In celebration of the Nimona movie finally being out on Netflix, I spent like three days trawling through my disastrous 10-year-old art folders, opening everything, and seeing what I could find! and holy shit guys I found so much SPOILERS FOR THE COMIC OBVS:
I was SO HAPPY to rediscover Nimona on Netflix, made me want to read the comic all over again, and I love that it feels like the same story but so different at the same time, there’s no clash between the two forms it takes. It’s the same characters but the way they live their adventure is different, and... I don’t know how to explain it but I feel like we have the luck to have two stories with the same characters and they complete each other. I loved it so much, thank you for sharing the backstage ✨
I agree—the comments section was so great! For everyone reading this who participated in those comments: thank you for making them such a fun and welcoming place.
I discovered you on Tumblr when you started doing The Broship of the Ring. (I have prints from that series that hang in my house to this day!) And then I read along as you started Nimona as a series, hung out in the comments (which...Oh my goodness...what a great community) and have generally been following along ever since. I legit was *howling* at the Director's neck getting longer! I had forgotten about that. Anyways...it's been nice to watch this journey and to see Nimona reach the wider world. What an incredible reception for both of you. Thank you so, so much for sharing your art and your life with all of us. We are better for it.
NO BC I WILL SCREAM THIS TIL THE END OF TIME: THIS IS WHY COMICS FUCKING RULE like yeah prose can be sick but like, you could not convey an understanding of movement or emotion, noR could the story have developed the same way in my opinion, like this story is a comic at its core AAHH
Making me cry AGAIN at the end…yeah Nate, why you keep doing this?!😭😭 I love seeing all this behind the scenes stuff and seeing you get to reflect on it all, it’s very inspiring and fun!
“although I’m curious if that last part sounds uhhhh familiar to anyone else”
Oh, I *promise* it does 😉 (also I know it’s perhaps more complicated cause you don’t own all the rights to She-Ra, but seeing more behind the scenes stuff like this with She-Ra too would be amazing…I mean I know you’ve shared a lot on twitter in the past, but would always love to see more if it were possible)
Thank you as always for all you do and congrats on everything you’ve accomplished!!💞 and good job making me cry…again 😭🤘
getting to see these behind-the-scenes sketches and scripts was an absolute joy, thank you for sharing them! (in particular, that Ballister/Ambrosius Christmas comic has always been one of my favorite things ever and seeing the original version of it was such a treat.) it’s truly amazing how much this story has grown and changed over time, and i’m so grateful that it exists in all its forms. 💕
omg I remember noticing the Director's neck getting longer in the comic, haaaaaaaah
Spouse was confused about the ending--"do you find out what Nimona was in the comic?" I *love* the intentional open ending; frustrating as it is to not be the person who made it and (theoretically) knows the answer, I also know as a person who sometimes makes things with open endings 1. the maker does not always know the answer either 2. the answers that viewers/readers come up with are sometimes better/cooler than anything the maker could have come up with 3. leaving something on an uncertain note is--such an interesting thing, the reactions of the audience are interesting, the dynamic tension and insecurity, how it can change people's reactions to the original work on second look, how it makes the audience *think* 4. and yet the difference between something that is left intentionally uncertain at the end vs. something that the creator intentionally built up as a mystery -with no solution- is somehow very obvious to the audience (e.g. "The Lady or the Tiger" story, Annihilation, The Sopranos, vs. Lost, Battlestar Galactica, BBC Sherlock's "death") both can be frustrating for the audience, but the former is--idk how to explain it, a more satisfying frustration? it's more interesting and satisfying and *fun* to speculate when you know there *is* an answer, vs. speculating wildly because there isn't an answer and it turns out to have been the creators just throwing stuff together because it looked cool. (flailing, sorry)
anyway thank you again Nimona is so spectacular I love your comics they have inspired me to push for my own gender affirmation needs you have contributed so much positivity to the world thank you thank you thank you <3
Nimona means the world to me, and seeing people love it so much since the movie has made me SO happy. I loved seeing all the sketches!! I identify so much with her, and how she feels, so the movie also gave me hope <3
I was SO HAPPY to rediscover Nimona on Netflix, made me want to read the comic all over again, and I love that it feels like the same story but so different at the same time, there’s no clash between the two forms it takes. It’s the same characters but the way they live their adventure is different, and... I don’t know how to explain it but I feel like we have the luck to have two stories with the same characters and they complete each other. I loved it so much, thank you for sharing the backstage ✨
I hated the comic.
