The Art of Steven Universe: The Movie

Product Information

Originally the Diamonds were based on a quartet of themes: Love, Fear, Pride, and Sorrow. It got too complicated to keep and it was abandoned, with Pink's identification of "love" being described as "particularly outdated." There's a note in the early character design section that says "the girls can all turn into Steven" with an accompanying illustration of Garnet, Amethyst, and Pearl shapeshifted as him. Cute, because we actually got to see them do this in the episode "Keep Beach City Weird" with the exception of Pearl, though there's no reason she shouldn't be able to do it--she just doesn't. A "Crew Cameos" spread was included, which is of great interest to some of us who loved seeing the Crew insert themselves into the show.

Some world maps provide new possible insights. Greenland in our world is Blueland in theirs. South America is called Pangea. Aqua Mexico is labeled about where Mexico is in our world. India is the Indian Islands. There's an Australia and a New Australia. A big sea in the middle of Asia is called the Tunguska Sea. Rose's Fountain is in Spain or Portugal; the Sky Spire and Strawberry Battlefield are in Norway; the Shooting Star Shrine is in the middle of the drastically different Asian continent; the Galaxy Warp is in the Tunguska Sea; the Lunar Sea Spire is off the coast of Canada; Mask Island is in the Atlantic near Beach City; the Comm Relay is in the Western United States. Steven Universe: End of an Era, like its predecessor Steven Universe: Art and Origins, is a collection of developmental documents, character sketches, concepts, and commentary from various creators and insiders. Whether you really like to get down into the guts of how it's produced or whether you want to hear reflections from Rebecca Sugar and other Crew members about what it was like to make the show or whether you're just here for the amazing art, this book is for you. (Personally, I'm excited about all three of those things.) I like that they dish a bit about the fan reaction to Garnet's Fusion status. They thought they were being a little too obvious to not get caught, but Ian said the fans figured it out and then got bored of the idea and decided it must be even more complicated than that. People were apparently worried that Garnet would be replaced by her component Gems in the story if she were to unfuse, but obviously since Ruby and Sapphire want to be together, that doesn't happen. This section also includes design notes on Homeworld environments, the use of princess tropes to enhance the feeling that Steven is being made to be someone he's not, White Diamond's unusual "feminine" features, and again tons of art.

Bismuth is another undeniable example. She's strong, bullheaded, and jovial on the outside, but deep down she's unafraid to voice her thoughts and opinions. I'm so glad I was finally able to read this. I love taking a deep dive into some of my favourite media with artbooks and I knew if it was anything like the first it was going to be amazing, especially with the end of the show and the future. Steven, speaking of the Diamonds, at one point says "I can't believe I helped these" and then there's a censor bar. Welp.

One of the concept art images for the Off Colors features Rhodonite crouching by Padparadscha saying "Don't worry, I won't let them hurt you." It's very interesting because she DOES seem to protect Padparadscha in the show, but doesn't seem confident about it in her final version, even though it does seem like she'd be "programmed" to guard aristocratic Gems because of her Ruby and Pearl makeup. Cool. Rose Quartz/Pink Diamond is characterized in this book as "self-hating" in a really interesting way, saying that because she believed she was not capable of compassion, she practically worshiped those who demonstrated that ability and thought they were so much better than her--which is described as "intoxicating" and resulted in others being drawn to her. How interesting is that! The timelines! They were so cool, especially since we get to know the approximate ages of some of the characters whose ages we didn't really know before. Ruby and Sapphire have a 2000-year age gap and were "born" on different planets. Wow! Rebecca always had to "fight" notes against Ruby and Sapphire's relationship, but once she didn't fight a note because it was just for a signing card. She was also scolded over her book The Answer because the powers that be expected her to downplay that relationship. She always argued that queer youth deserved these things.

Customer reviews

Some of the earliest development drawings of Steven Universe drawn by Rebecca Sugar in preparation for the pilot pitch. I was relieved to see Rebecca state it plainly in the foreword: the items you see from the development phases of this show are not to be taken as canon or as "real" insights into how you should interpret it now. She specifically mentioned that she does not consider the Gems "girls" or "goddesses," and that was particularly important to me. Throughout, you're supposed to see the contributed bits and in-development pieces in the context of what they were: early drafts, embryonic. We all become different from what we were even though we grew from it and may have roots in it still, but that doesn't mean you can point at the seed and say its flower is meant to be understood surrounded by dirt.

N.K. Jemisin's foreword was really inspiring, and that along with some reflection from Rebecca Sugar about the importance of identity and the power of reclaiming the right to exist was some of my favorite stuff in the book. It is very hard to be left out of the stories the world is telling, and it was about time some of these very specific but also broadly relatable stories were told.

There's a huge amount of supplemental material in this section too, including timeline charts and concepts, boards, and gift art. The Diamonds as a dysfunctional family are discussed here. Yellow is physical, Blue is emotional, White is judgmental, and Pink is impulsive. Some philosophy on why Pink is naturally manipulative and why she clashes so much with White is offered. White believes her identity is to be imposed on all because she is the pinnacle of what should be--and therefore, she has the right to make decisions and statements about and on behalf of everyone. But her secret is that she can't do what the others do--act or feel or want. In trying to be everyone, she is no one. And this becomes very important when she confronts Steven about his identity and turns out to be wrong. The triumph of Steven being totally, fully himself is a beautiful, simple revelation that's described as far more satisfying than the theories about Pink living inside him or Rose returning from his Gem. Danny Hynes drew hundreds of Stevens in preparation for the eventual task of tying down the final series design into an iconic standard model. So, I started Steven Universe out of pure boredom and a tiny bit curiosity: I had heard about it in the past, but I didn't know enough about it to form a real opinion. From the first episodes, I thought it was a cute and entertaining show that would help me pass time - but I never foresaw how my liking of the series woud blow up into a literal obsession that left me in shambles at the end of the series. Naturally, I had to satisfy my new hyperfixation by indulging in some impulsive shopping - and I happened to stumble upon this book, expecting something light and nice to go along with the show.

There's a section in it about the network pushing the Crew to make Steven get identified as the leader of the team, and they emphasized that he is not the leader. (It's Garnet.) I love Garnet. :) Absolutely fascinating behind-the-scenes look at Steven Universe seasons 4 and 5 and Future, not only in terms of art but also themes and story. The psychology behind many of the choices absolutely blew me away; for example, the Diamonds collectively represent a single body/mind with White Diamond as the super ego, Yellow and Blue as the ego, and Pink as the id?? Super cool! There were also some very heartfelt interviews with the Crew, including Rebecca Sugar discussing working through their gender identity with the Gems. A must read for SU fans!N.K. Jemisin gives us a great introduction to the book. She says it was clear Rebecca Sugar knew what she was talking about and was saying important things about identity and the radical power that comes with accepting it and demanding respect. Part of the reason Steven Universe speaks to so many is because we see ourselves here, and know stories can be about us. Steven Sugar’s development drawings of proposed Beach City locations, including It’s a Fold, Fish Stew Pizza, Big Doughnut, Beach Citywalk Fries, Kone ‘n’ Son and Tee Time. A chart lines up Sadie, Greg, Rose, and Lars as having reinvented themselves and makes comparisons. Music nerds like me will very much appreciate the photographed notes on music motifs--the Diamonds each have a solfège syllable and a chord (White is F#M7/Sol, Yellow is BM7/Fa, Blue is EM7/Fa, and Pink is AM7/Mi), and Steven's powers and modes are coded with instruments and styles. A sheet of corrupted Gems and their healed selves is offered, though it doesn't appear to be final.