'Head Lopper & The Knights of Venorah' – Andrew MacLean & Jordie Bellaire (Image)


It has been far too long since the exploits of Head Lopper (he'd really prefer it if you called him by his actual name...) and Agatha Blue Witch (still without a body) graced the pages of this blog so I thought that I really ought to do something about that... Having said that though, this is the most recent trade, and I have no idea when the next one is publishing (they need to collect another four issues so that's another year at least...), so make the most of this review and settle down with me for a long wait until that next trade.
If you've read the reviews for the last two volumes, you'll already know that I've really enjoyed making my way through this series. It won't surprise you then to find out that volume 3 was a lot more of the same, and in a good way...

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 has begun 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 have picked up its beckoning call. With perils around every corner, 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

Three volumes in then and I've reached that point, in a series, that as a book reviewer, I absolutely hate... It's all very well saying that if something isn't broken then don't try to fix it but how do I find something new to say if that's the case? I can't very well just copy and paste my last review can I? Can I...? NO.
There is a lot in 'The Knights of Venorah' that is the same as the previous two volumes; the banter between Norgal and Agatha is one as is the typically dynamically drawn fight scenes (never change Andrew, never change) and just the artwork in general is as good as ever. What we do get though, as a bit of an added bonus is some development in the character of Norgal himself. Not only does this give me something new to write about but we get to know Norgal just a little bit more than we did. Events in 'The Crimson Tower; have clearly left their mark and we also get to find out something about Norgal's past and how it ties into where we find him now. I'm a big fan of this move on MacLean's part as not only does Norgal become a little more sympathetic a character (and not, all at the same time) but it also suggests that MacLean intends for his 'Head Lopper' series to be a long term thing. All of a sudden, there's a lot of story waiting to be told with a 'Big Bad' lurking in the shadows; a typical sword and sorcery trope maybe but MacLean has built enough credit with this reader for me to be looking forward to how he tackles it.

And it feels like there's more of a story to be told this time round. Nothing against volumes 1 and 2 but they were dungeon crawls with smaller supporting casts while Volume 3 kicks things up a level or two. Volume 3 is a decent mixture of intrigue and action where Norgal and his friends (well, more like allies...) must hold the city of Venorah against threats both without and within. There's a lot more happening and it's all happening against a much larger backdrop. T feels like a natural step for the series and bodes well for future volumes. I mean, I'd have been there anyway but it feels good to have 'Head Lopper' make those steps.

So 'Head Lopper & The Knights of Venorah' continues to do all the stuff that the series is great at but also takes a bit of a leap forward and ends up doing great with other stuff as well. A excellent series that is clearly in safe hands as far as I'm concerned. I think I've probably said this before but if you like sword and sorcery tales (and possibly regular fantasy too, if volume 3 is anything to go by) then you could really do with picking these books up. Thank me later, just do it now.

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