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Axe Cop #1
Axe Cop, Vol. 1
Bad guys beware Evil aliens, run for your lives Axe Cop is here, and he's going to chop your head off We live in a strange world, and our strange problems call for strange heroes. That's why Axe Cop -- along with his partner Flute Cop and their pet T-Rex Wexter -- is holding try-outs to build the greatest team of heroes ever assembled. Created by five year-old Malachai Nicolle and illustrated by his older brother, the cartoonist Ethan Nicolle, Axe Cop Volume One collects the entire original run of the hit webcomic that has captured the world's attention with its insanely imaginative adventures. Whether he's fighting gun-toting dinosaurs, teaming up with Ninja Moon Warriors, or answering readers' questions via his insightful advice column, "Ask Axe Cop," the adventures of Axe Cop and his incomparable team of crime fighters will delight and perplex even the most stoic of readers.
144 pages, Paperback
First published December 21, 2006
26 people are currently reading
839 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 198 reviews
July 2, 2017
An adult artist makes a comic from the ideas that come out of his 5 year old brother's mind. It's a funny and entertaining concept at first, as kids say funny things. Unfortunately, it doesn't take long for the novelty to wear off and ends up not being very interesting after that.
October 4, 2011
It seems I’m a bit late to this party since I missed Axe Cop as a webcomic. Nevertheless, I must now have my say: this concept is absolutely genius and the execution is one of the funniest things I’ve ever read.
A few years ago, Ethan Nicolle was playing with his five-year-old brother Malachai and decided it would be fun to take Malachai’s imagined play and illustrate it as a superhero comic. It all started when Malachai took a toy police officer and added a firefighter’s axe. They grabbed another figure and the nearest weapon-like implement at hand—a recorder, which led to Axe Cop’s first partner, Flute Cop—and went to chop off the heads of dinosaurs and other sundry bad guys.
In his book Killing Monsters: Why Children Need Fantasy, Super Heroes, and Make-Believe Violence, Gerard Jones argues that the young use violent fantasies as a way of coping with their real-life powerlessness, smallness, and helplessness—the point is not mutilation and bloodshed but power, a desire to have some kind of ability to control their circumstances: young people [use] fantasies of combat in order to feel stronger, to access their emotions, to take control of their anxieties, to calm themselves down in the face of real violence, to fight their way through emotional challenges and lift themselves to new developmental levels. The violence is pretend in its purest form and in no way reflects any desire to do actual harm; it’s all about wanting to deal with forces beyond their control.
So in Malachai’s fantasies we see plenty of violence, but all in the quest for more power to vanquish scary bad guys. And because he is only five, we get none of the worries with logic or consistency or reality that too often limit the imaginations of older writers (as Dav Pilkey talks about with Ook and Gluk: Kung-Fu Cavemen from the Future), with wild and hilarious results. Axe Cop doesn’t just have a pet T. Rex, he has a pet T. Rex that breathes fire, has a super-duper fast bite, wears cop glasses and a cop badge shaped like himself, has robot-machine-gun arms, feeds on bad guys, can fly to catch bad guys on the moon and sun, and has spikes that only stab you if you are bad (and whose worst enemy is a lamp that comes alive early in the morning). Axe Cop is constantly holding tryouts for more partners to make himself more powerful and even gets a part-time job at a fruit stand so he can afford to buy more guns. When he encounters a giant robot with two swords and one eye that is too big for head-chopping with an axe, Axe Cop from nowhere pulls out a baby with a magical unicorn horn to throw at the robot’s eye and explode its head. Axe Cop doesn’t just chop off the heads of bad guys, he also shoots them, blows them up, poisons them, and uses any other form of death-dealing Malachai can imagine. He also never rests because he spends each night sneaking into bad guys’ houses to kill them in their sleep. But don’t worry, there’s a morality to it all—if he could do anything he wanted, he would make a bomb that only kills bad guys and would make sure to turn all the aliens evil before killing them all, so that no one undeserving has to die.
Ethan takes these wild imaginings and brings them to life splendidly. His illustrations are fun and he does his best to accurately portray Malachai’s intentions without parody or satire, so they end up more “realistic” than cartoonish or stylized. If only all five-year-olds had someone like Malachai to bring their imaginations to life this way, because the opportunity to share in them is a joyful delight.
A few years ago, Ethan Nicolle was playing with his five-year-old brother Malachai and decided it would be fun to take Malachai’s imagined play and illustrate it as a superhero comic. It all started when Malachai took a toy police officer and added a firefighter’s axe. They grabbed another figure and the nearest weapon-like implement at hand—a recorder, which led to Axe Cop’s first partner, Flute Cop—and went to chop off the heads of dinosaurs and other sundry bad guys.
