| Title | : | Showcase Presents: Amethyst, Princess of Gemworld, Vol. 1 |
| Author | : | |
| Rating | : | |
| ISBN | : | - |
| Format Type | : | Kindle , Hardcover , Paperback , Audiobook & More |
| Number of Pages | : | - |
Showcase Presents: Amethyst, Princess of Gemworld, Vol. 1 Reviews
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Nice interesting new world for the DCU back when it was created. I have enjoyed the way they have continued to integrate it with the mainline DC U over the years. nice art and writing. Recommended
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12-16-20: Updated Review/ ReRead
5 stars (for material.)
4 stars for this volume presentarion (being B&W only.)
After completing reading the new 2020 mini-series, I went back and re-read the original material.
And boy! This was always a guilty-pleasure title and remains so this day! (While I have all the original issues, this volume is easier to read and handle, though DC missed the boat in not putting out a colored version, as it's kind if essential to the premise of Gemworld!)
An enjoyable fantasy romp that features a young female lead (which was rather unusual at that time!) learning to deal with her inherited powers as a Princess of Gemworld.
The worlbuilding and characterization is quite impressive overall, showing (rather than telling) us everytjing we need to know, so we the reader can tag along on this magical journey with Amy.
Amy/Amethyst is a likable character, a 13 YO girl who is brave and wise (if a bit naive), and the perfect vehicle fir this narrative. (It's interesting that the new mini-series aged her to 16, as that's a BIG jump in teenage years..)
And I -still- highly recommend this title to anyone. -
While this looks very much like a "girl's comic", and in a way I suppose it is, this fantasy tale actually appeals to a broad group of readers. It's more She-ra than Conan, but it's still a pretty decent fantasy series with some nice world building and decent art. The original 12 issue series was the best, as it seemed the story was forced once it turned into an ongoing series.
It's an all ages story although not exactly for kids. Most of the issues have the same creative team, the team that created the characters rather than guns for hire, so you feel as though the creators have a true connection with the book. Interestingly enough, all of the creators were male.
Overall not bad, but I'm still more a Savage Sword of Conan guy. However, if you're a fan of He-man and She-ra, this is definitely worth a read. -
Enjoyed this a ton. At first I was weirded out by the age change between Amy and Amethyst but I got used to it and really enjoyed the getting to know Amy the teenager and Amethyst the princess. I am hoping that eventually they will release the missing end issues of the ongoing.
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I think there's a really good research paper that could be written on the notion that fantasy stories for boys are generally geared toward the protagonist having a skill that earns them their value, whereas fantasy stories for girls are usually based on the protagonist being valued for their identity. To put it another way, boys' stories are about being the only person who can pilot a giant robot against an alien invasion because they're the best video game player in the world, while girls' stories are about secretly being a princess.
So here's Showcase Presents: Amethyst, Princess of Gemworld, a story about a girl who is secretly a princess!
That preamble probably sounded cynical, but there's honestly a lot to like in this collection. The initial twelve-issue series, while below the standards of other DC Comics maxi-series from the 1980s such as Camelot 3000, Crisis on Infinite Earths, and Watchmen, is solid fantasy fare that probably did perfectly hit young girls' desire "that your parents are not really your parents... that you are a foundling, a changeling child--and the orphaned heir to a mystic throne!" as the narrative box helpfully states in the first issue. That first part is a fun romp, with good illustrations throughout by journeyman penciler Ernie Colón, marred only by the occasional misstep of an event being referenced that I am pretty sure never actually happened, a bit of focus drift from issue to issue, and the presence of a romantic interest with the looks and personality of a Ken doll that I kept hoping would die in some hideous fashion. The maxi-series wrapped up well, leaving things open-ended enough to imagine that the titular heroine Amethyst might have more adventures in the future...
