Lucas Blogs About Head Lopper — Vol. 2

Is that Bill Cipher?

So, what's this book's deal?

It's the second volume of Andrew MacLean's sword and sorcery comic, Head Lopper. This particular volume is entitled Head Lopper & The Crimson Tower. It picks up more or less where Volume 1 left off: Norgal, the eponymous decapitator, and Agatha, the blue witch's head, have joined Zhaania and her apprentice Xho in a quest to discover what happened to Zhaania's mother when she entered the Crimson Tower. If you can master the Tower's challenges you may find yourself its new master. This is also kind of a big deal to the Fonga, a dimminutive, roughly humanoid species who share an island home with the Crimson Tower and are preparing their champion, Harpo, to claim the Throne of the Master. However, Harpo's younger brother, Twerpal, isn't convinced that the supposedly enchanted sling-bow is going to be enough to protect his brother from the tower's dangers. Meanwhile, Ulrich, the current Master has instructions to kill all who enter and claim Agatha's head for his unseen . . . master. Hmm, that came out clumsy. Anyway, who will survive the Crimson Tower? Will Norgal lop heads off? And will Harpo and Twerpal's baby brother Bik throw a wrench in the works?

Well?

Well, if you must know TEH SPOILARZ highlight: 1) Norgal, Agatha, Twerpal, and Bik; 2) yes; 3) obvs!

Oh, so are we done here?

No! We've still got to discuss whether the book is any good?

All right, then is it any good?

It is. I'd say it's maybe slightly more introspective than the first book. No, that's not quite right. The main difference is that the stakes are more personal. In the first book, Norgal find himself thrust into a conflict that doesn't really concern him. In this book, he has chosen to take up the challenge of the Crimson Tower, to help Zhaania, partly as repayment after she helped him escape from the witches. And his relationship with Zhaania is given more focus in this volume, allowing the previously unflappable swordsman to show a higher degree of vulnerability. Unfortunately this comes at the expense of Zhaania getting fridged later in the volume.

I thought you said the book is good. Also, spoilers much?

Oops! Anyway, a book can still be good even if it contains outdated tropes. And let's face it, killing off a woman of color love interest in order to drive the while male protagonist's emotional growth is more than a little outdated. Although, maybe I'm not being completely fair. She isn't simply unceremoniously killed off, but dies in battle at Norgal's side. Also, her death is intimately tied to her own quest to find her mother. Still, she was a fun character who worked well with Norgal and it was disappointing to see her killed off. Particularly as MacLean also avoids the mistake of exoticizing her.

I can understand that. Anything else that didn't work for you?

You know that thing in action movies where a comic relief character repeatedly bungles their way into saving the day?

Yes, I have seen The Phantom Menace.

So, Bik does that a few times.

Remind me who Bik is.

Bik is the baby brother. Like an actual toddler. He's given to sneezing and will frequently sneeze himself out of danger. It's a weird trope to include here as it's usually something that appeals to kids and Head Lopper is definitely not child friendly. That said, Bik's presence in the Crimson Tower is an important factor in Twerpal's motivation and character growth. It's also a bargaining chip for Ulrich to and try and turn him into a spy. So, it's not that Bik doesn't add anything, he's just sometimes annoying. Speaking of annoying—

If you're waiting for me to finish this segue, I don't know what to tell you.

It's just that Norgal is endlessly annoyed with Agatha, the blue witch's head. In any case, MacLean starts to fill in some of the blanks in their relationship here. There's obviously no affection between them, but the fact that Ulrich's unseen master wants her, and the fact that she can blast massive green energy beams make it seem like Norgal bears some responsibility for keeping her out of the wrong hands. As much as she might get on his nerves. Again, kind of standard sword and sorcery type stuff.

So, this is starting to sound a bit like your go-to "this-is-a-standard genre story elevated by excellent art" like Witch Hat Atelier.

Maybe a little. I still dig MacLean's stylized an exaggerated style. For example, Norgal is pretty much all shoulders and beard. The trap rooms and automatons that await within the Crimson Tower are appropriately colorful and surreal. And MacLean has actually changed up a few things from the first volume. While that first book is mostly bold, flowing lines, this time around close-ups will often take on a slightly squigglier look. This helps drive home Norgal's increasing vulnerability, while the action scenes revert to the smoother look from Volume 1. I should also mention that Jordie Bellaire is credited with Colors and that Erin MacLean shares credit with Andrew for Lettering and Design. In any case. The art is still appealing and the visual flow of the action is excellent.

All right, so does that add up to a recommendation?

Yeah. Overall, I enjoyed Head Lopper & The Crimson Tower. It's a pretty good comic, but if any of the stuff I mentioned sounds like a deal breaker, you can skip it.

Head Lopper & The Crimson Tower by Andrew MacLean (story, art, letters, design), Jordie Bellaire (colors), and Erin MacLean (letters, design), Image Comics trade paperback edition, April 2018, 200 pages, pairs well with Viking funerals and revenge

Links:

Here's the artist's website, if you're into that kinda thing.