Demon Knights

Demon Knights is a DC Comics title launched in 2011 as part of that company's line-wide title relaunch, The New 52. It is a team title featuring Etrigan, Madame Xanadu, Shining Knight and others. Its main difference to other team titles, such as the Justice League, is that this team is based in the Medieval period of the DC Universe history. Its initial writer is Paul Cornell, with art by Diogenes Neves. Publication history In the planning stages of The New 52, Paul Cornell was asked to write an Etrigan title. At his request this became a team title set in Medieval times as this was of more interest to him, and a more fitting period for Etrigan to operate. Cornell also stated that a love of the film The Magnificent Seven is an influence on the title, and that it is a team title as he is more interested in the interactions between characters, rather than any scene or period. It has been confirmed that this team is the ancestral version of Stormwatch. Characters Etrigan - a demon, bonded to a human magician, Jason Blood. The character was originally created by Jack Kirby. Lucifer - a fallen angel and the ruler of Hell. Madame Xanadu - a powerful magician, with ties to Merlin. Vandal Savage - an immortal man, and regular villain in the DC Universe. Shining Knight - a knight called Sir Ystin, from fallen Camelot. The Horsewoman - a mysterious woman never seen off her horse. Al Jabr - a Middle Eastern fighter and tactician, with a good knowledge of mathematics. Exoristos - a strange woman with ties to the Amazons. Plot The first arc opens with Jason Blood and Madame Xanadu arriving at the town of Little Spring. While in the local tavern, they find themselves among the likes of Vandal Savage, Sir Ystin, Al Jabr, and Exoristos. Outside the town, the impending horde of The Questing Queen and Mordru composed of barbarians, magically enchanted dinosaurs, and mechanical man-powered dragons is heading towards the town. The Queen wishes to go through Little Spring to reach the rich city of Alba Sarum and take it by surprise. When the horde meets resistance from the heroes, the Queen decides the only choice of action is to contain and destroy the town. Vandal tells the villagers that the only means of survival is to evacuate, having once served in the Questing Queen's horde. To save the town from an oncoming fireball, Xanadu creates a magical barrier sealing Little Spring inside and out until sunrise.