...then she actually had those adventures, and things went off the rails. Before I launch a tirade against the second half of this book, I will say that the covers drawn by Paris Cullins in this stretch are superb, amazingly detailed work. The rest is mostly negative, as while the story and art in the Amethyst, Princess of Gemworld maxi-series were consistent enough, the ongoing series with the truncated title of merely Amethyst seemed to flail about without any real reason for existence. Problems arose and were resolved for equally unclear reasons, characters' motivations became murky, the Ken doll romantic interest became unfaithful just for the sake of melodrama (and unfortunately he failed to die in some hideous fashion), the art quality ebbed and flowed, bad guys became good, good guys went bad,dogs and cats got married,and everything just got a bit irritating to deal with. Then, to add insult to mediocrity, this collection ended on a cliffhanger right when events took a bizarrely morbid turn, with the Amethyst series apparently having gone through issue 16 while this book stops with a "TO BE CONTINUED!" at the end of 11. This volume is unnumbered, suggesting that it's the only one to be produced and the remaining issues will go unreprinted, leaving the story permanently incomplete for people reading in trade format. Why couldn't they add those few extra issues that would presumably round out the story? Actually, why couldn't they have collected the complete stories in two volumes, so I could have just bought the first one containing the maxi-series and skipped the substandard follow up? -
Fun sword 'n sorcery for all ages in the vein of She-Ra, Conan, and the like. Since these comics are reprinted in b/w, Amethyst's sparkling colorful Gemworld is brought to life here on the strength of Ernie Colón's fantastic art. I could spend hours looking at all of the detail he works in. The original 12 part story, the Annual, and the side stories featuring Amethyst's intro as well as a team up with Superman in the DCUniverse proper make a perfect collection and introduction to the transforming purple sorceress Amethyst. So I'm not sure why DC chose to also add to this book 3/4 of her next series (which in my opinion are weaker stories anyway) - but then leave it unconcluded. Seems like it would have made more sense to publish a Volume 2 collecting the entire second series as well as the final 4 issue follow-up miniseries rather than leave the reader with no real ending. Still, I was glad to finally have a chance to read Amethyst and you get a lot of comics here for a nice price. 80s fun!
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I adored these comics as a child but lost almost all of them (and hundreds of other comics) to a basement flood. And while I missed the color pages, the original 12 issue "maxi series", as DC so goofily named it, still holds up and is a really strong fanasy comic. The book lost its strength and direction when it was renewed as an ongoing book, although the initial Fire Jade arc still works well. Amy/Amethyst was such a well written, complex, strong-despite-her-youth character in the beginning. And while she was a 13 year old in reality, she seemed to get more petulant and whiny as the book descended into soapy mediocrity.
But overall, this collection was a joy to read and brought back many fond memories of longing for a magical amethyst, my birthstone as well, to unlock a world of magic in my mundane, suburban life. I think this book would be great for any kid, regardless of gender, but I know there's many a little girl who'd love to have a hero like Amy to look up to. -
I really wanted to rate it 5 stars, but lets face it, the last parts kindof subpar and the absence of color kind of takes away from things for me. But regardless of this, it's Amethyst, Princess of Gemworld. She predates She-ra as a fantasy princess heroine, and is one of the (if not THE) original 'girl power' titles of comics. Everyone should read Amethyst at least once. It's full of adventure and everything else you might want from a nostalgic 80s comic. And she has a Pegasus. What else do you want?
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The book should have been published in color, even if it had to be split into smaller increments (which might have been better anyway, since the last comic leaves the story in a weird place). If there is a Volume 2, I'd really like to find it (because it is a fun story); otherwise, I'll stick to collecting the color issues from flea markets.
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A good read. Pity that DC decided to release this in black and white as Amethyst really would look amazing in full colour not to mention depriving artists of their amazing work. For how old these comics are, they read quite well in todays world. For an 80’s comic I can say I did not find it hard to read at all. Overall the black and white does work in its favour and make it akin to reading a Manga. This volume gives some great back story to a lesser known DC hero. Amethyst has become another DC female favourite hero of mine alongside Catwoman, Wonder Woman, Supergirl, Lois Lane, and more. Gemworld really is fascinating and all the characters are intriguing. I wish DC would do more with these characters than just let them gather dust. The only thing I will say is that I am not happy with how the last page ends. Read it and you’ll know why. It’s not fair when publishers do that without even a promise of a second tome. Pity it is also completely out of print which means it will take me a lot of searching to find a copy but at least my local library was good enough to have a copy and I can tick it off my to read list. An enjoyable read.
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One of my favorite comic book series. Way better than the newer iterations of Amethyst. Rating 4/5 stars only because it's in black and white. The original color is soooo much better.
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This is a tale of good and subsequent stuff that is largely derivative of good.
The initial teaser story of Amethyst, the Earth girl who is actually an orphaned princess from a land of mystical gems, her initial half-issue insert in "Legion of Super-Heroes" (no cameos from 30th century superheroes unfortunately) was really good, and the initial "maxi-series/long mini-series" called "Amethyst, princess of gemworld", was great.
