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Head Lopper (Collected Editions) #3
Head Lopper, Vol. 3: Head Lopper & The Knights of Venora
In search of answers to their own sordid past, Norgal and Agatha have come to the city of Venoriah, finding it in utter chaos.
The great egg at the center of the walled city begins to crack. Goblins gather in the field, pike and spear in hand, to welcome their hatching doomsday god. The Sworn Swords of Venoriah line the walls to protect their city from invasion. War is imminent. Looming ever darker still, a nameless, faceless evil hunts our heroes from afar, seeking the Warrior and The Witch. Dark servants within the city pick up the beckoned call. With perils around every corner, Venoriah has enemies and friends in no short supply.
Can our heroes find the answers to the questions in their hearts? Or will they be swallowed by the madness of Venoriah?
Collects HEAD LOPPER #9-12
The great egg at the center of the walled city begins to crack. Goblins gather in the field, pike and spear in hand, to welcome their hatching doomsday god. The Sworn Swords of Venoriah line the walls to protect their city from invasion. War is imminent. Looming ever darker still, a nameless, faceless evil hunts our heroes from afar, seeking the Warrior and The Witch. Dark servants within the city pick up the beckoned call. With perils around every corner, Venoriah has enemies and friends in no short supply.
Can our heroes find the answers to the questions in their hearts? Or will they be swallowed by the madness of Venoriah?
Collects HEAD LOPPER #9-12
224 pages, Paperback
First published September 24, 2019
11 people are currently reading
243 people want to read
About the author
Andrew MacLean
74 books151 followersMassachusetts based comic artist, Andrew R. MacLean is the creator of the SNIP SNIP, Head Lopper, and Daruma. His work can also be found in Department O, Colonial Souls, Meatspace, Outlaw Territories, Bad Karma, and others.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 63 reviews
April 28, 2020
This series can do no wrong for me. It’s as if it was written for my eyes.
Norgal is a total bad ass. Love the art, love the humour and love the medieval mystical theme.
Norgal is a total bad ass. Love the art, love the humour and love the medieval mystical theme.
March 3, 2021
Prior to this volume, I thought Headlopper would be a fun, mostly episodic series with maybe some references to prior volumes sprinkled throughout. But after this arc, I think Andrew MacLean lays out exactly what Headlopper is.
It’s probably the best use of the Hellboy model of storytelling since Hellboy and furthering that comparison Id say this is Headlopper’s Conqueror Worm. MacLean swung open the curtain revealing exactly what he has in store for us. He introduces a big bad, explains both Agatha and Nergal’s backstories and greatly expands on world building. To me, it serves as the end to the first act of Headlopper. Hellboy also comes out of the gate similar to Headlopper. Fun stories of a cool character in an interesting worlds. The world in both is rich with interesting characters and contain loads and loads of influence from outside material.
The formal elements of the book are also still a joy. MacLean is such a great cartoonist, his page designs and use of motion throughout are top top tier. In this volume I paid really close attention to his lettering which is one of the most unique styles of lettering I’ve ever seen in a comic. MacLean usually does large boxes for the lettering, usually at the edge and the same height or width as the panel is serves making it seem like it’s own panel. It gives the book a sort of subtitle feel instead of a traditional bubble style (which there is plenty of also) which is really clever. It has its downsides however, whenever there is a wall of text he shrinks the size of the font which isn’t that attractive. That brings me to another thing I disliked about his lettering was that he switches between hand-lettered and digital lettering throughout. An interesting idea, but it comes off as lazy to me since many of the parts that are digitally lettered are lengthier statements. I may sound entitled, he does write, draw and letter the whole damn book, but I’d say either go full hand lettered or full digital. The hand lettered Sfx are awesome tho. I still love the lettering regardless, it’s really awesome.
Headlopper still manages to be one of my favorite modern image books. It brings top tier art with innovative ideas that make my heart sing.
