Amethyst

by Amy Reeder

Following her triumphant reintroduction in the pages of Young Justice, the new Wonder Comics Amethyst miniseries follows a teenage Amy Winston as she embarks on a journey of self-discovery, new allies and deadly quests throughout Gemworld.

Amy Winston, also known as Princess Amethyst, returns to her magical kingdom to celebrate her 16th birthday in style. The only problem? Her kingdom is missing, her subjects have vanished, and none in the realm of Gemworld—not even her best friend, Lady Turquoise—remain loyal to her house! Alone and dejected, Amy is forced to confront dark secrets and explore the farthest reaches of Gemworld in order to find clues. Follow Amethyst’s mystical tour through astonishing crystalized kingdoms and encounter extraordinary creatures as she solves the mystery of her ransacked realm.

Collects Amethyst #1-6

Genres: Comics, Fantasy, Graphic Novels, Dc Comics, Young Adult, Fiction, Superheroes

152 pages, Paperback

First published March 2, 2021

About the author

Amy Reeder is an American comic artist known for her work on titles such as Fool's Gold, Madame Xanadu, and Batwoman.

Reviews

[Artemis Crescent · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is part of DC's new 'Wonder Comics' brand, and it's another reboot of 'Amethyst'. Never mind that it is technically a sequel to the character's classic, pre-New 52 origin story and first adventure (Christy Marx's work doesn't apply here at all, which is a shame) - in the end, it doesn't matter. It doesn't matter how much you know about Amethyst, her story, and Gemworld in general before reading Amy Reeder's take on the DC fantasy action heroine; in fact, if anything, it is better to go in blind, and just go with the flow. There are scatterings of information and flashbacks that help to explain some stuff here and there (Amy Winston is already Princess Amethyst and has been saving Gemworld for years), but this brand new/new brand comic is best viewed as a reboot than a sequel. There will be retcons, so the less you know about Amethyst and Gemworld, the better. There may be less annoyance (read: fan outrage) that way.

Thankfully, I find the retcons in this particular case to be less of an issue, in comparison to the more recent retcons done to other superheroines like Wonder Woman and Captain Marvel, which range from unnecessary to crass to horrible and insulting. In 'Amethyst', written and drawn by Amy Reeder, the retcons help add mystery and intrigue to the story. Aside from a few side character assassinations and characters just being ignored altogether, in a bizarre turn of events, it all works. For a modern fantasy story (Isekai) where politics are as screwed up as they are in our world, and nothing and no one is what they seem. Messy, complicated worlds.

And regardless, it overall remains a fun comic, which knows the importance of emotional investment on the part of the reader.

Amy Winston/Princess Amethyst of Gemworld is a lovable, determined and flawed young heroine, who faces so much adversity; so much debasement, slander and abuse, from a world she loves and which once loved her back. But at the end of it all, after everything that is revealed to her, after everything she has suffered through, both externally and internally, she is still respected. She is revered by the people she least expects; by the downtrodden, the ignored, the forgotten. By new friends and allies. Everyone else has abandoned her. There is a meta subtext to this development: Amethyst, who was treated badly recently by her past friends - and by DC - now has a newfound lease on life.

Amy - who despite her powers and experiences, is sixteen and still a naïve kid - is given a chance to grow and progress, thanks to the new; which she will incorporate into the old, corrupt Gemworld. Established things are twisted; spun and flung upside-down. The tables have turned, and a bittersweet yet fresh, bright era awaits.

As you grow up, you realise that, even in fantasy worlds, things are not as black and white - or as like a cartoon - as they appear: such is the lesson that Amy, along with the reader, learns.

A teenage girl's wish-fulfilment fantasy this ain't.

Welcome to real life. But there will always be friends and family that you can rely on. They will do anything for you, and be there for you. There is still hope.

Thus concludes my rambling and vague review of 'Amethyst'. I had no expectations for it going in - I had pretty much given up on DC and Marvel at this point - but it surprised me. I won't mention any plot and/or character-specific details because, as I've said, it is best to go in blind. Experience it anew as Amy does, on her modern hero's journey.

The artwork is alright and appropriately colourful. Though it looks a little too sharp with heavy line work, and in some instances, whenever characters yell and scream, their heads tilt upward and their jaws look unhinged. Very awkward.

On another note: one aspect that is like a teenage girl's fantasy is there are lots of gemstones that are integrated into the story, apropos of Gemworld. Each possess their own powers and properties. With the help of a "Healing Crystals" book that Amy's earth parents give her on her birthday, she can use not only amethysts, but different stones for any situation. I love it!

