Nimona

When Ballister Blackheart runs up against Ambrosius Goldenloin, you think you know which side is good and righteous. But it's much more complicated. And when young shape-shifting Nimona partners with Ballister to add her own brand of chaos, we're in for a loopy ride both hilarious and poignant. Marketed to teens, the story captivates on multiple age levels, the younger delighting in the goofball action and the more mature savoring character depth and plot subtleties. Ballister is revealed as a heroic villain and Ambrosius as a shifty hero, while their friendship-turned-rivalry-turned-partnership against the nefarious Institution works both as bromance and as something more. For her part, Nimona shape-shifts effortlessly, thematically not just bodily, from abused child to chthonic force to symbol of mettle-testing crisis. Stevenson's (Lumberjanes) angular, stylish color art, with hand-lettered text, relishes the wackiness of a sword-and-sorcery kingdom incorporating both fantasy and sf elements.