Amethyst, Princess of Gem World
Encyclopedia
Amethyst: Princess of Gemworld is the name of three comic book
series published by DC Comics
in the 1980s. The series tells of a teenage girl named Amy Winston who discovers that she is in fact the orphaned princess from the magic
al Gemworld
. Amy learns that a evil ruler called Dark Opal is out to destroy her and so travels to Gemworld to overthrow him.
in Legion of Super-Heroes
(vol. 2) #298 (April 1983). Her origin began shortly afterward in the twelve-issue Amethyst: Princess of Gemworld limited series
in 1983, written and created by Dan Mishkin and Gary Cohn with Ernie Colón
as the artist, the initial 12-issue limited series
(identified by DC Comics as a "maxi-series") establishes Gemworld, who Amethyst is, and introduces several of her villains that she will face again later. The limited series was followed by a 1984 annual
and a sixteen-issue ongoing series. The ongoing series was followed by the 1986 Amethyst Special one-shot and a four-issue limited series that ended the character's adventures (pencilled by Esteban Maroto
). There was also a one-shot with Superman
in DC Comics Presents
#63 (Nov. 1983).
The series was oriented initially for younger female readers, but took on a more aggressive and darker tone over time. However, the character re-emerged after 18 years of sporadic appearances in 2005 during the Infinite Crisis
mini-series.
to be raised by the Winston family in safety.
At the age of thirteen, Amethyst was attacked by Dark Opal. Having been brought to Gemworld, Amethyst discovered her magical powers. 13-year-old Amethyst gained the appearance of a full-grown woman. The most powerful magic users in all of Gemworld are from the House of Amethyst. Amethyst decided to use her powers to rebel against Dark Opal's oppression over Gemworld. Princess Amethyst journeys to make allies among those of the twelve kingdoms who do not support Dark Opal. She succeeds in rallying most of the other House to her side and gains friends and allies in Lord Topaz, Lady Turquoise and Princess Emerald, also known as Emmy. The first series ended with the defeat of Dark Opal and the liberation of Gemworld, after which Amethyst returned to Earth.
Later, during the second series in 1986, it was revealed that in the aftermath of Dark Opal's defeat, infighting among the other Royal House of Gemworld was occurring, causing friction throughout the other surrounding kingdoms. The Lords of Chaos, seeing this, threaten to overtake Gemworld by capitalizing on Amethyst's absence. It was during this time that Amethyst learned from Doctor Fate
that she was in reality a Lord of Order herself and that her father was one as well. This made her unique among the Lords as she was the only one in creation with a truly human form. Amethyst, after struggling with this revelation, finally accepted her destiny and did battle with the Lord of Chaos known as The Child and his servant, the gemstone golem, Flaw. After defeating Flaw, Amethyst ended the battle between herself and the Child by merging him with Gemworld itself, but in doing so was forced to merge herself with him.
The Amethyst miniseries saw the character's return from this fate, but it appeared to take place at least two decades later (as time passes differently in Gemworld), as Lord Topaz and Lady Turquoise are seen as being married and having three children—their twin sons Wrynn and Donal, and their four-year old daughter, Amber. The miniseries also saw the rise of Mordru
, in the form of Wrynn himself when he accidentally summoned Flaw back to life, who in turn, with the help of the Lords of Chaos, transformed him into a powerful sorcerer. Mordru would not only become Amethyst's greatest enemy, but would go on to plague the Legion of Super-Heroes
in the 30th Century.
After his transformation into Mordru, Wrynn set off on a path of conquest, which eventually led to a confrontation with Amethyst, during which Flaw was destroyed. Amethyst pursued Wrynn across Gemworld where they battled a second time. However, the Child (who had also returned) had kidnapped Emmy (now a grown woman) from Earth and possessed her, attempting to use her as leverage for Mordru to defeat Amethyst. The ploy eventually failed as Donal arrived to help Amethyst, who was able to temporarily restore Wrynn to his former self. Wrynn begged Donal to kill him and free him from Mordru's influence, but before he could, he was distracted by Topaz's pleas to the contrary. The distraction allowed Mordru to regain control of Wrynn and kill Donal. Enraged, Amethyst literally pulled the Child out of Emmy's body and banished him back into Gemworld.