Hail Princess Amethyst of the newly rebooted Gemworld, in her millennial and revolutionary glory! Like every girl, and like every child, she is far better than she knows she is capable of. More powerful, with or without magic stones.

Final Score: 3.5/5

[Chad · Rating 2 out of 5]

A six issue fetch quest where Amethyst just tours Gemworld. Other than the designs of each realm, there's no difference to any of it. Also the last couple of issues bring up a lot of questions that are never resolved. Just as Reeder started to create some interesting threads, the series ended. I did like the art and coloring, although Amethyst's hair style was strange. It often looked like she was bald on top with just hair on her sides due to that weird tiara.

[Shadowdenizen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Originally read as single-issues.
4.5 stars (though some of that may be filtered though the lens of nostalgia.)

I'm not ashamed to confess that Amethyst: Princess of Gemworld is one of my all-time favorite guilty-pleasure comics. (Both of the original maxi-series were (and are still!)compelling stuff!

So I was pleased to see Amethyst become a part of the DCU in the new 52, and re-appear in Young Justice. And doubly thrilled to get a new solo mini-series (which just wrapped up today as I write this.)

This series was a fun, bubbly read, and Amy Reeder captured quite a bit of the spark of the series and the characters overall, reintroducing and referring to old favorites like Granch and Corrine. (But see below.)

But there were a few minor quibbles... Though the fantastic elements are there, this is definitely more of a."Superhero" comic than a fantasy comic. And Amy/ Amethst has aged from 13 to 16, and falls squarely into the "Teen" category, which moves her from a slightly naive, but brave and courageous young girl to a... Well, teenager. (I understand the reasoning, as original Amy was mostly flawless, but it still feels a little a little OFF to me...)

So, overall, a fun read and admirable effort by Amy Reeder to remain respectful of the core conceit, while also updating for modern readers. (And a decent jumping on point for new readers: this series is good about telling you everything you need to know without info-dumping.)

[Sarospice · Rating 2 out of 5]

Sorry front cover of the first issue but this adventure will be quite forgettable. Points to Reeder for trying to keep an art and color theme going but this lacked any story and everything got sketchy toward the end. Another case of the writer thinking just destroying what came before will open the character to new things... then not introducing anything new.

[Lexie · Rating 2 out of 5]

I originally read the classic Amethyst comic when I was about 12. It had, as Amy gleefully says in this volume, everything a girl could dream of. Magic powers, secret royal, cool friends - it was everything a kid could want.

Until the series went straight off the rails and Amy sort of became like Bastian in THE NEVERENDING STORY (that is, drunk on power).

I didn't read Christy Marx's recentish reboot (Sword & Sorcery) either, but Reeder picks up after the first classic series so it doesn't seem to matter.

The first issue does a good job laying out the bare bones of what a new reader who can't find the original series needs to know. Which is good because other then the Showcase Presents OOP collection DC has never collected this series. Seems odd, as there's some truly phenomenal work done and they've brought the character back throughout the last almost 40 years soooo what's up DC?

Mostly the first issue works - we see Amy with her adoptive Earth parents, see her pining for Gemworld and then we're in Gemworld and like everything else in life it doesn't live up to the hype.

We're not given a real idea of how long it had been since Amy had been to Gemworld, she makes vague references to "its been a while", but she's also fully expecting a birthday gala so she had to have been back recently right?

What follows is a confusing jumble of scenes with Amy narrating "this isn't right!" to the reader, but unless the reader has previous knowledge I'm not sure it makes sense. Seems kind of...common sense that folk are tired of going to war? Sure its weird her entire Kingdom disappeared, but then again its not happening to anyone else soooo?

By the end I was trying to figure out who the bad guy was, why they were the bad guys, where exactly Amy went wrong (or if she even did) and if any of it mattered because far as I know this was a limited series and does not effect ANY main stream title.

Amethyst wasn't a JLA member, didn't work with the Titans, her world (Gemworld) has fallen by the time the Legion of Superheroes come about (in the 30th-ish century) and is now known as the "Sorcerer's Homeworld" (which barely has any impact on the DCU outside of White Witch/Mysa Nal, the younger sister to famed Legionaire Dream Girl/Nura Nal).

So I'm left wondering - what was the point again?

[Jason Carpenter · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read this as single issues, just finished the last issue. Good story. It was awesome to revisit Gemworld with Amy. I miss this character and setting. I hope they do more with her in the future.

[T.J. · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this! I am enchanted by Amethyst - a teenage girl from Earth who also happens to be a magical princess from Gemworld.

