It’s been quite some time since my last comic book review, as I was putting off finding some new series I hadn’t yet discussed. With the new year upon us, I decided to kick things off with a simple title that being Head Lopper. Created and drawn by Andrew MacLean, the series debuted under the Image Comics label in 2015. Soon after, the first story arc presented over the first four issues was collected into a trade paperback in 2016.

The series follows the renowned warrior Norgal who traverses a fantastical world on various adventures. Norgal carries with him the disembodied head of Agatha Blue Witch who remains sentient due to her immense magical power. The first storyline takes place on the island realm of Barra; the people of Barra are under constant threat from various monsters that roam the landscape under the command of the Sorcerer of the Black Bog. Soon after his arrival, Norgal is hired by Queen Abigail to dispatch the sorcerer and we follow his quest to complete this task.

Though the basic premise is quite simple, the way MacLean weaves many other twists into the story will keep you engaged throughout your time with the narrative. While I was never extremely surprised by the places the story goes, it executes these well-established tropes competently. As a result, you are left with a fast and fun read that delivers in just the right places. One truly exceptional aspect of Head lopper for me was the overall presentation.

In addition to a distinctive cartoonish art style, the world captures some of the best aspects from epic poetry such as Beowulf, along with the Shakespearean tragedies Macbeth and Hamlet. Magic and sorcery rule the land while villains manipulate others from behind the scenes. Like Beowulf, our hero Norgal is a stoic pillar of strength, virtually unstoppable and driven by simple goals. This allows MacLean to focus more on fleshing out his world and develop core themes surrounding greed, revenge, betrayal, and more.

However, don’t let the presence of these ideas fool you into thinking this story is overtly grim in terms of tone. Head Lopper’s story is one filled with moments of dark comedy and humorous undertones. I particularly enjoyed the characterization of Agatha Blue Witch and witnessing her tenuous relationship with Norgal often left me chuckling.

Character designs are also top-notch here. Every creature and person that Norgal interacts with leaps off the page with personality. Monsters are equipped with a variety of weaponry and abilities that keep each combat encounter fresh. I also appreciate how MacLean goes the extra mile to illustrate each individual movement within important clashes. It helps bestow a sense of movement and weight to our character’s blows.

This is an aspect that I feel is often lacking within Western comics of recent times. Marvel and DC in particular have a tendency to favor large-scale battles and thus individual moments can be glossed over in the interest of maintaining certain page counts.

My issues with Head Lopper are few and far between. There are times when the dialogue can be somewhat awkward. Characters can sometimes shift rapidly between employing modern English phrasing with that of a classical epic poem and this can take you out of the story at times. There are also times were the pacing is a little too fast for my liking. This is most likely due to the fact that this four-issue story arc is a complete story. Subsequent issues will introduce new settings and characters for Norgal to contend with and thus there is limited time to explore this plot to the fullest.

Nonetheless,  If you are looking for an all-around fun action-packed read I would certainly recommend Head Lopper. Diving into MacLean’s world feels like watching an episode of a classic action cartoon such as He-Man or even more modern ones like Samurai Jack. I’m excited to see what the future holds for Norgal in future storylines so stay tuned.

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Head Lopper and the Plague of Beasts

$19.99

8

Score

8.0/10

Pros

• Fun story and setting
• MacLean's artwork
• Dark humor

Cons

• Dialogue can be awkward
• Pacing is sporadic at times