In his book Killing Monsters: Why Children Need Fantasy, Super Heroes, and Make-Believe Violence, Gerard Jones argues that the young use violent fantasies as a way of coping with their real-life powerlessness, smallness, and helplessness—the point is not mutilation and bloodshed but power, a desire to have some kind of ability to control their circumstances: young people [use] fantasies of combat in order to feel stronger, to access their emotions, to take control of their anxieties, to calm themselves down in the face of real violence, to fight their way through emotional challenges and lift themselves to new developmental levels. The violence is pretend in its purest form and in no way reflects any desire to do actual harm; it’s all about wanting to deal with forces beyond their control.
So in Malachai’s fantasies we see plenty of violence, but all in the quest for more power to vanquish scary bad guys. And because he is only five, we get none of the worries with logic or consistency or reality that too often limit the imaginations of older writers (as Dav Pilkey talks about with Ook and Gluk: Kung-Fu Cavemen from the Future), with wild and hilarious results. Axe Cop doesn’t just have a pet T. Rex, he has a pet T. Rex that breathes fire, has a super-duper fast bite, wears cop glasses and a cop badge shaped like himself, has robot-machine-gun arms, feeds on bad guys, can fly to catch bad guys on the moon and sun, and has spikes that only stab you if you are bad (and whose worst enemy is a lamp that comes alive early in the morning). Axe Cop is constantly holding tryouts for more partners to make himself more powerful and even gets a part-time job at a fruit stand so he can afford to buy more guns. When he encounters a giant robot with two swords and one eye that is too big for head-chopping with an axe, Axe Cop from nowhere pulls out a baby with a magical unicorn horn to throw at the robot’s eye and explode its head. Axe Cop doesn’t just chop off the heads of bad guys, he also shoots them, blows them up, poisons them, and uses any other form of death-dealing Malachai can imagine. He also never rests because he spends each night sneaking into bad guys’ houses to kill them in their sleep. But don’t worry, there’s a morality to it all—if he could do anything he wanted, he would make a bomb that only kills bad guys and would make sure to turn all the aliens evil before killing them all, so that no one undeserving has to die.
Ethan takes these wild imaginings and brings them to life splendidly. His illustrations are fun and he does his best to accurately portray Malachai’s intentions without parody or satire, so they end up more “realistic” than cartoonish or stylized. If only all five-year-olds had someone like Malachai to bring their imaginations to life this way, because the opportunity to share in them is a joyful delight.
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May 26, 2012The three-and-a-half-thousandth book I've read, according to Goodreads. And what better to mark such a milestone? Being written by a five-year-old, this is essentially the Platonic ideal of comics. In comparison, I'm now always going to be slightly disappointed by anything where none of the characters is a vampire werewolf shark wizard ninja from the moon.
April 23, 2012
This is my 6th book that I read for the YALSA Best of the Best book challenge. I will also say, I would not have read this book without doing the challenge...and I'm glad I read it. But more on that later.
So Malachai and Ethan are brothers. They wrote Axe Cop together. Before each section of the book there is a note written by Ethan. In the first note I learned that Malachai is 5 and Ethan is 29 (or at least they were when they wrote/illustrated this). Ethan went home and was playing with his much younger siblings. Malachai pulled out a fireman's axe and decided they would play "Axe Cop". Ethan being an illustrator drew the various adventures that they "played".
Axe Cop is a zany character in an even more strange world. There is a baby with a unicorn horn on her forhead. Axe Cop's best friend is Sockarang, a guy who has socks for arms. There are moon ninjas that are also vampires (but good ones, don't worry). There is The Best Fairy Ever who is pretty much just like her name. And then there are the bad guys. There are ducks with exploding eggs, evil zombies that eat everyone, bad robots and aliens who are just plain bad.
There are parts that are various bits of Malachai's imagination. Then there are the "Ask Axe Cop" parts where people asked questions and Malachai figured out an answer. These were my favorite parts of the whole book. I literally laughed out loud on almost every page. I can see why this is such a popular comic!
I basically loved the book---which was unexpected seeing how I don't tend to like most graphic novels. I think the reason that I loved it so much was that I read it as someone who loves to see the crazy things that come from a kid's imagination. I think if I were trying to read a graphic novel that had an over arching story line that made me think for hours on end about life...I would hate this. But since I just love seeing how funny things are when a kid is in charge of a world (and a cool character like Axe Cop), then all I can say is "Where is the next one?!" The only thing I didn't like was at the end (***small bit of a spoiler here***) the main bad guys were an army of poop. Yeah, that is totally something a 5-year-old would come up with. And I can see a lot of people thinking it is funny. It mostly grossed me out. But, it doesn't mean that I still don't think highly of the whole Axe Cop process and the fact that they stuck with the storyline that came from Malachai. Good book. Funny read.
