Steven Universe #1, written by Melanie Gillman (As the Crow Flies) and illustrated by Katy Farina (The Amazing World of Gumball) with coloring by Whitney Cogar, is the first issue of a new ongoing comic series set in the world of Steven Universe.
Published by KaBOOM!, an imprint of BOOM! Studios, the first issue centers around a baby bird Steven finds outside of Lapis and Peridot’s barn. The issue seems to be set around the same time as the current episodes, with Lapis and Peridot settled into the routine of being roommates.
In a Newsarama interview with Farina and Gillman, Farina stated that fans can expect “a self-contained look into the life of Steven and his friends/family” from every issue. “The stories are all very dense in the same way that the cartoon is, so each issue feels like watching an episode,” she stated.
Gillman added, “We’re approaching the comic book series as little side stories about various characters in the show. There won’t be any huge reveals or drastic plot changes—all the really big stuff gets saved for the show itself! Instead, these will be fun little vignettes about the characters’ day-to-day lives and their relationships to each other.”
As for what else we can expect, Farina promised “I’m going to make it as queer as humanly possible” (fistpump) while Gillman shared that the series will feature stories about “Stevonnie, Mayor Dewey, Amethyst, Peridot, and hopefully Jamie!”
Issue #1 is chock full of the same charm as the show, full of Steven’s shiny eyes and infectious excitement along with plenty of Peridot and Lapis’ eminently quotable quips. Some noteworthies:
Peridot muttering “ That’s what babies look like??” as Steven worriedly holds a newborn baby bird
Steven apologizing to a chipmunk for disturbing her as he searches for the bird’s mother
Lapis, attempting to be helpful: “Is there someone you can call? Some sort of… ugly baby expert?”
Peridot bouncing about holding the baby bird in her hands: “Steven! This is a gross misuse of my resources!!”
Steven, on the phone with a wildlife rehab center: “B-but -- what if its mom doesn’t find it? What if she’s busy with her other babies, or her fast-paced career?”
Peridot’s plan to “transform it into a larger, more powerful bird, who will do your bidding” by, uh, feeding it
“I’d like to see ‘em try and throw me in baby jail!” So would I, Peridot
Peridot calling the bird “irreversibly puny.” Me too
There’s also plenty of Steven Universe adorableness, including Lapis watching the bird in its makeshift strawberry basket nest outside so that Steven can sleep, the look on Steven’s face when he realizes he can be the bird’s mom, his excitement when he sees Peridot and Lapis actually taking care of the bird, and his shining face as he stares into the baby bird’s newly-opened eyes. The two-page montage of the bird’s growth includes Lapis holding it on her outstretched finger, both of them with wings extended; Peridot sharing her favorite TV show (and shipping chart) with the bird and sternly showing it a picture of a magnificent bald eagle; and Steven building it a little bird dollhouse.
Once the bird comes of age, it’s time for it to go, so with many tears, Steven releases the songbird into the wild (but not without leaving a lunchbag with its name, Susan, written on it… just in case). The comic closes with Lapis teaching Steven how to summon the little songbird with an outstretched hand and a worm, much to his joy (cue starry-eyed “I’m a princess!”). A whole flock of the birds rustles off from the tree, little rehabilitated Susan included.
If the rest of the Steven Universe vignettes in this ongoing series retain the show’s style, humor and affection for its own characters, then this’ll be one series any Steven Universe fan should step into their comic shop to enjoy. One thing’s for sure, when that episode well runs dry and the hiatuses start up again, these sweet asides will help sate an appetite for more Steven Universe content.
The comic is 32 pages of full color at a $3.99 and comes out monthly. Will you be picking it up at your local comic shop? Feel free to let us know in our comments section below.
