Nimona

Story
I was already familiar with Noelle Stevenson from Lumberjanes. Despite that, this story wasn't on my radar at all for some reason. This has some similar fantasy elements, but is otherwise pretty different.

I found Nimona obnoxious in the beginning, but instantly took a liking to Ballister Blackheart. Nimona grew on me as the book went on however as we learn more about both her powers and her backstory.

This story digs into some pretty meaty topics like the role of government in protecting the status quo as well as human rights while telling an entertaining story. Ms. Stevenson doesn't hit you over the head with her personal politics, but it's also hard to ignore.

Ballister Blackheart is introduced as a villain, and Nimona certainly seems like a perfectly evil henchman at first glance, but the further you read leads to question who is really the villain of this story.

Overall, I thought this was a pretty enjoyable book, albeit far less whimsical as Lumberjanes tends to be. If you enjoy fantasy stories with more going on than just magic and battles, this book is worth a look.

Artwork
I believe the entire series was drawn as a web comic, and that shows at times. Some panels seemed a bit more rushed than the others. I like Ms. Stevenson's art style fine, but it's not always my favorite. I think it works well for the story however.

4.5 stars Aw, Nimona! This was great! I must admit it took me a while to ~get into it, but once I did, boy was it a wild, angsty-cute, emotional ride! I liked the flip on the usual enemies to lovers trope and it's honestly the first time I read a graphic novel and halfway through all I can think of is “I need to find all the fic”. I recommend it! Read it!

A surreal graphic novel that I went into with absolutely no clue what to expect (I just wanted to read it before watching the film with my daughter) and was blown away.

What does it mean to be a hero or a villain? Where does a sidekick end and a supervillain begin? Is friendship more important than winning?

And dragons, monsters, fighting, evil plans, cute cat, science, more fighting, dinosaurs, love ...?

This began as a web comic and grew an audience there. This version has some bonus content: sketches showing the evolution of the characters and Christmas mini-stories.

The artwork is individual, beautiful and horrifying at times. At first I found it simplistic but I wasn't being fair and now the intricacies of the beautifully drawn characters stay with me. The story, also, has depth and complexities that deserves pondering over and probably returning to.

Another graphic novel read on my phone that I'll be seeking out in print as I feel I've not (literally) got the full picture in this format.

Nimona was both very cute and very sad. I wasn't expecting to feel so many things at the end. I really enjoy Noelle Stevenson's humor and the characters she creates. I think Nimona's story is particularly interesting because of the many possibilities and layers of her origin. I think the only major critique I have is one Stevenson herself shares, and that is the romantic relationship was far too subtle and easy missed by some people. It definitely should have been brought to the foreground of the story in many instances.

Heard about this one in the New York Times Book Review section and as I was about to head off on a vacation I decided I had to have it right away and actually did the right thing by buying it from a real live bookstore in my home town. I was glad I did. I also thought my kids might enjoy it too and, in fact, I let my 10-year-old daughter read it first. She took it in her greedy little hands and dashed off to a quiet corner. She gave it back about 90 minutes later. “How was it?” I asked. “Awesome,” she said. So then I read it and discovered why I occasionally heard my daughter snickering to herself. And if you like graphic novels about spunky shape-shifting teenage girls who want to apprentice themselves to the local supervillain, you might like it too.

If you're seeing this review wondering “hmm should I read Nimona before or after watching the movie on Netflix??”
 READ IT FIRST. 
When I tell you this is a COMPLETELY different story. I was shocked when I was reading the stark differences. I know normally shows go off and do there thing, but will still reference the original work. That's not what happened here lol. 

The story told in the book was still a good one! And I enjoyed my time reading it. 

I did like the Netflix story more than the book 😩

And while characters are named Sir Ambrosius Goldenloin and Ballister Blackheart there's more to them than that. Nothing is what it seems and there's a shifting of lines throughout. It's manages a balance between fantasy and science fiction with jousting matches leading to bionic arms. Even the humor is cut through with feels ...and shark boobs ftw

Young girl assists fantasy supervillain in a magical and technological absurdist world. But is she really just a girl? Is the supervillain really evil? And what evil machinations does the Institute machinate?

The artwork is charming, at times lovely. Nimona's design at the end is actually really cool. The story is by turns silly and funny and then tragic. I laughed, I cried, I had so many feelings. And then I mad my partner read it.

Also–Mansley Girthrod.