---
product_id: 14756419
title: "Nimona: A Subversive Graphic Novel Adventure About Villainy, Identity, and Unexpected Loyalty"
price: "$21.33"
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reviews_count: 13
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region: United States of America
---

# Nimona: A Subversive Graphic Novel Adventure About Villainy, Identity, and Unexpected Loyalty

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- **What is this?** Nimona: A Subversive Graphic Novel Adventure About Villainy, Identity, and Unexpected Loyalty
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## Description

Now a Netflix animated film! Nimona is the New York Times bestselling graphic novel sensation from ND Stevenson, based on his beloved and critically acclaimed web comic. Kirkus says, “If you’re going to read one graphic novel this year, make it this one.” Nemeses! Dragons! Science! Symbolism! All these and more await in this brilliantly subversive, sharply irreverent epic from ND 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 has been hailed by critics and fans alike as the arrival of a “superstar” talent (NPR.org). 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. Indies Choice Book of the Year * National Book Award Finalist * New York Times Bestseller * New York Times Notable Book * Kirkus Best Book * School Library Journal Best Book * Publishers Weekly Best Book * NPR Best Book * New York Public Library Best Book * Chicago Public Library Best Book Fans of ND Stevenson's beloved and bestselling Nimona won't want to miss his moving memoir-in-pictures, The Fire Never Goes Out , featuring short essays, mini-comics, and photographs that span eight eventful years in ND's young adult life.

Review: A Soft Light in the Darkness; Totally Heart-Warming and Thought-Provoking - Nimona was first publsihed by Stevenson herself as a webcomic, which eventually grew into this fantastic 256 page graphic novel that earned recognition for being a finalist of the National Book Award! And although the graphic novel takes its name from the it's shapeshifting female protagonist, the story is not *really* about Nimona herself. It isn't really about protagonist Ballister Blackheart, once a hero in training and now the appointed villain, or his "nemesis" and the kingdom's champion Ambrosisus Goldenloin either. Rather, the story of Nimona - at it's heart - is about more than just good versus evil but the difference between good and just, nice and right, and the importance of intention. As Blackheart, now aided by the impulsive and massively destructive Nimona, endeavors to bring the injustices of the Insitution - the kingdom's version of the State Department and Department of Defense - to light and their "antics" soon reveal more than slightly sinister plots at the heart of the kingdom, the novel also reveals to each character the truth about themselves and the secrets held deep in their hearts. This graphic novel, at once whimsical and harrowing, pushes us to do the same and look inward, asking ourselves the question of whether or not we really are the people we *like* to believe we are, and are we ready to take the steps into becoming the people we're truly supposed to be? Slate reviewers said of Nimona, "[It's] [f]unny and vibrant. A kind of deadpan epic," and it's hard to describe the experience of the work in any other way (I also strongly recommend reading the reviews from the New York Times and the UK's the Independent). The never named fantasy realm the characters inhabit, with it's medieval setting and many anachronistic elements, also deepens the sense of...well, magic. The detailed choices of what looks modern by reader's perspective versus what remains in a more medieval style is really interesting, but doesn't distract and makes you want to know more about this world and dive deeper. In the same way, Stevenson tooled around with a number of stylistic options before deciding on the work that we see now, and in reading the bonus pages offered in the graphic novel you can see clearly how that choice impacts the action and movement present in each panel and our investment in the characters generating these actions. Color is another element which was obviously thought out carefully in the creation of Nimona. With Blackheart's and Goldenloin's names not only having color present in their names, but their designs being dark versus light to symbolically reinforce their positions as villain and hero - and then totally reject that cliché and turn it on it's head! Nimona is truly a work of art in both the visual and literary sense. Something that is gripping and tender and appropriate for all ages. Such an impressive and beautiful work.
Review: Unexpected - I just received my copy of Nimona in the mail earlier tonight and have already devoured it in its entirety. It's not what I expected, but in all of the best ways. For some background, my recent avalanche of purchases of girl-centric comics was inspired by the Kickstarter for the anthology, Valor. Valor is, in short, amazing. The idea was to get together a bunch of comics and stories written by women featuring diverse girls kicking butt. And in that aspect, it succeeded wonderfully. However, due to the short nature of the pieces, it's hard to really develop a story. So I went seeking other fun girl power stories to share with the children (and adults, because comics are awesome) in my life. I couldn't be happier with Nimona. First of all, the entire story is contained in this hefty (at least for a comic/graphic novel) volume. There is enough story to really get a feel for the characters and their individual struggles, as well as the world that they live in. Nimona is not your typical protagonist. She's cheeky and likes to annoy her boss and often throws herself into bad situations for the fun of it. She has dark secrets and often makes the wrong decisions. She isn't concerned with the "rules" of being a villain. Her dialogue with Blackheart (and really all of the dialogue) is snappy and goofy and had me laughing out loud. The whole story is both hilarious and touching, even heartrending at times. So as an adult, definitely a must buy. For kids, I'd leave that to parent discretion. WARNINGS: Nimona is a smart story that doesn't pull punches. The characters are flawed individuals, and when the protagonists are villains, that often means that someone gets killed. There is also a certain running gag with names of heroes, particularly Sir Goldenloin and Sir Girthrod, and one joking news story about whether Sir Goldenloin's codpiece is overcompensation.

