“Demon Knights” was one of several New 52 launch books with a lot of unique potential. Unfortunately, the first arc suffered some severe story decompression, killing the series’ momentum. With issue #16, writer Robert Venditti takes the reins from Paul Cornell and propels the series 30 years into the future, providing a great jumping on point for new or lapsed readers.
Unfortunately again, that means we have to wait for this engine to get going all over again.
Written by Robert Venditti
Illustrated by Bernard Chang– It’s the DC debut of new writer Robert Venditti (X-O Manowar, The Surrogates)!
– It’s been thirty years since the Demon Knights last rode together – and they’re less than happy to see each other!
– What has happened during this time? Who lives? Who’s dead? Who’s going to stop the massive vampire invasion that threatens all life? The Demon Knights had better find some answers fast!
There’s a lot to like about “Demon Knights,” even outside of the titular demon Etrigan. This book has a fantastic cast, from established characters Shining Knight (of Grant Morrison’s “Seven Soldiers”) and Vandal Savage, to newer creations like Horsewoman and Exoristos. The Middle Age European setting allows the history of the DCU to be expanded beyond the bothersome “5 years,” giving the universe the depth it severely lacks. “Demon Knights” is also a good looking book, thanks to Bernard Chang’s fantastic pencils and Marcelo Maiolo’s colors, with this arc in particular being extremely exciting thanks to its ties to Joshua Hale Fialkov’s ever evolving “I, Vampire” saga. Nevertheless, even with all these checks in the plus category, it’s hard to meet this issue with more than a half-hearted “that’s cool, I guess.”
Part of this has to do with the issue’s set up. Time jumps, though gimmicky, can be a fantastic driving force. It’s always great to see how characters have changed in the time since they were last seen. How have the heroes of “Demon Knights” changed? Quite literally not at all. Granted, the lack of physical change is due to nearly every member of the Demon Knights team possessing unnaturally long life, but the lack of character development is very perplexing. Though 30 years have past since the last arc, each character seems to pick up right were we left them, throwing all the intrigue of the time jump out the window. Instead, we’re left with a “get the band back together” style plot with only a few noteworthy surprises. Venditti does an adequate job of reacquainting the reader with the cast, but occasionally falls prey to some painful expository dialogue.
On a more positive note, the female members of the Demon Knights team get the spotlight here, and each is handled very well. These are strong characters in the vein of Wonder Woman, but each has unique characteristics that keep them from falling into cardboard cutout archetypes (although Exoristos is essentially a medieval Wonder Woman to begin with).
The second problem lies in the arc’s antagonists. As mentioned in the solicit, this arc sees the Demon Knights go up against vampires, a group that has only been recently ousted by zombies as the most overused undead creature. The vampire leader (whose identity I will not spoil, though “I, Vampire” readers can likely guess it) is a menacing character whose (claimed) origin has a lot of interesting implications. The vampire army itself, on the other hand, isn’t that compelling at all, at least in the way that it’s presented here. Venditti throws a few kinks in the works, such as the point of origin of the villain’s lovely lady assistant, that may help to spice up a well-worn concept later down the line.
One last minor gripe is the absence of Etrigan from this issue. Granted, this is obviously due to story needs, as the issue’s cliffhanger frighteningly reveals. Still, the lack of the title’s namesake definitely contributes to this issue’s lack of energy and excitement.
As mentioned before, artist Bernard Chang turns in very good, though not groundbreaking, artwork in this issue. Due to the expository nature of the script, there are long stretches of the book in which Chang’s art work is covered by a blanket of word balloons, and high energy action segments are few and far between. However, Chang excels in small details, with clean, intricate line work in the character’s clothes and armor and densely packed backgrounds and surroundings. His establishing shots, such as in the village in Saxony and the city of Al-Wadi, are especially well done, and it’s a shame he wasn’t allowed more wide landscape shots. This issue would’ve heavily benefited from a higher page count, allowing the dialogue and art more room to breath.
Continued belowMaiolo’s colors play a great part in bringing Chang’s pencils to life. Using a wide color palette he is able to abruptly shift the mood of a scene, as with the transition from the bright, shining streets of Al-Wadi to the city’s dark, dank underground. Chang’s depiction of the vampires is somewhat disappointing. These vamps are a step up from Twilight, but nowhere near the frightening and gritty depictions readers are accustomed to in books like “American Vampire” and “I, Vampire.” The final splash page is striking and visceral, and will stick with you long after finishing the issue.
Venditti has proven himself to be a more than adequate writer and it’s very exciting to see him make his New 52 debut. While he clearly has something up his sleeve, his desire to not reveal too much too quickly gives this issue a lack of urgency. If you’re a fan of the book already, then have no fear, it is much the same book as it was under Cornell’s pen. If you’re a fan of Fialkov’s “I, Vampire,” then definitely give this book a shot, as this arc will likely tie-in heavily to events seen in that series. For everyone else, this issue isn’t likely to get you all too excited for DC’s fantasy foray.
Verdict: 6.8- Worth a try, at least.
