The second my roommate handed me her copy of Nimona, I was intrigued—a dark knight, a light knight, and a girl with a unique haircut and dragon wings? Sure, why not? I like fantasy. Although Noelle Stevenson isn't my favorite illustrator, the story was interesting enough. I'll admit that it took me a while to really get into it, for reasons I'll get into later, but my overall impression of the comic is positive.

Nimona tells the story of two characters: the titular young woman, who also happens to be a shapeshifter, and her boss Lord Ballister Blackheart, a supervillain with a love of science. Both have a tragic backstory and a desire to expose the dark deeds of the Institution of Law Enforcement and Heroics. I know, a villainous team that's actually trying to help people? Well, not all villains are evil, I guess. Lord Blackheart doesn’t even like killing.

But that's what makes the story so interesting. I've always wanted to read a story told from the perspective of the villain. Preferably one in which the hero of the story (technically the villain) doesn't even know he (or she) is the villain. Of course, Nimona isn't like that. And while I was slightly disappointed by this, I also knew that the comic couldn't have worked that way. Still, it's humorous, yet heartbreaking; technological, yet medieval. It's…odd.

First, I love the characters. Nimona, the shapeshifter sidekick, is a spunky go-getter woman (teenager? Not exactly sure how old she is) who refuses to take "no" as an answer. Ever. And she. kicks. ass. But she has a vulnerable side; she has a heart-wrenching history; she's loyal and courageous and caring. And this is what I love about her—she feels real. So A+ to Nimona and Noelle Stevenson on that count.

I won’t get into Lord Ballister Blackheart nor Sir Ambrosius Goldenloin—

(OMG the NAMES! Side note: one of my favorite lines, said by a TV anchor—yeah, TVs and phones and lasers exist despite the fact it's set in a time when jousting is a popular activity to keep the peasants happy—is "Coming up next: an exposé on Sir Goldenloin's codpiece! What's he hiding under there? Does he really expect us to believe his junk is THAT impressive?")

—but believe me: they're just as complex as Nimona. And they might be homosexual? It's not clear if they're romantic or bromantic. And I love that, too, because they're not stereotyped.

Now for the humor. While I wasn't lol-ing the same way I did with Lumberjanes, Noelle Stevenson still did a good job at interlacing serious subject matter with laughter. I can't really say whether or not this is a positive because I'm still unsure how I feel about it. I enjoyed some of the jokes (see above), but sometimes it felt forced. In character, yes, but…unnecessary sometimes?

Also, despite how kick-ass the titular character is, the story seemed to move very fast. There's a scene about one hundred pages in that gives us a great deal of emotion I just wasn't ready for. That is to say, it felt too early for me to be as invested in the characters as I should have been to take the scene to heart. Now, one hundred pages might seem like a lot, but in the comic world it really isn't. So it's like introducing what should be a hard-hitting, emotional scene thirty pages into a novel. Which is just not enough time to really care.

Maybe if I'd been given more time, it would be different. But that just threw me as a reader. The ending was fantastic, of course, and I highly recommend the comic to anyone who likes dragons, science, strong women, and humor.