An Interview With’ Big-Ass Sword’ Creator Andreas Butzbach

When no other adjective will do, sometimes you’ve just gotta call it like you see it and Big-Ass Sword is, indeed, a big-ass sword. In Andreas Butzbach‘s English language debut, it’s being wielded by a nameless robot. For more on that robot and his skull companion, here’s what Butzbach had to share:

Bellwoar: Big-Ass Sword is a graphic novel you started during lockdown (the very first story, “Crossing Paths,” deals with robot being exposed to some contagious pollen). Had you toyed around with any other ideas and why do you think this is the one you decided to run with?

Andreas Butzbach: BAS is a direct consequence of me being in lockdown. It all just kind of happened and I rolled with it. The first few days of Lockdown were really quiet. No cars to be heard. Empty streets. It was such a strange atmosphere, calling for strange stories.

Rachel Bellwoar: I can’t imagine being able to top this title, just in the sense of it being so much fun to say, but was there a moment when you tried to come up with an expletive-free alternative?

Butzbach: The title was even worse before! BARABAS Bad-Ass Robot and a Big-Ass Sword. And yes, there certainly were times when I thought the title may be missleading or too edgy. But if I don’t feel the need to spontaneously burst out the title in my movie-trailer-narrator-voice whilst cooking, it’s not the right one. And Big-Ass Sword did definitely fit that criteria.

If one scrolls down far enough on my socials, you can follow the progress and how BAS became what it is today.

Bellwoar: On the subject of our hero’s sword, it almost looks like a cricket bat (she says while knowing absolutely nothing about cricket). How did you come up with the design?

Butzbach: I also know nothing about cricket but looking at the bats they use, I see where you are coming from!

Robot does not play cricket, the sword’s design pretty much follows a Sword I had build for one of my custom 1/6 scale action figures, some time before starting on the comic. Like all my work, I try to keep it simple but interesting in form. I wanted it to be huge, blunt. It follows the rules of minimalism and brutalism.

Bellwoar: Did you immediately land on robot and skull’s rapport or did it take some time to nail down their relationship?

Butzbach: The comic had no planning, the first few stories went from my head straight onto the paper of my sketchbook. It was pretty clear from the beginning, Robot would be a chill guy. The title-giving tool on his back would be used only in extreme situations — and to do other things with it beyond fighting.

The nagging character of Skull seemed like a good fit. Robot is rather quiet with Skull talking before thinking, he has no concept of boundaries and speaks what seems to be the truth to him. Big-Ass Sword would be very boring if Robot would be a loner. I needed something that engages him into conversation.

Bellwoar: Has robot always been faceless or was that part of the power dynamics that developed when you decided to pair him with skull?

Butzbach: Robot was always like this. From the first sketch on, the Sword and head-design may be the only consistent part of my plan (you can see the very first sketch on the first page of the book). Just like with the sword, I wanted to get rid of un-needed details, lines and edges. He’s on a motorcycle a lot and needed to be somewhat aerodynamic, so a cube would not have worked. To make him more interesting and give him Bad-Ass vibes, I added the scar. I feel like, it helps a lot in perceiving the head as a face.

Bellwoar: I wasn’t sure if we’d get to see robot and skull’s first meeting in this book. Chronologically, is that actually one of the last stories you wrote or did you just want to save it for last when putting this book together?

Butzbach: I think I wrote “Kitty Fister” last, “King of the Hill” before that. It felt like a good open ending, leaving the reader with a few questions. What even is skull? Why was he caged and what about his body?

If I ever get to do a second book, you may find out.

Bellwoar: Big-Ass Sword is the first of your original graphic novels to debut in English. Do you have any current plans to translate your other comics and, as someone who’s dabbled in many genres, are there any you still want to try?

Butzbach: Interestingly, I write (most) of my comics in English first and translate them into my mother tongue at a later point in production. I’m from Germany but an avid reader of English comics, since childhood days. It just feels more natural for me.

I’m currently working on a title Gorrn, a prehistoric apeman stumbling upon many adventures as he battles not only the harsh environment but also Dinosaurs, Fungi-creatures, shapeshifters and much more wild stuff. He turns most of them into a bloody pulp, beating them with a lever of steel, salvaged from a spaceship from the future. Or from the past? You decide.

I’m not bound to anything specific genre-wise: if it checks the right boxes, I’ll draw it! This is how Gorrn happened. I just wanted to pay tribute to all the cool stuff. Whilst BAS is my homage to sci-fi, Gorrn is Conan, The 13th Warrior, and Valley of Gwangi with a sprinkle of The Thing.

Bellwoar: Thanks for agreeing to this interview, Andreas!

Big-Ass Sword goes on sale November 4th from Rebellion Publishing.