Bound To Stay Bound

School Library Journal - 04/01/2015 Gr 7 Up—This celebrated webcomic, a mash-up of medieval culture with modern science and technology, is now available in print. Lord Ballister Blackheart, a knight, has assumed the role of a supervillain in order to expose the nefarious schemes of the kingdom's front organization, The Institute of Law Enforcement. The kingdom's champion is Lord Blackheart's nemesis and former best friend, Sir Ambrose Goldenloin. Blackheart's prickly relationship with Goldenloin further explores the limits of their friendship. Enter the title character, a brash young shapeshifter who doggedly follows Ballister until he agrees to take her on as a sidekick. Nimona's skills as a shapeshifter up the ante in the ongoing rivalry between Ambrose and Ballister. Despite her anger management issues, the teen becomes Ballister's invaluable ally and together they form an alliance of mutual trust and dependence. Action scenes dominate as Nimona shifts with Hulk-like ferocity from frightful creatures such as a fire-breathing dragon to a docile cat or a timid child. Dialogue is fresh and witty with an abundance of clever lines. A complementary color palette of Blackheart's muddy browns contrasts with Goldenloin's fresh transparent yellow-greens. Both color schemes highlight Nimona's intense reds. Readers will note subtle visual differences in webcomic images. The print edition includes an exclusive epilogue not available online. At its core, Nimona is a story of rescue. Each of the main characters rescue allies, friendships, the Kingdom, and ultimately, themselves. VERDICT A vibrant solo work from "Lumberjanes" (Boom!) cocreator.—Barbara M. Moon, Suffolk Cooperative Library System, Bellport, NY - Copyright 2015 Publishers Weekly, Library Journal and/or School Library Journal used with permission.

Booklist - 04/15/2015 Ballister Blackheart is just minding his nefarious business when red-haired, shapeshifting Nimona, a bad-gal-in-training and would-be sidekick, handily infiltrates his den of villainy. He is initially reluctant to take her on, but it’s tough to say no when she is a shark. Nimona doesn’t have the patience for Blackheart’s rule-following method of villainy, and she quickly shakes things up with some chaotic mayhem. As Nimona battles her way into Blackheart’s good graces, he begins poking around in her past, which is something she abhors. Stevenson gleefully plays with classic sword-and-sorcery tropes, adding some mad science for good measure, but it’s her depiction of the impish Nimona that really shines. The irrepressible minivillain is a tyrant, for sure, but Stevenson’s cartoonish full-color illustrations give her such wide-eyed innocence and gleeful facial expressions that it’s hard not to love her, even when she is blowing up buildings. Packed with spot-on comedic timing and heartening relationships, this is perfect for readers who prefer their adventures rollickingly clever. Fans of the original webcomic will be delighted by the print-only epilogue. - Copyright 2015 Booklist.

Bulletin for the Center... - 07/01/2015 Fans of the titular web comic will rejoice to see Nimona turned into a sharp, gorgeous graphic novel; new readers who had no idea of the web presence have been missing out, but at least they have her in their lives now. Nimona has already decided that she is the new sidekick of Ballister Blackheart, a supervillain who is the bitter enemy of the champion, Sir Ambrosius Goldenloin. It only takes a few pages to realize almost none of that previous sentence is true, as Blackheart is too fair and kind to be a true supervillain, Goldenloin is far from a real hero, and their history is complicated, messy, and unresolved, though they do mostly pretend to be enemies. Blackheart tries to send Nimona away, but he quickly spots that she needs him way more than he needs her, as she has little control over her remarkable (and exceedingly rare) shapeshifting power. He carefully begins to tame her, so to speak, but before he can make much progress she is kidnapped by the “good” guys for horrible purposes. Stevenson toys with comic-book archetypes while never mocking them; her characters are all complex, even though they appear to slide neatly into various hero and villain slots. The world-building is impeccable, with glimpses of a fascinating and troubling world that slowly coalesce into a fully realized society, where ignorance and fear have allowed for woefully unbalanced power structures. The vibrant digital illustrations are stunning, working seamlessly to move the story along as much as the text itself. While Stevenson primarily sticks with the panel format, dramatic scenes spill out of their boxes, and wordless pages demonstrate that sometimes all you need is a compelling image. Graphic novel fans will finish the book in a gallop and then want to start right back at the first page to see what they missed about Nimona’s mysterious background and identity. AS - Copyright 2015 The Board of Trustees of the University of Illinois.