NIMONA review
(Reviewed by Melody Werner)
Nimona was a webcomic written and illustrated by ND Stevenson, until it was published physically in graphic novel form by HarperCollins in 2015. Nimona is a dark fantasy/science fiction series with an emphasis on comedy and the narrative. It follows a shapeshifting girl named Nimona who becomes the sidekick of a famed supervillain. What spirals out of it is a crazy story that can only really exist as a comic. Which is why DreamWorks Animation is currently working on a film adaptation, set for 2020 (facepalm). Anyways, Nimona was the series which launched ND's career, as he's since gained a much larger following working on such series as Lumberjanes, the new Duck Tales reboot cartoon, and a huge role at the helm of Netflix's She-Ra series. I read this book a few months ago, having gone in with few expectations after picking it up at my local library because I enjoy things like Invader Zim, which indulge in supervillainy. And Nimona is so bloody fantastic that I've been waiting to gush about it in detail.
Nimona's aesthetic certainly invokes such series as Adventure Time and Steven Universe, but it still has its own sort of charm to it. Contrary to what some may say (*cough, cough*), ND actually made this art style his own in this series, it's not just some aesthetic rip. It's vibrant and fun, but also works for the darker and more tense moments. It's cutesy, but ND successfully can also channel the darker side of the narrative into the visuals.
The narrative of Nimona is surprisingly fascinating. When I went into this, I expected a sort of Calvin & Hobbes meets Invader Zim, but it's not like that at all after the first few "chapters". As the story progresses, one might call its dark twists and turns Shakespearian—but I would argue that Shakespeare never wrote a story nearly as engaging, complex, or interesting as Nimona. Yes, some may say that I'm just trying to stoke the fires of controversy by saying that, but they're just idiots because that's what I genuinely think. But I digress, as Nimona deserves to be judged on its own merits as it is one of the most spellbinding comics I've read this year in terms of its narrative—a conversation about it shouldn't be hijacked for one of the dullest story-tellers in the history of the planet. It already had me hooked at the start because of its pretty charming comedy, but as I continued reading, I got incredibly invested in seeing what happened to these characters and its world in general. It's got this weird nasty undertone throughout it, with betrayals, murders, and heart-breaking moments that I would not dare spoil. The only real problem with this story is that it can feel a bit unsatisfying, but not enough to really damage it.
The characters in Nimona are excellent. Lord Blackheart is surprisingly a really fucking deep character with tons of complexity and it's hard not to empathize with him after learning more about his backstory. Sir Goldenloin also flips the whole rival complex that you usually get with similar characters in fantasy stories on its head, in spite of his ludicrous surname. He's so much more complex than I initially gave him credit for, and is quite likable. Oh, and I didn't forget to mention Nimona. She's incredible. She has so much character development and so many hidden layers to her, whenever you think Stevenson is done peeling them back, you find another layer! Not even mentioning how fun and likable she is. So zany, but it still works well even once you start realizing that there might be something more malevolent going on with her. The world Nimona is set in is also fantastic, a mishmash of fantasy and science-fiction. It's very distinct and unique. The dialogue is great. The pacing makes for a really tense and taut story. The romance which I suggest you don't spoil yourself on, is surprisingly quite touching—even to such a heartless bastard as me.
Nimona is one of the greatest comics I've read this year (2017, at time of writing), and I have no idea why I have taken this long to complete writing a review for it. If the animated movie isn't censored and is even half as good as the comic, then we'll have a good movie on our hands. I don't have high hopes for it, but I really hope it doesn't make it less likely for people to check out the comic if it indeed sucks. This book is fantastic and well deserving of a read. Nimona gets a 9.5/10 from me.
Must-read
Summary:
Nimona is an exceptional dark fantasy/sci-fi comedy/drama with a phenomenal story, cast of characters, art, world, comedy, dialogue, and romance. The story is a tad bit unsatisfying, but it's a thoroughly compelling read which warrants a try regard less.
