Demon Knights, Volume 2: The Avalon Trap

Demon Knights (Collected Editions)

by Paul Cornell (Writer), Diogenes Neves (Illustrator), Oclair Albert (Illustrator)

On the road to Alba Sarum, the Demon Knights learn the tale of Madame Xanadu and Etrigan, and the twisted love they share. But even more twists abound as the Knights arrive to an assassinated Merlin! Now they must travel to fabled land of Avalon in search of a way to revive their legendary wizard. But what they find on the way is a threat more dangerous than they could have expected and a betrayal from one of their own!

Collecting: Demon Knights 0, 8-12

Genres: Comics, Graphic Novels, Dc Comics, Fantasy, Superheroes, Comic Book, Graphic Novels Comics

144 pages, Paperback

First published May 28, 2013

About the author

Paul Cornell is a British writer of science fiction and fantasy prose, comics and television. He's been Hugo Award-nominated for all three media, and has won the BSFA Award for his short fiction, and the Eagle Award for his comics. He's the writer of Saucer Country for Vertigo, Demon Knights for DC, and has written for the Doctor Who TV series. His new urban fantasy novel is London Falling, out from Tor on December 6th.

via Wikipedia @ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paul_Cor...

Reviews

[Anne · Rating 1 out of 5]

I was absolutely in love with volume one of Demon Knights. I gushed, I cooed, I yammered on...like I do.
So.
Yeah. This bullshit was pretty disappointing.
And maybe I'm just being a pissy little bitch because I'm bloated from all the turkey I ate, but I don't think so.
I don't even know what the fuck this was about...



What the hell is that?!
Is the sea dragon wearing a box of pirates on his head?
Why, yes. Apparently it is.
And that is just the tip of the stupidity!
Nothing about how this story was told made sense. It just kind of rambled around, never really going anywhere.
I'm not sure why this group was still together, I'm not sure what they were hoping to accomplish, and I'm still not sure about who half of them are.
Best part?
I don't care!
I mean, how could they cancel a title with amazing characters such as:
Horsewoman!
As in, a woman...who must LIVE on her horse!
Question: What does she so when she needs to pee?
Or what about the Shining Knight? Or Random Amazon (can't remember her name)? Or Inventor Dude (again...can't remember his name)?
None of these guys played any kind of an important role in the story. And I'm not really sure there was a real story that happened here anyway.

Ugh. Not worth it.

Get this review and more at:

[Sam Quixote · Rating 1 out of 5]

Ever hear a little kid tell you a story? I remember when I was in high school and did work experience in a class for 8 year olds. One of the tasks was for them to write what they did on the weekend and then read it out. The essays usually went like:

“I went to the park and played football and then we went and had an ice cream and it was good and then I saw a bird and it was black and then I went to my friend’s house and we played in the pool and and and and and and” – that x 25 for a whole week! And that’s why I’ll never have kids!

Little kids don’t have good stories and they don’t know how to tell them well – it’s all “and and and” until it just becomes white noise to the listener. But that’s what I kept thinking of when I was reading Demon Knights Volume 2. It’s a string of one dull thing following another until its mercifully over.

It’s been over two years since I read the first Demon Knights so I can’t remember why they’re still together as a group especially as they seem like a band of loners with nothing to stop them wandering off on their own journeys. Anyway they’re headed to New Camelot for some reason only to find Merlin assassinated - but he’s still kind of alive, probably because he’s magical? So they have to take Merlin to Avalon to revive him.

Why? That dreariest of reasons: money. Even though I wonder what someone like Etrigan the demon would want with money, especially as Merlin was the one who fused him and Jason Blood together. To be more in character, he’d probably say “fuck money!” and tear Merlin to shreds. Oh well.

They encounter the most impractical of pirate vessels – a sea serpent with a box for humans attached to its head (and what happens when it dives into the water, they drown?) – and become “wicked” versions of themselves which they like. They fight a skeleton and a sorceress and it’s done. Boring, boring book!

Also included is Etrigan and Jason Blood’s origin, and DC’s attempt at reaching out to a new demo: pervy Japanese men! They devote an issue to Etrigan and Madame Xanadu’s unusual relationship aka a demon and a hot woman getting it on. Hmm. Whatever floats your boat, I guess!

I’m not even sure why they still insist on calling this title Demon Knights as it’s basically Etrigan all the time. I can’t think of a single thing Al Jabr, Exoristos, Horsewoman or Vandal Savage did in this book, or why they’re even here. Oh right, money. Which is also clearly the only reason Paul Cornell’s writing this, because he’s obviously lacking in the inspiration department!