Found it boring. Glad you liked it though
That comments section on the original web comic was one of the nicest places on the internet, at the time.
I agree—the comments section was so great! For everyone reading this who participated in those comments: thank you for making them such a fun and welcoming place.
*looks at my pile of scripts and OCs*
"huh, maybe there's hope for me yet"
this post is a huge dose of inspiration ~ thank you :)
I discovered you on Tumblr when you started doing The Broship of the Ring. (I have prints from that series that hang in my house to this day!) And then I read along as you started Nimona as a series, hung out in the comments (which...Oh my goodness...what a great community) and have generally been following along ever since. I legit was *howling* at the Director's neck getting longer! I had forgotten about that. Anyways...it's been nice to watch this journey and to see Nimona reach the wider world. What an incredible reception for both of you. Thank you so, so much for sharing your art and your life with all of us. We are better for it.
the absolute meme potential that some of these have is off the fucking charts. i adore
Aaah I remember thoooose. The extras! The director’s neck!
They were a bright light in an otherwise increasingly shitty professional situation. I can’t thank you enough.
NO BC I WILL SCREAM THIS TIL THE END OF TIME: THIS IS WHY COMICS FUCKING RULE like yeah prose can be sick but like, you could not convey an understanding of movement or emotion, noR could the story have developed the same way in my opinion, like this story is a comic at its core AAHH
Making me cry AGAIN at the end…yeah Nate, why you keep doing this?!😭😭 I love seeing all this behind the scenes stuff and seeing you get to reflect on it all, it’s very inspiring and fun!
“although I’m curious if that last part sounds uhhhh familiar to anyone else”
Oh, I *promise* it does 😉 (also I know it’s perhaps more complicated cause you don’t own all the rights to She-Ra, but seeing more behind the scenes stuff like this with She-Ra too would be amazing…I mean I know you’ve shared a lot on twitter in the past, but would always love to see more if it were possible)
Thank you as always for all you do and congrats on everything you’ve accomplished!!💞 and good job making me cry…again 😭🤘
Hah! Is that an early, someday-to-be-repurposed draft of a certain scene from "Promise" I spy?
Love this!!! It's always so cool seeing the mess behind the art, I often forget that it's *okay* if my in-progress works are, y'know, in-progress
getting to see these behind-the-scenes sketches and scripts was an absolute joy, thank you for sharing them! (in particular, that Ballister/Ambrosius Christmas comic has always been one of my favorite things ever and seeing the original version of it was such a treat.) it’s truly amazing how much this story has grown and changed over time, and i’m so grateful that it exists in all its forms. 💕
omg I remember noticing the Director's neck getting longer in the comic, haaaaaaaah
Spouse was confused about the ending--"do you find out what Nimona was in the comic?" I *love* the intentional open ending; frustrating as it is to not be the person who made it and (theoretically) knows the answer, I also know as a person who sometimes makes things with open endings 1. the maker does not always know the answer either 2. the answers that viewers/readers come up with are sometimes better/cooler than anything the maker could have come up with 3. leaving something on an uncertain note is--such an interesting thing, the reactions of the audience are interesting, the dynamic tension and insecurity, how it can change people's reactions to the original work on second look, how it makes the audience *think* 4. and yet the difference between something that is left intentionally uncertain at the end vs. something that the creator intentionally built up as a mystery -with no solution- is somehow very obvious to the audience (e.g. "The Lady or the Tiger" story, Annihilation, The Sopranos, vs. Lost, Battlestar Galactica, BBC Sherlock's "death") both can be frustrating for the audience, but the former is--idk how to explain it, a more satisfying frustration? it's more interesting and satisfying and *fun* to speculate when you know there *is* an answer, vs. speculating wildly because there isn't an answer and it turns out to have been the creators just throwing stuff together because it looked cool. (flailing, sorry)
anyway thank you again Nimona is so spectacular I love your comics they have inspired me to push for my own gender affirmation needs you have contributed so much positivity to the world thank you thank you thank you <3
AUGH THE TEARS༼;´༎ຶ ༎ຶ༽ Nimona holds the most special place in my heart, thank you for these tidbits of behind the scenes!
Nimona means the world to me, and seeing people love it so much since the movie has made me SO happy. I loved seeing all the sketches!! I identify so much with her, and how she feels, so the movie also gave me hope <3
Thank you. For everything.
dear ND,
what a treasure trove! thank you for sharing all of this!
i love "Work smarter, not harder, and also not smarter."
thanks for working worklier!
love,
myq