Review: Amethyst #6

Amethyst #6 came last week, just about 4 months since the last issue was put on the shelves. As such, any momentum the book had obtained in that last issue was blunted by the passing of real time. If any book needed a recap page or a page of exposition to catch me back up. Instead, the book picks up basically in the middle of the action. 

It is hard to know how I would have felt if this came out on time. But I can tell you that reading it now, it felt like a little bit of a rush to the end. A lot happens here, too quickly. And while writer artist does leave us with the possibility of a new direction for our Princess, I don't know if a sequel is on the horizon.

And it is bit of a shame. I feel like Reeder's art is just wonderful. (I have been a longtime fan.) In particular, I think her work is perfect for the Gemworld. But the story unspooled oddly over the six issues. Some scenes went on too long, others two short. I would love to see Reeder given another book of Amethyst as artist and maybe co-writer, or writer but with a strong editor to tighten things up.

Still, I will say, the art alone made this mini-series worth the cost. It amazes me how often Amethyst gets such a strong art team whether it be Ernie Colon, Esteban Maroto, and now Reeder. The Princess has always looked good.

On to the book.

Review: Amethyst #5

Amethyst #5 came out last week, the penultimate issue of this Wonder Comic re-imagination of the character. Writer/artist Amy Reeder is sprinting to the finish line a bit. But of all the issue of this title so far, this one had the most emotion. And this has been an emotional series.

I worried that last issue didn't bring the story forward enough. This issue made up for that by giving us a huge exposition scene where all the things Amy has been trying to learn is revealed to her. She heads to House Diamond, the rulers of the Gemworld, and asks them. It makes me wonder why she didn't do that from the beginning.

But that scene does show us that perhaps House Amethyst isn't the perfect example of heroism that Amy was led to believe. Reeder has been hinting about that this whole time. But now we learn the details. And they aren't pretty.

The real win here is Amy's reaction to learning about the news. Between the stress of her journey with Phoss and Maxixe and this revelation, we see how this affects out princess. And Reeder's art perfectly portrays the emotions Amy is reeling with. 

As I have said before, I wish I could eat this art it is so delicious. While some of Reeder's expressive work might be too stylized, for me it just works. There are a couple of perfect panels in this book.

And thanks to the Diamond scene, I think we are set up for this book to come to a satisfactory conclusion next issue. Last issue's pause was made up for with this issue's velocity.

On to the book.

Review: Amethyst #4

Amethyst #4 came out last week which means we are turning the corner and heading into the home stretch of this 6 issue miniseries. As such, I was expecting there to be something of a big reveal or turn in this chapter. I thought we would learn some big secret, even as the cliffhanger, so that issue five can deal with it, and thus lead into a final issue finale.

Instead, I think this issue sort of tread water instead of moving us forward much. Yes, we do get some interesting scenes with Dark Opal. Yes, we continue to simmer this reveal that perhaps House Amethyst isn't as magnanimous as Amy believes. But otherwise, not much plot gets revealed here. I don't know if I leave this issue knowing more than I did coming in. As such, I kind of finished the book and felt less enthusiastic as I have prior.

That is something of a shame because as usual, the art and coloring in the book is unbelievable sumptuous.

Creator Amy Reeder is able to just captivate my eyes with all the things she does visually. And up to this point, as an Amethyst fan, I was on board with the story. And maybe if this was an ongoing or a monthly, I would let this issue slip by. But I am stuck thinking about the thin 40 pages we have left to wrap things up and hoping we can get there. I know I shouldn't think about things that way ... but I can't help it.

On to the book.

DC Comics October 2020 Solicits

The DC Comics solicits for October have come out and I can't help but wonder just what 2021 has in store for fans. Here is a link:
https://www.gamesradar.com/dc-october-2020-solicitations-and-covers-revealed/

There is a ton ... A TON ... of Death Metal stuff.
There is a ton ... A TON ... of Joker.
Not surprising, there is a ton of Batman.

And there are cancellations! Batgirl, Justice League Odyssey, and Red Hood.

My guess is that with so many books going away and with all this Death Metal stuff, we are on the verge of yet another reboot. Rao, help me.

But here are the super-books, including the variant cover for Action Comics #1026 as seen above.

ACTION COMICS #1026
written by BRIAN MICHAEL BENDIS
art and cover by JOHN ROMITA JR. and KLAUS JANSON
variant cover by LUCIO PARRILLO
Wonder Woman 1984 variant cover by FRANK CHO

This issue, it's the Superman family versus everybody! In this blistering conclusion to the epic "House of Kent" saga, huge choices are made to defend the great city of Metropolis. Plus, amid all the chaos, the new owner of the Daily Planet is revealed—and it's...Jimmy Olsen?! Guest-starring Jonathan Kent, Conner Kent, Supergirl, and the Legion of Super-Heroes.

I can't help but be happy that Supergirl is part of this arc. And I trust Bendis to treat her the way she deserves to be treated.