Apparently there’s one more Demon Knights book to go before the title got cancelled – and it’s not hard to see why! – but I’m not sure I can be bothered if the comics are this flat and uninteresting. Demon Knights Volume 2 is full of bad, clichéd fantasy and non-characters going on a story nobody could possibly give a hoot about. I honestly think the kid who writes Axe Cop would do a better job than Cornell did here.

[Lost Planet Airman · Rating 4 out of 5]

Oh, DC, DC. Naughty.

This is a fun little comic book series. If you squint, there is a resemblance to the Silver Age Justice League, with seven medieval (super)heroes pinned to the wall while the Big Bad harvests their magical energy for some nefarious plan. This volume also has some wonderful art and useful backstory.

Now, here's my complaint: the storyline reaches a crescendo cliff-hanger 24 pages from the end, so I expected a whole issue devoted to battles and spells and medieval mayhem. Nope. The last issue is where DC decided to publish the #0 issue, a long exposition of the new history of Jason Blood and the demon Etrigan. a double letdown there, publishers.

[Gavin · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked this one, but it seemed to lose the fact that it was about all 7 'team members'. More focus was on Etrigan/Jason Blood and Madame Xanadu/Nimue than the rest. I'm hoping that the series gets to continue, and we'll have more in depth looks at all the characters: Al Jabr; Sir Ystin, Vandal Savage, Exoristos, and the Horsewoman.
This story features more about Merlin, Avalon, and King Arthur, which seems to have links to many of the characters. It's an interesting time period for sure, and it beats reading about super-criminals for sure!
It's like a nice D&D-light. This storyline continues the quest begun in Vol. 1, this time, to travel to the ruins of Camelot and stop the evil that has taken root.
Some familiar faces appear along the way (especially for those with any knowledge of Camelot).
A fun ride, and I'd much rather this than yet another rehash of a superhero origin to be honest.
Worth reading, looking forward to Vol. 3!

[Matty Dub · Rating 4 out of 5]

The story continues as our Demon Knights must find old Camelot to reach Avalon, as the title implies, shenanigans ensue as the team is pit against a classic Arthurian villain.

This was never not fun but it did lose some of the charm and humour that made the team so endearing in the first volume. The writing just isn’t quite as tight and focused. It’s still great and well crafted though and honestly volume 1 was always going to be hard to too. The volume ends with issue #0 which shows us the origin of both Jason Blood and Etrigan, it’s good stuff.

The art isn’t as consistent as vol.1, Neves’s great pages give way to some early Robson Rocha art a few times and issue #0 is by Bernard Chang. Neither of the last two do as well as Neves.

So we’re still having fun albeit this being a shorter, less exciting piece of work. Onto volume 3!

[Carl Waluconis · Rating 3 out of 5]

This volume contains five more issues in the 2012 series, focusing on the relationship between the Demon and Madame Xanadu. Supernatural characters in the comics interest me a little more than super-heroes, and these are two of my favorites. This is maybe why I wanted more from this book. It is an interesting enough story of how the two met and then developed a deeper relationship. Especially effective is the development of the relationship between the Demon's alter ego, Jason and the couple, creating a unique sort of ménage a trois. What bothered me about the issues was some characterizations issues. Even though Madame Xanadu has had few issues of her own, the character there had a mystery mixed with whimsy, difficult to do but I missed it here. Also, the Demon stops rhyming, which its creator, Kirby, always did. What I like is Paul Cornell constructed a reason in the narrative for the Demon not to rhyme. I just did not find the reason convincing. All that said, I enjoyed the rollicking tale, and I will continue and pick up issue #3.

[Anchorpete · Rating 5 out of 5]

Oh man, is Paul Cornell's Demon Knights book good. Like I said about Volume one, I actually didn't like this series at first. A second reading of the first trade made me appreciate it much more.

This particular trade has set off my imagination, wondering about the various versions of Camelot that exist within the New 52 Universe. Could they tie in the fact that there has been multiple Camelots with the fact that there are at least 51 other Universes?

How about the fact that Madame Xandu, who is also on Justice League Dark, was actually Morgaine La Fey's sister, named Nimue?

What about Merlin's own origin and how it ties in with the Demon Etrigan and Jason Blood?

There is so much greatness to mine in all of this. I know Cornell eventually left the title, and that they cancelled it, but damn they really got the sparks flying in this trade.

I hope they were able to tie in the fact that Stormwatch is somehow connected to the Demon Knights as well.