So Malachai and Ethan are brothers. They wrote Axe Cop together. Before each section of the book there is a note written by Ethan. In the first note I learned that Malachai is 5 and Ethan is 29 (or at least they were when they wrote/illustrated this). Ethan went home and was playing with his much younger siblings. Malachai pulled out a fireman's axe and decided they would play "Axe Cop". Ethan being an illustrator drew the various adventures that they "played".
Axe Cop is a zany character in an even more strange world. There is a baby with a unicorn horn on her forhead. Axe Cop's best friend is Sockarang, a guy who has socks for arms. There are moon ninjas that are also vampires (but good ones, don't worry). There is The Best Fairy Ever who is pretty much just like her name. And then there are the bad guys. There are ducks with exploding eggs, evil zombies that eat everyone, bad robots and aliens who are just plain bad.
There are parts that are various bits of Malachai's imagination. Then there are the "Ask Axe Cop" parts where people asked questions and Malachai figured out an answer. These were my favorite parts of the whole book. I literally laughed out loud on almost every page. I can see why this is such a popular comic!
I basically loved the book---which was unexpected seeing how I don't tend to like most graphic novels. I think the reason that I loved it so much was that I read it as someone who loves to see the crazy things that come from a kid's imagination. I think if I were trying to read a graphic novel that had an over arching story line that made me think for hours on end about life...I would hate this. But since I just love seeing how funny things are when a kid is in charge of a world (and a cool character like Axe Cop), then all I can say is "Where is the next one?!" The only thing I didn't like was at the end (***small bit of a spoiler here***) the main bad guys were an army of poop. Yeah, that is totally something a 5-year-old would come up with. And I can see a lot of people thinking it is funny. It mostly grossed me out. But, it doesn't mean that I still don't think highly of the whole Axe Cop process and the fact that they stuck with the storyline that came from Malachai. Good book. Funny read.
February 12, 2015
3.5 stars.
I'm so lost on how to feel about Axe Cop. On one hand, it's a fully imaginative and silly premise of a story that only gets more absurd as you turn the pages. On the other hand, you can definitely tell it's "written" by a 5-year old because fights don't extend past chopping heads off, and all logic is thrown out the window. I really enjoyed the book for what it was, but it definitely is something you have to take in moderation. I think for kids, this would be a brilliant and super easy read, but unfortunately it's kind of violent for kids. Granted, it's nothing kids don't talk about or imagine, but I think even with the omission of things like blood and bad words, the older brother who draws the comic still depicts some of his little brother's ideas in a more adult mindset. So while the book is silly and childish, it is most definitely a time portal back to the days of imagining toy soldiers were more than just that, and where anything was possible. The notes by the author on the logic behind Malachai's stories are really informative, and serve the humor really well as to explain his thought process behind some things. The art is cool, and especially for what I'm sure is given to him as ideas. I also really enjoyed Ask Axe Cop, as those are probably the best part about the book. I really liked the one where Axe Cop explains the SECRET ATTACK!
I think it's probably more palatable and enjoyable as a weekly web comic, and not a one sitting read. Overall, a really genius and unique idea for a funny book. If you think little kids are funny and you don't find their simple, yet strangely humorous and complex imaginations annoying, read this book.
I'm so lost on how to feel about Axe Cop. On one hand, it's a fully imaginative and silly premise of a story that only gets more absurd as you turn the pages. On the other hand, you can definitely tell it's "written" by a 5-year old because fights don't extend past chopping heads off, and all logic is thrown out the window. I really enjoyed the book for what it was, but it definitely is something you have to take in moderation. I think for kids, this would be a brilliant and super easy read, but unfortunately it's kind of violent for kids. Granted, it's nothing kids don't talk about or imagine, but I think even with the omission of things like blood and bad words, the older brother who draws the comic still depicts some of his little brother's ideas in a more adult mindset. So while the book is silly and childish, it is most definitely a time portal back to the days of imagining toy soldiers were more than just that, and where anything was possible. The notes by the author on the logic behind Malachai's stories are really informative, and serve the humor really well as to explain his thought process behind some things. The art is cool, and especially for what I'm sure is given to him as ideas. I also really enjoyed Ask Axe Cop, as those are probably the best part about the book. I really liked the one where Axe Cop explains the SECRET ATTACK!
I think it's probably more palatable and enjoyable as a weekly web comic, and not a one sitting read. Overall, a really genius and unique idea for a funny book. If you think little kids are funny and you don't find their simple, yet strangely humorous and complex imaginations annoying, read this book.
July 10, 2021
This phantasmagoria of a five year old’s brain had me thinking of my own childish creations. I, too, would write, draw, and create worlds when I was young. I certainly didn’t have the persistence (or talent or ability, for that matter) to see it through for very long, which is probably why I tend to see this brotherly dialectic, less as exploitation, and more as a kindness, a way to document young Malachai’s active imagination for posterity.
