Why I Read: Nimona

Hey all!  Dan here with another “Why I Read” webcomic review, this one of completed webcomic Nimona.  This is first time that “Read” is in the past tense instead of the present.  It’s also my first time reviewing a more famous/well known webcomic, and a first time reviewing a webcomic where I don’t have a relationship with the author.  I mean, I follow author/artist Noelle Stevenson on twitter, but she doesn’t respond when I tweet at her 😉  So it’s a review of many firsts.  Anyways, on to why I read it 🙂

Synopsis:

Nimona is a fun, fantastical adventure that has received a lot of recognition, including nomination or receipt of various awards over the years.  It focuses on the exploits of Lord Ballister Blackheart, a lovable twist on the classic fantasy supervillain, as he plots and schemes (whilst following his own moral code) to overthrow the government Institute he believes to be corrupt.  Time and time again he comes up with a plan, only to be thwarted by his nemesis, Sir Ambrosius Goldenloin, former friend and current Institute figurehead.

Our story starts when Ballister meets and takes on a new, rambunctious shapeshifter, the titular Nimona.

She has a very different view on villainy that challenges Ballister as he tries to teach her his own moral code.

Along the way, there are a lot of laughs, as well as some truly tender moments.  But we’ll get to that later.

How I Found It:

I believe I found Nimona originally by being linked to/recommended it on some other comic I read.  I can’t recall now.  Shortly after, however, I added it to my RSS.  Nimona doesn’t have a FB or Twitter page, but it does have a FB fan group.  I followed it via RSS, but since the story is complete, I recommend you just dive in to the archive and start at the beginning 🙂

Why I Like It:

Nimona is a wonderful story that I really enjoyed.  It takes the “evil supervillain” trope and throws it straight out the window.  Blackheart may be plotting to overthrow the government, breaking a variety of laws in the process, but that doesn’t mean he has to be a bad guy.  He’s not the sort of villain you’re going to see kicking a puppy on the first page to make sure you know how evil he is.  Nimona, on the other hand, doesn’t have quite as many qualms as Blackheart about hurting people.

I love that Nimona defies tropes like this.  It makes the story much more interesting, and the characters much more engaging.  I won’t ruin Blackheart’s or Nimona’s tragic backstories for you, but they are fully fleshed characters with a lot of depth.  I easily found myself rooting for them, even though they are the “bad guys”.

Blackheart’s relationship with Goldenloin is another one of my favorite parts about this story.  Yes they are nemeses, but they have quite a history together.  In fact, they’re closer to best friends with opposing jobs than real enemies.

And some of the lines they have are quite funny.  Not to mention that sometimes Blackheart seems more concerned for the safety of others than Goldenloin, the “hero”.  In fact, for Goldenloin their fights seem to be more about hanging out with his old pal Ballister than anything else.

Point being, the relationships between the main characters are very compelling, and really sell the story and the plot.

Nimona is also very funny.  A good amount of jokes and visual gags.  I’m sharing too many snippets of pages in this, so I’ll just share one.

Ok, maybe two.

Ok, ok I’ll stop, you get the picture.  Nimona is full of fun little jokes like this that will put a smile to your face, and, if you’re like me, maybe even make your snort or chuckle silently 😉

I think I’ve shared enough examples of pages for you to get an idea of the level of quality of the artwork.  It only gets better as the story continues, with increased detail and etc.  I greatly enjoy Noelle’s use of color in the story, especially how she uses it thematically.  Red isn’t the only color Nimona can shape shift into, but it certainly is her signature color, and this gets used in the story and art fairly often to subtly affect the feel of pages and events to great effect.

Last thought for this section.  One of Nimona‘s greatest strengths, in my opinion, is that it had an end.  As a reader, part of me wants the story and characters to keep on going forever.  And as a writer I understand the temptation to do so.  Rich, fully developed characters like these don’t just stop doing things when the story “ends”.  It can be very tempting to keep going.  But Noelle resisted that temptation and wrote a good, complete story with a fulfilling ending.

Things I Think Could Improve:

Honestly, the comic is great just the way it is.  The response from the fans in the comment section of each page is evidence enough of that.  Since the story ended, many have gone back through and re-read it, adding new comments to years old pages.  You don’t create the kind of story that attracts such a dedicated and enthusiastic audience just to have some two-bit reviewer critique you 😉

As a reader, though, especially since the story HAS ended, an update to the archives page, organizing the pages by chapter for easier browsing, etc, would be nice.  And for new readers just discovering Nimona, coding in that clicking on the comic page itself advances to the next page, instead of having to find the “next” button, can be a nice feature.

Other than that, Nimona is just amazing.  I guess I wouldn’t complain if there were a sequel someday 🙂

Closing Thoughts:

Nimona is a beautifully drawn and told story, with laughs, rich characters, meaningful relationships and powerful themes.  It evokes all the emotions that the author wants to convey, and does so while having fun.  I’m glad that HarperCollins has decided to publish it, because it deserves to be in print.  And you all should read it, if you haven’t already 🙂

Got a favorite comic?  You can write up one of these “Why I Read” reviews too and we’ll publish it here 🙂