MSU LIT 382-Summer 2021 discussion

We will use this discussion board for reviews of Nimona

Nimona was a fun read but an annoying audiobook. I first read Nimona before I checked out the audio book. The audiobook didn’t really me think lesser of this graphic novel but lesser of Noelle Stevenson for approving the butchering of her print. It also made me think about the power of medium. Nimona was a light and fun read but a horribly cheesy and poorly produced audiobook. Although some elements of the audiobook could have been improved (the music, voice-acting, and unnatural transitions) I am not sure if it could have been made into a successful audiobook at all. When we write, all we have are our own words being somewhat open to interpretation by the reader. With audiobooks we are forced to accept the voice that someone else chose. In Nimona, when she whines about anchovies on pizza it seems endearing on the page but painfully annoying to hear. Maybe the more ability we have to use our own imagination the better.

In print, I appreciated other elements that were lost on the audiobook. For instance, Nimona seems to be a bit curvier of a teenager. I realize that I am perhaps getting into murky water both commenting on a female’s body and a teenager’s body, but I appreciated seeing a young woman being represented that wasn’t rail-thin or adhering to typical Western beauty standards. Also, the art was just cool in Nimona, somewhat atypical and unique, however the audiobook was about as cookie-cutter, boring, and factory produced as could be.

One thing that I was expecting, going into the audiobook, was more content. To a fault, I find myself racing through graphic novels, focusing on the words more than the images. In Nimona, where there are entire pages of fight scenes with no dialogue, I simply scanned through in seconds. The audiobook did describe these fights, but when I noticed the time of the entire audiobook (2.5 hours), I was expecting more vivid descriptions.

It was a strange phenomenon to like the graphic novel and hate the audiobook and in turn like the initial graphic novel a bit less. I am glad that we added a book to our palate that is geared towards younger audiences, perhaps pre-teens, and will perhaps recommend it to my niece and nephew. All in all: a fairly fun read but a lame-ass audiobook.

My list of best to worst for the class:
1. Aristotle and Dante
2. Poet X
3. The Serpent King
4. Nimona
5. Legendborn
6. Heart's Unbroken

Nimona was a young, whimsical read. I enjoyed the flow and the youthfulness of both the story and the audiobook. I prefer to look at the words on the page when I read so audiobooks are not my favorite thing. It does provide, however, a voice and tone that one may not have added to reading or that one could just monetize through reading in one sitting so it was interesting to see their idea of Nimona's voice and when to inflect her voice or how she said certain sentences that I read in another way with my own voice. The pictures in the novel were fun to see with the story, the way that they could elicit images that were in Nimona's imagination or show us the effects of her shapeshifting or Baldhearts magic. The following of this 'villain' is the part I most connected to the other books and our keywords. Not to make this book more serious than it has to be, but seeing identity and the morals that come with a label of good or evil and what we can do to change our identity in others eyes or our own was important and done in a way that was sweet but did not turn the novel into a too seriously focused piece.

In terms of the Graphic Novel reading, I thought it was interesting that comic books have not always been within children's genre as that it was I think of when I think about most comic books - additionally the difference from comic book to graphic novel. This graphic novel did have a childlike feel and would be easy to read (and to stick with) but it did not feel like a book you had to be a child to enjoy. I think it's important for YA readers to be able to have a multitude of types of literature but also types of formats with which to enjoy reading rather than to just get through it and I think that graphic novels would help a lot of kids get more into reading!Nimona

My list of the class is as follows :
Legendborn, Aristotle and Dante, Hearts Unbroken, Poet X, Nimona, Serpent King

When it comes to graphic novels, I am woefully inexperienced. Besides Nimona, the only graphic novel I have read was the one mentioned in the Keywords reading, Bone, which I read in my 4th-grade class. For some reason, they just don't appeal to me as much as a standard novel.

That being said, I enjoyed Nimona. I thought it was an entertaining read and concept. I'm not an audiobook fan, so that is another area I'm inexperienced. I thought the translation from visual to audio was interesting and how the audiobook offered the staging of the scenes.

With regards to Nimona's content, I thought definitely agree with other comments regarding it as "whimsical." It started as a fun idea but gained a lot of depth, which I appreciated. At times it felt a little silly and immature, but that is probably because I am not part of the core YA audience. The dialogue and humor reminded me again and again of Adventure Time. When I was reading/listening to it, I was fully engaged and wondering what was going to happen next and where the plot would take me.

