Review: Steven Universe Vol 1

Steven Universe is currently the darling of many cartoon connoisseurs, featuring a main cast that practically reverses the Smurfette principle, abundant PoC (people of color) and PoC-coded characters, and plenty of subtle, smoothly crafted reminders of how you should treat the people around you and what it means to be human.

The television show first aired in November of 2013, and the first issue of the Steven Universe comic series was released less than a year later in August 2014. The series has performed well  in terms of sales, and the first trade paperback volume is to be released July 28.

Much like the adaptations for Bee & Puppycat and Bob’s Burgers, the Steven Universe comic features mostly shorter, standalone pieces in each issue, with several two-part arcs in more recent issues. For those hoping for clues and additional plot exposition with regard to the Gem War, the mysteries of Rose’s past, or the Homeworld Gems, this particular volume won’t hold many revelations for you.

However, each story allows the reader to see more of everday Beach City life, more of our favorite supporting cast characters, like Lion, Sadie, Lars, Jenny, and May-or Dew-ey, and has that special Universe brand humor.

An amazing range of writers and artists have contributed to this volume, including Jeremy Sorses, Coleman Engle, Josceline Fenton, Stu Livingston, and even creator Rebeccca Sugar. Many more contribute one-page shorts, art, and covers. Every story has a lot of color and energy, and many continue with the beautiful watercolor-style backgrounds that the show is known for. The  multiple pieces by Josceline Fenton stand out, being the only black and white portions of the volume, but each one maintains a good pace and feels a natural part of the Universe.

This can be a great first exposure to comics for younger kids; older fans should really take this opportunity to meet the kids in their lives on common ground to share their love of the medium as well as the love of reading. However, if you’re like me and don’t have any kids, you can still get a lot of enjoyment out of this excellent first volume.