Review Shooter: Demon Knights #1

Written by: Paul Cornell

The day came when I had to pre-order my New 52’s at my local comic shop, and as I was going down the list a second time when a certain book caught my eye; it was Demon Knights. “Hmm, Paul Cornell? Ah, what the heck let’s try this one too!” I thought to myself. I really enjoy Paul Cornell’s work and I always thought Etrigan was a cool character, so I took a chance and I’m really glad I did.

Demon Knights  starts off with a brief prologue that takes place during the fall of Camelot. In this prologue, you get a quick glimpse of the last Knight of the Round table, Excalibur, Madame Xanadu and an imprisoned Etrigan who is then bonded to Jason Blood by Merlin.

Fastforward to the Dark Ages, where we find a man who gives his baby boy to Mordru who then uses the baby to communicate to the “otherside”.  The baby tells Mordru what he wants to hear then he explodes. Yes, that’s right the baby explodes.

Cornell doesn’t waste any time introducing us to the extended cast. As the Questing Queen’s Horde approaches “Little Spring”, Cornell introduces us to Vandal Savage, Shining Knight, Al Jabr and an Amazonesque woman named Exoristos and he does this well. Simple, quick and easy which is how first issue introductions should be done, in my opinion.

The Horde is now invading “Little Spring” and Etrigan and friends fight back. Mordru senses “magical activity” in the village, so what does he do? He sends in the dragons (which are actually dinosaurs with knives)! The book ends.

Never, in a million years would I have thought that I would enjoy a “fantasy” comic. I’m not saying they’re bad or anything, but I’ve just never been able to get into them. I really enjoyed this comic. “Fantasy” book, or not this was a great read from start to finish. Paul Cornell knows what he’s doing. I think Jason is a great foil for Etrigan. I love that it was, for the most part, a fast-paced read. Like I said before, “simple, quick and easy.” That’s how I looked at it and that’s how I like it as far as comics go (insert sex joke here).

The art deserves a paragraph of its own. Prior to reading Demon Knights I had no knowledge of Neves’ work. His facial expressions are perfect; they really catch your eye. He also is really good at drawing dinosaurs. I love dinosaurs. My favourite panel would have to be the very last page because there are FRIGGIN’ DINOSAURS WITH KNIVES!

Survival Rating: LIVE! Demon Knights is unique and interesting. It isn’t your typical superhero comic, which is good for a change.

Recommendation: BUY IT! Excellent writing and beautiful artwork. It’s everything you look for in a comic, no?