Rating: 5/5 Similar in style to Pendleton Ward’s animated show Adventure Time, NIMONA is a real treat for the fans of the famous Cartoon Network series. However, it also appeals to those interested in an intense story of friendship and dark humour that literally claws apart the clichés of classic fantasy. For a start, the eponymous protagonist sides with the villain, Lord Ballister Blackheart, mad scientist and rival of blonde and mighty Sir Ambrosius Goldenloin, an idiotic version of Prince Charming. Nimona is a chubby girl with a hot temper that proclaims herself Blackheart’s sidekick and enjoys killing people, much to her boss’s disapproval. She also has a penchant for turning into a dragon, thanks to her unique ability to shapeshift. She is an unlikely heroine indeed, though this graphic novel is the epitome of nonconformity. For instance, despite Nimona’s best efforts to help him plan the conquest of the kingdom, Blackheart doesn’t really want to defeat his nemesis, who is, in fact, his childhood best friend. It’s the Institution that set them up against each other, and at last prove to be the real enemy. As the powerful organisation that run the realm, they have all the resources and evil intentions of taking advantage of Nimona’s potential, whether she likes it or not. It takes some witty banter, a bit of draconic help from our shapeshifting protagonist, and the joint effort of villain and hero to restore some sort of peace. Still, the king dies. Stevenson demonstrates impressive skills in bringing together an overall light-hearted mood with darker undertones, such as Nimona’s gloomy background – a lonely child, feared and experimented on – and the corruption within the Institute, whose members are the alleged good guys. Reminded of real life global companies, anyone? Started as a two-page project in art school, Nimona then developed into a funny webcomic, and has ultimately become a thought-provoking book addressing modern times under the disguise of an atypical fairy tale. This is the magic of Nimona: turning common stereotypes upside down, it’s a subtle critique of the narrow-minded, black-and-white separation of good and evil. It’s a grey area where not all that glitters is Goldenloin, and Blackheart isn’t necessarily a telling name.
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October 2017
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