[Shannon Appelcline · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cornell’s Demon Knights continues to be a fun Medieval action-adventure that’s totally different from anything else in DC’s stable. I especially enjoy his fidelity to the real DC continuity, offering subtle ties to everything from Vertigo’s Madame Xanadu to Morrison’s Seven Soldiers and Vertigo’s Animal Man.

Jason Blood and the Demon get some particularly good character development in this volume that I’m interested in seeing pay out in the future.

[Angela · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Demon Knights go to Camelot to save Merlin, and help King Arthur. Not all are doing it for the best reasons. There's some nice flashbacks that show more about the characters. The story was ok, but a bit predictable. The dialogue did shine though, and I am enjoying reading about this set of characters. A good read.

[Robert · Rating 4 out of 5]

Strong continuation of the story.

[Norm Keillor · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not as good as the first volume. I like the origin story and all but it seemed forced. I think the story should have been drawn out more.

[Charlos · Rating 3 out of 5]

A unique offering in the New 52 lineup, this volume still seemed blander than the first.

[Rick Hunter · Rating 5 out of 5]

During the first volume of this series, the main cast defeated a horde that intended to overtake a city ruled by two princesses. This main group consists of the sorceress Madame Xanadu, her lover, Jason Blood, who is tethered to the demon Etrigan, the immortal Vandal Savage, an knight from Camelot named the Shining Knight and her winged horse, a mysterious woman known only as Horsewoman, an Amazonian exile named Exoristos, and Al Jabr. This volume picks up with the group headed to city to rewarded by the two princesses. The reward they get is that they are asked to partake in an even more dangerous quest to Avalon to take Merlin's body there because he's been murdered.

All of the members of the group accept this quest for their various reasons. The most apparent of these reasons is the one that Etrigan has. Merlin is the one that bound Etrigan and Jason Blood together and Etrigan figures he can make Merlin undo the binding. In order to reach Avalon, the crew have to travel from mainland Europe across the sea to England. From there, they travel to the remains of Camelot. The journey is filled with peril as any grand adventure should be. Upon arriving in Camelot, we find out that Morgaine Le Fey is the one pulling the strings that led them there.

As soon as I opened this book and read page 1, I was as immediately sucked into this story as I had been in the first volume. Writer Paul Cornell has done one of the best jobs at recreating characters for the New 52. I've always loved Arthurian legends. I really enjoy most fantasy tales. I'm also a big fan of comics, of course. Add those things all together as Cornell has done and you get one of the 5 or 6 books in the New 52. I absolutely love this story. The only complaint that I have with the story at is that the journey from the beginning of the book to Camelot only took a few pages. I would have liked that to have taken at least 2 or 3 issues, but that's because I'm so in love with the artwork by Diogenes Neves.

This book looks amazing. As much as I love Jim Lee, this art rivals his. Not only do the main characters and environments all look great. Neves gets to draw all sorts of cool like sea serpents and zombies and winged horses. Upon finishing the book, I went back to the beginning and just geeked out over the art. I took in page by page and marveled at its beauty. This is everything comic book art should be.

I know this is only volume 2 of 3, but this is one of my favorite New 52 titles. I really hope that I'm not in for a big letdown with that volume. If you like any of the characters in this book, you have to read this. Even if you don't know who the hell any of these characters are, but you enjoy a great fantasy story, this series is for you.

[Kinan Diraneyya · Rating 2 out of 5]

The first issue in this volume is quite nice. It shows Xanadu as she narrates her version of how she fell in love with Jason but had to pretend to Etrigan that she preferred him to keep him at bay. The good part is that I still do not know which of them she loved and which of them she pretended to love even after hearing her story.

Issue #0 tells of Etrigan's ascension through hell and Jason's time at Camelot before the two were bound together. Both of their stories are different from their pre-New 52 versions, in which Etrigan was born a king and Jason was a formidable knight, way older and less concerned with love affairs. The story is nothing special, but it is also entertaining.

The rest of the volume tells of the group's journey to Avalon on a mission to deliver the body of the recently murdered Merlin there (which would supposedly bring him back to life). Things get really silly from there onwards, with the narrative falling into the form of classic linear hardships that the party overcomes one after the other to reach their destination: Face A solve A, face B solve B, face C, etc., the last one being your good old Rube Goldberg trap because why kill the heroes when you can instead leave them tied to the wall to die slowly? (Spoiler alert, they escape!)

While I am still happy with the overall quality of the series in terms of its characters, dialogues, and art, its lack of a grand plot is putting me off. I finished half the series and still can't see a good reason for a group of such different individuals to band together. Furthermore, the direction in which Etrigan and Jason are going does not appear promising, which is very troubling considering that they get 50% of the screen time!

