#author: nd stevenson

[battyaboutbooksreviews]

📣 What to Read After Watching: Nimona 🎞️

🩷 I stumbled upon She-Ra and the Princesses of Power from creator, showrunner, and executive producer ND Stevenson in 2018 and never looked back. It was one of the few projects, let alone animations, I ever watched that so blatantly flipped the script by highlighting inclusivity without needing to say it outright. Queerness was simply a way of human existence; representation mattered but didn't need to be outrightly defined. Again, ND Stevenson has flipped the script, this time by bringing his webcomic from page to screen. The story became an outlet for Stevenson to express his own nonconforming gender identity. The shape-shifting title character, Nimona, is a stunning example of unapologetic transness and gender fluidity, again, without needing to say it outright. If you haven't watched it yet, Nimona is now available on Netflix, with the original comic available online and in stores.

🩷 If you HAVE seen it and adored Nimonia's punk-pop chaos, don't worry; there's plenty more where that came from! Here are a few options you should consider reading after watching Nimona!

🩷 The Girl From the Sea by Molly Knox Ostertag 🩷 Mooncakes by Suzanne Walker 🩷 CosmoKnights by Hannah Templer 🩷 The Night Eaters by Marjorie Liu 🩷 Lumberjanes by Shannon Watters, Grace Ellis, Gus Allen, and ND Stevenson 🩷 Save Yourself! by Bones Leopard 🩷 Kim Reaper by Sarah Graley 🩷 Moonstruck by Grace Ellis and Shae Beagle 🩷 Snapdragon by Kat Leyh

[have-you-read-this-comic]

[clonedchaos]

The Witch Boy: A Book Recommendation

So, I bought some books from the closest Books a Million and came across this adorable, fun little graphic novel.

“The Witch Boy” centers around a boy named Aster living in a world rich in shapeshifters and witches. Per tradition, boys grow up as shapeshifters and girls grow up as witches— no exceptions of the contrary. But, Aster has other interests and wishes to pursue witchcraft despite this tradition. Through the story he meets a spunky human girl named Charlie, whom he quickly becomes friends with. Along the way, the threat of his sudden missing family members and demons hang over him.

I adore this little graphic novel. Finished it in under an hour. It’s a nice little fantasy story. I really wished it was longer, actually. I’d love to see more of this world’s magic system, it seems fascinating! I’d definitely dabble in shapeshifting as a girl, lol. It’s got some fun characters and wholesome little LGBTQ+ nods. Also there’s a brief Steven Universe cameo and I just—

Charlie and Aster are such wholesome friends. Again, I wish this story were longer. I wanna see more of these characters and learn more about them and their personalities. It’s got a “big family” dynamic going on and I love those in fictional works. :3

Anyhow, this is a little book recommendation for this sweet little graphic novel. :)

EDIT: THERE’S TWO MORE BOOKS I NEED THEM NOOOWWW! Read tags to see me descend into madness.

[kaseyjaywriting]

oh wow

I never read the original book but Nimona is going to make me cry. SO hard. I will be thinking about them for years to come.

"i see you, nimona. and you're not alone."

[impossiblyizzy]

so sad that I didn't become a published author in time for James Somerton to call me a straight woman in a video

[alanofalltrades]

They also played Sleepaway together (along with Molly Ostertag) on One Shot Podcast! Very fun time, y'all should definitely give it a listen.

Friendship confirmed, Brennan and ND stevenson used to play DND together!

[multigenderswag]

Bigender Books

Books that feature bigender characters, are written by bigender authors, or both!

Bi-gender: A Candid Nonbinary Memoir by James-Beth Merritt: A memoir of the author's experience living as both a man and a woman.

Baker Thief by Claudie Arseneault: A magical gemstone is stolen by a baker who is investigating the disappearance of her sister. The protagonist is bigender and aromantic.