In the final issue of the miniseries, Mordru was sentenced with banishment from the Twelve Kingdoms of Gemworld after his defeat. However, Amethyst, not satisfied with this decree and angered over Donal's senseless murder, banished Mordru into Gemworld itself, literally merging him with the planet, where he remained for many years. It was also revealed that Amber was not the child of Topaz and Turqouise as was previously believed, but Amethyst's. Amethyst, realizing that the end of her time on Earth as Amy Winston had brought imbalance to the forces between order and chaos, she charged Emmy with the care of her daughter and took them both back to Earth. Amethyst then returned to Gemworld and merged with the planet once more until the day she would be needed again.
Recently, Amethyst has re-appeared in the DC Universe during the Infinite Crisis
storyline. She was first seen battling the Spectre
on Gemworld in Infinite Crisis #2 and survived the attack. She later appeared among the magical beings who were summoned to reconstruct the shattered Rock of Eternity in the Day of Vengeance
Special. Amethyst was seen once again in Infinite Crisis #6 where she and other sorcerers pooled their powers to summon the restored Spectre to Stonehenge
. In the aftermath of Infinite Crisis, all of the other Lords of Order were apparently destroyed by the Spectre, signaling the end of the Ninth Age of Magic. Amethyst is currently the only known surviving Lord of Order in the Tenth Age of Magic. Curiously, neither Emmy or Amber have been seen or mentioned since the third miniseries, but are presumably still in existence in the aftermath of Infinite Crisis.
" crossover
that ran through Book of Fate
, Night Force
, Challengers of the Unknown and Scare Tactics
. This story depicts an alternate Gemworld experiencing a civil war. Here, Amethyst is portrayed as a villain who wants to unify all the family houses in Gemworld by any means.
event, Amethyst is a member of the Secret Seven
.
block on Cartoon Network
.
Comic book
A comic book or comicbook is a magazine made up of comics, narrative artwork in the form of separate panels that represent individual scenes, often accompanied by dialog as well as including...
series published by DC Comics
DC Comics
DC Comics, Inc. is one of the largest and most successful companies operating in the market for American comic books and related media. It is the publishing unit of DC Entertainment a company of Warner Bros. Entertainment, which itself is owned by Time Warner...
in the 1980s. The series tells of a teenage girl named Amy Winston who discovers that she is in fact the orphaned princess from the magic
Magic (paranormal)
Magic is the claimed art of manipulating aspects of reality either by supernatural means or through knowledge of occult laws unknown to science. It is in contrast to science, in that science does not accept anything not subject to either direct or indirect observation, and subject to logical...
al Gemworld
Gemworld
Gemworld, also known as Faerie, is one of two fictional other dimensional homelands for the Faerie, as published by DC Comics. In the mainstream DC Comics universe all members of the Faerie race relocated to a dimension called Gemworld which debuted in Amethyst, Princess of Gemworld #1 , and was...
. Amy learns that a evil ruler called Dark Opal is out to destroy her and so travels to Gemworld to overthrow him.
Publication history
Amethyst first appeared in a special insertDC Comics insert previews
DC Comics insert previews were 16-page comic book stories inserted into issues of existing DC Comics series to promote new series usually debuting the next month. Running from 1980 to 1985, they consisted of a front cover, 14 pages of story, and a back cover that depicted the cover of the actual...
in Legion of Super-Heroes
Legion of Super-Heroes
The Legion of Super-Heroes is a fictional superhero team in the 30th and 31st centuries of the . The team first appears in Adventure Comics #247 , and was created by Otto Binder and Al Plastino....
