from the first film, who supports McClane on his mission.
- Mr. Moviefone's father, who also loved movies and was also a cold-blooded killer that killed a married couple and their son.
- Put on a Bus: Cam Powell mentions his father, who is now retired and moved to Florida.
- Shark Pool: Both John and Elsa get dropped from a Trap Door into a pool with a Threatening Shark that eats Elsa.
- Strapped to a Bomb: John finds Holly in a movie theater and finds her tied up, but is ultimate subverted with...
- Terminally-Ill Criminal: Mr. Moviefone is a serial killer from John McClane's past whose murders center around movie themes. McClane would pursue Moviefone until he disappeared into Europe. Come present day, with the 30th anniversary of the events at Nakatomi Plaza, Mr. Moviefone returns once again to wreak havoc, going after McClane. Later on, Moviefone kidnaps McClane's ex-wife, Holly, and lures McClane into a trap inside an old theater. It's here that Moviefone reveals that he has a terminal illness and wishes to end his rivalry with his old foe once and for all. He shows that he has himself and the theater rigged to a bomb set to detonate once his oxygen intake meteor goes down once and for all. Although his plan gets foiled when an Interpol agent who also has a vendetta with Moviefone sacrifices herself to save McClane and Holly.
- Thanatos Gambit: Mr. Moviefone appears and after McClane shoots him, he reveals that Holly wasn't strapped to a bomb at all. However, he is and so are the dummies in the theater and reveals that he was Secretly Dying and has the bombs rigged to his oxygen monitor and set to go off when he dies and lets go of the detonator. But his plan is stopped thanks to Elenaor.
- Theme Serial Killer: Mr. Moviefone, who murders people in a certain style related to certain movies. Examples including beheading a man in Paris, killing an Egyptian man with snakes, having a man crucified near the Roman Colosseum, and killing Hideki Takagi by setting the whole first floor ablaze like in The Towering Inferno.
- Tinkle in the Eye: In flashback, when John holds his baby daughter in the air, she gushes pee all over his face.
- Trademark Favorite Drink: McClane loves himself the alcoholic drink, the Moscow Mule.
- What the Hell, Hero?: McClane gives one to Eleanor after trying to go after Mr. Moviefone instead of rescuing him and Elsa, even blaming her for the latter's death and as a result, cuts off the partnership.
- White Mask of Doom: Mr. Moviefone wears one while dealing with McClane and doesn't take it off until towards the end of the story.
