If Princess Amethyst looks like she has lost something on the cover of Amy Reeder’s Amethyst #1, then she has good reason. As the preview promised for this new mini-series, when Amethyst returns to Gemworld, she finds that not only has her kingdom mysteriously vanished but its people have as well. As always, something is afoot in Gemworld, but this time fans may not see Amethyst with many of the same allies they might know and love.

Reeder is bringing Princess Amethyst into the solo spotlight as part of DC Comics’ Wonder Comics imprint founded by Brian Michael Bendis. Wonder Comics continues the “pop-up” imprint model that DC has moved toward in lieu of more established imprints like the recently shuttered Vertigo. So far, Wonder Comics has brought back some much-beloved characters from DC’s past (including Connor Kent) and turned out some great comics in its first year. Amethyst was brought back in 2019’s Young Justice series in what is apparently a reunion with her continuity after her The New 52 reboot. For all the history that Amethyst has in the DC Universe, though, her latest iteration is in many ways in line with Wonder Comic’s aim to open the door on both the character and the universe for new readers.

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Reeder sets the scene for Amethyst’s solo adventure on the eve of her 16th birthday with Princess Amethyst ready to return to her Gemworld home (presumably following her departure with Young Justice after the events of “Seven Crises”). However, what Princess Amethyst does not know, and what Young Justice fans might have already guessed, is that her kingdom and her subjects are not at all how she left them. Reeder does a deft job of tying Amethyst’s journey home into previous stories while creating a smooth access point for new readers to join the Gemworld saga through Amethyst’s well-warranted confusion. All is not well in Gemworld, and Amethyst is going to need more help than the “Crystal Healing” book her Earth parents gifted her can provide.

The overall effect of Reeder’s art creates a feel akin to worlds like Oz and Wonderland. Much like those worlds, Gemworld’s whimsy disguises an increasingly sinister feeling that mostly remains unseen… for now. However, lest there be any confusion, Reeder has firmly claimed this world as her own. Reeder is at both pen and pencils in this mini-series and resonance between her talent as a writer and an artist helps build the series’ own particular spell. Despite the overall softness of the color palette, the lines of Gemworld are just as sharp and fractured as the remains of Amethyst’s home. This neatly reflects Amethyst’s own fierce but caring nature. She may not be a schemer by any means, naively trusting that right is on her side, but neither is she a shrinking violet. (Amethysts may be violet in hue, but they are no less sharp for it).

The crowning jewel of this first issue though might be Amethyst’s interactions with her new, somewhat reluctant ally. When she discovers that her kingdom has effectively disappeared, Amethyst immediately runs to her friend Lady Turquoise, the ruler of one of Gemworld’s more militaristic kingdoms. It quickly becomes clear that Amethyst’s people aren’t the only thing that has vanished. Lady Turquoise seems to have lost any warmth or friendship she had towards Amethyst, leaving the princess without allies and without a clue. Fortunately, at least one Turquoise’s citizens, Phoss, is willing to help her, even after Amethyst tries to destroy her “ride,” possibly because Phoss is sympathetic due to her girlfriend also being from Earth. The banter between Phoss and Amethyst is so spot on it might be the most magical thing in Reeder’s new series.

Without being heavy-handed, the series also hints that it will be taking on not only the mystery of Amethyst’s kingdom but also Amethyst’s privilege as a young princess. While Amethyst has had to fight her fair share of battles, the issue takes several moments to point out some of the princess’s own blind spots. While Lady Turquoise is without a doubt acting strangely, she has a fair point when she tells Amethyst that she never reckons the cost to the Turquoise kingdom’s army when they fight her battles. Phoss puts it a little more bluntly when she tells Amethyst that “What’s good and bad in this world isn’t always crystal clear.” Not only will Amethyst have to find her kingdom, but she might also have to become truly worthy of being its leader to retake her throne.

This Gemworld princess’s trials are only beginning, and the end of the issue promises one doozy of a surprise for Amethyst. Reeder is changing some of the most fundamental foundations of Amethyst’s world and sending this princess on a delightful quest to recover her home.

Amethyst #1 is on sale at your local comics shop and online.

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