supercheesegirl

This graphic novel opens with Nimona, a teenage girl, apprenticing herself as a sidekick to the villain Ballister Blackheart. Didn't she mention she's a shapeshifter?

Seemingly simple with a small cast of characters, this book has a lot to say about heroes and villains, expectations, and the shapes we assume. The author has a gift for character names; Ballister Blackheart and Ambrosius Goldenloin start out more as caricatures of a villain and a hero, but eventually grow into fully developed characters with a complex relationship. Nimona herself is the most complicated character, the most powerful but also the most hurt, but she still retains her innocence and optimism. And I love the medieval/feudal world with its advanced technology, like a neat twist on steampunk. Recommended.