Superman #21, by Joshua Williamson and Dan Mora, lets readers sit in on a date between Superman and Lois Lane, something the Kents have definitely earned. Lois gained superpowers at the end of Absolute Power, joining Superman as Superwoman. Doomsday has returned in more than one guise, and the Couple of Steel decided to take a break. This break led them on a date throughout the DC Universe, one part of which took them to Gemworld, home of the princess Amethyst.
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Amethyst showed up and asked for help in her war against the House of Opal, leading to a short battle between Superman and the enemy army. Amethyst and Gemworld are rather deep DC cuts, their origins reaching back into the bygone days of the early 1980s. Amethyst is the last character anyone would expect to see in a Superman comic in 2024.
Amethyst Is a Relic of Another Era in Comic Book Publishing
There was a time when comic books were one of the premiere mediums for entertaining children. The books were relatively cheap and most parents preferred their children to have comics rather than watch TV all day. Amethyst grew out of this. After the superhero boom of the 1960s, comics became more of a “boys’ medium”, as publishers stopped doing the romance books that girls had bought for the guaranteed money of superheroes. Comic companies spent years trying to bring girls back to comics, and Amethyst, Princess of Gemworld was born.
The character was created by Dan Mishkin, Gary Cohn, and Ernie Colon. At first, the trio pitched the idea for a female character named Changeling, but that was taken off the table because Beast Boy’s codename had become Changeling. Mishkin changed the name to Amethyst and that led to the gemstone motif that would define Amethyst and her adventures.
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Amethyst, Princess of Gemworld starred Amy Winston, a girl who learned that she was the princess of the magical realm of Gemworld. She was sent to Earth to save her from the Dark Opal, who had destroyed her family, and returned to free her people from the evil House of Opal. Gemworld’s magic was built around gemstones, with the different “houses” represented by different stones. Amethyst’s story was the classic “girls’ adventure”, using tropes that had been tried and tested over the years. Amethyst got a major push, starring in three different series and the Amethyst Special between her 1983 debut and 1987, but the character never became as popular as DC hoped. Amethyst became one of many esoteric DC magical characters, appearing in the background of multiple DC events, with the publisher trying to bring back her several times to no avail.
Amethyst’s Return Is a Reminder of DC’s Depth
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 dealing with the eternal war between Superman and Doomsday, and having a short interlude with Amethyst – one that shows how useful Lois is as Superwoman – serves as a nice change of pace. Amethyst is a great reminder of just how deep a universe DC is.
Amethyst is of the He-Man/Transformers time period; she was meant to be a multimedia success for DC and Warner Brothers but she never got there. Amethyst may have never lived up to her potential, but she can still be a useful and entertaining character. Superman #21 proves how easily she can slot into things. Her appearance is short and sweet, but it could be enough to remind everyone that Amethyst can be more than just a magical princess and that she deserves more spotlight – especially if she keeps the great Dan Mora re-design Superman #21 gave her.