DC recently worked the character into Young Justice, which I thought was a great fit for her. But this mini-series collection by Amy Reader is a modern return to the character's sword and sorcery origins. The idea that she changes age (and becomes a lot curvier) when she jumps from Earth to Gemworld is probably problematic nowadays and is abandoned, but the story draws on classic Amethyst in every other way. Fans of those old stories will be surprised by how familiar this feels. New fans and readers discovering Amethyst for the first time need not worry - you can start the adventure here! And it's fun! I do miss Ernie Colón's organic interpretation of Gemworld, where every doorway or treestump had a gnomelike face. But Amy Reeder's art is expressive and equally inventive. The land of Emeralds comes to mind. I only wish this was longer. The ending has a teenage twist and is open enough for more adventures. Let's hope DC does a follow-up.

[Josue Rodriguez · Rating 4 out of 5]

On the stronger side, Amy Reeder's art is as always amazing and her story here is brimming with potential.
More in the vein of the modern She-Ra Netflix series (which I absolutely adore and is perfect), there's still in these issues that I wish had more time to breath. Like the slow build up of her powers, the relationship with her friends, expanding upon the world.
It all happens fast and lose and I guess it's not much of a complaint when my biggest one is: I wanted more of this.

[a ☕︎ · Rating 2 out of 5]

amy is a total brat but i kind of like her like that. she starts off thinking she’s princess of the universe and ends it thinking she’s princess of gemworld, so—character development? but the story on a whole is a little too tarot-y for my tastes and people named “prince diamond” and “king sapphire” just don’t work as villains.

[Dan · Rating 1 out of 5]

This is not for me....this seemed like it was trying to be a She-ra kinda knockoff. The simple names and over-the-top fantasy element.

[S.M. · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fun, lightweight YA fantasy. I really liked the art.

[Kip · Rating 4 out of 5]

I missed the original 1980s Amethyst series when it came out but have always felt like it was a comic I would have liked. So, I've been interested whenever they've tried to reinvigorate or reboot the character.

Overall, I liked this series. It was fun and whimsical and I love the artwork. If you're looking for an all-ages fantasy romp with a female protagonist and a wondrous world that you can read in a couple hours, then this might very well be for you.

This is not an origin story or a retelling but is an updated continuation of an early story. However, you don't have to have read any previous books to be able to pick this one up and enjoy it. They give you just enough of the backstory that you can ride along with his new tale.

The one real shortcoming of the book for me is that the history of Princess Amethyst and the mythology of Gemworld is simple too large and complicated for this volume. For a graphic novel of this size I would have expected a much less ambitious story, one that focused on Amethyst and just a couple of her friends and a conflict that only involved two of the gem kingdoms. I think that would have been a great way to introduce a new generation of readers to Amethyst. But this volume is overly ambitious, revisiting old characters, introducing new characters, and taking us all across Gemworld. By cramming so much material into so short a story, I think that the characters and the story didn't get their due.

Still, it was a fun read and I really do love Amy Reeder's art.

[Sesana · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is apparently a sequel to the original Amethyst comic, which I haven't read, with a lot of retconning. There's no connection to Christy Marx's great run from a few years back, and I'm not sure if this version of Amethyst is compatible with the one that showed up in Young Justice even more recently. I'm not sure how fans of the original version will feel about this one, because some very fundamental things are changed quite radically over the course of this book. Even without having a previous attachment, I'm not very taken with the revelation that certain characters are bad, actually, especially since the story doesn't get around to confirming that they are for sure. Which Reeder may have gotten around to, if she'd spent less time with the characters wandering all over Gemworld for dubious reasons.

[Aaron · Rating 3 out of 5]

A bratty, loud-mouthed princess returns to her homeland only to learn her people have been disappeared to places unknown by forces unknown. Not an ideal sweet 16 for Amy Winston, but alas, such are the beginnings of a hero in great need of practical experience. AMETHYST drops readers into the knee-high boots of Princess Amethyst, who upon gallivanting from Earth to Gemworld for the umpteenth time, discovers she has far less control over circumstances than she had previously believed.

AMETHYST resides among the lower-tier titles of the DC Universe that earn a reboot whenever it's convenient. Rarely will the publisher invest in more than a single maxi series with the same creative team, and rarely will the same readership encounter different iterations of said title's characters. On the plus side, this engenders a sense of narrative flexibility in what the creative team can propose and manifest for themselves. On the other hand, the implicit urgency native to these self-contained adventures bleeds puffery and aggrandizement.

