“You can’t just go round murdering people. There are rules, Nimona.”
You guys, before I even get started, let me just say that I am becoming total and complete Noelle Stevenson trash. She writes the most fantastic stories with the most precious characters ever, and there’s so much focus on diversity, and dark/ironic humor, and just… I cannot say enough good things about Nimona.
First, let’s highlight the fact that our title character is this incredibly badass shapeshifter with pink hair and a punk hairstyle and a thick body type and she alternates between casually murdering people and being this cute, little childlike thing that falls asleep on the couch snuggling her boss’ cape as a blanket. I mean, are you visualizing this yet? It’s adorable.
Second, let’s focus on the fact that we have a story with two leads, one male and one female, and yet the story doesn’t revolve around the two of them falling in love. I was stunned just by that. Instead, Blackheart’s protective nature towards Nimona feels almost a little bit fatherly (or uncle-ly, at least), and while there is a romance, it isn’t stereotypical at all and is super casual, and inclusive, and fantastic, and may or may not have made me literally clap my hands when it finally proofed itself out at the end.
This graphic novel made me laugh my ass off, made me smile constantly, and even choked me up once or twice. The artwork is beautiful and colorful and bright and totally drew me in from the cover page. I just could rave about Nimona all damn day, and would recommend this to anyone who enjoys graphic novels, inclusiveness, and being happy with life in general.
Go get it. Go go go!