(vol. 2) #298 (April 1983). Her origin began shortly afterward in the twelve-issue Amethyst: Princess of Gemworld limited series
Limited series
A limited series is a comic book series with a set number of installments. A limited series differs from an ongoing series in that the number of issues is determined before production and it differs from a one shot in that it is composed of multiple issues....
in 1983, written and created by Dan Mishkin and Gary Cohn with Ernie Colón
Ernie Colon
Ernie Colón is an American comics artist, born on July 13, 1931,Colón was born in Puerto Rico and began his professional career at Harvey Comics as a letterer. He later worked, uncredited, as an artist on titles including Monster in My Pocket, Richie Rich and Casper the Friendly Ghost...
as the artist, the initial 12-issue limited series
Limited series
A limited series is a comic book series with a set number of installments. A limited series differs from an ongoing series in that the number of issues is determined before production and it differs from a one shot in that it is composed of multiple issues....
(identified by DC Comics as a "maxi-series") establishes Gemworld, who Amethyst is, and introduces several of her villains that she will face again later. The limited series was followed by a 1984 annual
Annual publication
An annual publication, more often called simply an annual, is a book or a magazine, comic book or comic strip published yearly. For example, a weekly or monthly publication may produce an Annual featuring similar materials to the regular publication....
and a sixteen-issue ongoing series. The ongoing series was followed by the 1986 Amethyst Special one-shot and a four-issue limited series that ended the character's adventures (pencilled by Esteban Maroto
Esteban Maroto
- Career :Born in Madrid, he began his career in the 1960s with series like Cinco por infinito, published in English by Continuity Comics as "Zero Patrol" ....
). There was also a one-shot with Superman
Superman
Superman is a fictional comic book superhero appearing in publications by DC Comics, widely considered to be an American cultural icon. Created by American writer Jerry Siegel and Canadian-born American artist Joe Shuster in 1932 while both were living in Cleveland, Ohio, and sold to Detective...
in DC Comics Presents
DC Comics Presents
DC Comics Presents was a comic book published by DC Comics from 1978 to 1986 featuring team-ups between Superman and a wide variety of other characters of the DC Universe...
#63 (Nov. 1983).
The series was oriented initially for younger female readers, but took on a more aggressive and darker tone over time. However, the character re-emerged after 18 years of sporadic appearances in 2005 during the Infinite Crisis
Infinite Crisis
Infinite Crisis is a 2005 - 2006 comic book storyline published by DC Comics, consisting of an eponymous, seven-issue comic book limited series written by Geoff Johns and illustrated by Phil Jimenez, George Pérez, Ivan Reis, and Jerry Ordway, and a number of tie-in books...
mini-series.
Fictional character biography
Princess Amethyst, the daughter of the ruling House of Amethyst, was left orphaned when Dark Opal of the House of Opal murdered her parents. The witch Citrina whisked away baby Amethyst to EarthEarth
Earth is the third planet from the Sun, and the densest and fifth-largest of the eight planets in the Solar System. It is also the largest of the Solar System's four terrestrial planets...
to be raised by the Winston family in safety.
At the age of thirteen, Amethyst was attacked by Dark Opal. Having been brought to Gemworld, Amethyst discovered her magical powers. 13-year-old Amethyst gained the appearance of a full-grown woman. The most powerful magic users in all of Gemworld are from the House of Amethyst. Amethyst decided to use her powers to rebel against Dark Opal's oppression over Gemworld. Princess Amethyst journeys to make allies among those of the twelve kingdoms who do not support Dark Opal. She succeeds in rallying most of the other House to her side and gains friends and allies in Lord Topaz, Lady Turquoise and Princess Emerald, also known as Emmy. The first series ended with the defeat of Dark Opal and the liberation of Gemworld, after which Amethyst returned to Earth.