Kara as drawn by JRJR? I am ready to shudder.

Review: Amethyst #3

Amethyst #3 came out last week, some time since the last issue was released. I have been waiting!

Amy Reeder continues to push this story forward nicely. This is a six issue mini-series and so we are holding the turning point. We are halfway done here. And one of the things that this issue does nicely is continue to provide small crumbs of the current Gemworld mystery of House Amethyst's disappearance while showing us some glimpses to more classic Amethyst lore.

In fact, things seem to happen almost too fast. We are really pushing things quickly, introducing new elements of the culture and running through the lands as she rushes to a confrontation with Dark Opal. I almost wish we had a couple of extra pages to let some of these scenes breathe and give us information more naturally rather than an info dump.

That said, I am most interested with the characterization of Amethyst. She is angry here and because of that she is the one driving the pace. She is upset about what is happening to her House, she has just learned her parents might be alive, and she needs to know why! As a result, even when friends are being friends or people are warning her to be cautious, she snaps and moves forward. I am not used to seeing a snippy Amethyst but given her age and the circumstances, it makes sense. There is room for her to grow here emotionally and my hope is we get there.

The art here is, no surprise, sumptuous. Reeder creates a magical land with beasts and mystical landscapes and gems gems gems. But the thing that struck me the most was her expressive work. I want to live in a world where people emote the way they do in an Amy Reeder comic. Beautiful.

On to the book!

Review: Amethyst #2

Amethyst #2 came out 2 weeks ago in the last delivery batch before the pandemic put a pause on the business. It is a shame for many reasons. But one of the reasons is that I want to read more of this book now and it is unclear when the next issue will be in my hands.

I have always been a fan of Amy Reeder. Her art has always has this fluid feel to it. There is a sort of real feel to the emotions of the character even if the expressions sometimes are just outside of realistic. I was mesmerized with her work on Rocket Girl. That book's jet-packed hero had an almost balletic feel to her flights. Here in Amethyst there is a truly magical feel to the proceedings. Things are astounding. And they should be. This is a mystic world.

The plot is also a bit of a mystery, something that I love as well. As a long time Amethyst fan, I am used to her land being one of the protagonists of the Gemworld. They are the heroes. Last issue, we saw that House Turquoise treated Amethyst with some disdain. That plot deepens here. What is the reality of House Amethyst in this world?

Put the art and the plot together and you have a title to linger over. Just sumptuous.

On to the book!

Review: Amethyst #1

I have always been a fan of Amethyst, so much that she took over this site once.

I have always been a fan of Amy Reeder, since I first saw her work on Madame Xanadu and Supergirl through her recent Rocket Girl book.

And I have always known that Amy Reeder and Amethyst would be a peanut butter and chocolate unification, so much so that I recommended her on Amethyst during a 'Wednesday Comics 2' dream post 5 years ago.

So when an Amy Reeder Amethyst book was announced as a mini-series under Brian Michael Bendis' Wonder Comics imprint I knew I was going to be in.

Last week Amethyst #1 came out and did not disappoint. Reeder writes, draws, and colors the book meaning this is a labor of love for Reeder. And the story, art, and colors are crisp and lush. I was smiling a ton as I read this book and can't wait for the next issue.

Reeder seems to have a grasp of the character and her history, leaning into at least the original mini-series plot. She also shows just how difficult it must be to live two lives. If you could be an ordinary Earth teenager or a magical princess, who would pick the former? And how does that affect your Earth family? But we are mostly in the Gemworld here and this is a good opening chapter with a mystery and a threat already having happened. How will our Amy save her people when she seems to be nearly alone in her quest?

The art and color show the same dynamism I came to love in Rocket Girl with action and page layout really complementing each other. Dripping in purples, the whole thing is just easy on the eyes too!

On to the book!

Amethyst Comic Box Commentary

Frustration.
It is a terrible feeling.
But that is what I have been feeling.

I had been putting together posts to celebrate my 10th anniversary of blogging at the end of this month and kept seeing repeating themes.

DC puts out an angry, angsty Supergirl.
Later, they realize this is wrong and put on a new creative team with a new direction.
Book flourishes and fans are happy.
DC cancels the book.

It has happened again. The current Supergirl book is great and it is selling well. It is creator hubris which is forcing DC to cancel it this time. I can't live through it again.

And I realized that maybe 10 years is enough time to cover one character. Maybe it is time for a fresh start. Maybe it was time to start writing about some other character? Maybe it was time to say goodbye to Supergirl.

And that is when I had a gem of an idea. Amethyst Comic Box Commentary. Why not cover another young female hero struggling to find life while living in two worlds! I've always loved the character. Now it is time to shine a light on her!

So I'm glad you found the site!

And what better opening post than to review her first appearance ever in the Amethyst Princess of the Gemworld Prevue story which was embedded in Legion of Super-Heroes #298.