Amethyst #1
DC Comics
Written by: Amy Reeder
Art by: Amy Reeder
Letters by: Gabriela Downie
Princess Amethyst’s return to Gemworld will begin a new adventure with secrets, lies and loss.
Amy prepares to return to Gemworld to celebrate her sixteenth birthday. After spending time with her human parents, the alien royal opens a portal to return to her world and celebrate with her people. Unfortunately, her return will begin with the destruction of her home and the disappearance of her subjects. With no clue as to what happened and her closest advisors among the missing, Amy travels to the neighboring Turquoise Realm to enlist the help of her best friend.
To add insult to injury, she finds a cold reception from her friend when she arrives and the only help she can find is a mysterious warrior who is determined to keep the princess out of trouble. Amethyst is convinced of who is responsible for the destruction of her kingdom, but the villain has an even darker secret to share.
Amethyst’s adventure is light and there are elements of it that are fun as well as containing an interesting mystery to uncover. That being said, the pace is a little too fast. Amethyst seems to bounce from one situation to another and none of the gravity of what has happened or the stakes are conveyed satisfactorily. The character just seems to roll with every circumstance with little to no emotion. There is a shallow quality to the character and I never got the sense that any of the tragedy around matters beyond her own ego. Amy Reeder has some great setups, but not much that pays off.
The art is fantastic though. Reeder offers some beautiful, sweeping visuals filled with details and the panels move the story along perfectly. I just wish the story was worthy of the brilliant art.