At its heart, the current volume focuses on Amy's attempt to resolve the presumed false imprisonment of her people. Is the nefarious Dark Lord Opal to blame? The legendary criminal has had it in for the nation of Amethyst for decades. And with the palace in ruins and taste of deceit on everyone's tongue wherever Amy strides, it's quite possible Opal is sitting on his throne, laughing his butt off. But then again, what if there's something deeper and darker at work here? Amy recruits a few straggler allies in her quest for the truth: Phoss, a four-armed adventurer whose pragmatism wins the day, and Maxxie, a momma's boy and heir apparent to the land of Aquamarine.

This story is self-contained and somewhat annoyingly simple. Amy is brutally obtuse in her single-minded quest for vengeance on behalf of her people. She's not a particularly good match with her adventure party and she's not a particularly good leader when the situation calls for it. In fact, she's actually quite terrible at it. Amy doesn't listen to alternative opinions and values hierarchy more than heart. As one can imagine, this leads the characters to bicker like fools for a staggering majority of the comic book. For much of AMETHYST, it's difficult to tell whether these dynamics are the stuff of forced character development or merely a mark of dubious storytelling altogether.

But not everything is quite so muddled. The creative team's reinterpretation of the various races of gem people are stellar, and the clever integration of these differences and diverse peoples into their environment is worthy of note. The aquamarine people, for example, are water natives with a deep knowledge of the land and its resources.

The art is gorgeous. Reeder's emphasis on the awkward and the expressive is known. And while this almost always results in myriad fish lips and yawning jaws, it also gifts readers with scrunched noses, wary glances, and more complex, nuanced exchanges in otherwise crowded panels. The consistency is admirable. The environmental design is rather exquisite as well; an often overlooked facet of adventure comics limited to tracking one or two characters who do whatever they please. To added benefit is the high-quality coloring, which gets thematic with the Gemworld ethos but doubtlessly benefits from the tools and techniques digital artistry brings to the task at hand.

AMETHYST is another page in another chapter of another long, evolving tale of forgotten mythos. The book's colorful visual intuition and see-saw approach to character growth may not stick in one's memory for long, but it still makes for a mildly entertaining read.

[Madison Longley · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a good adventure novel on its own, even if you didn't focus on the superhero aspect. In fact, the story barely touches on the fact that on Earth, Amy/Amethyst is a superhero and has worked alongside the Young Justice. The only thing regarding her powers is towards the end of the novel when she's listing what she can do, even though she's not sure what to do. Even then, her powers play out a lot like magic. While Amy can come off as a tad impulsive at some points, she is only sixteen years old, and I think a lot of us were like that when we were that young. The bantering (and sometimes bickering) she has with Phoss and Maxixe is very natural and is something I often don't see in many in many buddy-comedy road trip stories (this story is obviously more fantastical, but I can see a few similarities between "Amethyst" and some of stories of that genre). The only problem I could really see was parts of the pacing. It would either move a tad too fast or a tad too slow in some places. However, when it comes to keypoint events in the story, the story is set at just the right speed to really take it all in. I think the story can teach younger readers, I'd say about middle-school aged kids, that standing up for what you believe for is worth it, even if not everyone agrees with you.
This story is a standalone, so there's no commitment to sticking with the series. So, if you enjoy reading adventure stories set in a fantasy setting, I'd say go check it out. Even if you are not necessarily the type to read a graphic novel, but love adventure-fantasy novels, I'd say you should try it out anyway. You won't be disappointed!

[Jenn Marshall · Rating 4 out of 5]

Amethyst is a a mini series in the Wonder Comics line for DC. It follows Amy Winston and her adventures through Gemworld while she tries to save her people. The trade collects issues 1-6 of the single issues.

First off, there is so much purple and I am loving every second of it! Even the letters have a purple dialogue box, but instead of getting lost like you would imagine it just makes everything flow together nicely. Even the dialogue boxes add to the art. I am not very familiar with the character, having only read Amethyst in Justice League Dark when she teamed up with Frankenstein and Constantine. But I really enjoyed this book. It was super fast paced, in some parts the pacing did confuse me because I felt like we were all of a sudden somewhere else. But it didn't effect my enjoyment of the story. The gem lore was spot on. I am a huge rock nerd and nothing will ruin a book more than someone using the properties of crystals wrong. I think anyone who loved Shera or Rainbow Brite would really enjoy Amethyst. It had that same feel to it, but updated and so much fun.

Creative Team:
Story and Art by Amy Reeder
Letters by Gabriela Downie
Published by Wonder Comics DC

[Niche · Rating 3 out of 5]

"You know that cereal you loved as a kid and thought it was part of a balanced breakfast? Turns out it was just trans-fats and high-fructose corn syrup. Now try to capture that sense of betrayal of memory as a comic."

