I’ve been following Noelle Stevenson for a couple of years, ever since she did the cover art for Rainbow Rowell’s Fangirl and also produced some pretty stellar fan art for Harry Potter, The Hunger Games, and her infamous hipster Lord of the Rings artwork series, The Broship of the Ring. However, I wasn’t aware of her fantasy web comic Nimona – a University thesis project turned internet phenomenon that propelled her to fame – until it was published into a full length graphic novel in 2015, and as soon as I found out about it, I knew I had to buy it, read it, and then possibly marry it. And, oh boy, it definitely lived up to my expectations.
To summarise, Nimona follows the exploits of a rebellious shapeshifter sidekick named (yep, you guessed it!) Nimona, and her boss Lord Ballister Blackheart, a supervillain who is actually far more concerned with doing the “right” thing than any self respecting supervillain should be. Together, they cause general havoc and mayhem in an attempt to expose the shady goings-on within the kingdom’s government, and all the while try to take down Ballister’s once childhood sweetheart, now arch nemesis, Sir Ambrosius Goldenloin.
Nimona also frequently turns into a dragon, which is always a win. Nothing beats dragons.
I think the thing that really struck me about Nimona is that it’s just straight up brilliant story telling. The world of graphic novels is one that I’ve generally left unexplored, and I was really quite surprised that I could be so invested in a story that was illustrated rather than written. Noelle Stevenson takes elements from old school fantasy stories, with the daring knights, dragons, friendship, and the struggle of good vs. evil, and mixes them up with science, technology, and dystopic government conspiracies. It begins as very light and quirky, and then rapidly evolves into an unexpectedly dark and emotional story, all the while being consistently witty and consistently able to make me feel very emotional with literally a single drawing.
It never falls into the classic tropes of fantasy stories: there’s no girl-meets-boy romance (the only real ‘romance’ of the comic is between Ballister Blackheart and Ambrosius Goldenloin, and it’s a. not the centre of attention within the story and b. nothing short of perfection), and Ballister, as the arguable ‘hero’, is incredibly vulnerable and never falls into the archetypical heroic ‘saviour’ of the story. Also, he’s a supervillain. The whole story is incredibly original, and the characters have so much depth, excellent dialogue and really dynamic interactions with one another. Plus, the artwork is near enough perfect: Noelle Stevenson’s style is so simple but so effective (and so adorable).
It’s just a fantastic book. I could go into a lot more detail, but I really think that all people everywhere should read it and I don’t want to spoil anyone.
Noelle Stevenson dedicated the book “To All the Monster Girls”, and this immediately made me think of the feminist implications of the comic. Nimona, as the lead protagonist of the book, isn’t skinny or typically ‘pretty’. She has multiple piercings, half of her hair is shaved off and the remaining half is dyed pink, and occasionally she sprouts massive Hulk-esque arms, also featuring spikes. She was born ‘different’ – her parents definitely didn’t expect to have a shapeshifter daughter – and over the years, this difference led to her body being mistreated and exploited. In time, she grows to wear her difference with pride and hides behind it: she uses her body as an agent of destruction, a way to live independently, to save the people she wants to save and to destroy the people who hurt her. Her difference, or ‘monstrosity’, never limits her, and in this way, Nimona is an anthem for young people, particularly girls, who are also struggling with feeling different.
Furthermore, with so many issues surrounding female representation in fictional universes, particularly in comics, it’s great to see a graphic novel about a female who is neither sexualised, part of a romantic relationship nor a means by which a male storyline is extended, and it was entirely created by a woman. Noelle Stevenson is an absolute icon for badass female creativity, and, in an interview, she gave some poignant advice to any aspiring editors, writers and artists: “Support the female voice in all its forms. Support other female creators and work to make an environment that is inclusive and allows female-led projects to thrive organically.” She also created the comic Lumberjanes with fellow female artists Shannon Watters and Grace Ellis, and it’s been so successful that a live action movie adaptation is in the works. Yay for female creators!
In short, Nimona is nothing short of excellent. It only takes a couple of hours to get through at the most, and it’s so worth it. You can either buy the physical edition of Nimona, or alternatively you can view the webcomic online here. Happy reading!