However, I'd give this book 3.5 stars. It just didn't stick with me as other works have in this class. I read through it quickly, but for the first half, I was really wondering where the author was taking us. And I was dissatisfied with the ending. I wanted more depth and exploration of the world and characters, and while I respect the choices Stevenson made with keeping some things ambiguous and unknown. I didn't really like the art style as well. Some frames were amazing, and others just didn't suit my fancy.

Overall, I think Nimona was a good step for me to get into the Graphic novel genre. I totally see how this story would captivate a YA audience, especially with kids and teens that may not be huge readers. And, as I see others before me have done, here's my ranking of books from this class:
1. Legendborn
2. The Serpent King
3/4. Poet X/ Aristotle and Dante (I can't choose!)
5. Nimona
6. Hearts Unbroken

Have a great rest of your summer everyone! I loved our discussions each week and interacting with all of you.

Having grown up off of the Big Nate and Bone series, I am very well experienced with graphic novels. I liked Nimona because of its art and how some things work well as a graphic novel; casting illustrations into our faces but keeping us engaged with the dialogue. That being said there are some things I did not like about Nimona.

The book, while purposefully short, does feel like more of a comic than a novel. Some graphic novels while being just as short somehow encapsulate more of a story, or character arc. I do not know how to describe it but the book just does not feel like it has a drive. Noelle Stevenson does give us some small story arcs between characters but the story ends before any of them really "arc".

This book does other things well, like the illustrations. They are casual and that is the point of the book, not taking itself to seriously. The audiobook also was interesting because it gave the story depth with sounds that set the scene, along with an ensemble of characters all playing their roles to perfection. Overall, it was not a bad book. That is why I rated it 3/5 stars, I just thought that it could have been better. As I mentioned it doesn't take itself seriously but if it did the book could become something much greater.

My book rankings:
1. The Serpent King
2. Legendborn
3. Nimona
4. Poet X
5. Hearts Unbroken
6. Aristotle and Dante

"I'm not a monster. I'M A SHARK!" (pg. 17).

I chose to read Nimona with the audiobook and I LOVED IT. I read it in one sitting this last weekend and fell in love. I don't think I would have appreciated it enough without the audiobook. I've read the graphic novel series Bone while in middle/high school and since then I completely forgot how much I liked the graphic novel style. I'm about to head straight to the book store to pick out another graphic novel.

The audiobook was interesting because it included extra dialogue that was not included in the graphic novel. It was very clever because it was clear the extra dialogue was meant to help those just listening to it make a mental picture of what was going on. While looking at the pages, you can see the images and tell who is saying what. The audiobook had to add sound effects, different voice actors, and additional dialogue in order for the book to make sense to listeners. I felt the audiobook really helped me get a sense of who Nimona was, and I am glad I was able to experience that.

Nimona was an amazing character. I liked finding out who she was and a little bit of her story. I wish there was a second book for me to read because I need more from her. There is so much more potential for this character and the relationship between her and Ballister.

Overall, I found the graphic novel very funny, but also sad. I'm left with many questions. This is one I'll keep on my bookshelf forever. I'm looking forward to picking it up again once I'm a teacher and a parent (so I can read it from a similar perspective such as yours, Dr. Fassbender).

"This beard itches. Nimona, I really don't think this is going to fool anyone" (pg. 103).

My book rankings (1 being my favorite, 6 being my least favorite):
1. Aristotle and Dante
2. Nimona
3. The Poet X
4. The Serpent King
5. Hearts Unbroken
6. Legendborn

For never self-identifying as a comic or graphic novel enthusiast, I absolutely loved this read. I became extremely taken with this graphic novel and audiobook pairing for a variety of personal and circular-based reasons. Due to its fantasy elements as well as its undertones of social justice critical theories, I absolutely love this graphic novel and think it has a ton of potential to reach students thematically and profoundly in classroom spaces. Similarly, the juxtaposition offered in the book between the mystical Nimona and the analytic Ballister provided a sense of well-roundness throughout my reading experience, and I believe it could have a similar effect on my future students.

