Sneha Jaiswal (Twitter | Instagram)
Nimona is a hyper-energetic, shape-shifting girl who forces herself into becoming Ballister Blackheart’s sidekick because he is a supervillain, and she loves to kill, maim and generally be a menace. They want to smash the system and expose the corrupt, but Nimona also wants to blow things up and murder people, while Blackheart tries to show her that they can change things without killing anybody. He is the Batman to her inner Deadpool!
Created by ND Stevenson, Nimona is a science-fiction fantasy following this crazy duo as they try to take down the ruling regime, and their biggest enemy is the kingdom’s champion, Ambrosius Goldenloin, a gorgeous dude with golden hair who is also Ballister’s former best friend. Ballister Blackheart has a prosthetic arm because he is pretty sure Goldenloin sabotaged him out of jealousy, although the knight still has a soft spot for his former friend.
Nimona, the protagonist, is a complete wild child, initially coming across as a one-note wrecking ball interested mostly in killing. Her shape-shifting abilities are faster than lightning: one second she’s a little girl, the next a shark, a cat or a fire-breathing dragon! Brief flashbacks hint at the reasons behind her hatred for humankind, but she takes a shining to Ballister because he is an outcast, a recluse working from the shadows just like her.
Can two people really take down an entire kingdom? Well, when one of them is practically a shape-shifting god, the odds aren’t that bad. Besides, Nimona and Ballister have an entertaining, almost ‘foster-dad with evil powerful child’ kinda chemistry, which is comically memorable. Ballister will draw elaborate plans for a certain covert mission, and then Nimona will compromise all caution through flashy, violent tactics.
Also Read: Nimona Film Review – Varied Vibrant Shades Like Its Lead!
The energy of this book is crazy and chaotic, and it’s a miracle that all of it somehow ties together into a coherent tale by the end. It’s also a rare case where I saw the movie before reading the book and actually think the animated adaptation is more fun, largely because of the cute animation, which is frankly superior to the graphic novel’s artwork. But well, the vision is all ND Stevenson, so if you’ve neither read the book nor seen the film, maybe check out the graphic novel first. The book’s artwork is colorful, dynamic, and entertaining too. You can easily finish reading Nimona in an hour or two.
Rating: 4 stars on 5.
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