8/10
It’s probably the best use of the Hellboy model of storytelling since Hellboy and furthering that comparison Id say this is Headlopper’s Conqueror Worm. MacLean swung open the curtain revealing exactly what he has in store for us. He introduces a big bad, explains both Agatha and Nergal’s backstories and greatly expands on world building. To me, it serves as the end to the first act of Headlopper. Hellboy also comes out of the gate similar to Headlopper. Fun stories of a cool character in an interesting worlds. The world in both is rich with interesting characters and contain loads and loads of influence from outside material.
The formal elements of the book are also still a joy. MacLean is such a great cartoonist, his page designs and use of motion throughout are top top tier. In this volume I paid really close attention to his lettering which is one of the most unique styles of lettering I’ve ever seen in a comic. MacLean usually does large boxes for the lettering, usually at the edge and the same height or width as the panel is serves making it seem like it’s own panel. It gives the book a sort of subtitle feel instead of a traditional bubble style (which there is plenty of also) which is really clever. It has its downsides however, whenever there is a wall of text he shrinks the size of the font which isn’t that attractive. That brings me to another thing I disliked about his lettering was that he switches between hand-lettered and digital lettering throughout. An interesting idea, but it comes off as lazy to me since many of the parts that are digitally lettered are lengthier statements. I may sound entitled, he does write, draw and letter the whole damn book, but I’d say either go full hand lettered or full digital. The hand lettered Sfx are awesome tho. I still love the lettering regardless, it’s really awesome.
Headlopper still manages to be one of my favorite modern image books. It brings top tier art with innovative ideas that make my heart sing.
8/10
September 28, 2020
This is possibly the worst attempt to tell a story that I've ever encountered. Something about a goblin army, and a city with a 100ft tall egg, which may contain a giant frog god. The palace has giant snakes for a couple pages. Something about a witch gathering, which possibly took place in the past. There are at least two and no more than five other characters the same size and shape as Head Lopper, and sometimes they wear helmets, and it's impossible to follow even the title character in this volume.
The frequently unparsable art was up to the task in vol one, when Head Lopper was just running around lopping heads for fun. Now that there are plots to follow, character histories to recognize, and different timelines to track, the illustration falls short. Far, far short.
I technically read to the end but I stopped trying a quarter of the way through.
The frequently unparsable art was up to the task in vol one, when Head Lopper was just running around lopping heads for fun. Now that there are plots to follow, character histories to recognize, and different timelines to track, the illustration falls short. Far, far short.
I technically read to the end but I stopped trying a quarter of the way through.
June 23, 2024
I like the first better, and I do wish MacLean had kept playing with the heavy shadowed style, but this volume is still really great. The action remains super fun to read and the worldbuilding remains top notch. Bogged down a bit by heavy dialogue and exposition, but it's made up for by the second half. Great shit!
April 30, 2020
(4 of 5 for this barbaric magic sword & sandals adventure)
I like Head Lopper. Which is not really what I would expect judging its crude art. But I do. The story is nice, epic and full of adventure, the dialogues are fun and I weirdly enjoy that art (and really enjoy the covers and the pin-ups). The characters are fun and the whole thing found the way into my heart as easily as the Norgal cuts the heads off with one mighty swing.
I like Head Lopper. Which is not really what I would expect judging its crude art. But I do. The story is nice, epic and full of adventure, the dialogues are fun and I weirdly enjoy that art (and really enjoy the covers and the pin-ups). The characters are fun and the whole thing found the way into my heart as easily as the Norgal cuts the heads off with one mighty swing.
September 22, 2019
A massive drop in quality from the first two books. I don’t know what happened. Messy, lazy art, confusing and unclear action with a story that is all over the shop with too many characters.
Which is disappointing because the first Headlopper is a gold standard comic in terms of story, art and execution. This.. this is terrible.
Which is disappointing because the first Headlopper is a gold standard comic in terms of story, art and execution. This.. this is terrible.
January 30, 2020
I found this one a tad more confusing than the previous two volumes, lot of story elements that took me a minute to fully get. But nonetheless it was a fun read, had good art throughout and some good new characters were introduced. I think the Crimson Tower is still probably the best one though.
April 4, 2020
Headlopper lops some heads. 10/10
March 25, 2024
If volume two was a sci-fi love letter to fantasy dungeon crawls, then this is a love letter to the great city sieges of fantasy epics. Once again, I've flown through an adventure of Head Lopper and the Blue Witch. I can't wait to re-read this in a few months.