The storylines are kind of all over the place, and that’s largely the point, to see where a young mind can take readers without being too constrained by convention or logic or physics. There’s a whole host of zany heroes (Ralph Wrinkles was my favorite, I wish he’d gotten more time to shine) and villains, many of whom seem capable of pooping exploding objects at will. Any kind of blood and certain body parts will change characters into something else (dinosaurs, zombies, lobsters, etc.). And no matter what item you need, there’s a specific store right around the corner for exactly that.
The Ask Axe Cop format works so well, not only because it’s funny and unpredictable, but because it’s short. The only time I found myself glancing at my metaphorical watch while reading this was when the last storyline dragged on a bit too long with one too many moments of randomness. Axe Cop keeps his answers succinct and to the point, the way it should be.
The storylines are kind of all over the place, and that’s largely the point, to see where a young mind can take readers without being too constrained by convention or logic or physics. There’s a whole host of zany heroes (Ralph Wrinkles was my favorite, I wish he’d gotten more time to shine) and villains, many of whom seem capable of pooping exploding objects at will. Any kind of blood and certain body parts will change characters into something else (dinosaurs, zombies, lobsters, etc.). And no matter what item you need, there’s a specific store right around the corner for exactly that.
The Ask Axe Cop format works so well, not only because it’s funny and unpredictable, but because it’s short. The only time I found myself glancing at my metaphorical watch while reading this was when the last storyline dragged on a bit too long with one too many moments of randomness. Axe Cop keeps his answers succinct and to the point, the way it should be.
April 2, 2017
If an adult had tried to do something like this, I'm not certain that it would have worked. At the very least, it would have been incredibly different. The greatest appeal of "Axe Cop" is its innocent sincerity. It's entertaining, funny, bizarre, illogical, wacky, violent, crazy, dramatic... but at it's core, is the honesty of childhood imagination. It's fun to get inside that mind, not only for the entertainment, but also for the chance to see things a little differently. "Axe Cop" is a wild ride and a legitimately good time.
December 12, 2023
5 yaşındaki küçük kardeşin yazıp 29 yaşındaki abisinin çizdiği matrak ve saçma seri Axe-Cop.Uçan T-rexler,Moon-ninjalar,Yaprak adamlar,Zombiler ve daha nicesi bu seride.
Çoğu kişi küçükken oyuncaklarıyla oynarken bir hikaye uydurup bazen günlerce aynı hikayeyi devam ettirmiştir en azından ben öyleydim.Bu tarz bir eser işte Axe-Cop havalı baltası olan bir polis kötü adamları öldürüyor tabi üzerine düşündükçe yazar çocuğumuz hikaye daha da derinleşiyor.
Çoğu kişi küçükken oyuncaklarıyla oynarken bir hikaye uydurup bazen günlerce aynı hikayeyi devam ettirmiştir en azından ben öyleydim.Bu tarz bir eser işte Axe-Cop havalı baltası olan bir polis kötü adamları öldürüyor tabi üzerine düşündükçe yazar çocuğumuz hikaye daha da derinleşiyor.
March 13, 2020
A wonderful quest in non sequiturs written by a child and illustrated by his adult brother. It really opens the door on the free association of childhood that we all lack as grown ups and can, if we will only stop and play, return to once more. Highly recommend if you need something humorous
October 18, 2021
Classic bizarre comic book. Axe Cop was fueled by the weird imagination of a four year old kid and quickly took on a life of his own. His brother Ethan cleverly took the disconnected tidbits from his little brother's brain and strung it into something highly entertaining and unlike anything ever experienced before.
January 3, 2012
The great thing about Axe Cop is the flawless execution of childhood imagination with professional art. Often, a child's mind is running so fast that it's almost impossible to make sense of what they're talking about, or what they've created. As an older brother, Ethan Nicolle is able to cross that boundary and interpret his much younger brother Malachai's ideas into gold.
As much as it is funny, Axe Cop is equally endearing and magical. The entire universe is build off of the idea that these are no abstract creations running amok in a universe veering into insanity; but a younger brother's expression of love and kinship towards his older brother. As Ethan explains in this collected volume, Malachai sees the characters of Axe Cop and Flute Cop/Dinosaur Soldier/etc as unhindered expressions of Ethan and himself; in short, they are the world's most heartwarming Gary-Stus.
The great thing about collecting the Dark Horse books as opposed to sticking strictly to the free webcomic is the extra details that are put into explaining the creation process. As much as the stories themselves are Malachai's homage to his relationship with his brother, the bound volumes are an homage to Malachai by Ethan. Before every chapter, Ethan explains the process behind its creation by his little brother, lauding his uncontrollable imagination, yearning to express fraternity, and golden innocent heart that make the comics one of the purest expressions of Childhood ever to exist.
