Demon Knights #3

SPOILERS AHEAD

What happened previously: Jason Blood/Etrigan, Madame Xanadu, Shining Knight ("Sir" Ystin), Vandal Savage, Al Jabr, Exoristos, and the Horse Woman are fighting to protect a village. Xanadu makes a sacrifice to protect the people allowing her magic to expand.

Story Title: First Sacrifices

Thoughts: I liked the other two issues better but it was alright. There were surprises to be found, some were unpleasant while others cleared things up. Two likable villagers were killed in gruesome manners much like the baby in issue one. The first was a priest that was unlucky enough to be close to Etrigan when he was in a bad mood. At first it looks like he'll live but he knows the truth, that he's being dragged into hell as his face burns. This does show that Etrigan isn't really a hero, the only interest he has in Xanadu and it's not clear if he feels more than lust for her. He does claim that everyone will pay if her beauty is gone. Xanadu basically flips what she said to Etrigan when Jason returns making it sound like she prefers him to the demon. Ex is sicken by the flip flopping saying it reflects badly on their sex. Ystin still pretends that she is a he.

The saddest part is the second death. The girl from last issue that was amazed by Ex wants to be a hero in her own right and claims she knows a way out to go for help. Much to the horror of Ex and Ystin she's murdered in front of them with her head severed on the last page. While this isn't a book I'd recommend for children it was tastefully drawn without showing too much detail. It fits the time period while making it less gory than comics that take place in present day settings. Which makes it a bit scarier since we don't see everything. The priest death is a little more graphic as it shows his face steaming but I don't think it would translate as well if we didn't see some detail. I'm interested in seeing where the character interactions will lead. A decent read that has me curious.

Say What?: I don't know too much about Jason Blood and Etrigan so I didn't know how their body switch worked. I kind of assumed they were two beings sharing the same body. Which is sort of true but apparently Etrigan is in hell until he's called, Jason goes to hell while Etrigan is on earth.