The Pinball Story Arc: Andrew MacLean On Norgal’s Latest Adventure
by Tito W. James
Tito W. James: It’s good to see you Andrew. It’s been a while since we talked about Head Lopper. We’re on the second to last issue on the latest arc. Structurally, this is very different from previous Head Lopper stories. You can’t predict what will happen next, who the main villain is. How was it to radically change the formula for this arc?
Andrew MacLean: I wanted each volume to have its own voice. To feel different in every way–writing, characters, esthetically, and setting. The Knights of Venora was really strange working it out. I had this origin for Norgal and Agatha bouncing around in my head since the beginning. It felt like the right time to show people that origin but also show how it ties into a bigger world.
So yeah, it’s a lot to tackle. I absorbed a lot of Miyazaki over the past year. I love how Miyazaki movies feel like you don’t know what to expect or where it’s going to go. Sometimes you’re not even sure who the main character is. So in this Head Lopper arc, I have a lot of characters and relationships and stories that meet each other.
If I had to break down each volume; I think of volume one as being a straight line. It’s a very linear A to B story. I think of volume two as being an elimination game. Many will enter, few will leave. For this one… You know when you play a pinball machine and you get the bonus balls. It just dumps a bunch of balls in the machine at the same time. All these balls bouncing off of each other.
[Pantomimes the pinballs ricocheting]
This volume is kind of like that. Each character is kind of their own ball. Each time a character interacts with another one, it sends them in another direction.
To answer your question about the main villain. In starting, I was thinking of the main bad guy as Arch Cleric Florentine. Because she’s there in the center of the city. The story is set in Venoria and she’s the bad guy of Venoria. There’s a lot of obstacles. There’s the goblins, lizard wizards, and all these different factions bouncing off each other. It’s a chaotic volume.
TWJ: I also saw that you did an homage to Mandy by having Norgal slay the Cheddar Goblin.
AM: I did, yeah!
[Laughs]
Well there’s a goblins war that’s happening in Venoria. That was one of the themes of the volume…I wanted to draw war. So, there’s a lot of goblins to design and draw. So I was just chuckling to myself thinking about what type of goblins have been out there and Cheddar Goblin came to mind.
I’ve done a number of little Easter Eggs or homages. Usually it’s a beheading. I snuck in a little Fafhrd and Gray Mouser in volume two. When Norgal beheads them, it’s my nod to my influences.
TWJ: So you get a decapitation cameo if you’re an influence of Head Lopper.
AM: Yes if there’s a cameo via decapitation it’s definitely a compliment.
TWJ: Another homage I can think of is the design of Berserkr with these big round shoulder pads like Samus Aran.
AM: Yeah, absolutely. I love Samus’ design and I’m a 90s kid so I love shoulder pads.
TWJ: I’ve seen turn arounds of Berserkr on your twitter feed. Are we getting an art toy perhaps?
AM: Yeah, I’m trying to get a sculpt made. It’s still up in the air. To get the Norgal vinyl made it was probably two years of working on it. It’s such a slow process. But I’d like to. That’s the plan.
TWJ: Good. As a fan of Berserkr. I’d love to get a toy. Also tangentially the Norgal toy made it onto the desk of Jorge Gutierrez. Are you a fan of his work?
AM: I’m a fan of his stuff and I love his taste. He’s a fan of my friend, Alexis Zirit’s comics. I love to see other noteworthy creators reading and absorbing material that’s fresh and new and by young people. So, anytime I spot someone with influence absorbing an underground comic, it’s really exciting.
TWJ: Is there something specific about Jorge’s work that you like?
AM: He seems really into including as much culture as possible. Leaning into that and owning it. I think that’s amazing. And I know my buddy Alexis, that’s a big part of his comics. It’s important to him, being from Venezuela; the Spanish language, culture, and character designs are inspired by his upbringing. I feel that Jorge does that as well.
