Diksia.com - ND Stevenson is a name that many fans of animation and comics recognize. He is the creator, showrunner, and executive producer of the acclaimed Netflix series She-Ra and the Princesses of Power, which ran from 2018 to 2020.
He is also the author of the award-winning graphic novel Nimona, which is being adapted into an animated film by Blue Sky Studios. But who is ND Stevenson, and how did he become one of the most influential voices in the industry?
Early Life and Education
ND Stevenson was born on December 31, 1991, in Columbia, South Carolina, to Diana and Hal Stevenson. He is the third of five siblings. He was homeschooled before attending A.C. Flora High School, where he created picture books and won a local award in the Visual Literacy Book Production category.
Stevenson attended the Maryland Institute College of Art, graduating in 2013. While there, he gained fame as a fan artist under the name “gingerhaze” for his “hipster Lord of the Rings” characters. He also created cover art for Rainbow Rowell’s novel Fangirl, which was published in 2013.
Nimona and Lumberjanes
During his junior year, he created his soon-to-be popular character Nimona as part of an assignment in one of his classes. In mid-2012, Stevenson began creating a webcomic around the character, also called Nimona, and soon signed with a literary agent who found the webcomic online. The agent helped him sign with HarperCollins to publish Nimona as a graphic novel.
Nimona is a science fantasy story about a shapeshifting girl who becomes the sidekick of a villainous knight named Lord Ballister Blackheart. The comic explores themes of identity, morality, friendship, and power. It has been praised for its humor, heart, and subversion of tropes.
For his work on Nimona, Stevenson won Slate Magazine’s 2012 Cartoonist Studio Prize for Best Web Comic of the Year and the 2016 Eisner Award for Best Graphic Album: Reprint. Stevenson was also named a 2015 National Book Award Finalist for the graphic novel version of Nimona.
In 2013, Stevenson co-created another comic series with Grace Ellis, Shannon Watters, and Brooke Allen: Lumberjanes. Lumberjanes is an adventure comedy about a group of girls who spend their summer at a camp for “hardcore lady types” and encounter various supernatural phenomena. The comic celebrates female friendship, diversity, and empowerment.
Lumberjanes has also won multiple awards, including two Eisner Awards for Best New Series and Best Publication for Teens in 2015. It has been optioned for an animated series by HBO Max, with Stevenson serving as co-writer and executive producer.
She-Ra and the Princesses of Power
In 2016, Stevenson was approached by DreamWorks Animation to pitch a reboot of the 1980s cartoon She-Ra: Princess of Power. Stevenson accepted the offer and became the creator, showrunner, and executive producer of She-Ra and the Princesses of Power, which debuted on Netflix in 2018.
She-Ra and the Princesses of Power is an epic fantasy series that follows Adora, a former soldier of the evil Horde who discovers she can transform into the legendary warrior She-Ra. She joins forces with other princesses to fight against the Horde and its leader, Hordak. Along the way, she also faces her former best friend and rival, Catra.
The series has been acclaimed for its diverse representation, complex characters, compelling storylines, and stunning animation. It has also been praised for its positive portrayal of LGBTQ+ relationships, especially between Adora and Catra, whose romance became one of the main focuses of the show.
The series won a Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Writing for an Animated Program in 2020 and a GLAAD Media Award for Outstanding Kids & Family Programming in 2021.
Personal Life and Future Projects
Stevenson is non-binary and transmasculine and has written about being transgender in his webcomic I’m Fine I’m Fine Just Understand . He married Molly Knox Ostertag , another cartoonist and writer who worked on She-Ra as well as her own graphic novels The Witch Boy trilogy and The Girl from the Sea , in 2019.
Stevenson has also worked on other comics projects such as Runaways and Thor for Marvel Comics , The Secret Loves of Geek Girls anthology , The Fire Never Goes Out , his autobiographical collection , and The Weight of Them , his comic about transitioning .
In 2021, he announced a new comics Substack called I’m Fine I’m Fine Just Understand , which will continue to explore mental health, gender identity, and anything else he feels like discussing.
Stevenson is also working on the animated adaptation of Nimona, which is scheduled to be released in 2022. He has expressed his excitement and involvement in the project, which he hopes will capture the spirit and essence of his original comic.
ND Stevenson is a cartoonist who has made a huge impact on the animation and comics industry with his creative vision, authentic voice, and inspiring stories.
He is a role model for many aspiring artists and storytellers, as well as for many people who relate to his personal journey. He is a force to be reckoned with, and we can’t wait to see what he does next.
