Comics Review: Steven Universe #22

One man’s fun is another man’s headache.

Overview:

Amethyst comes to hang out with Vidalia, who brings Onion with her. Amethyst and Vidalia will hang out, while Steven is left with Onion.

Our Take:

This, like many of the Steven Universe comics, shows an extremely relatable scenario. The people who invited you to a hangout might be friends with each other and are close, but that doesn’t mean you’re close with everyone else. Steven is a little put off by Onion and doesn’t know exactly what to do. It isn’t as if he dislikes Onion, but he’s definitely not extremely comfortable with him either. It feels very awkward when they are hanging out together like Steven is just going through the basics. It’s not entirely unfounded either- Onion is a weird kid. He isn’t mean per se, but his socialization standards don’t really align with those of most people. As a result, Steven has no idea what to do. They can play video games and chat, but those are all very basic things to do. It doesn’t really feel like having fun as much as it is fulfilling an obligation.

Onion is aware of that on some level or is at least able to recognize that Steven isn’t exactly having fun. He decides to take matters into his own hands and leads Steven on an adventure through the temple grounds. Steven chases after him, worried that Onion might get hurt, but to Onion, it’s just good fun. Exploring dangerous situations is fun to Onion, and he tries to share that same enjoyment with Steven. There’s a gap of communication there, for Onion isn’t the best at explaining himself, and Steven jumps to conclusions. It takes a bit of intuiting for Steven to figure out what Onion’s intentions actually are, and once he realizes that, he calms down a little bit. Even if the temple is dangerous for humans, it’s less dangerous when there’s a guide around.

Even though their methods of having fun are completely different, the two end the day on good terms. After all, Steven recognizes that Onion was just trying to cheer him up, and wasn’t intentionally causing mischief. Onion’s actions may have worried Steven, but they were done with good thoughts in mind. In the end, that communication gap is breached. After all, despite the differences that people may have, that doesn’t mean that those differences have to keep people apart.