Later, during the second series in 1986, it was revealed that in the aftermath of Dark Opal's defeat, infighting among the other Royal House of Gemworld was occurring, causing friction throughout the other surrounding kingdoms. The Lords of Chaos, seeing this, threaten to overtake Gemworld by capitalizing on Amethyst's absence. It was during this time that Amethyst learned from Doctor Fate
Doctor Fate
Doctor Fate is the name of a succession of fictional sorcerers who appear in books published by DC Comics. The original version was created by writer Gardner Fox and artist Howard Sherman, and first appeared in More Fun Comics #55...
that she was in reality a Lord of Order herself and that her father was one as well. This made her unique among the Lords as she was the only one in creation with a truly human form. Amethyst, after struggling with this revelation, finally accepted her destiny and did battle with the Lord of Chaos known as The Child and his servant, the gemstone golem, Flaw. After defeating Flaw, Amethyst ended the battle between herself and the Child by merging him with Gemworld itself, but in doing so was forced to merge herself with him.
The Amethyst miniseries saw the character's return from this fate, but it appeared to take place at least two decades later (as time passes differently in Gemworld), as Lord Topaz and Lady Turquoise are seen as being married and having three children—their twin sons Wrynn and Donal, and their four-year old daughter, Amber. The miniseries also saw the rise of Mordru
Mordru
Mordru is a fictional character, a supervillain in the DC Comics' main shared universe.Mordru is the most prominent Lord of Chaos who is fated to survive even after the end of the universe, although he is usually shown as a powerful wizard...
, in the form of Wrynn himself when he accidentally summoned Flaw back to life, who in turn, with the help of the Lords of Chaos, transformed him into a powerful sorcerer. Mordru would not only become Amethyst's greatest enemy, but would go on to plague the Legion of Super-Heroes
Legion of Super-Heroes
The Legion of Super-Heroes is a fictional superhero team in the 30th and 31st centuries of the . The team first appears in Adventure Comics #247 , and was created by Otto Binder and Al Plastino....
in the 30th Century.
After his transformation into Mordru, Wrynn set off on a path of conquest, which eventually led to a confrontation with Amethyst, during which Flaw was destroyed. Amethyst pursued Wrynn across Gemworld where they battled a second time. However, the Child (who had also returned) had kidnapped Emmy (now a grown woman) from Earth and possessed her, attempting to use her as leverage for Mordru to defeat Amethyst. The ploy eventually failed as Donal arrived to help Amethyst, who was able to temporarily restore Wrynn to his former self. Wrynn begged Donal to kill him and free him from Mordru's influence, but before he could, he was distracted by Topaz's pleas to the contrary. The distraction allowed Mordru to regain control of Wrynn and kill Donal. Enraged, Amethyst literally pulled the Child out of Emmy's body and banished him back into Gemworld.
In the final issue of the miniseries, Mordru was sentenced with banishment from the Twelve Kingdoms of Gemworld after his defeat. However, Amethyst, not satisfied with this decree and angered over Donal's senseless murder, banished Mordru into Gemworld itself, literally merging him with the planet, where he remained for many years. It was also revealed that Amber was not the child of Topaz and Turqouise as was previously believed, but Amethyst's. Amethyst, realizing that the end of her time on Earth as Amy Winston had brought imbalance to the forces between order and chaos, she charged Emmy with the care of her daughter and took them both back to Earth. Amethyst then returned to Gemworld and merged with the planet once more until the day she would be needed again.
Recently, Amethyst has re-appeared in the DC Universe during the Infinite Crisis
Infinite Crisis
Infinite Crisis is a 2005 - 2006 comic book storyline published by DC Comics, consisting of an eponymous, seven-issue comic book limited series written by Geoff Johns and illustrated by Phil Jimenez, George Pérez, Ivan Reis, and Jerry Ordway, and a number of tie-in books...
storyline. She was first seen battling the Spectre
Spectre (comics)
The Spectre is a fictional character and superhero who has appeared in numerous comic books published by DC Comics. The character first appeared in a next issue ad in More Fun Comics #51 and received his first story the following month, #52...
on Gemworld in Infinite Crisis #2 and survived the attack. She later appeared among the magical beings who were summoned to reconstruct the shattered Rock of Eternity in the Day of Vengeance
Day of Vengeance
Day of Vengeance is a six-issue comic book limited series written by Bill Willingham, with art by Justiniano and Walden Wong, published in 2005 by DC Comics.-Publication history:...
