A dose of Steven Universe is exactly what I needed to get out of my latest reading funk. The stories are delightful and the artwork is absolutely on point. I want to marry some of these panels, no lie. Looking forward to reading more SU comics! ( )

I love the Steven Universe animated show, but the stories in this comic book collection were just too frantic and juvenile for me. Coleman Engle's stylized art didn't entirely gel with how I see Steven and the Crystal Gems. None of it's really bad, but it was not what I was hoping for when seeking a Steven Universe fix. ( )

Simply, I love Steven Universe. This bias colors my star-rating, of course, but if you don't like Steven Universe, I cannot imagine why you'd pick this up to read it regardless of my rating...

Also, a caveat: These stories are very much slice-of-life glimpses and not continuations of the story unfolding in the series. For me, that wasn't a problem, and thus... again, my rating didn't suffer for it.

That said...

Of all the artists represented in this collection, I'm most a fan of Josceline Fenton's work. It's simple and grayscale and onspot with looking the way the show does. Of the three headlining stories, "Open Mic" was probably my favorite, giving Greg Universe a little bit of character spotlight and love. Of the "also" collection, "Birthday Bake Off" captured the spirit of Steven Universe best, for me.

Overall, the stories are a great addition to the television series, and the book itself is beautiful. The additional art gallery in the back, which includes the variant covers from various issue publications of the stories, is full of gorgeous work. ( )