Nimona was a webcomic written and illustrated by ND Stevenson, until it was published physically in graphic novel form by HarperCollins in 2015. Nimona is a dark fantasy/science fiction series with an emphasis on comedy and the narrative. It follows a shapeshifting girl named Nimona who becomes the sidekick of a famed supervillain. What spirals out of it is a crazy story that can only really exist as a comic. Which is why DreamWorks Animation is currently working on a film adaptation, set for 2020 (facepalm). Anyways, Nimona was the series which launched ND's career, as he's since gained a much larger following working on such series as Lumberjanes, the new Duck Tales reboot cartoon, and a huge role at the helm of Netflix's She-Ra series. I read this book a few months ago, having gone in with few expectations after picking it up at my local library because I enjoy things like Invader Zim, which indulge in supervillainy. And Nimona is so bloody fantastic that I've been waiting to gush about it in detail.
Nimona's aesthetic certainly invokes such series as Adventure Time and Steven Universe, but it still has its own sort of charm to it. Contrary to what some may say (*cough, cough*), ND actually made this art style his own in this series, it's not just some aesthetic rip. It's vibrant and fun, but also works for the darker and more tense moments. It's cutesy, but ND successfully can also channel the darker side of the narrative into the visuals.
The narrative of Nimona is surprisingly fascinating. When I went into this, I expected a sort of Calvin & Hobbes meets Invader Zim, but it's not like that at all after the first few "chapters". As the story progresses, one might call its dark twists and turns Shakespearian—but I would argue that Shakespeare never wrote a story nearly as engaging, complex, or interesting as Nimona. Yes, some may say that I'm just trying to stoke the fires of controversy by saying that, but they're just idiots because that's what I genuinely think. But I digress, as Nimona deserves to be judged on its own merits as it is one of the most spellbinding comics I've read this year in terms of its narrative—a conversation about it shouldn't be hijacked for one of the dullest story-tellers in the history of the planet. It already had me hooked at the start because of its pretty charming comedy, but as I continued reading, I got incredibly invested in seeing what happened to these characters and its world in general. It's got this weird nasty undertone throughout it, with betrayals, murders, and heart-breaking moments that I would not dare spoil. The only real problem with this story is that it can feel a bit unsatisfying, but not enough to really damage it.
The characters in Nimona are excellent. Lord Blackheart is surprisingly a really fucking deep character with tons of complexity and it's hard not to empathize with him after learning more about his backstory. Sir Goldenloin also flips the whole rival complex that you usually get with similar characters in fantasy stories on its head, in spite of his ludicrous surname. He's so much more complex than I initially gave him credit for, and is quite likable. Oh, and I didn't forget to mention Nimona. She's incredible. She has so much character development and so many hidden layers to her, whenever you think Stevenson is done peeling them back, you find another layer! Not even mentioning how fun and likable she is. So zany, but it still works well even once you start realizing that there might be something more malevolent going on with her. The world Nimona is set in is also fantastic, a mishmash of fantasy and science-fiction. It's very distinct and unique. The dialogue is great. The pacing makes for a really tense and taut story. The romance which I suggest you don't spoil yourself on, is surprisingly quite touching—even to such a heartless bastard as me.
Nimona is one of the greatest comics I've read this year (2017, at time of writing), and I have no idea why I have taken this long to complete writing a review for it. If the animated movie isn't censored and is even half as good as the comic, then we'll have a good movie on our hands. I don't have high hopes for it, but I really hope it doesn't make it less likely for people to check out the comic if it indeed sucks. This book is fantastic and well deserving of a read. Nimona gets a 9.5/10 from me.
Must-read
Summary:
Nimona is an exceptional dark fantasy/sci-fi comedy/drama with a phenomenal story, cast of characters, art, world, comedy, dialogue, and romance. The story is a tad bit unsatisfying, but it's a thoroughly compelling read which warrants a try regard less.
(originally posted: 12/6/2017)
(edited: 9/24/2022, correcting pronouns and removing ND's deadname. only took this long since I thought I had already done so. regardless, I'm sorry for not having fixed it sooner.)
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