Steven Universe: The Return

Compiling 12 episodes from the animated series airing on Cartoon Network, Steven Universe centers on the Gems—out-of-this-world superheroes—and their half-human/half-Gem ally, a boy named Steven. Up first are “Mirror Gem” and “Ocean Gem,” a two-part story in which Steven gets hold of a hand-mirror that talks to him via replayed images, leading to a revelation that an angry Ocean Gem exists and has stolen Earth's waters. “Space Race” finds Steven lobbying the team to get out into space, while in “Warp Tour” the Gems doubt that Steven actually saw some kind of sentient being outside the interdimensional stream in which they travel. “Alone Together” is about the consequences of a physical and mental fusion of Steven and his little friend Connie. Not everything is explained here, and often story threads are left unfinished, but the Gems remain funny and persuasively powerful, telling Steven just enough to give him some answers about where they come from. Recommended. Aud: P. (T. Keogh)