This really felt like it wanted to be one of the Black Label "What if/retelling" subversions, but then they decided to make it more all-ages instead of "R," except for that scene with the guards getting decapitated and blood spraying. It pretty much takes every conceit of the old series it's continuing and then reverses it, right down to every friend and ally from the previous series is now an antagonist. But rather than the nuance of the shift being the change from childhood to young adult, it feels like the reader was left out of the loop and seems more like the protagonist ended up in one of those evil mirror version alternate realities.

Setting aside the iffy world-building and retcons, it at least tells a serviceable fantasy adventure with comrades (albeit of the angst/bickering variety) and no romance plotline/content, so I'll give it some credit.

[holly rose · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was kind of a let down. I was looking forward to a whole comic focused on the Amethyst I know from Young Justice, but this felt like a different person. I honestly couldn't stand her the entire time. I couldn't even feel sympathy for her because she was being so dramatic the whole time. There was almost never a moment where she wasn't either fighting with another character or yelling at people or having an inner monologue where she's feeling sorry for herself. I wasn't invested in a single character because there was no development or backstory whatsoever for anyone except Amy. Also I was so bothered by the fact that Amy literally used *completely normal crystals* to defeat the "every bad guy trope combined into one" antagonist. She used the superpowers given to her by the regular, average, common everyday crystals. WHY HASN'T ANYONE ELSE DONE THIS ALREADY IF THE CRYSTALS ARE LITERALLY EVERYWHERE? If there is an explanation for this, it was not discussed.

[Heather - Just Geeking By · Rating 3 out of 5]

I feel like I need to give this comic series two separate ratings. The first half was brilliant, exactly what I wanted and more from this. It took me straight back to growing up in the 80s with the whole retro 80s animation vibe. Then what happened to the second half? It just became this sudden rush to cram an ending together? I'm not even sure what happened at the end there with the bad guy. Suddenly he was there, they were fighting?! The final part was just so rushed. It was so delayed and it was still a massive mess.

[Liz · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was, unfortunately, deeply disappointing. It's basically a sequel to the original Amethyst run, which I loved, and... completely changes everything from it. The art and color was pretty! The story was poorly written even with my complaints about changing everything about it. A princess discovers that her kingdom is secretly evil the whole time stories can be done well. But this just full out ignored emotional beats including meeting your long thought dead parents?? I was very much looking forward to this and very much disappointed unfortunately.

[Sarah · Rating 3 out of 5]

I would like to thank edelweiss and the publisher for an advance copy in exchange for an honest review. I will admit, I had never heard of Princess Amethyst before but the cover art drew me right in. I read this in one sitting, I really enjoyed the story line and the art work throughout the graphic novel, I look forward to more stories.

[Craig · Rating 3 out of 5]

Strong start that fizzled by the end. It's still good, but the last issue feels way more rushed than previous issues. Overall, though, the new characters, new environments and new politics introduced into Gemworld are quite good. I'd love to see Amy Reeder get a Gemworld title.

[Sean · Rating 2 out of 5]

Overall the story and art were okay, but it resolves almost none of the threads or questions brought about throughout the story. It focused to much on ending the story immediately following the climax.

[Charleigh · Rating 2 out of 5]

The first few issues are great, but the last half leaves you with unanswered questions and it just ends. Was disappointed with the ending as it doesn’t seem to properly conclude the series.
Overall a bit meh and disappointing

[LaurenAlexandra · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a fun book to read. I really loved the fantasy world and bold colours. I do feel this could have had a few more chapters just to expand on a few parts. It would have made it just that much better.

[Emma Penn · Rating 3 out of 5]

A pleasant read that felt way too fast paced in travel and establishing characters and relationships. Very visually appealing though and I love the gem world designs. Seems like a fun world concept, I just wish they took more time with it

[Georgina · Rating 3 out of 5]

More a 3.5. Quick and fun and beautifully colourful (what drew me to pick it up in the first place) but confusing because I have no context and left a lot of questions unanswered, though I assume the story continues on

[Frederick Bodine · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read the original series back in the day and it was really good. This revival of Amethyst is truly geared towards a younger teen girl comic reader. I didn't hate it but felt silly reading it. Not like the original series at al!

[Liz H {Redd's Reads} · Rating 3 out of 5]

I love the art, world, and concept. This story suffered from being a mini-series. Just as the plot twisted and started to develop, it ended. Can I just have a DC movie featuring this character please?!?

[Jo · Rating 4 out of 5]

SHE IS GORGEOUS!!!! This entire comic is a fun, easy read. Each panel has been designed with so much love and care, I absolutely recommend it. Bonus, I didn't know anything about this character before reading it and I could still understand everything.