Blackheart is a villain who won’t kill…and is he even a villain? Goldenloin is a hero with a dark secret representing an institute whose goals may be far more nefarious than anything Blackheart might ever dream up. The book quickly morphs into something more complex, something deeper, something more melancholy-even as it is laugh-out-loud funny at times. “Charming,” I thought, settling in for a book-length collection of such strips. The initial chapters read like a throwback to the Sunday funnies-discrete, episodic sequences complete with droll punchlines. As our tale begins, we learn that Nimona is a shapeshifter and can take the form of any living creature, which makes her a formidable foe indeed, given that she gains the strength, mass, size, and requisite abilities of said creatures, and given that she lives in a world where dragons exist. Warning: Spoilers and mawkish sentiment ahead, and very few jokes (though that will be a relief to most of you).Īt first blush, Nimona is the tale of a precocious but powerful girl’s quest to apprentice herself to the villainous Lord Ballister Blackheart as he fights the forces of good and justice, led by the spectacularly appellated (yes, I just verbed “appellation”.deal with it) Sir Ambrosius Goldenloin. And her unpredictable wild side might be more dangerous than he is willing to admit. 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.īut 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. As sidekick and supervillain, Nimona and Lord Blackheart are about to wreak some serious havoc. Lord Ballister Blackheart is a villain with a vendetta. Nimona is an impulsive young shapeshifter with a knack for villainy. 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.

Nemeses! Dragons! Science! Symbolism! All these and more await in this brilliantly subversive, sharply irreverent epic from Noelle Stevenson. The graphic novel debut from rising star ND Stevenson, based on his beloved and critically acclaimed web comic, which Slate awarded its Cartoonist Studio Prize, calling it 'a deadpan epic.'

Nd stevenson nimona