Big-Ass Sword

by Andreas Butzbach

In a world far from our own reality, a robot warrior wanders through a vast and hostile techno landscape, filled with strange lifeforms and mechanical beings left over from a long, forgotten war. At the robot’s side is a talking Skull. On his back, a BIG-ASS SWORD!

This stunning, Heavy Metal-esque adventure, marks a stunning, original graphic novel debut in the English-speaking market for Andreas Butzbach.

Genres: Graphic Novels, Comics, Science Fiction

96 pages, Hardcover

Published November 4, 2025

Reviews

[Peacegal · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 stars--Set in a surreal world that brings to mind the comics/movie "Heavy Metal," the Netflix series "Midnight Gospel," and animated pieces by artists such as Felix Colgrave, BIG-ASS SWORD is a wildly weird graphic novel filled with bizarre characters and their even more bizarre interactions with one another. I loved it.

And if you are tempted to think this is just a "Mad Max"-style landscape filled with mindless slicing and dicing, it also often surprises readers with genuine flashes of empathy, humor, and a sense of fairness.

[Jiro Dreams of Suchy · Rating 2 out of 5]

The art is wonderful, as a Mignola fanboy myself; I can’t help but love the influences. A much brighter world than BPRD or Hellboy but that same kind of heavy shadow. This isn’t as funny as Hellboy. This didn’t seem to try to build a world- it kind of just drops you in. That wouldn’t be a problem if it was extremely interesting but it really isn’t. Lots of barren wasteland stories focus on the struggle, this feels like it tries to be funny and deep but it didn’t make me laugh and I didn’t love any of the characters. This would be a much stronger wordless story- something like a futuristic Primal would be cool. This wasn’t for me, it was a really quick read and nice to look at though!

[Ian Christy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Just when I thought an amply dynamic art style couldn’t get more lean than Headlopper, along comes this Simon Bisley praised tome from Rebellion’s publishing arm. It’s happy to homage classic samurai wandering ronin & western nameless morally ambiguous gunslinger archetypes with scant, stripped down storytelling married to limited palettes, dynamic line work, brilliantly styled silhouettes, and an anime savvy post-techno wasteland future with nods to Akira, Wicked City, Star Wars scum & villainy, Warhammer 40k talking heads, and Ashley Wood robot war shape language.

Hope there’s more yarns to come, and hope the creator artist’s other work is made available with subtitles soon.

Pairs well with Primal, Samurai Jack, Scavengers Reign, and Nausicaä.

[Comic Book Yeti · Rating 3 out of 5]

With a blunt title you might expect a blunt story and you’d not be too far off here. Basically this is a Mad Max claymore wielding robot roaming the post apocalyptic wastes as a vagabond nomad told in short vignettes in an artistic style with Mignola echoes. He’s got a talking robot head attached to his waist which kept making me think of Harry Dresden’s Bob the Skull as he injects a bit of humor now and again. It’s exactly the kind of serial you’d expect to see in Heavy Metal Magazine if you need a mental parallel and had a bit of a native Western vibe to it.

Soundtrack. Tom Waits

This is the English speaking graphic novel debut of cartoonist Andreas Butzbach.

[Mark · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars overall
There's not really an overarching narrative here; it's a collection of short stories/anecdotes with 'The Road Less Travelled' spilt up and spread throughout the book.
The artwork reminds me of Mine Mignolia's earliest work on Hellboy and there are some funny moments between the unnamed robot warrior and the robot skull he carries on his belt. The highlight is the story entitled 'On The Hunt', a tidy little morality tale.

[Jack Reickel · Rating 5 out of 5]

This blew me away. BIG-ASS SWORD is like a great combination of Head Lopper, Rumble, Hellboy, and dystopian robots. The humor was excellent, the dialogue in general felt fresh and real. The art is spectacular, very much in the Head Lopper style--like Hellboy without all the black.

Excellent work Mister Butzbach.

[Britt · Rating 3 out of 5]

There are similarities between Head Lopper & this book but there are enough tweaks with the main characters and setting from making it too derivative. The storytelling style is a little haphazard which makes for a confusing read. Overall, a decent effort.

[Luke · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5*

[Frank · Rating 1 out of 5]

Honestly dont waste your time, a bunch of empty calories, no story, okay art.

[Jfb · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 ⭐️

[Larakaa · Rating 3 out of 5]

Entertaining but lacking a proper storyline.

[Christian Winegeart · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5*