Come Out, Come Out by Natalie C. Parker: A horror novel about queer teenagers who accidentally invoke a spirit that erases their knowledge of their identities. One of the protagonists is nonbinary, genderfluid, and bigender.

Homesick by Nino Cipri: A short story collection exploring the theme of home and featuring queer and trans characters. The short story "A Silly Love Story" includes a bigender love interest.

The Mermaid, the Witch, and the Sea by Maggie Tokunda-Hall: A woman disguises herself as a man to live aboard a pirate ship. He falls in love with a wealthy imperial daughter traveling to an arranged marriage. One of the protagonists is genderfluid and bigender.

Nimona by ND Stevenson: A graphic novel in which a chaotic shapeshifter teams up with a supervillain to wreak havoc on the Institution of Law Enforcement and Heroics. The author is transmasculine and bigender and uses he/him pronouns.

Reality In Bloom by Annette Covrigaro: A prose and poetry chapbook about queerness, mental health, and religion. The author is bigender, gay, and Jewish.

Somebody Told Me by Mia Siegert: After being assaulted, a bigender teenager moves in with their uncle, a Catholic priest, and has to come to terms with their trauma. The author is bigender and uses all pronouns.

The Unbalancing by R. B. Lemberg: A novel set in the fantasy world Birdverse, where the Starkeeper and a poet work together to save their home. The story includes a side character who identifies as the fantasy world equivalent of bigender. The author is bigender and uses they/them pronouns.

Venom & Vow by Anna-Marie McLemore and Elliott McLemore: YA fantasy about a transgender prince pretending to be his brother, and a bigender dama/assassin from an enemy kingdom. One of the authors is bigender and uses they/them pronouns.

[itsmeaxumii]

fun family time (*^▽^*)

(reference from og artist/author ND Stevenson)

[comicaurora]

Have you read/watched Nimona? If so, thoughts?

The kind of emotional gutpunch I can't bear to watch without ample preparation. The first ten minutes are the hard part for me - it's always a wrench for me to get through a "good-hearted character is cruelly framed" plotline, so I really appreciate how quickly they get that out of the way and how Nimona immediately brightens the mood when she shows up.

Overall, truly one of the best examples of how a creator can use their personal grief and rage at injustice as a medium to sculpt a story. The narrative manages to feel deeply authentic to a real emotional journey while still feeling completely contained within the story. I'm not entirely sure how to put this, but sometimes when a writer gets allegorical with their experiences, it can feel like the story gets put on pause so the characters can turn out to the audience and speak in the author's voice about their thoughts on the subject - a pretty clumsy way to communicate a message. Nimona does not do that. Instead, the many real-world parallels to bigotry, propaganda, queerphobia, church corruption, xenophobia, and regressive policies driven by terror of change feel like they arise naturally from the setting within the story rather than being imposed on it from the outside, which is extremely quality writing and characterization. Nimona's story is so clearly informed by ND Stevenson's life and gender journey, but Nimona herself feels like her own person who is messy and grieving and putting up walls and self-destructing and still - still - a fundamentally joyful, gleeful person who absolutely loves being alive when she isn't being brutally beaten down for the crime of existing inconveniently.

Also, it's a comparatively minor thing, but I really like how, like with She-Ra, Nimona creates a world that is passively non-homophobic, with gay relationships front and center and evidently regarded as completely fine and not worth commenting on - which, to me at least, made both stories remarkably relaxing and comfortable to immerse myself in, because I wasn't being randomly jumpscared by reminders of real-world hate - but it still uses allegory to address the real-world roots of homophobia in the form of xenophobia, correlated injustices like classism, and the monster-ification of The Other. So it can clearly state "hating people for how they exist is Always Fucked And Wrong" without having to dunk the queer audience in the icebath of "hey remember how people in the real world think you personally should be dead?" Again, not sure I'm phrasing this super clearly, but it's a balance ND Stevenson consistently strikes with his work, and I really love how he does it.