I have absolutely zero experience in fantasy film-making but I have never wanted to adapt a book to the big screen more. This is such an excellent graphic novel. The action is excellent, the characters and relationships are compelling, and the stories weave in and out so well. As I noted for MacLean's previous books, his sense of pacing is masterful. I typically hate flashback sequences but am a huge fan of Rashomon sequences - MacLean uses both to develop the characters and reveal backstory through their perspectives. I liked it quite a lot.
I would recommend this book to a number of people: Matt and Tom should read this the second after I've promised them I'm not adapting it into a Dungeons and Dragons story arc, Russ should read it for the pacing and art, and my Dad should read it as an ode to the Siege of Minas Tirith.
I have absolutely zero experience in fantasy film-making but I have never wanted to adapt a book to the big screen more. This is such an excellent graphic novel. The action is excellent, the characters and relationships are compelling, and the stories weave in and out so well. As I noted for MacLean's previous books, his sense of pacing is masterful. I typically hate flashback sequences but am a huge fan of Rashomon sequences - MacLean uses both to develop the characters and reveal backstory through their perspectives. I liked it quite a lot.
I would recommend this book to a number of people: Matt and Tom should read this the second after I've promised them I'm not adapting it into a Dungeons and Dragons story arc, Russ should read it for the pacing and art, and my Dad should read it as an ode to the Siege of Minas Tirith.
September 29, 2022
Agatha and Norgal’s origin, the possible Big Bad of the series, new friends and new enemies and lore galore? Head Lopper keeps getting better and better!
October 10, 2019
Not quite on level with the first two, but still a lot of fun and exciting to read. Honestly, this one was a touch confusing in places, and while I was on board by the end, it was a bit of a head scratcher for a bit. This could have been two books, but also I would have probably been bored by two books of Venora considering how diverse and weird Headlopper locales usually are. This was more typical, castles and kings and goblins. Art is still killer, and the humor is the same breed as usual. Hope the next one is more interesting.
June 20, 2022
Una ciudad con un huevo gigante, que guarda un terror antiguo nos espera en esta nueva entrega de Norgal (no le digas Headlopper) y sus aventuras.
January 14, 2025
Witches, wizards, a city where magic is outlawed, but it's been built around frog god egg beseiged by an army of Goblins. A drunken Norgal with a witches head in a basket. What could possibly go wrong?
January 21, 2025
Sloppier art and more lore than I need. This was a bit of a slog to get through for a comic about a guy known for chopping off heads.
March 7, 2024
Me encanta que los personajes secundarios de esta serie comiquera no sean meras comparsas a pesar de que las circunstancias tampoco dejen tiempo a grandilocuentes desarrollos. Pero todo aquel que se cruza con Norgal, no lo hace sin hacerse valer argumentalmente. Cosa que en esta entrega donde el Cortacabezas se encuentra totalmente sumido en su faceta más salvaje de melopeas y decapitaciones sin sentido a monstruos y criaturas, es más necesario que nunca. Aunque Norgal nunca termina siendo el tropo con patas que parece a simple vista y no tardará en tomar partido en la guerra en la que ha acabado inmerso sin pretenderlo.
Andrew MacLean ofrece por fin un gran vistazo al pasado para saber el porqué de que Norgal se mantenga como guardián de la testa viviente de la bruja Agatha. Y el porqué de las increíbles muestras de poder que hemos presenciado desde el primer volumen que han impedido que grandes fuerzas oscuras asciendan del todo. No dejándose tampoco llevar a una narrativa convencional con este punto de exposición argumental. MacLean sigue dando rienda suelta a un conjunto que eleva cualquier precepto de historia de espada y brujería. Teniendo la emoción siempre mayormente presente que la (también cuidada) acción de estos belicosos reinos e intrigas.