The only drawback to Axe Cop is the dedication to poop jokes in a section or two of story; but let's be real, the writer is a 5-year old. And also, poop jokes are hilarious.
As much as it is funny, Axe Cop is equally endearing and magical. The entire universe is build off of the idea that these are no abstract creations running amok in a universe veering into insanity; but a younger brother's expression of love and kinship towards his older brother. As Ethan explains in this collected volume, Malachai sees the characters of Axe Cop and Flute Cop/Dinosaur Soldier/etc as unhindered expressions of Ethan and himself; in short, they are the world's most heartwarming Gary-Stus.
The great thing about collecting the Dark Horse books as opposed to sticking strictly to the free webcomic is the extra details that are put into explaining the creation process. As much as the stories themselves are Malachai's homage to his relationship with his brother, the bound volumes are an homage to Malachai by Ethan. Before every chapter, Ethan explains the process behind its creation by his little brother, lauding his uncontrollable imagination, yearning to express fraternity, and golden innocent heart that make the comics one of the purest expressions of Childhood ever to exist.
The only drawback to Axe Cop is the dedication to poop jokes in a section or two of story; but let's be real, the writer is a 5-year old. And also, poop jokes are hilarious.
January 11, 2011
I've read most of this book a million times online, so I'm not sure how well it will translate for new readers in the graphic novel format. For me, I missed being able to see each panel blown up huge on my computer screen. In book form I lost a lot of the details. But I really enjoyed the parts I hadn't seen before, especially the pages Ethan designed especially with the GN in mind, so who knows? I imagine it will still have that "crazy funniness overload" effect on everyone who comes across it for the first time.
Axe Cop is awesome. Everyone who just gets off on cool, funky weirdness in their comics should read it. It's the real deal.
Axe Cop is awesome. Everyone who just gets off on cool, funky weirdness in their comics should read it. It's the real deal.
December 23, 2010
Axe Cop is possibly the greatest webcomic ever made. Written by a 5-year-old and drawn by his 29-year-old brother, the comic has all the insanity of a child's imagination combined with good art so you can actually tell what's going on. This trade paperback collection includes the first four story arcs and the first 42 episodes of Ask Axe Cop. Even though I've already read the material in the collection on the internet, this book was worth the fifteen dollars it cost for the commentary from artist Ethan Nicolle about the creative process behind Axe Cop.
April 28, 2011
Has it been awhile since you laughed so hard you felt your abs getting a workout? READ THIS BOOK. The child logic of the story is so perfectly absurd, the art so perfectly makes fun of and serves the story, genuine creativity explodes out of the pages. I've read Axe Cop as a webcomic, and reading it again in print form was equally as entertaining, if not more. The notes added by Ethan are hilarious and touching, and give a great background on how the comic came to be :) Worth buying, even if you've already scoured the webcomic.
August 2, 2015
Axe Cop comes from simple origins; a five year old makes up a story, and its drawn out as a comic by his much older brother.
Axe Cop is crazy, silly and often make no sense. Which makes it a hell of a lot of fun, and a very easy to read. The art complements the story well, treating the vivid ever changing characters with just the right about of seriousness.
If you're up for a fun romp around a kids imagination, I couldn't recommend this more.
Axe Cop is crazy, silly and often make no sense. Which makes it a hell of a lot of fun, and a very easy to read. The art complements the story well, treating the vivid ever changing characters with just the right about of seriousness.
If you're up for a fun romp around a kids imagination, I couldn't recommend this more.
August 1, 2013
I read some of Axe Cop as a webcomic and I wasn't sure the gimmick (a profesh artist illustrates ideas produced by his 5 year-old brother) would stand up in a collected volume, but it honestly got funnier and funnier as I kept reading. I literally laughed so hard I cried over this, in public.
I loved the commentary from Evan along the way, and I think this would honestly appeal to all ages.
I loved the commentary from Evan along the way, and I think this would honestly appeal to all ages.
July 17, 2015
I would probably have found this amusing under any circumstances, but as the parent of a small child who (through no conscious influence of my own -- I blame day care) is obsessed with "defeating" "bad guys," I was doubly entertained. This perfectly captures the silliness of unconstrained childhood play while taking its own ridiculousness completely seriously. There's nothing else quite like it.
December 6, 2023
In the same vein as some movies not really being high art and are great "popcorn flicks," this foray into pure imagination is miraculously captured on paper, and should not be treated as great literature, or even a well-thought out series of art and story mashed together.
But what IS the equivalent of a popcorn flick for comic books?
But what IS the equivalent of a popcorn flick for comic books?
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June 15, 2015Having a five year old write this book makes it randomly hilarious. It also shows his perspective on different questions on the ask axe cop sections. It doesn't really have a full plot but the main story and the ask axe cop go together with all of the characters.
August 10, 2011
Clearly the most genious work of illustrative and literary genious ever created.
