Steven Universe #1

Author: Jeremy Sorese
Artists: Coleman Engle
Release Date: August 8, 2014
Publisher: Boom! Studios
Source: Boom! Studios Press Site
Genre(s): Comedy, Fantasy

Rating: ★★★★☆
Review Spoilers: Moderate

When asked about Steven Universe by my friends who don’t know, I often describe it as Adventure Time meets a 90s shojo anime. Which is really how you could also describe Bee and Puppycat, but Rebecca Sugar and Natasha Allegri have two very different ways of doing things. Allegri finds humor in awkward moments of being 20-something where Sugar bases it around growing up in a very unusual fashion.

Lucky for us, the first issue of the comic keeps the same vibe.

Written by Jeremy Sorese, the first issue follows Steven and the Gems as they’re on a mission to capture a gem. It’s too heavy to carry for Pearl, but her stubborn insistence on holding onto it causes it to reopen and the group struggles to get it back in. Of course, there’s a whole thing with Steven finding sunglasses for them all to wear.

Similar to the show, the comic follows a one off adventure format. Which is perfectly fine since there’s not a lot of overarching plot on the show yet. Plus, the art is so soft and colorful that I want to curl up in it and go to the beach to the Gems.

One of my favorite things about this issue was the special stories at the end, which appears will be a mainstay of the book. One is about Lars and Sadie and another is about the Gems trying to bake a cake for Steven’s birthday, but my favorite was Kali Ciesemier’s “Steven Chewniverse” page. I don’t know what was better, the art or my overwhelming desire to have an Everything Bagel Hotdog. Ciesemier told me on Twitter that I would not regret it, so I may have to report back results on a later date.

Final Thoughts: If you’re a fan of Steven Universe, definitely check out the comic from Boom! Studios. It’s a quick and fun read with gorgeous art. You might want to wait until trade though because the comic felt like it went by way too fast, but I hope the trade will keep all the extra stories in the back!