In 2018, it was announced that DC Comics would debut a new imprint entitled “Wonder Comics,” founded by Brian Michael Bendis. The new imprint’s goal was to attract younger DC readers, such a teens and young adults, by featuring predominantly younger characters such as the teenager Princess Amethyst of Gemworld. The flagship title of Wonder Comics was Young Justice, and characters such as the aforementioned princess and Tim Drake are featured in that series. Amethyst, however, is about to have her first solo miniseries through the new imprint that will be debuting in February 2020, and with it comes the opportunity for new fans who favor brighter and younger comic book aesthetics.

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The incoming comic will feature Princess Amethyst’s return to her magical, gem kingdom, which she accesses through a mirror portal. Her prerogative is to celebrate her sixteenth birthday in the company of her kingdom, but she returns to find Gemworld in ruins. As all of her subjects have vanished and even her closest allies, such as her former best friend Lady Turquoise, have abandoned her, she doesn’t have a single friend to turn to. This gives Amethyst a challenge that stands familiar to a lot of young readers: Finding new allies who will stand by her. Her other challenge is to find out what dark secrets have led the Gemworld to its current state of peril through a new quest.

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When broken down, the plot offers a lot of fresh and exciting themes for DC, such as a colorful, feminine aesthetic – featuring predominantly pinks and purples – and a sixteen-year-old, female protagonist that can feel perhaps more relatable to young readers. Amethyst’s quest to find new friends after feeling lost and abandoned is a trial that many go through in adolescence, so even a fantastical character from another world can feel relatable.

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The gem-aesthetic present in the character’s arc is especially relevant to young readers today, who might find themselves fans of the similarly gem-filled world of Cartoon Network’s popular Steven Universe. Though this version of Amethyst is new, the character herself debuted in 1983 in The Legion of Super-Heroes #298. She even had a miniseries, Amethyst, Princess of Gemworld release in the same calendar year and then a second, 16-comic series that came in 1985. She remained a rather dormant character until 2012 when she was in DC’s Sword of Sorcery series. While her image has evolved significantly since the ’80s, her princess reign over Gemworld remains consistent.

Amethyst can actively be seen in the current Young Justice comic book series alongside Tim Drake, Impulse, Naomi, and Wonder Girl. Though the character is the same, her look is entirely different thanks to being taken on by another other artists like John Timms, Nick Derington, Gabe Eltaeb, and Dave Stewart in Young Justice #10. 

Amethyst #1 is both written and drawn by Amy Reeder. Reeder has worked on several other top titles such as Batwoman, Madame Xanadu, and Moongirl and Devil Dinosaur. She won three Eisner Awards in 2009 for Best New Series, Best Penciller/Inker, and Best Cover Artist all for Madame Xanadu. Recently, Reeder did artwork for the Arrowverse Elsewhere Crossover.

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About The Author


Olivia Luchini
(45 Articles Published)

Olivia Luchini is a comic book news and features writer for Screen Rant and began writing for the website in September 2019. In addition to Screen Rant, Olivia also writes for POPSUGAR. She became a fan of comic books in preschool when she’d opt to be read the DC Encyclopedia as a bedtime story. Her favorite reads are anything where a woman is the titular character.

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Olivia graduated from the University of California, Davis in June 2019, where she majored in English Literature and Creative Writing. Other than comic books, she’s a big fan of Star Wars, stand-up comedy, Sailor Jupiter, and musical theatre. Her favorite Disney character is Dale the chipmunk because he’s a darn rascal.

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