Steven Universe

In honor of the caped crusaders of the convention scene, ComicsAlliance has created Best Cosplay Ever (This Week), an ongoing collection of some of the most impeccable, creative, and clever costumes that we’ve discovered and assembled into a super-showcase of pure fan-devoted talent.

Welcome to Together Breakfast, the new feature where Elle Collins and Katie Schenkel come together to dig in and relish every last drop of Cartoon Network’s Steven Universe. In this week’s episode, Peridot puts her best foot forward, Lapis Lazuli is unreceptive, and something pretty scary arrives. “Barn Mates” was written by Hillary Florido and Lauren Zuke, and directed by Joe Johnston and Jasmin Lai.

Welcome to Together Breakfast, the new feature where Elle Collins and Katie Schenkel come together to dig in and savor every last drop of Cartoon Network’s Steven Universe. In this week’s episode, the Crystal Gems head home to Beach City, Steven takes an unplanned side trip, and Lapis Lazuli makes a big decision. “Same Old World” was written by Lamar Abrams and Katie Mitroff, and directed by Joe Johnston and Jasmin Lai.

Welcome to Together Breakfast, the new feature where Elle Collins and Katie Schenkel come together to dig in and savor every last drop of Cartoon Network’s Steven Universe. This week we have a double episode, in which we visit a watermelon civilization, learn what’s become of Malachite, and finally drill into the Earth to deal with that gigantic cluster that Peridot’s been so worried about. Part One, "Super Watermelon Island," was written by Joe Johnston and Jeff Liu, and directed by Joe Johnston and Jasmin Lai. Part Two, "Gem Drill," was written by Raven M. Molisee and Paul Villeco, and directed by Kat Morris and Jasmin Lai.

Funko's domination of all things collectible has seen it expand beyond the ubiquitous Funko Pop vinyls into keychains, plush dolls and even subscription services. One of the most delightful lines that Funko produces are the Mystery Minis, blind box collectible featuring characters from the likes of The Walking Dead, Zootopia and The Avengers. Joining the ranks of the Mystery Minis is Cartoon Network's ever popular Steven Universe and its roster of characters. The line is due out in July and features not only the main characters from the cartoons, but fan-favorites such as Greg Universe, Lapus Lazuli and Steven's pet lion, Lion.

Steven Universe’s global takeover is progressing nicely, as the hit Cartoon Network show has already expanded to comics, toys, and video games. Later this year, Steven Universe prepares to dominate yet another medium as series creator Rebecca Sugar adapts one of the show’s most popular episodes in the form of a children’s book. Illustrated by Elle Michalka and Tiffany Ford, who are both original Steven Universe crew members, The Answer tells the story of how aristocratic gem Sapphire and lowly soldier Ruby met and fell in love, and fused to become Garnet.

Rebecca Sugar and Cartoon Network’s Steven Universe is one of the most heartwarming, beautiful shows on television, and the comics published via Boom Studios’ KaBOOM imprint have been an absolute hoot. Later this month sees the release of a brand new miniseries, Steven Universe and The Crystal Gems, and Fried Pie Comics has four exclusive variants from Missy Pena! The variants display the Crystal Gems in a gorgeous art nouveau style, each getting their time to shine on their own solo cover. Steven, Pearl, Amythest and Garnet all look resplendent on covers that still manage to capture the tone and the style of the show perfectly.

After two and a half months without new episodes, Steven Universe warmed up January with a new Steven Bomb week last week. While the first couple of episodes focused on Steven’s birthday, starting with the heart-melting story of Ruby and Sapphire’s first meeting, the last three episodes were specifically about Peridot, the Gems’ sometimes enemy, and now uneasy ally. There were several developments for the character, but none that stuck with me quite so much as what happened in the fourth episode of the week, “Message Received.”

Fans of Cartoon Network's Steven Universe were disappointed to discover that the episode We Need to Talk, which first aired in the US in June 2015, was apparently re-edited for its UK broadcast, removing the most intimate shots of the fusion dance between Pearl and Rose Quartz, replacing them mostly with Greg Universe's slackjawed reaction. Tumblr user officialkurapika has made a side-by-side video that displays the changes. It's an odd move, because removing the shots doesn't do anything to dissuade an attentive adult viewer that there's something going on between Pearl and Rose, especially since the dance is motivated by Pearl's jealousy of Rose's growing closeness with Greg. And it's not as if they go so far as to kiss in the moments that were excised, although as you can see in the screen shots, they do seem to come very close.

Although cosplay has been present for decades within the comics, anime, and sci-fi/fantasy fandoms, social media has played an integral role in the thriving communities of costuming that exist, such as Cosplay.com and the Superhero Costuming Forum. Over the years, the cosplay community has evolved into a creative outlet for many fans to establish and showcase some impressive feats of homemade disguise, craftsmanship, and sartorial superheroics at conventions. In honor of the caped crusaders of the convention scene, ComicsAlliance has created Best Cosplay Ever (This Week), an ongoing collection of some of the most impeccable, creative, and clever costumes that we’ve discovered and assembled into a super-showcase of pure fan-devoted talent.