REVIEW: ‘Steven Universe – Fusion Frenzy’

Steven Universe – Fusion Frenzy, which is published by BOOM! Studios, is a collection of five stand-alone stories within the Steven Universe franchise. The creative team consists Anthony Oliveira, Ver, Mike Fiorentino, Jy Yang, Doki Rosi, DC Hopkins, Steve Foxe,  Xiao Tong Kong, Cristina Rose Chua, Nicole Andelfinger, Molly Rose, and Jaime Loughbran.

The first story, titled “When the Light Breaks,”  sees Steven and his friends at the beach while also getting an introduction to the concept of fusion. In “The Gauntlet”, Garnet tells a story to the group that will hopefully teach Steven and Connie a lesson in fusion. In “The Art of Friendship,” readers follow Steven and Amethyst as they hang out with Vidalia. In “Winning It”, Amethyst and Pearl are on the hunt for a flying centipede. “An Overdue Conversation” shows the team trying to come up with a plan to deal with a giant monster.

I’ll be honest, I have never seen a complete episode of this show. I’ve seen clips from the show that have been posted online and the countless Tumblr posts whenever a major event happened. This show was released around the time where Cartoon Network was transitioning its shows which made me not want to see this show even more. However, after reading this comic, I want to track down every season and immediately binge-watch it.

From the few clips I’ve seen, I can tell that this comic really captured the essence of the show and the value of friendship that it centers itself around. The creative teams of each story fully convinced me that these are friends who care for one another and will always do their best to save those in danger. I can only imagine that every person who worked on this comic has a deep appreciation not only for the show but the entire franchise.

My favorite story in the comic is “The Gauntlet.” For someone who isn’t quite familiar with the franchise, it did an incredible job of world-building and providing enough lore to keep me wanting more. It further reinforces the special bonds of friendship that their group shares. Garnet was willing to share a personal story of a time when she wasn’t quite sure about herself to her friends, which takes quite a level of intimacy. I’m positive that this comfort is expanded in the show, but it’s great to see it carried over to the comic.

I had an incredible time reading this comic book. Like I mentioned before, I don’t really know much about the show, but this has begun to convince me to check out the show. From the characters themselves to the stories, everything is put together and told with such heart. Seeing how this comic plays out only makes me want to dive into the show and the rest of the franchise.

Steven Universe – Fusion Frenzy is available now wherever comic books are sold.