Special. Amethyst was seen once again in Infinite Crisis #6 where she and other sorcerers pooled their powers to summon the restored Spectre to Stonehenge
Stonehenge
Stonehenge is a prehistoric monument located in the English county of Wiltshire, about west of Amesbury and north of Salisbury. One of the most famous sites in the world, Stonehenge is composed of a circular setting of large standing stones set within earthworks...
. In the aftermath of Infinite Crisis, all of the other Lords of Order were apparently destroyed by the Spectre, signaling the end of the Ninth Age of Magic. Amethyst is currently the only known surviving Lord of Order in the Tenth Age of Magic. Curiously, neither Emmy or Amber have been seen or mentioned since the third miniseries, but are presumably still in existence in the aftermath of Infinite Crisis.
Power and abilities
Amethyst is the most powerful magic user on Gemworld, her power rivaled only by Mordru. She possesses a host of powers, including flight, spell-casting, energy manipulation, matter transmutation and can tap other sources of magical energy to amplify her own powers. She is powerful enough to engage in battle with the Spectre and survive.Convergence
Amethyst appeared in the 1997 "ConvergenceWeirdoverse
The Weirdoverse is a name that refers to a group of semi-related comic book series published from late 1996 to 1998 by DC Comics. The idea of Dan Thorsland , the Weirdoverse titles were connected by the fact that they all fell into the mystery/occult genre...
" crossover
Fictional crossover
A fictional crossover is the placement of two or more otherwise discrete fictional characters, settings, or universes into the context of a single story. They can arise from legal agreements between the relevant copyright holders, or because of unauthorized efforts by fans, or even amid common...
that ran through Book of Fate
Fate (comics)
Fate is a fictional character that has appeared in various comic book series published by DC Comics. The character was closely connected to Doctor Fate and existed in the DC Universe...
, Night Force
Night Force
Night Force is the name of two comic book series published by DC Comics. The first series, written by Marv Wolfman, and illustrated by Gene Colan debuted in a special insert in The New Teen Titans #21...
, Challengers of the Unknown and Scare Tactics
Scare Tactics (comics)
Scare Tactics is a comic book series published by DC Comics. A total of twelve issues appeared, dated from December 1996 to March 1998. The series, written by Len Kaminski, was a part of DC's Weirdoverse group of titles.-Publication history:...
. This story depicts an alternate Gemworld experiencing a civil war. Here, Amethyst is portrayed as a villain who wants to unify all the family houses in Gemworld by any means.
Flashpoint
In the alternate timeline of the FlashpointFlashpoint (comics)
Flashpoint is an American comic book crossover story arc published by DC Comics. Consisting of an eponymous core limited series and a number of tie-in titles, the storyline premiered in May 2011...
event, Amethyst is a member of the Secret Seven
Secret Six (comics)
The Secret Six is the name of three different fictional comic book teams in the , plus an alternate universe's fourth team. Each team has had six members, led by a mysterious figure named Mockingbird, whom the characters assume to be one of the other five members.-Original Secret Six:The Secret Six...
.
In other media
In 2012, Amethyst will appear in a series of shorts to be aired during the DC NationDC Nation Shorts
DC Nation Shorts is a upcoming number of shorts that will air on Cartoon Network in 2012. The shorts will be part of the DC Nation block, and will consist of Plastic Man, Super Best Friends Forever, Doom Patrol, Batman, Lego Batman, Amethyst, Princess of Gemworld, Teen Titans, Blue Beetle and...
block on Cartoon Network
Cartoon Network
Cartoon Network is a name of television channels worldwide created by Turner Broadcasting which used to primarily show animated programming. The channel began broadcasting on October 1, 1992 in the United States....
.