Animation's gorgeous, voicework is consistently top-shelf, love the aesthetic of Cyberpunk Arthuriana. Wins across the board.

[netflix]

Do you have a question about Nimona? Graphic novel author ND Stevenson may have answers. Submit your questions here, and come back for ND’s Answer Time on July 25th at 12pm PT / 3pm ET

[lilyvalerieorchard]

Look, Mikalia

I know it's hard considering either Lily incest-poisoned your brain so much or that you are being pressured into seeing incest so that you don't anger your beloved, there's something you need to know:

CATRA. AND. ADORA. ARE. NOT. AND. NEVER. HAVE. BEEN. "SISTERS!"

Firstly, that page from the "show bible" calling them "sisters" was made by NBC/DreamWorks/Netflix without ND Stevenson or any of the other creatives, way before the show entered production; before Stevenson and the crew ultimately made Catra and Adora childhood friends, NOT "sisters."

Secondly, like many authors commissioned to write tie-in books to popular kids media, Tracey West was completely unfamiliar with She-Ra, meaning she KNEW NOTHING about the plot or the characters. So DreamWorks (in collaboration with Schoolastic), without any input from Stevenson or the show staff, gave her information sheets that would give a simplified run-down of the show's premise and characters. And, of course, they would contain the faulty, outdated information referring to Catra and Adora as "sisters." Also meaning that these tie-in books were planned before the show was even made, before any of the creative decisions made by Stevenson and the staff. How do I know this? Because this a very common practice for companies. Getting third-party writers to write tie-in material for their media without any of the original creatives involved. If Lily or Mikalia knew anything about show-production and franchising, they would know this sort of thing happens all the time.

Mikalia, it seems like you and Lily so desperately want them to be sisters because (as I've said before) if they were, you two would constantly ship them like you do with Jinx and Vi, Tai and Kari, Zuko and Azula and Gorion's Ward and Imoen. If you're not being being pressured into Lily's incest-fantasies then just admit you have an incest-fetish, admit you are turned on by sibling x sibling love; admit you are proud pro-shipper. We won't judge. Buuuuuut if you did all of that, that would also mean knowing all about Lily's sexual abuse of Courtney, her sister.

[battyaboutbooksreviews]

thank you for your queer stories.

@julianwinters @tjalexandernyc @xiranjayzhao @gingerhaze @lgbtqreads

[therosielord]

ND Stevenson is exactly what I aspire to be as an author. Revamping my favorite childhood franchises but making everyone gay and making the characters that I’ve shipped for years into a canon lesbian couple. Being absolutely obsessed with all of my OCs and posting fanart of them in modern AU clothes just for fun. Creating an entire AU where two of the characters adopted another character. Creating my own non-canon fan kid of the ship that I created and posting it to the internet, thereby actually kind of making it canon. Writing secret fanfiction and posting hints about it so fans can trip over themselves to hunt it down. Absolutely incredible. ND Stevenson you are an icon and an inspiration to us all.

[asomaton]

In light of the news that Nimona got an Oscars nomination I feel I need to talk about the original Graphic Novel, which I love dearly. It started as a webcomic in 2012 and got published in 2015.

Now the GN got picked up by a Fox animation studio Blue Sky in 2015 but Fox was bought up by Disney who later tore down that studio. Perhaps the story of an estranged knight turned to villain because of image branding and dark ambitions of the empire didn’t sit well? At least the story with overt trans and queer-issues didn’t. I WAS surprised when I heard that Disney picked it up and for a time they did work on it. It was 3/4 part done when they shut it down in 2021.

Now that’s a lot of animation work. In comes Netflix (some good animations there) and Annapurna Studios (some good films, GREAT video games) and saves the day. I was happy but cautious. Didn’t like the trailer or the style, but hey it’s happening right?

Now don’t get me wrong. Nimona is not a bad film. It’s quite good and the way it handles gender and HBTQ issues is refreshing but the movie isn’t you know, amazing. (For everyone who thinks it is, good for you but hear me out).

