ND Stevenson

American artist ND Stevenson became a queer icon with his work in comics and animation. A native of Columbia, South Carolina, he attended the Maryland Institute College of Art. While still a student, he began drawing a webcomic, "Nimona." The main character, a shape-shifter with aspirations to be a super-villain, caught the attention of the publishing world. Stevenson joined Boom! Studios and helped create the publisher's "Lumberjanes" title. He went on to work with both Marvel and DC Comics, contributing to the well-known titles "Thor" and "Wonder Woman." He also published a collection of "Nimona" (HarperCollins, 2015) comics as a graphic novel. He moved into animation when he joined the creative team of the series "Wander Over Yonder" (Disney Channel, 2013-16). That experience led to his being tapped by DreamWorks to create an updated version of "She-Ra and the Princess of Power" (Netflix, 2018). The series updated the '80s-era heroine and was praised for its themes of diversity and LGBT-friendly storylines. Fox and Blue Sky Animation acquired the rights to "Nimona," with an eye towards turning it into animated feature film. Openly queer, he proudly represents the LGBTQ community in his work and is looking to change the way characters of all genders are traditionally portrayed in comics.