Nimona

Image courtesy of
www.gingerhaze.com/nimona

Nimona
Noelle Stevenson

The Summary

Nimona is a webcomic that publishes twice weekly (Tuesday and Thursday) and tells the story of Ballister Blackheart - what one might consider a mad scientist and evil genius - who spends his days battling against the Institution (i.e. the government) and dueling with his nemesis.

Nimona also tells the story of, you guessed it, Nimona, a magical shapeshifting teenager with some vague moral boundaries and an ambition to be an assitant to the kingdom's most infamous villain, Ballister Blackheart.  Together, this dynamic duo takes on the seemingly corrupted Institution and robs the occasional bank.

The Good

Nimona is a clever, well-written comic that simultaneously creates a new and exciting environment, in which complex characters and promising villainous plots develop, and fabricates an intriguing story about a pair of social outcasts - well, villains - bent on discrediting the local government.  It's bound to catch and hold your attention.

Although full of villainous endeavors, political intrigue, science, and genetically engineered dragons, the story of Ballister and Nimona is also heartwarming and deep.  Their relationship is priceless, because it appears to rest on a mutual understanding of what it means to be cast aside and feared by the rest of society - and an unbreakable love for hatching plots.  They are, more importantly, a perfect duo that manages to wreak the utmost havoc.

Noelle Stevenson's comic, moreover, is incredibly detailed with recurring characters, fun background details, and occasional references to Star Wars and the Lord of the Rings, among others.  It's a fun comic developed around a beautifully complex world of science and medieval chivalry and magic.

In short, Nimona is a fantastic webcomic.

The Bad

You will find some language and some violence.  While Ballister Blackheart isn't exactly what one would qualify as "wholly and soullessly evil," he is still a villain - and Nimona is a shapeshifter without too many moral qualms.

When you get right down to it, they're a dynamic duo working on some pretty ambiguous ethical grounds.

The Ugly

As you read, you will have glimpses into Nimona's past, little insights that will shed light on her memories and, more importantly, her fears.  Her past - and, yes, even Ballister Blackheart's past - is a heartbreaking thing to witness as it unfolds.  Nimona, for all her depth and delightful qualities as a character, is a bit of an unfinished tragedy.

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For more on Nimona, check out www.gingerhaze.com/nimona.