The graphic novel is about two villains, not two misunderstood pure-hearted persons against the world. Blackheart (Boldheart in the movie 😐) is bitter and cold, Nimona is ferral and violent and people who get in their way DIE. They are hunted by the institute, a faceless dictatorship who do inhumane experiments. The King is never seen, a mere media puppet for the institute. It’s the best villain story I’ve read (and yes, I have read Worm)

The character Nimona is the unacceptable other. An anomaly that must be tamed or destroyed. While not as obvious as in the movie Nimona in the GN is of course a symbol for transgenderism. They transform their looks and form all through the book and at times sees themselves as a monster.

Am I sure of this? Well, the author Nate Diana Steveson went from nonbinary to transmasc/bigender and produced She-Ra so my guess is as good as yours.

Now, reading Nimona makes the movie look VERY tame. Was it the rewrite or the short stay at Disney that changed it? How did Stevenson react to it?

Either way, hurray for movie Nimona. Now, please go read the graphic novel Nimona by ND Stevenson.

[professoruber]

Mia "Maps" Mizoguchi Reading List

Last Updated: 7/1/2025

A list I have decided to make for the purpose of compiling the various appearances so far of Maps Mizoguchi; since she is a character I like whom has also been receiving some focus as of late. I will also provide some brief description/thoughts for each one.

Gotham Academy (2014-2016) - All Issues

Maps of course first made her original appearance in the first run of Gotham Academy.

Gotham Academy: Endgame (2015) - #1

A one-shot comic which was one of several tie-ins made for the Endgame event which was going on at the time. Basically just shows what Maps and the GA crew were up to while Gotham was being overrun by Joker zombies.

Gotham Academy: Second Semester (2016-2017) - All Issues

The continuation of the Gotham Academy storyline, with of course has Maps in a major role.

Lumberjanes/Gotham Academy (2016-2017)

A crossover between Gotham Academy and the Lumberjanes, which I'm pretty sure is non-canon but still probably worth checking out. I have not read it, nor the Lumberjanes comics yet, although I do intend to do both as some point (due in part to ND Stevenson being one of the authors of Lumberjanes, and me really liking the She-Ra reboot and Nimona)

Poison Ivy: Cycle of Life and Death (2016) - #1

Maps, alongside other Gotham Academy students (including Olive, Kyle, Colton and Pom) have a brief cameo in this first issue of this run. Maps and Olive each get one line each.

Batgirl (2011—2016) - #51, #52, & Annual 4

Maps (along with Olive) also showed up briefly during the Batgirl of Burnside run. My assumption is this is due to them sharing an artist and being published concurrently. I do know what Burnside!Babs isn't everyone's cup of tea so keep that in mind, I suppose.

My Video Game Ate my Homework (2020) - #1

Maps and Olive show up behind the main characters in the first page as a cameo... and that's about it. The comic seems fun though, for the record. Mostly including this because I'm just going through the list of Maps' appearances on the DC wiki.

Batman: Black and White (2021) - #4

One of the stories in this issue has Maps appear as Robin. Non-canon but still a very neat and fun appearance by her.

Batman (2016-) - #119, #120, #121

Probably Maps' first major appearance since the end of the Gotham Academy: Second Semester. These give some additional exploration of her home life and relationship with her parents. Has her dressing up as Robin to investigation the disappearance of another student.

Batgirls (2022-2023) - #11

Maps shows up here and has an adventure with Cass. This also means that Maps knows Babs, Cass and Steph. Which is neat. I do know that the portrayal of the Batgirls in Batgirls isn't everyone's cup of tea (namely portraying them as younger / less mature than they have been in the past) so that that's worth keeping in mind. Interestly, Maps' big brother Kyle has a larger role; appearing in #10, #11, #17, #18, #19 and the Annual as a possible love interest for Steph.