March 24, 2016
This comic was dictated by a hilarious five year old. Enough said.
May 18, 2024
There's an amount where Axe Cop is the most hilarious thing I've read, and an amount that it's this young child's acid trip where he literally says whatever comes to mind, continuity be danged. Granted, it's impossible to ALWAYS find a funny thing funny, at least for me, because after a while I become familiar with the thing, and part of what makes things funny is it's unexpected. It's no longer unexpected if I expect it, is it?
That said, Ethan Nicolle has created a marvelous thing with his brother Malachai, which is beautiful even if Ethan weren't an accomplished artist as well! (though that helps when making it Internet Famous) Like, how many young people can say they've made a professional cartoon? That's an amazing thing to get to create with family, especially younger siblings!
The story is, of course, rather violent, since that seems to be a thing with young boys in particular, and probably only Ethan's influence gives the series any degree of consistency. For instance, Axe Cop and Flute Cop meet in the first comic, but then a few comics later, it turns out they were brothers whose parents were murdered by a time-travelling Telescope Gun Cop who wanted revenge on them, but they hit their heads and forgot each other.
I would spoiler tag that, but it honestly doesn't matter. There's not a particular storyline that's going to be spoiled by that, other than the specific comics themselves. The stories are fairly episodic and self-contained, somewhat like how any episode of The Simpsons doesn't really change the status quo, except for Major Events like Maude dying as a result of her voice actor leaving the show.
Probably the funniest part is Ask Axe Cop, because it's more setup and punchline than full stories that may or may not make sense. Of course, it also reveals that Axe Cop is a total sociopath, since he kills Bad Guys when they sleep on the basis of some random Bad Guy Factor. (Do the Bad Guys DO anything to actually become Bad Guys, or is it justification for the rampant violence? I don't know—seems like they just happen to be Bad Guys because that's simpler for the narrative, and for the young author.) I guess some of that comes from his mother?
Although, at least Axe Cop eventually gets some character development and acknowledges that being TOO Overpowered is a bad thing. (Haha.)
Edit to add: I forgot that Axe Cop is LGBTQ+! He would rather marry his best friend (a boy) by asking him to magically change into a girl so they could have kids. That's actually the best way to pick a marriage partner (though said partner would have to also want the transition, or that's weird).
Granted, he ALSO marries Girl Abraham Lincoln, so... that's weird. Eh, what continuity?
That said, Ethan Nicolle has created a marvelous thing with his brother Malachai, which is beautiful even if Ethan weren't an accomplished artist as well! (though that helps when making it Internet Famous) Like, how many young people can say they've made a professional cartoon? That's an amazing thing to get to create with family, especially younger siblings!
The story is, of course, rather violent, since that seems to be a thing with young boys in particular, and probably only Ethan's influence gives the series any degree of consistency. For instance, Axe Cop and Flute Cop meet in the first comic, but then a few comics later, it turns out they were brothers whose parents were murdered by a time-travelling Telescope Gun Cop who wanted revenge on them, but they hit their heads and forgot each other.
I would spoiler tag that, but it honestly doesn't matter. There's not a particular storyline that's going to be spoiled by that, other than the specific comics themselves. The stories are fairly episodic and self-contained, somewhat like how any episode of The Simpsons doesn't really change the status quo, except for Major Events like Maude dying as a result of her voice actor leaving the show.
Probably the funniest part is Ask Axe Cop, because it's more setup and punchline than full stories that may or may not make sense. Of course, it also reveals that Axe Cop is a total sociopath, since he kills Bad Guys when they sleep on the basis of some random Bad Guy Factor. (Do the Bad Guys DO anything to actually become Bad Guys, or is it justification for the rampant violence? I don't know—seems like they just happen to be Bad Guys because that's simpler for the narrative, and for the young author.) I guess some of that comes from his mother?
Although, at least Axe Cop eventually gets some character development and acknowledges that being TOO Overpowered is a bad thing. (Haha.)
Edit to add: I forgot that Axe Cop is LGBTQ+! He would rather marry his best friend (a boy) by asking him to magically change into a girl so they could have kids. That's actually the best way to pick a marriage partner (though said partner would have to also want the transition, or that's weird).
Granted, he ALSO marries Girl Abraham Lincoln, so... that's weird. Eh, what continuity?
December 26, 2022
Axe Cop is a cop who chops bad guys' heads off with his axe. His partner is Flute Cop, who, through various transformations, becomes Dinosaur Soldier, Avocado Soldier, and Uni-Avocado Soldier. In the world of Axe Cop, very smart people sprout unicorn horns that grant wishes, good guys always beat bad guys, and somehow the good guys are easily identifiable despite their tendency to, say, chop people's heads off and eat babies.
