COMIC BOOK REVIEW - Demon Knights: The Gathering Storm
By The Masked Medic
So as I’m hearing rumours about the next few characters getting live action and animated portrayals on the TV and big screen for DC, I’m starting to realize that there are gonna be a lot of underused and underrated characters that get their moment to shine. With that, I was like I should come back to some of the weird and wonderful series that DC had produced, and that of course, led me back to the “Demon Knights”!
‘The Gathering Storm’ is the final novel in the “Demon Knights” series. It’s a hefty novel composed of three main stories. The first sees Etrigan the Demon, having given up his friends to Lucifer, attempting to make a plan to capture Avalon, the magical land where Merlin and King Arthur live. He’s also cut the bond between himself and Jason Blood, leaving the latter alone in the Earthly realm. However, when Jason is captured by the Questing Queen and linked back to Etrigan, it leads to an all-out battle between her forces, Lucifer’s army and the protectors of Avalon. The Demon Knights somehow escape the chaos but decide to go their separate ways. The second story starts 30 years later, when a vampire, named Cain, is rampaging through Europe, creating an army of the undead, which also includes an Amazon. The group is reluctantly brought together by an aged Al-Jabr to unite once more to face this evil. To do this, they will need the help of Etrigan the Demon; however, what they don’t know is that Jason Blood was captured by Vandal savage, who has been torturing him for all these years. Exoristos, Sir Ystin and the Horsewoman rescue Jason and reunite him with Madame Xanadu. Although Savage gives chase, eventually he joins his old comrades to fight Cain and his horde of hungry vampires. The last story sees the group go after the legendary Holy Grail, which is what Sir Ystin has spent their life searching for. Can this ragtag bunch band together one last time to see through their final mission?
I’ve often complained about the length of some of the final novels. I do get it, often a series will be cancelled well in advance of the final issue coming out, and the writers and illustrators have to tie all loose ends together, leading to a very long novel. That being said, none of the stories were boring, and I remember the odd camaraderie these characters have with one another. I will always appreciate that this series introduced me to characters that I was completely unaware of, but really enjoyed reading. As a muslim, there is some representation in comics, but Al-Jabr was someone I’d never heard of. His inclusion in this team was a fantastic addition. The character development we got of Horsewoman, Sir Ystin and even Etrigan the Demon weaved the fabric to keep each story interesting!
So, when it comes to the artwork, I will say that I admire that the novel was filled with artwork from several different artists. Some of it was good, but some of it I wasn’t a massive fan of. The covers were much the same. Overall, ‘Demon Knights’ was one of the most interesting and different series that DC ever produced, and although I like my mainstream series, I appreciated the education!
Favourite Panel:
Haha, I liked so many panels, but you have to appreciate the meme reference!
Favourite Character:
Always so hard with team novels. As much as I love Al-Jabr, Sir Ystin and even Etrigan, I think Vandal Savage is so so funny. Please bring this man to the DCU!
Rating:
Story Arc: ★★★
Character Development: ★★★½
Artwork: ★★★
Enjoyability: ★★★½
Re-readability: ★★★
Level: Advanced