Demon Knights Vol 3. Gathering Storm

I got the last trade so here's some of my thoughts on the ending of this sadly short lived series.

SPOILERS AHEAD



Despite it being wrapped up the characters do manage to get some good development...for the most part. Some things don't ever get clarified and some plotlines finish but still feel unfulfilled.

Vandal Savage- Throughout most of this series Savage has been the fun loving yet traitorous guy of the bunch. Those are two extremes to his character that will shock some readers since he's the comic relief one moment then the guy cutting innocent hearts out the next. His ruthless nature does get explored more as he takes a betrayal (which happens off panel) of Jason Blood and Xanadu deadly serious. Taking great pleasure in "evening the score" even though his punishment hardly fits the crime. He remains entertaining and I'm amused to see how often the rest have to put up with this traitor.

Shining Knight-I feel that Ymirs' plots were the most rushed which is a shame because Ymir is the most honorable and selfless character. The gender issues aren't clarified in detail but they don't really need to be. If Ymir sees himself as a man (or stated once as both sexes although prefers to be called male) then he is. That's not my problem. The jump into the future just fast forwards his relationship with Ex and makes his quest come to a quick end while at the same time not allowing him to be the one to find it. Jason Blood does and while it's a great moment for him it undermines the whole "Ymir is destined to find it" plot. The threat of Ymir turning into a vampire just felt tacked on as did his sudden curing.

Ex- While I enjoyed the character there's still a lot that's left a mystery. I can't even remember if they ever explained why she was exiled to begin with. She doesn't even get to confront this apparently great friend she had that turned into a vampire which was just a big let down. Even her relationship with Ymir feels like a side note. Ex's temptation with the Black Diamond was pretty much skimmed over to use it as a means to close out the series. I liked that the item could still fit in the canon set up in Sword of Sorcery though.

Jason Blood-I suppose this did give Jason more to do than his standard love triangle with Xanadu and calling forth the demon. It tied into the fact he was a scribe and the only one that could read Merlins' work which I liked. At the same time he comes off kind of dumb when he's briefly taken in by Savages' words that Xanadu prefers Etrigan over him. It sort of frizzles out which makes it sort of pointless and feels so forced. Nevermind that Xanadu told the others they came up with the plan to keep Etrigan in line. In all the years the Demon Knights worked together no one else mention the love triangle to him? Credit to finding the grail actually goes to him but at the same time his pretty vengeance almost got them all killed. Granted Savage would have betrayed them at some point but this also happened when he made himself stay in hell to prove a point.

Xanadu- Not too much happened with her outside the love triangle. She plans the part well managing to keep everyone guessing who she loves or if she even loves either. For a moment she seemed to believe that Etrigan cared for her but quickly dismissed it knowing that he was just using her.

Horsewoman/Sarah- I might need to reread the trades but I don't think any of her human companions knew her real name. Somehow she remains the most mysterious to the end. I can't say I was too thrilled with her gaining the use of her legs as it took away her disability at the end then just shrugs as the series ends.

Al Jabr-The only character that ever ages in this book. If nothing else it's good to see that he managed to find a place where he can use his wisdom to it's fullest. I did think he would be tempted by the Black Diamond but nothing ever came of that plot. He just found a way to keep the Grail safe, at least until the books' end.

Etrigan-Amazingly enough the demon gets the most natural development as he feels guilt for his betrayal and seems to care for Xanadu.

Overall: It did feel too rushed towards the end and that wasn't helped by plot points that were introduced then quickly forgotten about. I did like how Cain from I, Vampire showed up and was a real threat. But the series really needed a bigger ending. I hope that at some point the past will be fleshed out more especially with Etrigan showing up along side Xanadu. This was a good read but I think it would have been better if the story was given more time.