#1 - Nimona
I took a long time to finally launch this newsletter because I really wanted Nimona to be the first subject I wrote about because it is personally very special to me and I was still waiting for the comic to get into my hands to do this lol.
COMIC
Where to read: Amazon (kindle, audiobook, physical)
Pages: 272
Author: ND Stevenson
FILM
Where to watch: Netflix and Stremio
Duration: 1h42min
Directors: Troy Quane and Nick Bruno
DOESN’T CONTAIN SPOILERS!
Nimona's story is set in a science fantasy world influenced by the Middle Ages. The comic tells the story of Nimona, a chaotic shapeshifter who joins the knight Ballister in his plans to destroy the overly controlling Institute. However, in the film, Ballister is a knight accused of a tragic crime. In both, Ballister's ethical code contrasts with Nimona's impulsiveness.
Trailer:
Nimona was originally written and drawn by ND Stevenson (also known as Nate Stevenson), which began as a webcomic and eventually became a graphic novel. The webcomic initially began unpretentiously, with Stevenson first creating his main characters and posting one or two pages on his tumblr (gingerhaze), and gradually developing a storyline around them. Stevenson then decided to dedicate himself to taking this project further and turned his webcomic into a project where he produced more pages for his college classes at the Maryland Institute College of Art. While still a student, Stevenson was approached by Charlie Olsen to publish his webcomic in physical format. The webcomic was published online from June 2012 to September 2014. The graphic novel was published by HarperCollins in May 2015 and made the New York Times Best Seller list.
Stevenson says he has always been fascinated by shapeshifters, by their ability to transform into whoever they want. At the time he wrote Nimona, Stevenson had not yet come to terms with being non-binary, but today he talks about how he projected a lot of himself into the character Nimona and it is clear to see how Nimona represents many of the feelings of the trans experience. Stevenson came out as non-binary in June 2020.
The film was originally being produced by Blue Sky Studios and was to be directed by Patrick Osborne, with a release date of early 2020. However, directors Troy Quane and Nick Bruno were brought in to continue with the project. After the acquisition of 21st Century Fox by the Walt Disney Company, the company that controlled Blue Sky, the film was delayed several times. And then it was canceled due to the closure of Blue Sky in April 2021. However, to everyone's joy, Annapurna Pictures revived the project the following year, with DNEG Animation doing the animation and Netflix distributing it worldwide in June 2023. Stevenson was closely involved in the creation of the film and was one of its producers.
Compared to the film, the comic begins more abruptly and without much context about what is happening and what the characters' motivations are, which makes sense if we consider that the comic began with Stevenson's original characters who had no lore initially but were gradually developed. On the other hand, in the film we are introduced more naturally and with more context to the characters' past and their motivations.
The plot of the comic and the film differ greatly. Some scenes from the comic still appear in the film but in different contexts. Both stories are wonderful in their differences and it is incredible to be able to see two such different versions of the same narrative.
The comic has simpler illustrations compared to the complexity of the film's animations. The film's animation is incredibly expressive and fluid, which especially favors the transformations of Nimona's various appearances.
In the film, there is an explicitly gay couple, while in the comic this is only implied. The trans allegories of the character Nimona have always existed since the comic, but they also become more apparent during the film.
The voices of Chloë Grace Moretz (Nimona) and Riz Ahmed (Ballister) bring the characters to life in the best way possible. They really embody and represent each character's personality very well.
I hope I’ve managed to convince you to give Nimona a chance, whether it’s by watching the movie or reading the comic. As a transmasculine nonbinary demigirl, Nimona is especially important to me and it warms my heart to see more people enjoying this story too.
It would make me incredibly happy if you came talk to me more about it, either by leaving comments here or sending me a dm on insta (luhgavillon)! Feedback about what you thought of the newsletter is also very welcome!
If you want to follow me there too, I have a letterboxd where I post reviews more frequently and about films that I won't always talk about here (gavilu).
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