Thematically, the rising action of undermining the Institute of Law Enforcement and Heroics provided a unique narrative and colorful language to the portrayal of corrupt and oppressive systems in society. This aspect of the book made it incredibly applicable to current global discourse about systematic corruption, providing significant social commentary in conjunction with its mystical fantasy elements.

Additionally, I fell in love with the unconventional friendship of Nimona and Ballister that grew throughout the text. Despite its complexities, their relation dynamics kept the plot enticing and interesting. Even in the concluding scene, there is a sense of trust and reconnection that Stevenson leaves us with before Nimona disappears into the crowd.

The audiobook really brought some of the surroundings and action phrases to life in ways that were not as exigent in my head as well. I was incredibly impressed by both the visual and auditory variations of this text and how they complemented each other. I am rating my experience with these two forms of media 4.5/5 jaderoots.

My ratings for our course cannon are as follows:
1. The Poet X
2. Nimona
3. Aristotle and Dante
4. The Serpent King
5. Hearts Unbroken
6. Legendborn

As someone who has read zero graphic novels as a choice or free read and only when assigned by a teacher, Nimona had my full undivided attention. That is as I followed along with the audiobook. After hearing Dr. Fassbender's suggestion of reading along to the audiobook I thought I would give it a try. I am so glad I did because I am not sure I would have been as enthused if I read without the audio, to begin with. Having the multi-character audio really helped me distinguish characters and brought a deeper value to the text for me. I think following along with the audio was the way to go for me personally. I think without the audio lots of elements would have been missing in my reading. I think vice versa if I would have just listened to the audio and not followed along page by page I would've zoned out. All in all glad I did both at the same time!

I was surprised by how well I followed the storyline as I was concerned with it being a nontraditional narrative that I would get lost. I quickly fell into curiosity about Ballister and Nimona's relationship and wanting to see how and where they would go together on the next page. Noelle Stevenson did a great job I thought displaying their relationship and keeping me as a reader interested.

I found the fantasy elements to be more engaging than I would have previously thought. Overall throughout the readings for this course, I learned I need to be willing to try new reads. Be less fearful and give things a go that I normally would be hesitant about. In all the reads besides Hearts Unbroken maybe, I found things I enjoyed and was eager to turn the page in all of the reads.

My ratings for the reads in this course would be as follows:
1. The Poet X
2. Legendborn
3. Aristotle and Dante
4. Nimona
5. The Serpent King
6. Hearts Unbroken

I loved Nimona! I think it was a great way to end the class because it is a light read and you can dive deep by really taking in all the artwork if you so choose. I do not have a lot of experience with graphic novels but I used to read a lot of comics, and this took me back to my experiences with those. found the artwork to be just as important to the story as the text, which I know is sort of the point, but it is still really cool how author/ artists are able to do that.

What I liked most about Nimona was that Stevenson created a really deep, meaningful story while keeping it pretty light on the surface. If you look at the story from afar it is about a shape-shifting girl who helps a villain relearn what it is he is fighting against. If you look deeper, it discusses themes of self love and perseverance. I also enjoyed how witty the story is, it made me laugh more than once.

Like others have said, I think the audio for Nimona really does not do the text justice. I listened along while reading the physical book and just felt the whole thing needed a bit more passion and depth from the audio readers. Also, like Jonathan said, the audio cannot express what a page full of artwork can, so it felt a little lacking.

My rankings for this classes books goes as follows, with one being my favorite.
1. Aristotle and Dante
2. The Poet X
3. Nimona
4. The Serpent King
5. Legendborn
6. Hearts

Jonathan wrote: "Nimona was a fun read but an annoying audiobook. I first read Nimona before I checked out the audio book. The audiobook didn’t really me think lesser of this graphic novel but lesser of Noelle Stev..."

Jonathan, I think what you said about the audio hits the nail on the head. For such a fun book that is not very serious, the audio is a huge letdown. Hopefully somebody recognizes this and tries harder to make an audio version that does the text justice.

Kaitlyn wrote: "Nimona was a young, whimsical read. I enjoyed the flow and the youthfulness of both the story and the audiobook. I prefer to look at the words on the page when I read so audiobooks are not my favor..."

Kaitlyn, I totally agree with what you say in your last paragraph about this not being a book you need to be young to enjoy. That's so true! I think that the elements of the story work well for all ages. This was honestly one of the first things we have read that I could definitively say that all ages can enjoy the story without feeling too mature for it. Sure, the main character is a young girl, but the artwork and story concept make it so unique that everyone should be able to enjoy it.

