ND Stevenson Talks About How 'Nimona' Helped Him Figure Out Who He Was

TV & Film

Jul 2

Art of any sort is often a reflection of the artist. This rings very true for ND Stevenson, who wrote and drew the graphic novel Nimona. Nimona, a graphic novel about the titular shapeshifter who befriends a lovelorn knight named Ballister, is popular within the LGBTQ community. Stevenson, who created the property before coming out, used it as an opportunity to express himself, using the property as an allegory. “Coming from a really conservative family and the evangelical church in the South,” he said, “the story is definitely a reaction to that.”

The property has recently become a Netflix animated film, in which, Ballister, upon seeing Nimona’s shapeshifting, says, “Can you please just be normal for a second?” and wonders if all the shapeshifting hurts. The titular character then replies, “Honestly? I feel worse when I don’t do it.” Troy Quane, who directed the movie, states, “This is a story that is, at its heart, a love letter to anybody who’s ever felt different or misunderstood.” Both the film and the book had their roots beginning in 2015.

Stevenson also said, “I think if I were making the comic now, there’s a lot more I would have done with it, and it’s cool to see the movie do that,” he continued. “But I also think there’s a certain power in having a story that clearly expresses that, but maybe flies under the radar of parents who might be less willing to put that book in their kids’ hands.”

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