[Paige · Rating 4 out of 5]

So I read the first volume in 2013 and now it's 2019 and I'm reading the second one. A part of the reason I decided to jump back in 6 years later was because I wanted to see how the new 52 aged. When the new 52 was happening it was right at the moment that I was starting to get into comic books so it seemed to be like a perfect time to jump on board with these all new storylines that I could start from the beginning. I think one of the weirdest one was always this book and I think that's why it stuck with me as the one I wanted to try again after all this time. Now looking back it was a really weird choice and I think that's why I liked it so much. Arthurian legend and demons are definitely not as popular now as they were in the 90s (or maybe the 80s, maybe I'm just projecting with Kid in King Arthur's Court and Quest for Camelot), so it's a very interesting choice. Getting back to the actual Vol 2 of this series, I was once again surprised that I enjoyed it as much as I did. I like how it was set up and how there was so many flashbacks with the interweaving of choices that had been made/ need to be made. The use of magic made the past and future much more tangible in that in the present time they were dealing with so many more issues. Also not going to lie, I enjoyed the doomed love story aspect. I don't know I just had a lot of fun, maybe because I just got finished with another semester of grad school, but this was a super fun time to me.

[Ronan The Librarian · Rating 4 out of 5]

The art is still fantastic, though I don’t like Bernard Chang’s art nearly as much as Neves. The story is entertaining, but I got a bit lost in the world’s history, which didn’t get much explanation, but enough you can assume/catch up on what’s going on. I feel like this could’ve been remedied by taking more time with the story and word-building. In fact, most of the issues I had with this volume could’ve been alleviated by taking more time with it (maybe this was an editorial issue?). I started reading the series to learn more about Etrigan, and it does go deeper into his backstory here, but the rest of the team that captured my intrigue in the first volume falls by the wayside. The team dynamic I was excited to see developed was completely lacking. That’s probably the biggest downfall. The pacing also felt janky, like the next plot point was rushed to, leaving character development in the dust.

Still, there’s good writing to be found, and more Etrigan, so I’d recommend if you liked the first volume.

I still want to read on to see what happens, but don’t love the artist change.
Not as good as the first volume, but still good. About a 3.5.

[Sean Sexton · Rating 4 out of 5]

As I've mentioned before, I'm reading through the entire New 52 series, chronologically. I gave the first volume of Demon Knights stories a pretty bad review. I found the stories boring and the pile of characters confusing, with no ability to connect with any of the characters.

The second volume of Demon Knights stories turned out to be far more enjoyable to me. I'm a little puzzled at the shift. I think that the story itself was more interesting, with the characters trying to find their way to Camelot and Avalon, on a mission to resuscitate the dead body of Merlin. It's all silly, of course. But at least it was a story of sorts.

I think that I also started coming to know the individual characters in the series. Maybe the writing was a little better in this volume. Or maybe the back stories of the different characters just eventually sinks in. In any case, the story was enjoyable, following the characters as they journey to Camelot and interact with Lucifer and his demons. (I did say it was silly).

[Rhys Causon · Rating 3 out of 5]

The first part of this volume was a good paced, though frankly odd adventure to Avalon, but it’s still enjoyable.

I haven’t got a lot of knowledge about Arthurian mythology to fully love this but I know enough to follow along. And again, seeing which character have been used for this team is still fun and interesting… even if they seemed to not do a lot in this story compared to the first Volume.

Where this volume loses steam is in the backstory of Etrigan and Jason Blood. I knew a little of their backstory but as this was the New 52 era I don’t know how much of that was from the pre- Flashpoint era and what was made specifically for the New 52… though the inclusion of Lucifer Morningstar should be the hint that it’s New 52 since Vertigo would have been merged into the universe at that point.

[Bradley · Rating 4 out of 5]

Four stars I give to the Demon Knights, I certainly found it to be a great delight.

This to me is certainly one of the better titles from the New 52. Then again I'm totally partial to Etrigan and I like Savage as well, but it was the additional characters that make it truly enjoyable. I can't complain about the art, either. Love the styles. Maybe this isn't five stars, but in the case of characters I love I let my stars fly loosely.

If you are interested in a steady plot, I don't recommend. To me this is dumb fun and the best part would be the last act where it goes into Jason Blood/Etrigan's history a bit at the exclusion of the other characters, but I like my dumb fun.

