SubscribeNote: In All-Ages All-Stars, P:R contributors put a kid-friendly spin on familiar comics characters. Today we’re looking at Bill Walko‘s awesome Amethyst, Princess of Gemworld revamp. – Dean Trippe
Bill had this to say about his redesign:
I redesigned DC Comics classic 1980s fantasy series, Amethyst, Princess Of Gemworld. My take is a sort of Buffy meets Harry Potter. As the story went, back in the 80s, on her thirteenth birthday, Amy Winston learns she’s a mystical princess destined to defeat the evil Lord Dark Opal. In Gemworld, however, young Amy is transformed into an adult.
In my version, Amy is sixteen years old, on both Earth and Gemworld, and pretty much the entire cast is the same age. Her adventures bounce back between Earth and Gemworld, as various characters cross-pollinate both worlds. And of course, multiple romantic entanglements ensue.
In this image: Amethyst is front and center, leading the charge. Castle Amethyst has been destroyed, and you can see Dark Opal and his bad-boy son, Carnelian, reflected in the wreckage smoke. Among Amy’s merry band: The fiery Princess Turquoise, noble Prince Garnet, little Princess Emerald (Emmy), and handsome Prince Topaz. Also along for the ride is Amy’s sardonic best friend, Rita. I’ve also given Amy a pet protector, Sparky, a dragon that magically transforms into a dog back on earth.
Bryan Irrera
/ July 29, 2010I’d read this in a heartbeat.
Kyle N.
/ July 29, 2010What a flashback! I subscribed to Amethyst when I was a little girl but haven’t thought about it in years. Love this revamp, although I do miss the striped skin on the villains. (Wait, wasn’t one of them named Sardonyx?)
Thanks for the mem-reez…
dnwilliams
/ July 30, 2010First I’ve heard of the title, I just had a look at some of its covers and it looks very He-Man like: http://kat.of-the-night.com/Amethyst/Appearances.html
I really like these designs, and the take on the story is appealing.
Chad
/ July 30, 2010Back on Barbelith, we would bounce back and forth “All-Star” reboots of lesser known heroes. One of them was Jade, reimagined as a modern-day princess with magical powers. I can’t remember the details, but this captures the same spirit of what they were going for. Rainbow Brite in superheroic adventures, Sailor Moonish, She-Ra lite, comics 4 grrls.
Love it. Well done.
Your Obedient Serpent
/ July 30, 2010This is more Amethyst than Amethyst!
K. E. Woolfork
/ August 2, 2010Someone should make this so I can buy it for my daughter. She would eat this up!
jonmcnally
/ August 2, 2010I’m charmed by this, Bill.
I have a real soft spot for our Gemworld Princess. The story and characters are winsome and the series features art by one of my all-time favorites, Ernie Colón.
Your color treatment is very solid and true to the source material. The figures boast volume and density, also.
I admit uncertainty about your depiction of Dark Opal. The square face and short hair make a brute of the unstable villain who, once upon a time, I imagined played by Timothy Dalton or Chris Sarandon.
Awesome, Bill. This series would be great fun to draw!
Bill Walko
/ August 3, 2010Thanks for the kind words, guy. Jon, I admit Dark Opal was perhaps the toughest to capture; I never liked the original design with all the lines on his face. I compromised and put a sort of line motif in his hair design. I also think he needs to be physically imposing, a real “big bad.”
AMETHYST co-creator Gary Cohn stumbled upon my redesigns on the web and voiced his approval. That really made my day. :)