Etrigan tries to save Madame Xanadu after she sacrifices herself.
The Good
The best thing about this book and this issue is the art. Diogenes Nevers (pencils), Oclair Albert (inks), and Marcelo Maiolo (colors) come together to create a masterpiece of contemporary comic-style artwork. The pencils, inks, and colors are clear and crisp and it's probably my favorite art of the new 52.
As I stated before when I reviewed issue #1, I really enjoy the lettering in this book. Jared K. Fletcher does a great job with consistency in the lettering and with different lettering styles. Normally, a reader won't even noticing the style within the writing, but in Demon Knights, it will really catch your eye.
People not reading this book are missing out on not only a really cool concept, but a great collection of B to C-List characters at DC: Etrigan, Madame Xanadu, Vandal Savage, Sir Ystin, and others. This book pulls a lot from Seven Soldiers, and although readers may not know all of these characters, they will fall in love with them, especially because this book is just so much fun.
The Madame Xanadu-Etrigan-Jason Blood love arrow/triangle/whatever you want to call it, is pretty cool. I'm not sure if Xanadu truly loves these men or if she's just using them. I'm interested to see how this plays out.
The Bad
I think the biggest hump readers will have to get over is that this isn't a typical DC book. It doesn’t have super-heroes blasting through the sky in modern times. It’s has elements of that, but set in the past. You see the good guys and the bad guys, but there’s a bit more flavor to it. It’s one of the things I really like about the book. Other readers, however, may have a bit of a hard time transitioning over to a title like this.
This book can be a bit tougher to follow because there is a lot going on. I feel like when I read this, I need to have the issue prior to it on hand as a quick refresher.
The Verdict
Demon Knights is a team book you should be reading, yet you keep passing it up (I’m making assumptions). The book is a ton of fun and has one of the best art teams in the new 52. It’ll be the first time you’ll notice and truly appreciate lettering in an issue as well. This book has a great line-up of characters you may not be too familiar with, but you’ll grow to enjoy, and the Xanadu-Etrigan-Blood relationship is bizarre and intriguing. On the down side, it can be a hard book to get into because it’s not a typical DC comics, but believe me, it’s a good thing in the long run. It can also be a bit hard to follow, so make sure you have the issue prior to the newest on hand for a quick refresher. I highly recommend this issue.