[Silas · Rating 3 out of 5]

I recall having enjoyed the first Demon Knights book, though I read it some time ago. This was still an enjoyable story, but not as good as I remember that one. It features a take on Arthurian legend, and weaves a tale that heavily features two or three of the characters assembled in the first book, and the rest of the people are there, too. They are rather overshadowed by King Arthur, Merlin, and Morgaine (maybe Marvel somehow has the rights to Morgan le Fay?). If I set aside the first volume, it's a fairly fun if a bit weird medieval adventure story, but nothing to write home about.

[Scott Waldie · Rating 4 out of 5]

This one goes a little darker and may have been a bit closer to what I expected, kind of a Medieval precursor to stuff like Justice League Dark. The monsters get a little wilder and scarier with the addition of le Fay to the tale, and there's some cool Hell stuff with Etrigan and Lucifer. The art is still pretty top notch for a less popular New 52 title, and I spent a lot of time just studying the detail on some of the panels here.

Halloween 2021 Read 16/20

[Đenis · Rating 3 out of 5]

Tohle mi už tak moc nevedlo. Parta démonických rytířů unikla z pasti a odolala invazi putující královny. Varovali sousední království a to jim za budoucí odměnu ještě uložila další úkol, a to zachránit tak-nějak-zavražděného Merlina návštěvou Avalonu. V této výpravě má každý své skryté úmysly. Etrigan se projeví jako krásný démon a je tady taky flashback do jeho minulosti.

[Seizure Romero · Rating 2 out of 5]

Same art bonus star as volume 1. For me, this volume was such an odd & disjointed clusterfuck that some assmunch library patron had ripped out two pages & it ultimately didn't seem to matter to the story.

[Kayla · Rating 3 out of 5]

Yeah. It was good. I like backstory.

[Robin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Une série de fantasy vraiment sympathique et bien dessinée

[Shane · Rating 3 out of 5]

Starting to dig into Arthurian legend here and also multiversal theory with multiple Camelots in different timelines/dimensions. Lots of action and of course you can never trust a demon.

[Kimyona Dietter · Rating 3 out of 5]

This did not meet my expectations. Not sorry I read it, but the story was not really fleshed out and the action felt like it stalled.

[Lillian Francis · Rating 4 out of 5]

Still enjoying this series.

[Charles Mitchell · Rating 3 out of 5]

Solid fantasy title. Seeing some minor DC characters in a different setting. And there's Etrigan the eponymous rhyming demon.

[Fizzgig76 · Rating 3 out of 5]

Reprints Demon Knights #0 and 8-12 (June 2012-November 2012). Merlin is dead but the Knights intend to bring him back. With a plan to voyage to the remains of Camelot and enter Avalon to retrieve his spirit, the Knights learn that they are facing an unseen enemy who also has plans for Merlin. Even with the danger growing, the alliance between the Knights is strained as Etrigan might not be honest in his intentions.

Written by Paul Cornell with art by Diogenes Neves, Bernard Chang, and Robson Rocha, Demon Knights 2: The Avalon Trap is the second volume in the New 52 series. Following Demon Knights 1: Seven Against the Dark, the series continued to suffer slipping sales and struggled to find an audience. The collection contains the “Assault on Avalon” storyline in addition to the flashback month Demon Knights #0 (November 2012).

I have always liked the Seven Soldiers of Victory and I really enjoyed Grant Morrison’s bizarre take on them in recent years. Demon Knights represents the Seven Soldiers of Victory in a medieval setting and with a more streamlined story…and as a result, it doesn’t quite work.

Fantasy books are a hard sell and by setting the story in the past, it eliminates many of DC’s staple villains. Granted, the series does contain many current DC characters including Xanadu who has a duel role in Justice League Dark and Vandal Savage who is a perennial DC villain, but it seems obvious that the cast is going to fight Morgaine Le Fay…since any King Arthur storyline ends that way.

I do like the characters, but they get little chance to grow here. The most known character Etrigan the Demon seems to dominate this book (I know his name is in the title and the issue outlining his relationship with Xanadu was quite good), but it is the supporting cast which seems more interesting and deserved more exploration. Unfortunately, in this volume you get little of that.

Demon Knights was probably destine for failure. I admired that the New 52 took some chances with “new” titles and new teams, but hardly any of them managed to survive in the competitive comic book market. I don’t know that if Cornell and his team wrote Demon Knights even better if it would have mattered…it doesn’t have Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, or the Justice League. It is a sad state of affairs, but every book seems to need some sort of hook like this to survive. The Knights were damned…figuratively and literally. Demon Knights 2: The Avalon Trap was followed by the final volume Demon Knights 3: The Gathering Storm.