Andrew MacLean ofrece por fin un gran vistazo al pasado para saber el porqué de que Norgal se mantenga como guardián de la testa viviente de la bruja Agatha. Y el porqué de las increíbles muestras de poder que hemos presenciado desde el primer volumen que han impedido que grandes fuerzas oscuras asciendan del todo. No dejándose tampoco llevar a una narrativa convencional con este punto de exposición argumental. MacLean sigue dando rienda suelta a un conjunto que eleva cualquier precepto de historia de espada y brujería. Teniendo la emoción siempre mayormente presente que la (también cuidada) acción de estos belicosos reinos e intrigas.
February 17, 2020
Super fun! beginning was a tad confusing; like the rest of the volume collections, but it eventually wraps up to an explosive ending. The art of Head Lopper is an achievement in itself, the color pallet Maclean uses is unique for each volume collection and continues to be satisfying and glues the eye to the pages. Before you know it- you’re finished with the book and it leaves you wanting more. Thankfully though!!! Maclean has a new series coming out this summer! So there’s more to look forward to as he announced he’s taking a bit of a leave from head lopper. That’s okay, I have nothing but hope for what he does
October 23, 2020
While there is reportedly more Head Lopper to come, this third volume feels like the end of the story a bit, as Head Lopper reveals some of his history, and how fate has brought him back to a place of most dire reckoning. The story gets even deeper this time, with an scheming sorcer, a treacherous cleric, a city on the edge of war, arrow-happy goblins, a giant egg, valiant knights, giant flying birds, and more. This story's plot gets more involved than the other volumes, but it's all good, and even when it gets a little hard to follow, it all explains itself, so just sit back and enjoy the tale.
July 7, 2022
Więcej Agaty i Norgala co jest plusem bo da się ich polubić, ale magia przaśnego komiksu przypominającego momentami "Pora Na Przygodę" z niezwykłymi bohaterami zawężą się do bardziej książkowego fantasy. Czy to źle? Ciężko mi powiedzieć. 1 tom naprawdę mnie porwał, 2 i 3 to niedosyt. Brakuje przaśności chociaż sama zabawa konwencją nadal jest utrzymana.
Ten tom jednak zasługuje na te pół gwiazdki więcej, bo był lepszy od swojego poprzednika.
Momentami idzie dostać oczopląsu - kolorystycznie w niektórych rozdziałach dzieje się bardzo, bardzo dużo, więc trzeba się skupić, aby nic nie przeoczyć.
Ten tom jednak zasługuje na te pół gwiazdki więcej, bo był lepszy od swojego poprzednika.
Momentami idzie dostać oczopląsu - kolorystycznie w niektórych rozdziałach dzieje się bardzo, bardzo dużo, więc trzeba się skupić, aby nic nie przeoczyć.
Read
April 10, 2020The outlines are fantasy by numbers - a city where magic is banned, which our hero nonetheless aids against both a besieging goblin army and its own corrupt church - but this series is all about the execution, in both senses. The Kirby debt of the kinetic art is clearer than ever, with a villain reminiscent of Granny Goodness, and Bellaire's non-naturalistic colouring of the flashbacks is the sort of simple only an expert can pull off. Plus, I loved the resolution of the central mystery: what will hatch from the colossal egg at the city's heart?
July 24, 2021
This third collection seemed to be a bit stretched in the beginning, but eventually the pace and story picks up and in the end the action is just overwhelming.
Don’t let the “simple” art fool you. In this story, there is a lot of characters and flash-backs, and one has to read carefully to keep up with everything. I called the art “simple”, but that is not the whole truth. It is also elegant and stylish and clever and the use of colours is beautiful.
Definitely a 5 star comic. Enjoyed this one a lot. Best of the first three Head Lopper -albums.
Don’t let the “simple” art fool you. In this story, there is a lot of characters and flash-backs, and one has to read carefully to keep up with everything. I called the art “simple”, but that is not the whole truth. It is also elegant and stylish and clever and the use of colours is beautiful.
Definitely a 5 star comic. Enjoyed this one a lot. Best of the first three Head Lopper -albums.