DC's Saved by the Belle Reve (2022) - #1 

A one-shot with several stories, including one which returns to the Gotham Academy crew and gives some information on what's happened since the end of Gotham Academy: Second Semester, along with a fun adventure.

Gotham Academy: Maps of Mystery (2023) - #1

A one-shot which acts a compilation of Batman (2016-) - #119, #120, #121, as well as Maps appearances in Batman: Black and White, and DC's Saved by the Belle Reve.

Birds of Prey (2023-) - #1, #2, #3, #4, #5, #6, #7, #8, #9, #11, #12, #13, Uncovered

The newest Birds of Prey run has a surprise appearance by Maps. Which I think is a neat sign of her receiving some increased focus as of late. To get into some mild-ish spoilers... the Maps who appears is a Maps from the future. I have made a few posts/reviews of this run, which you can find on this blog, and I guess personally I am not the biggest fan of her portrayal in this comic. Still is neat to see her receive more focus. Do kinda also think it could've been neat if Present!Maps had shown up instead of Future!Maps.

Batman: The Brave and the Bold (2023-) - #10, #11, #12

Gotham Academy returns! As does Present!Maps. A fun ongoing story of Maps getting to team up with Batman once more.

Nightwing (2016-) #112

Meriden (future Maps from Birds of Prey) shows up for a single panel cameo alongside the BoP.

[bethanydelleman]

do you have any book recommendations beyond classic lit + Jane Austen? Love your blog by the way!

Thanks! I read/have read a ton of books. My favourite genre as a child was fantasy, but I read almost everything except true crime*, thrillers, murder mysteries, self-help, and biography. But I do sometimes read those, my favourite thriller is Sometimes I Lie by Alice Feeney. I'm going to start with children's books because honestly, I find so much imagination in that genre.

Children's/YA Books: Gail Carson Levine, specifically The Princess Tales 1 & 2, and Ella Enchanted, among others Jean Little/Kit Pearson - these authors have the same vibe to me. Willow and Twig is a favourite from the first one, The Guests of War trilogy and Awake and Dreaming from the other. They both write coming of age novels for girls, both Canadian. Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children by Ransom Riggs - I loved the whole trilogy (haven't watched the movie). The story being based around real antique trick photos is my favourite part The Echorium Sequence by Katherine Roberts - a trilogy of books about magical singers with blue hair and their interactions with half-human magical creatures Margaret Peterson Haddix, specifically Running Out of Time, the Shadow Children series, and Double Identity. Margaret Buffie, who writes stories about teenage girls and ghosts. Also Canadian, which I guess isn't that surprising. The Hunger Games series by Suzanne Collins. Re-read it last summer and it's as good as I remembered. Roald Dahl, I really loved Matilda as a child, it's been fun to read some of these novels with my kids. Sideways Stories from Wayside School by Louis Sachar - and it's sequels. Amazingly quirky and funny stories about a class of students in a weird school

Fantasy: Mercedes Lackey, specifically the Five Hundred Kingdoms series and The Obsidian universe. I also loved the Elvenbane series, but due to the death of Andre Norton it may never be finished. I would advise caution if sexual assault is triggering for you, the ones I like are mostly free of it but that can come up in her other works. Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien - obviously. Also loved The Hobbit, have not read further The Broken Earth trilogy by N.K. Jemisin - the book opens with the triggering of an apocalypse. The world contains people who can control earthquakes A Baroque Fable by Chelsea Quinn Yarbro - this book is so hilarious but I don't know if anyone has heard about it Once Upon a Winter's Night by Dennis L. McKiernan - and it's sequels. This is a romance retold fairy tale series