The important thing to understand about Axe Cop is that it all originated from the mind of a 5-year-old boy. The series started off as just play-time between Ethan Nicolle (29 at the time) and his younger brother. Ethan turned it into some comic book pages, posted it online, and it took off. Conversations with Malachai helped produce material for additional Axe Cop adventures. Each story and "Ask Axe Cop" strip in this volume includes commentary from Ethan with "behind the scenes" info about the process of translating Malachai's words and ideas into comics.
It's a wacky, weird series that's over-the-top even by the standards of the most over-the-top action story you can think of. Anything could happen. At the same time, certain things come up repeatedly, and young boy thought processes put certain limits on the story. There was a lot of poison, unicorn horns, zombies, and random exploding items. Ethan mentioned the difficulty he had with getting Malachai to create villains that weren't incredibly easy for Axe Cop to beat (from a "working with children" perspective, I found Ethan's notes about what did and did not work well when it came to getting new material from Malachai fascinating).
I loved the weirdness of it all, and I really liked certain strips and stories. Of the longer stories, my favorite was probably Baby Man's quest to acquire all the things on his "Hunting List." I laughed out loud at Malachai's ideas about the sorts of things that might lure adults to their doom (free cars, ringing phones).
That said, this was a little exhausting to read all in one go, and although I love the way this series originated (this seems like such a cool way for an older and younger brother to bond), I'm not sure I'm interested in continuing on with it.
Extras:
Includes a gallery with 7 additional black-and-white illustrations created by other artists.
(Original review posted on A Library Girl's Familiar Diversions.)
The important thing to understand about Axe Cop is that it all originated from the mind of a 5-year-old boy. The series started off as just play-time between Ethan Nicolle (29 at the time) and his younger brother. Ethan turned it into some comic book pages, posted it online, and it took off. Conversations with Malachai helped produce material for additional Axe Cop adventures. Each story and "Ask Axe Cop" strip in this volume includes commentary from Ethan with "behind the scenes" info about the process of translating Malachai's words and ideas into comics.
It's a wacky, weird series that's over-the-top even by the standards of the most over-the-top action story you can think of. Anything could happen. At the same time, certain things come up repeatedly, and young boy thought processes put certain limits on the story. There was a lot of poison, unicorn horns, zombies, and random exploding items. Ethan mentioned the difficulty he had with getting Malachai to create villains that weren't incredibly easy for Axe Cop to beat (from a "working with children" perspective, I found Ethan's notes about what did and did not work well when it came to getting new material from Malachai fascinating).
I loved the weirdness of it all, and I really liked certain strips and stories. Of the longer stories, my favorite was probably Baby Man's quest to acquire all the things on his "Hunting List." I laughed out loud at Malachai's ideas about the sorts of things that might lure adults to their doom (free cars, ringing phones).
That said, this was a little exhausting to read all in one go, and although I love the way this series originated (this seems like such a cool way for an older and younger brother to bond), I'm not sure I'm interested in continuing on with it.
Extras:
Includes a gallery with 7 additional black-and-white illustrations created by other artists.
(Original review posted on A Library Girl's Familiar Diversions.)
November 12, 2017
I love the story behind this book. Ethan Nicolle is a cartoonist and was home on Christmas vacation playing with his 5yo brother Malachi. Malachi's imaginary play with Ethan was so joyful, chaotic, and bizarre that it inspired Ethan to draw a short comic based on a character of Malachi's invention, Axe Cop, a cop who carries a fireman's ax to chop off bad guys' heads, and his sidekick, Flute Cop (because a recorder happened to be at the top of the toy box when they were acting out the story) They created several Axe Cop stories while Ethan was home, and when Ethan decided to experiment with webcomics he used the Axe Cop cartoons he had created with Malachi as stand-ins. They quickly became the most popular thing he had ever done in comics, so the brothers continued. The storylines and dialogue come almost completely from Malachi, while Ethan does the art and occasionally provides prompts.
If you have a five year old boy in your life, you will recognize this kind of storytelling instantly. I mean, the imagination, the digressions, the bizarre plots... And if there is a geeky adult (especially a male) in that kid's life the character elements are going to be really familiar. Dinosaurs with giant guns for arms! Half-dog, half human lobsterman zombie superheroes! Giant one-eyed robots! Moon Warrior ninja vampire werewolves who choose cool costumes over world peace! A Fire Exploding God Abraham Lincoln! And put on paper, with illustrations, it is hilarious. Now, this is violent as all get out, and there are no actual morals to the stories, and often no sense to the plot. But what this reminded me of so much was my husband sitting down and playing with giant robots and monsters with my son, and the delight and love that went along with the stomping, explosions, and chaos of imaginary play. And it made me laugh so hard. Totally worth it to revisit that time and those feelings.