The mini-series benefitted from a couple of things. One,the plot of the maxi-series was very clear. There's this one incredibly evil guy with superpowers, Dark Opal, and a bunch of good guys or even less evil guys that Dark Opal will inevitably kill. The conflict of good vs. evil is very effective, it keeps the reader going constantly, looking out for an outcome.
And a couple of things make for cool looking art. Amy/Amethyst can teleport between Earth and Gemworld, which allows from crossovers from Gemworld into Earth and vice versa. Also some generally good character designs for monsters and supernatural crap, her dog is a good character. It just seems like a cool/well-designed world for characters to play around in and zap each other with magic.
the problem is inevitable. So (spoiler alert kind of) you get your plot resolution of the maxi-series, which by its nature just ends at issue 12 of 12, but DC wanted to try and keep the characters going in new issues.
The "Amethyst, Princess of Gemworld" annual was ok, but made the story less about a clear conflict and more about confusing aspects of the link between Earth and Gemworld. The "DC Comics Presents" team-up between Superman and Amethyst that ties in with the max-series, that was kind of dumb too. As much as I like Superman, thought bubbles where he's like "I totally know what Gemworld is, and I can deal with magic even though by Kryptonian nature I can't fight magic" get annoying, and just not very original.
The worst is the 11 first issues included here of a magazine confusingly called "Amethyst", just a shortening of the maxi-series' name, I guess? Inevitably Amethyst gets called back into a series of mystical conflicts into the Gemworld. But they have this rambling nature to them.
The major issue is that pacing is just really slow in this version of the characters. You'll spend multiple issues with people getting threatened or worrying, but they either can't/won't take clear cut action to resolve stuff. And the villains sort of float from one to the next, while also hinting at a reprisal of the activity from "Amethyst, Princess of Gemworld", but nowhere close to coming to a head even 11 issues in when this collection ends.
So basically it's kind of boring and filled with filler. Also, more subtly, Ernie Colon's artwork on "Amethyst, Princess of Gemworld" is better than Ric Estrada on "Amethyst", in my opinion, although the single issue by both Dan Jurgens and ESPECIALLY Kurt Schaffenberger were cool.
So basically if you really just enjoy all characters read this whole thing. But if you just like strong story telling, read the 12 issue maxi-series and sort of glance at the rest to see if you might like it more than I did.
Still solid artwork and idea attempts all around 4/5 -
Tenuto presente gli ani in cui fu originariamente pubblicata, questa serie fantasy della DC, con un target abbastanza diverso dai soliti ragazzini in quanto è palese il tentativo di interessare sia le ragazzine sia persone un poco più adulte, questa serie è un must.
Certo, risente di un'eccessiva verbosità rispetto agli standard attuali e, in parte, del meglio dell'epoca, però si lascia leggere bene e riesce ad interessare. I disegni di Ernie Colon sono molto buoni, e furono alla base del mio desiderio di lettura. Devo però dire che le storie scritte da Mishkin e Cohn sono state una bella sorpresa, per me erano due emeriti sconosciuti; in effetti hanno scritto quasi solo per la DC negli anni '80 e quella produzione è arrivata in Italia solo in minima parte.
Questa Amethyst non è la stessa dei New 52 attualmente pubblicata negli USA dalla DC, e le tematiche sono solo in parte simili. Le atmosfere originali, purtroppo, nel revival si sono perse anche se, tutto sommato, sono storie godibili. Ma queste avventure fantasy degli anni '80 sono su un gradino più alto. -
I didn't read these comics when they came out in the 80s because I was a teenage boy and the whole concept seemed too "girly" for me. Also, the fact that the art was by a guy who drew "Richie Rich" was something i couldn't handle then. Fortunately, I outgrew those attitudes and picked up a lot of the issues from quarter-bins. But I never completed the set, so I am glad that DC has finally collected the series. I do think they would have sold a lot more of this if they had put out a digest-sized collection when manga was at the height of its popularity.
Anyway, this story of a teenage girl who discovers that she is the heir to a magical realm where she transforms into an adult is enjoyable. The art is great. Some aspects of the story feel under explored, and occasionally the world-building seems to as thorough as it could be. But overall I liked this. -
I liked the art, my kid liked the art and the stories. Although it came out in the 80s era of having comics as part of an overall scheme of toys and videos bundled together (He-Man, I'm looking at you), this storyline transcended all that commerce and worked on its own level.
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This a very weird series of comics but one I have a strange fondness for it. It goes to some absurd places and loses some of the prismatic fun in the black and white form. Yet, I cannot help but enjoy the fun.
