Superman #21 by Joshua Williamson and Dan Mora allows readers to sit in on Superman and Lois Lane’s date, and the Kent family definitely gets it. Lois gained superpowers at the end of Absolute Power and joined Superman as Superwoman. Doomsday is back in different guises, and Couple of Steel has decided to take a break. This vacation led them to go on dates throughout the DC Universe, part of which included a trip to Gemworld, home of Princess Amethyst.
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Amethyst appears and asks for help in the war against the Opal family, sparking a brief battle between Superman and the enemy forces. Amethyst and Gemworld are pretty deep DC cuts, and their origins date back to the early 1980s. Amethyst is the last character everyone expects to appear in Superman comics in 2024.
Amethyst is a relic from another era in comics publishing
There was a time when comic books were one of the main mediums for entertaining children. Books were relatively inexpensive, and most parents preferred to have their children watch cartoons rather than watch TV all day. Amethyst grew from there. After the superhero boom of the 1960s, comics became more of a “boys’ medium” as publishers stopped publishing the romance books that girls were buying with superhero deposits. Manga companies spent years trying to bring girls back into the world of comics, and Amethyst, the princess of Gemworld, was born.
This character was created by Dan Mishkin, Gary Cohn, and Ernie Colon. Initially, the trio proposed the idea of a female character named Changeling, but it was taken off the table as Beast Boy’s codename became Changeling. Myshkin changed the name to Amethyst, which led to the jewel motif that characterizes Amethyst and her adventures.
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“Amethyst, Princess of Gemworld” starred Amy Winston, a young girl who learns that she is the princess of the magical kingdom of Gemworld. She was sent to Earth to save her from Dark Opal, who destroyed her family, and returned to free her people from the evil Opal home. The magic of Gemworld is built around gemstones, with different “houses” represented by different stones. Amethyst’s story was a classic “adventure for girls” using time-tested tropes. Amethyst received a lot of attention, appearing in three different series and the Amethyst Special between her debut in 1983 and 1987, but she never became as popular as DC had hoped. Amethyst has become one of the many arcane DC magical characters, appearing in the background of multiple DC events, but the publisher has tried to bring her back numerous times to no avail.
Amethyst’s return reminds us of the depth of DC
Amethyst is a character who doesn’t really feel like she belongs in the current DC Universe, which is what makes her appearance in Superman #21 so surprising. Superman is grappling with the eternal war between Superman and Doomsday, and there’s a brief interlude with Amethyst that shows how useful Lois is as Superwoman, but it serves as a nice diversion. Amethyst is a great reminder of how deep the DC universe is.
Amethyst is from the He-Man/Transformers era. She was supposed to be a multimedia success for DC and Warner Bros., but she never got there. Amethyst may not have lived up to her potential, but she could still be a useful and interesting character. Superman #21 proves how easily she can take things. Her appearance is short and sweet, but it might be enough to remind everyone that Amethyst is more than just a magical princess and that she deserves more of the spotlight. Especially if she keeps up the great Dan Mora redesign that Superman #21 gave her.