Science Fiction: Michael Crichton - who spans a bunch of genres but I'll put him here. I've read everything he's written and I recommend most of it. State of Fear has not aged well. His books are very fast-paced and Timeline has one of the best enemies to lovers. Orson Scott Card - I am aware, but Ender's Game is a masterpiece. He also has this single novel called Magic Street that is a sequel to A Midsummer Night's Dream. I also loved Memories of Earth but it's been a while since I read it. I, Robot by Issac Asimov - short stories about artificial intelligence and how it might go weird

Graphic novels: Astro City by Kurt Busiek - superhero, but more focused on how living in that world would affect normal people Y: The Last Man by Brian K. Vaughan and Pia Guerra - every male on earth dies, except for one, and his monkey Fables by Bill Willlingham - after being attacked by an army of wooden soldiers, fairy tale characters and creatures seek refuge in a non-magical world (ours) Nimona by ND Stevenson - a villain gains a shape-shifting sidekick, but she is not what she seems Scurry by Mac Smith - post-apocalyptic earth, the main characters are all surviving mice. Best artwork I've ever seen in a graphic novel American Vampire by Scott Snyder- vampires have different traits depending on their home country, this is about the new, American species. Asterix and Obelix by René Goscinny and Albert Uderzo - a small group of powerful Gauls defend themselves against the Romans using a magical potion

Non Fiction: Stephan Pinker, I've read both of his trilogies on language and the brain. Trying to get through his huge book about violence The Man Who Mistook His Wife for a Hat by Oliver Sacks - writen by a neurologist, fascinating book Doing Harm: The Truth About How Bad Medicine and Lazy Science Leave Women Dismissed, Misdiagnosed, and Sick by Maya Dusenbery - what it says on the tin

Toddler/Young Child Books: The Monster at the End of This Book by Jon Stone - I give you a 100% guarantee that if you read this book aloud, the kids will be fascinated. It is literally always a hit Robert Munsch - most of his books are amazing, but if you don't want to cry, DO NOT read the backstory of Love You Forever. The Paper Bag Princess was one of my favourites as a child. Little Critter - only the older ones, the new ones are religious for some reason. Just for You and I Was So Mad were favourites for my kids. Early lesson in unreliable narrators. Phoebe Gilman - Something From Nothing, the Jillian Jiggs series, The Balloon Tree... so many good ones! Really good illustrations too Little Pea by Amy Krouse Rosenthal - a book about a pea who hates eating candy. This book is fun to read and my kids loved it (I have the box set) The Book with No Pictures by B.J. Novak - kids love when adults have to do weird things I Want My Hat Back by Jon Klassen - perfect opportunity to do a lot of funny voices The Mitten by Jan Brett - a whole bunch of animals squeeze into a mitten. That's the whole thing. It's great. The Very Cranky Bear by Nick Bland - and the rest of the series. These are fun to read because they rhyme. Jonathan Stutzman - my kids LOVE Tiny T. Rex and the Llama series. We haven't read the others An Elephant & Piggie by Mo Willems - we have this entire series, they are a delight. An elephant and pig are very silly friends. Good drawings Dr. Seuss - be careful with him though, his books are quite long and can be hard to read, so I recommend waiting until your kids are a bit older. But The Lorax slaps and my personal favourite as a kid was The 500 Hats of Bartholomew Cubbins

Other: Still Alice by Lisa Genova - or any of her books really. She is a neuroscientist and her books are really interesting explorations of different disorders. Book is better than the movie Warm Bodies by Issac Marion - zombie Romeo and Juliet Sophie's World by Jostein Gaarder - a novel that is also an intro to philosophy course Calvin and Hobbes - I own all of them, so excited for when my kids can understand them. I also love The Far Side, Zits, and the earlier Dilbert comics The Women in Black by Madeleine St. John - this book is absolutely charming. I saw the Netflix movie and then bought it right away.

*I avoid true crime because I have heard that the genre causes harassment to victim's families

General Note: I am aware that some of these authors are now considered controversial, some for more serious reasons than others. Sometimes flawed people make really good art. I mean, flawed people make all art because nobody on earth is perfect.