I really enjoy reading graphic novels so I was excited to read Nimona. I was already familiar with Noelle Stevenson's Lumberjanes series, so the artwork and writing was familiar to me. I loved Nimona. Underneath this comical tale of a shapeshifting child with a zest for violence and villainy lies sadness, betrayal and trauma. It is a short read, but rich in detail and emotion. I appreciated the depth in recounting Nimona, Ballister and Ambrosious's histories, and how they each carried their pain while living under the weight of the roles placed upon them: monster,
villain, hero.

I find it challenging to listen to audiobooks as I tend to zone out a bit, but I found this one to be entertaining. I think it must be tricky to transfer a graphic novel into an audiobook because you lose the nuance of the illustrated page and therefore the voice acting can seem a little over the top to make up for that loss. I found the voice casting to be perfectly silly, and much how I imagined Nimona, Ballister and Ambrosious would sound like. That said, I don't think I will listen to the audiobook again, but will definitely read Nimona again.

Lastly, I'd list the semester books as follows (best to least liked):

1. The Poet X
2. Nimona
3. Dante and Aristotle
4. Hearts Unbroken
5. The Serpent King
6. Legendborn

Nimona is a spunky, fiery shapeshifter who is ready to take on the institution and buck the status quo. She seeks out renowned villain Ballister Blackheart, who reluctantly teams up with her to expose the Institution's nefarious plans and unsafe practices.

I love Nimona. Like others have mentioned, I don't have a lot of experience with graphic novels. I found Nimona so fun and endearing, and I gobbled up the story in both of its versions. The illustrations in the graphic novel were bold and engaging, and I thought that the audiobook did a great job of capturing the spunkiness of Nimona. I realize that the cheesy musical transitions and sound effects might not be to everyone's liking, but I actually really enjoyed them and I thought they helped to capture the tone of the novel.

As fun and lighthearted as parts of the story are, Noelle Stevenson still wrote a story that leaves you with a lot to mull over and think about in the end. All of the answers aren't easy, and that's okay. Who is a hero? Who is a villain? Who is a monster? What is a monster? What happens when a villain has a stronger moral code than the people in power?

I’m a fan of graphic novels and comics, and had a recent experience listening to a graphic novel adapted to audiobook in the form Neil Gaiman’s Sandman series.

I was much more impressed with the audio format of Sandman, but deeply appreciated Nimona on paper. I read the first half without audio and then circled back and read along with the second half of the book.

I enjoy the ease in which Nimona exists. The ease is there in the art, the storytelling, the characters, their unapologetic and confident designs. There is a quiet confidence to the book, through both the writing and the art that sold me quite quickly. In fact, by part three of the series I felt like I had been following these characters for some time. I just got it, and it seemed like Noelle Stevenson was fully assured that I would. I am not putting my thoughts to paper as well as I would like here, but I guess I am saying that Stevenson had faith in her story as well as the reader - and because of that I stepped through this series joyfully.

I enjoy this quote here by the author that I found when working on my final project:

“Nimona is about identity and if who you are is defined by what you look like. It's not a book about body image at all, but I would be lying if I said that wasn't in there even at the conception of it” (Noelle Stevenson).

We follow Nimona in all shapes and forms, and through that process of constant change we get a better glimpse at the constant: Nimona’s identity despite her fluidity of form. There’s a lot of great stuff to unpack there that I hope all reading will enjoy, both young and old alike.

I also got a kick out of the good vs evil tropes being stretched and poked at. A sort of meta commentary on characters inside of storytelling, on freedom or lack thereof inside of the classic good vs evil story, whether that dynamic stays classic or not is something I’ll tuck away so as not to spoil it for future readers :)

I do think that that this graphic novel can be targeted for a younger audience, perhaps younger than some of our other books this semester. However, it didn’t feel juvenile to me. I have grown accustomed to reading graphic novels and comics over the last few years, which likely had an impact on my appreciation for this series. A graphic novel can be incredibly hard to get right. To balance the power of visual art with the art of language. And in balance I mean to say what needs to be said and show the rest without overlap or unnecessary media.

There are several celebrated comics and graphic novels that just haven’t worked very well for me.

