He has lopped heads, bested a plague of beasts, conquered a crimson tower, and become a vinyl action figure. Now this September, Norgal encounters the Knights of Venora in the next volume of the Image series in “Head Lopper” #9 from creators Andrew MacLean, Jordie Bellaire, and Erin MacLean. “Agatha’s got legs. Venoriah readies for war. Arlen falls off a bird. A thief steals a knife. HEAD LOPPER is back!”
To learn about this new volume and new adventure we were able to speak to creator Andrew MacLean about the issue dropping this month. Below you can find our interview with Andrew where he discuss what is ahead for Norgal, the continued epic scale of the story, what his age could be, and if he could ever seen anyone else wade into the world of “Head Lopper.” A huge thanks to Andrew and Image Comics for the conversation and be sure to look for “Head Lopper #9” in stores September 12th.
For the many fans returning to the series what can they expect from this next adventure with Norgal and Agatha?
Andrew MacLean: I want to take Norgal and Agatha to a totally different setting. I want it look different than the first TPBs. Volume One took place on a green and grey island, in caves and in swamps. Volume Two took place entirely within one building, but it was surreal and trippy. Volume Three takes place in a Vatican-like city lying in the shadow of an enormous egg.
Also war, I’ve never drawn war and I thought it was time we saw what war is like in Narschlahn.
And of course, as always, there’s a bunch of new characters.
Each arc expands in the epic sense of storytelling and this first issue is no exception. How has the story evolved over these years and do you find yourself trying to push into bigger and bigger scales?
AM: I’ve always had a larger world of “Head Lopper” in my mind, but the majority of it has only been hinted at. Volume Three peels off that next layer and we get a wider look at the world of Head Lopper. So yeah, while I aim to make each issue and each volume something that can comfortably stand alone, there’s really no turning back after this.
“Head Lopper” is a unique comic in many ways and including with you working on the quarterly schedule. How has that been been going? What does quarterly format provide for you as a creator?
AM: The quarterly schedule gives me the time to make each issue over-sized. Each issue is usually around 50 pages or so, more on a few occasions. Longer issues gives me the space to pace the story how I’d like. This way ,each issue is long enough to have some fights, some plot, some character development, some jokes. Personally, I find the traditional comic length just too short. It’s not that I finish a comic and think, “Damn, I finished it. I wish there was more.” Instead, I think, “Damn, I finished it. I didn’t have enough time with these characters to care whether they live or die.” I feel a 50 page comic makes a better issue length.
Norgal and Agatha are the stars of the show but who are some of the new or returning characters we see this arc? Who has been your favorite to write/draw?
AM: So many new characters! My character design muscles are exhausted. My favorite new character is Arlenfor. She’s Third Sword to the King, a very important position in the military. I feel like her personality is a mix between Nausicaa and Arya Stark, two of my favorite characters. She’s kind, but tough as nails.
Briska, Arlen’s girlfriend, and still a bit of a mystery. All we know right now is she stole the Bone Knife of Eternius from Norgal and thought it was gross. She becomes a major part of Volume Three.
Balan Falgor, First Sword to the King. A sort of father-figure to Arlen.
Archcleric Florentine, she’s sort a Pope figure, judgemental, manipulative. Arlenfor is not a fan.
And so many others . . . .
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For anyone who has seen you at a con, they have mostly likely met the force that is Erin MacLean, your wife and one of the creators involved in “Head Lopper.” Was this something she and you ever saw happening. Lettering, editing, and design are all very important aspects to the creation process and she kills them all. What does she bring to the book for you?
AM: No, we really never formally planned it. Over the years we’ve been together, we’ve become a pretty effective team. Slowly but surely, as my workload increased, she started helping me more and more. Eventually we started a business together, laserwolfattack.com – and now she edits, letters, and designs the book. Our process gets a little more streamlined all the time and its in large part to her ability to see problems BEFORE they occur. It’s a real talent and impressive.
Looking back on earlier works like “Dept O.,” “Meatspace,” and “Colonial Souls,” you’ve always had a very distinct style. Over time, your style has become more refined and evolved but there’s still a look that’s distinguishably Andrew MacLean. How do you continue to push yourself when you have a style that works and is successful? A character like Archcleric Forentine struck me right away as a different look than others.
AM: I’m always trying to push myself and improve. There’s always some aspect of my art that I’m tinkering with and experimenting with. Sometimes I try things and they don’t stick, they don’t work with the rest of the “style” and I’ve got to ditch that approach. Other times those experiments click with me and adopt a technique full-time. Most of the time, the experiments seem to be inspired by whatever I am currently reading, or whatever artist I am currently interested in.
Over the last year I read a lot of Jaime Hernandez, Moebius, and Miyakzi and they rubbed off in a big way I think. I’ve also been looking at a good amount of black and white manga and before that, painted horror and sci-fi posters from the ’60s and ’70s, all of which has had me thinking more about lighting than I used to.
There is not much to say about Jordie Bellaire that has not already been said but this issue. What has it meant to the series to have her on board? In an issue like this with a huge color palette that is changing page to page and crucial to the tone of scenes is that her making all those decisions?
AM: YES! That’s all her and that’s why she’s the best. First, her palettes are beautiful, but maybe more important, or impressive still, is her grasp on storytelling. She doesn’t just make things look nice, she leads the reader through the story with her choices. It’s really quite amazing and I am super grateful for it.
I know I’ve asked in the past but going into Volume 3 the world and the history of the series is just so deep. Could you ever see other creators playing in your world like Mignola’s Mignolaverse or Lemire’s “Black Hammer?”
AM: Yeah, I could definitely see that. As to when or in what fashion I am really not sure. There’s always an implication of history in “Head Lopper,” to have someone help expand on that would be fun. I’m certainly not opposed to it.
Is there anything you have not done in the past arcs that you were looking to do this time around?
AM: To me the last two stories have had systems that they followed. The characters had to do a thing before they could do another thing. They knew what they had to do, or at least they knew what they wanted to do, and the reader did too. In “Head Lopper” Volume Three I wanted to get away from these maps, these systems. Instead, the characters will stumble through chaos on all fronts, with a thousand moving pieces. Every time you think you know where a piece will land, something turns it on its head and everything is up in the air again.
There is a moment in “Head Lopper” #9 with Norgal and a goblin/ogre that instantly took me back to this moment from the first arc. “Head Lopper” does not disappoint on kills. What has been your favorite to brutal kill you got to bring to life and how does this coming arc stack up?
Continued belowAM: Oh man, that’s tough. I like the ones that have elaborate deaths. I liked how when the fungus in “Head Lopper 7” got blasted in half it fell to earth in a tidal wave of slime. I like how Norgal and Zhaania had to smash the crystal in the belly of the weird bug thing back in “Head Lopper 3.”
When I Googled “Andrew Maclean” for research, I found one of the top related searches is “Andrew MacLean age.” So the people want to know what is your age?
AM: Must have been a thousand years since I was hewn from the wood of the Song Tree.
Why is this a series you continue to come back to? What does it mean to you nine issues in?
AM: It’s a blast to make! Writing and drawing your own work is so creatively rewarding. I just try to create something I’d have fun reading and I get to have fun making it.
