In chapters 3 through 5, Nimona and Ballister infiltrate a science lab, have a confrontation with Goldenloin, and steal some top secret plans from the institution headquarters. We also find out where Nimona got her shapeshifting powers from, and the secret plans they stole reveal that the institution is stockpiling a deadly poison. Nimona uses her shapeshifting powers to spread the word on the local news channel, much to the distress of the director of the institution. Goldenloin is told that the report is a lie spread by Ballister and Nimona, which is only half true.
One thing I really appreciate in this comic is the changes in art style. Compare any of the panels on the first two pages of chapter 3 with the last panel on page 3 - chapter 3. And again on the first page of chapter 4, a bunch of different styles of drawing are used. In my experience with webcomics, artists tend to pick a style and stick with it, so this was a refreshing change.
The other thing I really liked was the idea of rules, and how Ballister seems intent on following the rules, despite being a so called villain, and how Goldenloin seems to be working for the forces of good, when in fact, the organization he works for is plotting something sinister. What do you think the institution has planned for the Jaderoot?
I agree with Dustin--and Alex before him--that this comic is remarkably playful about our expectations: both about stylistic consistency and about relative ethical and narrative positions ('villains')! NIMONA raises such intriguing questions about narrative organization (exposition, ambivalent 'gaps'), expectation, and point of view--I look forward to hearing more!
ReplyDeleteThe moment that really gets me is when, at the end of the attempted invasion, Goldenlion puts his hand on Blackheart's shoulder and tells him to leave before the guards arrive. It shows character depth! and hidden secrets! about where their friendship really stands. Maybe it's not lost after all?
ReplyDeleteGoing off of the civil unrest that Alex talks about, my theory is a Scarecrow-in-Batman-Begins-eque water type attack on the poor people because obviously poor = bad and the institution is all about ridding the world of evil
I also really enjoy observing the variations in art style from page-to-page and even panel-to-panel. This is my first time reading a webcomic, but I must say that the art is much more intriguing than I had assumed it would be. For me, the periodic changes in style capture my attention, keep my interest, and drive the story forward at a faster pace than if the author had stuck to one set style throughout the whole comic.
ReplyDeleteI think my favorite part about the art style is how simplistic the backgrounds/accoutrements are within the scenes. If the background is not important to the scene, it becomes white or solid color with horizon line at most. Even the sciencey-tubes that Ballister and Nimona are trying to steal at the beginning of chapter 3 are not much more than blue cylinders.
ReplyDeleteWe still get the implication of depth and detail, but Noelle is very good at focusing our attention on where it needs to be. This usually ends up on us focusing on the characters, which is great for scenes like the one where Nimona fights with the goons. Since we're accustomed to focusing on the people, the details become doubly attention grabbing. Like how we noticed there was blood.
Is style of art change common in comics? What purpose does it serve? Is it just to be fun, like spot the change/it's an entertaining extra while reading.
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