If you have a five year old boy in your life, you will recognize this kind of storytelling instantly. I mean, the imagination, the digressions, the bizarre plots... And if there is a geeky adult (especially a male) in that kid's life the character elements are going to be really familiar. Dinosaurs with giant guns for arms! Half-dog, half human lobsterman zombie superheroes! Giant one-eyed robots! Moon Warrior ninja vampire werewolves who choose cool costumes over world peace! A Fire Exploding God Abraham Lincoln! And put on paper, with illustrations, it is hilarious. Now, this is violent as all get out, and there are no actual morals to the stories, and often no sense to the plot. But what this reminded me of so much was my husband sitting down and playing with giant robots and monsters with my son, and the delight and love that went along with the stomping, explosions, and chaos of imaginary play. And it made me laugh so hard. Totally worth it to revisit that time and those feelings.
May 6, 2018
The story is written by a 5-year-old, so you can't expect any structure or too much logic. It's exactly these aspects that make it funny from the first few pages. You may get to an unexpected twist that seems a bit funny. Several seconds later you realise that it's in fact hilarious and you can't stop yourself from laughing out loud. At least for the first dozen times which is pretty much a dozen pages into the first issue.
Too bad there are references to sexual orientations, religious themes and violence that seem a bit too much for a child writer. I blame the cartoons on tv for Axe Cop resorting to decapitating, poisoning and blowing up his enemies on pretty much every page. The problem is that killing soon starts to feel bland, even if Axe Cop sometimes goes all sentimental and cries after making a mistake.
The main story - or whatever this directionless killfest is - alternates with Q&A sections that are obviously just as childish and violent as the story. They supposedly add more depth to the character, but sadly they all finish the same way, with more killing. Half-way through I was already getting bored and the read became painfully slow, making me decide to give up on the series. Overall, it's cute, but too repetitive for my taste.
Too bad there are references to sexual orientations, religious themes and violence that seem a bit too much for a child writer. I blame the cartoons on tv for Axe Cop resorting to decapitating, poisoning and blowing up his enemies on pretty much every page. The problem is that killing soon starts to feel bland, even if Axe Cop sometimes goes all sentimental and cries after making a mistake.
The main story - or whatever this directionless killfest is - alternates with Q&A sections that are obviously just as childish and violent as the story. They supposedly add more depth to the character, but sadly they all finish the same way, with more killing. Half-way through I was already getting bored and the read became painfully slow, making me decide to give up on the series. Overall, it's cute, but too repetitive for my taste.
January 17, 2018
Axe Cop had me convulsing with giggles for three glorious evenings tainted only by the specter of knowing that at some point, it’d come to an end. Written by five-year-old Malachai and illustrated by his thirty-year-old comic artist brother, Axe cop is as every bit as imaginative, insane and frantically fucking random as one could possible hope. A trip to the moon atop a fire-breathing dinosaur with machine guns for arms to recruit vampire ninja crime fighters is all in a day’s work for Axe-cop, bad guide killer extraordinaire. With accompanying illustrations that capture the deadpan absurdism perfectly, it’s all endearingly, heart-searingly hilarious. If you’re hankering for a good ROFL, do yourself a favor and pick up this brilliant gem of a comic.
November 30, 2025
Ok, so this five star is purely sentimental. I’m not a comic book reader normally, but this is a favorite of my son, who wanted me to read it because it was how he played his whole childhood. Reading it was a vehicle back in time to the days where my boys constantly made up superheroes, villains, and battles, and regaled me with hours of deals of how the good guys beat up and killed the bad guys with their superpowers (invented by the bots, of course). I laughed, and a part of my mama heart shed a tear remembering my sweet little boys. Hats off to Ethan for capturing Malachi’s boy imagination perfectly!
January 24, 2021
Crazy, fun, silly, utterly ridiculous and stupid...Axe Cop is far from a literary masterpiece, but it excels at showing us the inside of a child's mind. The good guys win, the bad guys lose. Cops wield axes, avocados, and guns that shoot anything you want. There's little plot to the stories, but they're still fairly fun. By far the highlight for me was "Ask Axe Cop". The question-and-answer format is a delight; from school to marriage to prayer, Axe Cop's perspectives never fail to entertain, and occasionally enlighten.
December 31, 2023
Really funny and cute for about 40 pages or so, then the joke wears thin, and the rest of this little trade becomes a laborious chore. I remember stumbling onto this and liking it when it was just a webcomic, so maybe reading a page per day is the best way to experience it. There's some funny and memorable stuff here, and it's well drawn, but you'll be sick of it by the end. Did they really do 6 volumes of this?
May 20, 2018
I don't know that I've ever laughed harder than reading through Axe Cop. I read the first volume in a Mexican restaurant, and I'm pretty sure everyone thought I was nuts, crying laughter tears over my breakfast burrito. The over-the-top comic book art and the herky-jerky narration of a child create the most perfect, insane, hilarious combination.
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