## Technical Specifications

| Specification | Value |
|---------------|-------|
| Best Sellers Rank | #7,820 in Books ( See Top 100 in Books ) #3 in Teen & Young Adult Superhero Comics #3 in Young Adult Romance Comics & Graphic Novels #6 in Teen & Young Adult Superhero Fiction |
| Customer Reviews | 4.7 out of 5 stars 6,208 Reviews |

## Images

![Nimona: A Subversive Graphic Novel Adventure About Villainy, Identity, and Unexpected Loyalty - Image 1](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/81ieMD3aC4L.jpg)

## Customer Reviews

### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ A Soft Light in the Darkness; Totally Heart-Warming and Thought-Provoking
*by S***I on February 20, 2017*

Nimona was first publsihed by Stevenson herself as a webcomic, which eventually grew into this fantastic 256 page graphic novel that earned recognition for being a finalist of the National Book Award! And although the graphic novel takes its name from the it's shapeshifting female protagonist, the story is not *really* about Nimona herself. It isn't really about protagonist Ballister Blackheart, once a hero in training and now the appointed villain, or his "nemesis" and the kingdom's champion Ambrosisus Goldenloin either. Rather, the story of Nimona - at it's heart - is about more than just good versus evil but the difference between good and just, nice and right, and the importance of intention. As Blackheart, now aided by the impulsive and massively destructive Nimona, endeavors to bring the injustices of the Insitution - the kingdom's version of the State Department and Department of Defense - to light and their "antics" soon reveal more than slightly sinister plots at the heart of the kingdom, the novel also reveals to each character the truth about themselves and the secrets held deep in their hearts. This graphic novel, at once whimsical and harrowing, pushes us to do the same and look inward, asking ourselves the question of whether or not we really are the people we *like* to believe we are, and are we ready to take the steps into becoming the people we're truly supposed to be? Slate reviewers said of Nimona, "[It's] [f]unny and vibrant. A kind of deadpan epic," and it's hard to describe the experience of the work in any other way (I also strongly recommend reading the reviews from the New York Times and the UK's the Independent). The never named fantasy realm the characters inhabit, with it's medieval setting and many anachronistic elements, also deepens the sense of...well, magic. The detailed choices of what looks modern by reader's perspective versus what remains in a more medieval style is really interesting, but doesn't distract and makes you want to know more about this world and dive deeper. In the same way, Stevenson tooled around with a number of stylistic options before deciding on the work that we see now, and in reading the bonus pages offered in the graphic novel you can see clearly how that choice impacts the action and movement present in each panel and our investment in the characters generating these actions. Color is another element which was obviously thought out carefully in the creation of Nimona. With Blackheart's and Goldenloin's names not only having color present in their names, but their designs being dark versus light to symbolically reinforce their positions as villain and hero - and then totally reject that cliché and turn it on it's head! Nimona is truly a work of art in both the visual and literary sense. Something that is gripping and tender and appropriate for all ages. Such an impressive and beautiful work.

### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Unexpected
*by S***S on September 10, 2015*

I just received my copy of Nimona in the mail earlier tonight and have already devoured it in its entirety. It's not what I expected, but in all of the best ways. For some background, my recent avalanche of purchases of girl-centric comics was inspired by the Kickstarter for the anthology, Valor. Valor is, in short, amazing. The idea was to get together a bunch of comics and stories written by women featuring diverse girls kicking butt. And in that aspect, it succeeded wonderfully. However, due to the short nature of the pieces, it's hard to really develop a story. So I went seeking other fun girl power stories to share with the children (and adults, because comics are awesome) in my life. I couldn't be happier with Nimona. First of all, the entire story is contained in this hefty (at least for a comic/graphic novel) volume. There is enough story to really get a feel for the characters and their individual struggles, as well as the world that they live in. Nimona is not your typical protagonist. She's cheeky and likes to annoy her boss and often throws herself into bad situations for the fun of it. She has dark secrets and often makes the wrong decisions. She isn't concerned with the "rules" of being a villain. Her dialogue with Blackheart (and really all of the dialogue) is snappy and goofy and had me laughing out loud. The whole story is both hilarious and touching, even heartrending at times. So as an adult, definitely a must buy. For kids, I'd leave that to parent discretion. WARNINGS: Nimona is a smart story that doesn't pull punches. The characters are flawed individuals, and when the protagonists are villains, that often means that someone gets killed. There is also a certain running gag with names of heroes, particularly Sir Goldenloin and Sir Girthrod, and one joking news story about whether Sir Goldenloin's codpiece is overcompensation.

### ⭐⭐⭐⭐ Nimona - The Wildly Successful WebComic Now on the National Book Award Shortlist
*by J***A on November 4, 2015*

See this review and more at: http://idiosyncraticlibrary.com Noelle Stevenson's Nimona started out as an art school experiment, turned into a webcomic and after wild success, was published in the summer of 2015 and now finds itself as a finalist for the National Book Award. It's not hard to see why. Set in a strange kingdom that is one part medieval realm, one part high tech society and one part dystopian nightmare, Ms. Stevenson effortlessly mixes these disparate genres into an oddly familiar world that is full of contradictions and surprises. As a parent of a elementary school children and an adult who grew up in the 90s, graphic novels have generally been outside my orbit. Nimona caught my attention though. Featuring a tough, stocky girl, sprouting dragons wings, Nimona is a refreshing hero. Nimona appears out of nowhere in the lair of Supervillain Ballister Blackheart. A teenage girl clearly on her own, Nimona aspires to be Blackheart's sidekick and longs to help Blackheart battle Hero Ambrosius Goldenloin and the shadowy Institute of Law Enforcement and Heroics that Goldenloin serves. At first Blackheart is dismissive, but when he discovers Nimona is powerful shapeshifter he decides to take a chance and employs her. What develops is a tale where the heroes aren't necessarily to good guys, the villains are not necessarily the bad, and a teenaged girl who likes pizza, soda, and zombie movies is also a powerful, frightening shapeshifter who is both impulsive and violent, but also loyal and brave. While the story is full of exciting scenes where Nimona and Blackheart break into the bank, blow up part of the Institute and fight both Goldenloin and the Institute guards, the meat of the story is in its relationships. A man of science, Blackheart's very beliefs are challenged by Nimona, a very powerful magical being, While Nimona brings youth and energy to Blackheart's plans, she is also impulsive and excessively violent, and needs Blackheart to guide her moral compass. Also pivotal, is the long relationship between Goldenloin and Blackheart, once best friends both turned out by the Institute to fill their respective roles as hero and villain. Instead of an empty adventure tale, Nimona has a beautiful resonance. While I thought the comic style of the graphic novel might be off putting or distracting, Ms. Stevenson's illustrations only strengthen her story. Wonderfully capturing the familiar gestures that are universal in teen body language, Nimona is no longer an unknown squire in an unknowable realm, but a relate-able girl, exploring the limits of her power, finding her strength and her humanity, and lounging on the furniture in an unending number of poses. Have a girl with a dragon heart? Introduce her to Nimona.

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*Last updated: 2026-07-06*