January 2, 2022
Z linearnej fabuły i klimatu czegoś, co postrzegałem jako zabawę konwencją, Head Lopper ewoluował do pełnoprawnego fantasy z graniem czasem, nieoczywistą historią, wymagającą nieco rozkminy, licznymi retrospekcjami i tajemnicami, jakie niosą bohaterowie. Nadal postrzegam w kategorii czysto rozrywkowej, ale to rozrywka na najwyższym poziomie. Dodam, że uwielbiam kreskę MacLeana, choć trzeba przyznać, że połowę klimatu robią tu kolorki. Koniecznie, choć zalecam bardzo uważną lekturę, bo inaczej można się pogubić
March 25, 2023
So glad to catch back up with Norgal! I loved the first two volumes of Head Lopper - and this title is a worthy successor. It reminds me of Adventure Time, only waaay more metal. I love the art. I love the ideas. I love the story. Head Lopper is such a fun series.
This one features severed witch head Abigail quite prominently. Turns out she is super important in Norgal's world. There is also another ancient knight, very much a lighter reflection of Norgal, who has a complicated history with our hero. I enjoy these stories so much!
This one features severed witch head Abigail quite prominently. Turns out she is super important in Norgal's world. There is also another ancient knight, very much a lighter reflection of Norgal, who has a complicated history with our hero. I enjoy these stories so much!
March 11, 2024
Head Lopper continues strongly with a really great conclusion for the first 3 volumes. I had no idea it was going to build into a rad climax, but it was really good. Fantasy is my favorite genre so I might be a little bias but I just love a brute of a protagonist, cool magic, and a journey of a story. Volume 3 we get a great conclusion to the Agatha story and a lot of background for Norgal. That battle at the end with the goblin and snakes, loved it. Do I wish the art was a little better? Yes... hire Krom from bird king please. I am already reading vol.4.... love these books.
May 25, 2021
HEADLOPLER vol 3.
In search of answers to their past, Norgal and the servered head of Agatha Blue Witch go to the city of Venoriah for Another crazy adventure. I liked this volume a tas less then the previous two, but i liked both better on reread, so maby this one will go the same way. I am still in love with the style and humor of the series and cant wait for that fourth trade to drop later in the year !
⭐⭐⭐
In search of answers to their past, Norgal and the servered head of Agatha Blue Witch go to the city of Venoriah for Another crazy adventure. I liked this volume a tas less then the previous two, but i liked both better on reread, so maby this one will go the same way. I am still in love with the style and humor of the series and cant wait for that fourth trade to drop later in the year !
⭐⭐⭐
January 1, 2022
I very much enjoy this comic. MacLean has taken the stale ass sword & sorcery stuff and breathed new life into it. He makes S&S fun again. It ain't Shakespeare, but you don't want it to be. The story moves along at a nice clip, and his artwork has a quirky edge to it. I sometimes have to look at his panels for a long time to figure out what's supposed to be happening and I don't mind it at all. It's fun, and these days it's good to have a candle in the darkness. Fine job Andrew!
August 11, 2020
I imagine I'll enjoy it more on a reread, but I struggled to follow decent chunks of this entry into the excellent Head Lopper saga. Similar names and character designs had me confusing motivations and allegiances, and when a lot was going on I just sort of leaned through it rather than try to parse. Lizards! Sure. Goop? Okay. Boom!
January 8, 2022
I loved the story of this one and it definitely helped fill in some of the missing gaps in time from the previous books. The art style continues to grow on me, and the surprise reveal at the end has me eager for the next one. It was an overall good book, and I’m glad I took my time with this one as recommended.
February 16, 2022
Bit of a drop in quality on this book. The shift to non linear story telling just doesn't quite fit with the overall tone and, it has to be said, was not executed as well as it might have been. Having said that, this series still remains entertaining and I am looking forward to the next book which, I hope, will return to a simpler story structure.
December 30, 2019
I was greatly disappointed by the art, given the high bar set by the previous volumes. The storytelling was muddy, the layouts were dull or, occasionally, even bad; and some sections appeared to have been inked by a literal Sharpie. Here's hoping he can return to his earlier heights in the future.
March 12, 2020
Once again, absolutely brilliant. I like that we're beginning to see more of a backstory form with Head Lopper and his talkative, decapitated companion. As always, beautiful art, great visual story telling, a must read for any fan of good art and/or classic sword and sorcery shenanigans.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 63 reviews