I’m wrapping up here in saying that I have read a lot of comics over the past few years for a personal project of mine, and for that reason feel all the more impressed that Nimona landed so well with me. I am impressed with the confidence and ease in which Noelle Stevenson rolled out her story. I feel that I was sold because she was sold with her own story and characters.


The grand list, the first being what I enjoyed the most :)

1: The Serpent King
2: Legendborn
3: Nimona
4: Dante and Aristotle
5: The Poet X
6: Hearts Unbroken

Thank you all for a wonderful semester!

I decided to read Nimona with the audiobook. I was surprised at how fast I finished the book and how well I understood the information. I will certainly consider using audiobooks for my future classes as well. This was the first graphic novel I have read, and without the audiobook, I would have been somewhat lost regarding how to read it.

I loved Nimona’s character and especially enjoyed how Stevenson combined themes of medieval knighthood with ‘modernish’ science and reasoning. One thing I loved about this story was the dynamic between Nimona and Lord Ballister. I found the central theme of this story to be morality, both the struggle to find and master. This satirical graphic story had me both laughing and crying multiple times, and I overall enjoyed this quick and engaging story.

Overall, I found this book a great introduction to graphic novels and an excellent choice for young adults.

Overall, I would say my favorite books from this semester are:
The Serpent King
Aristotle and Dante
Poet X
Nimona
Legendborn
Hearts Unbroken

Nimona on audiobook was an okay read but I found myself struggling to be able to listen to it. The voices bothered me and I found it easier to read it along with the visual novel in order to properly enjoy the book. I love that they made the villain so human and really explored his story and how he became the way he is.

Listing my books in order i'd say

Nimona
Aristotle and Dante
The Serpent Kings
Legendborn
Poet X
Heart's Unbroken

Jenna wrote: "Nimona is a spunky, fiery shapeshifter who is ready to take on the institution and buck the status quo. She seeks out renowned villain Ballister Blackheart, who reluctantly teams up with her to exp..."

I agree I adore Nimona as well and she is incredibly relatable. She's hyper and all over the place and I fell in love with her goofy nature. She's so straightforward and ambitious that I fell in love with her as a character. She felt like a younger sister and for sure family through the whole book.

Bailey wrote: "As someone who has read zero graphic novels as a choice or free read and only when assigned by a teacher, Nimona had my full undivided attention. That is as I followed along with the audiobook. Aft..."

I couldn't take my eyes off this book either, so visually stunning and the world was beautiful. It was built beautifully and the characters though all vastly different were all relatable and easy to connect with and understand

Spencer wrote: "Having grown up off of the Big Nate and Bone series, I am very well experienced with graphic novels. I liked Nimona because of its art and how some things work well as a graphic novel; casting illu..."

Hi Spencer,

I think that it's interesting that you brought up this concept of graphic novel vs a comic. This was on my mind over the past few days more than it should have been! While ultimately unimportant, Nimona came across to me with a comic design, flow and energy rather than that of a graphic novel.

I don't mean that in a bad way at all. In fact I found the sort of comic feeling worked really great for Stevenson and the story of Nimona. However, despite being a progressing story, the episodic nature of Nimona felt like a comic with the addition of an ongoing larger narrative rather than a graphic novel with less emphasis on narrative arcs and progression. It's maybe even somewhere in between those two.

I don't know, it took some googling to look at the differences - but after seeing your comment this morning I just had to say something, since I spent to much time quietly exploring the differences between comics and graphic novels online in search of an answer haha.

Madison wrote: "When it comes to graphic novels, I am woefully inexperienced. Besides Nimona, the only graphic novel I have read was the one mentioned in the Keywords reading, Bone, which I read in my 4th-grade cl..."

I love seeing these responses to Nimona from people who haven't spent much time in the graphic novel/ comic sphere. It's really interesting to read your thoughts on Nimona and approach to the medium as a whole.

I hadn't tied Nimona in directly with Adventure Time, but now that you have I see it so clearly. Which just makes me enjoy the series that much more. It was very self aware and confident in the steps it took both visually and from a story perspective. I though t that made it a lovely read, but also something I am more excited to recommend to people my age, as it feels really ageless in its humor and approach, despite being open to a YA audience. I already recommend Adventure Time for those same reasons.

Great stuff!

Have a good summer everyone!