July 1, 2024 2:42 pm
I was able to watch Nimona (animated movie) recently and when I saw Nimona (graphic novel, 266 pages) by ND Stevenson as a graphic novel in the library, I knew I had to read it.
“Nimona is an impulsive young shapeshifter with a knack for villainy. Lord Ballister Blackheart is a villain with a vendetta. As a sidekick and supervillain, Nimona and Lord Blackheart are about to wreck some serious havoc. Their mission: prove to the kingdom that Sir Ambrosius Goldenloin and his buddies at the Institution of Law Enforcement and Heroics aren’t the heroes everyone thinks they are.”
This story is a fantastic social discussion on both what makes someone a hero or villain and how easy it is to alter the perceptions of people at large through media and communications technology. I very much enjoyed the use of science and technology alongside magic and how both were used in the fantastic world-building. You have characters who are working with science to attempt to figure out magic and magic changing everything. Technology is being used for nefarious purposes by the government and those in charge and anyone who attempts to say otherwise is discredited and vilified.
Honestly, it’s kind of scary how close to real-life that is.
Nimona is a fantastic character and has a lot of great character growth, especially from the “kill everyone in my way” mentality to the “don’t hurt people you don’t have to because not everyone is as horrible as many have been in the past” and that’s honestly really great. Because it really is easy for people coming from a place of abuse or oppression to then become the abuser or the oppressor when they are gifted with the power to do so. The fact that Nimona waits until a viable villain with a really valid concern shows up to start rampaging and causing issues is actually really important because I think that shows a distinct lack of desire to actually hurt people, even though there’s a lot of hurt in Nimona’s past.
Overall, this graphic novel is easily a four on my rating scale. While I’m glad I checked it out from the library, I definitely need to buy a copy, as I will absolutely reread it again in the future. Also, if you haven’t watched the animated movie, you should definitely read the graphic novel and watch the movie. Both are unbelievably fantastic, though I do think I like the movie better.
Stevenson, ND. Nimona. Quill Tree Books, 2015.
Posted by C.A. Jacobs
Categories: Uncategorized
Tags: Book Review, graphic novel review, ND Stevenson, nimona
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