Monday, May 22, 2017

Nimona by Noelle Stevenson

Title: Nimona
Author: Noelle Stevenson
Publisher: HarperTeen
Publication date: May 12, 2015
Pages: 266
Source/format: Gifted by Nicole from The Book Bandit // Paperback

Rating: ☆☆☆

Synopsis (from goodreads.com):

The graphic novel debut from rising star Noelle Stevenson, based on her beloved and critically acclaimed web comic, which Slate awarded its Cartoonist Studio Prize, calling it "a deadpan epic."

Nemeses! Dragons! Science! Symbolism! All these and more await in this brilliantly subversive, sharply irreverent epic from Noelle Stevenson. Featuring an exclusive epilogue not seen in the web comic, along with bonus conceptual sketches and revised pages throughout, this gorgeous full-color graphic novel is perfect for the legions of fans of the web comic and is sure to win Noelle many new ones.

Nimona is an impulsive young shapeshifter with a knack for villainy. Lord Ballister Blackheart is a villain with a vendetta. As sidekick and supervillain, Nimona and Lord Blackheart are about to wreak 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.

But as small acts of mischief escalate into a vicious battle, Lord Blackheart realizes that Nimona's powers are as murky and mysterious as her past. And her unpredictable wild side might be more dangerous than he is willing to admit. 

M Y  T H O U G H T S

Nimona is a shapeshifter and desperately wants to be the Ballister Blackheart's villainy side kick. Ballister finally gives in and lets her join his team but she needs to leaner how to follow the rules. Nimona is a spunky girl at heart and she goes with the flow. However, she can be destructive with no form and structure. The backstory about Blackheart and Ambrosius Goldenloin provides enough context in order to understand the current plot. Their complicated relationship creates the perfect atmosphere for Nimona to thrive in.

Noelle Stevenson's illustrations adds a flair of whimsiness and the storyline is very easy to follow yet it's captivating. The color palette is muted with soft neutral colors except for Nimona who shines in red/pink because of her hair and Blackheart's cape. Speech bubbles have an organic hand written like text that offer personality to the graphic novel. The panel art is simple and not overly detailed which creates a fast paced reading session.

Readers who are looking for a graphic novel full of knights, magic, science and dragons will be thrilled to dive into Nimona. Themes of friendship, diversity and comedy can be seen in the graphic novel. Originally a webcomic, Nimona, graduated to print format. Nimona is a 2015 National Book Award finalist. Readers who enjoyed Seconds by Bryan Lee O'Malley will enjoy Nimona.

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