Axe Cop

Axe Cop was born Axey Smartist in 2004 to his parents Bobber and Gobber Smartist. After his parents ate candy canes that were poisoned by Telescope Gun Cop he swore on their grave he would become a cop. At some point he decided an axe was a better weapon than a gun, and it turns out he was right. Axe Cop now regularly has try outs for various warriors and super heroes to join him as he fights evil. He only has two known weaknesses: Being surprised (which causes him to melt), and Cherry Rainbow candy canes.

Powers: axe chop, Axe Cop with lemon, lemon grenades, retractable danger-sensing antennae, psychic attacks, poison food production, mustache has robot hands and secret weapons, super high jumps, hypnotize button in wrist

Appearances

Hiatus Update

Hey there head choppers,

I apologize for the long time with no updates. I figured I owed it to you to at least post a little something to let you know where the axe stands and what the future may or may not hold.

One reason I have not posted or said much is because I don’t have much to report. You could probably deduct the reasons for Axe Cop’s hiatus if you have followed the comic at all over the past year or two. As it stands right now, I’m working on other things. Some of you know I have been a writer on the VeggieTales series on NetFlix for the last two years. That job (hopefully) has one year left on it. In my spare time I have been developing new ideas, trying to find more possibilities for my future beyond that year. I know right now that, as it stands, Axe Cop will not be able to cover me when this job ends.

So I have had to put Axe Cop off to the side indefinitely. Same with my other comic Bearmageddon. Until I have another ball rolling, I can’t consider myself a responsible husband and father if I am spending my time drawing comics that are not providing for the family. I need to invest that time wisely and when the time is right I can revisit projects like Axe Cop and Bearmageddon.

In truth, this is pretty close to what my vision for Axe Cop was from the start. I never knew how long it would last, and I made no predictions. But in my mind it made sense that, through Malachai’s younger years we would create a big body of work (six volumes. not bad!) then “retire”. Beyond that, I think it’s safe to say that every now and then we may revisit Axe Cop and do a story here and there. Who knows, maybe at some point Axe Cop can be my job again. Right now, it’s back to being a hobby. That’s fine with me, I’m proud of the work we did on it and it was never my plan to only draw Axe Cop for the rest of my life.

As for the TV show, I don’t know what is next for it. I suspect it is done but I have not heard anything.

Thanks for all your support and kindness throughout the life of Axe Cop. It has been a lot of fun. I look forward to revisiting Axey again in the future. If not at least to do a few “Ask Axe Cop” episodes. Until then, keep being awesome.

Ethan Nicolle

5 Years Later!

It was five years ago today that I was watching the State of the Union address with Doug TenNapel and my little cell phone started to go crazy with emails and twitter notifications because I had just posted AxeCop.com a couple days earlier and somehow it had gone viral. It was pretty wild.

I was living in a small bedroom which I was renting in Los Angeles, single and recently laid off from two jobs. It’s been a crazy five years. I am sorry that it has led to a place where I can’t draw Axe Cop every day like I used to. But we have six volumes published, and the second season of the TV show is now in production! I just got word from FOX/ADHD that Season 2 will be premiering on FXX on April 16th, 2015. Mark your calendars because these are the best episodes yet.

Besides getting a TV show and a sweet job at Dreamworks working with some of my best friends on the new VeggieTales series, as many of you know if you have been following, I got married. And now it has come to this: Little Eliza Jean Nicolle, born November 22nd. Who knows, maybe we’ll make comics together some day.

For now, between workin’ hard and raising our newborn along with our older kids, life is quite full. I’m trying to chip away at Bearmageddon as well, and had no plans to do any Axe Cop stuff, but when I realized we had hit the 5 year anniversarry, I had to do something. I’d been chatting with other writers about old notes I had from Malachai sessions and there was this unfinished story about the Moon Warriors and Telescope Gun Cop I had always wanted to flesh out more. Since that may not happen, I decided to give it to you in this format. Ask Axe Cop #101.

Thanks so much for the years of support and for being such a kind and generous reading audience. It’s been a crazy five years. Malachai is now 10. He will be 11 in March. Oh, how time flies.

Ethan

Guest Episide #46 by Cory and Scarlett Kerr

Well, before I mention today’s guest episode I just want to thank Tom, Amelia and Charlotte for their amazing work on Revenge on Rainbow Girl! I’m really proud of them for what they were able to come up with and I hope we can do more together down the road. If you did not read RORG, you can read it here.

Tom had said in a previous post that I might be starting American Choppers this week. No, actually the reason I do not have any new material for you is because I am drawing American Choppers right now and I will be working on it for the next month. The American Choppers is the new Dark Horse miniseries, so it will not be here on the site. It will be in print only and will be in stores starting in late May. It will release as a trilogy, much like Bad Guy Earth and President of the World.

I will see if I can squeeze in an Ask Axe Cop here or there along the way, but in the mean time, if you would like to contribute a guest episode please do! You can submit the on the Guest Episodes page. Thanks to Cory Kerr for making today’s guest episode with his four year old daughter Scarlett. You can check out more of Cory’s work here.

Also, there has been some rumors surrounding the Axe Cop TV series since there were changes announced at FOX ADHD. I can’t really say anything right now, but the changes as far as I understand them are all good and the new season of Axe Cop will make it to your TV, and it is amazing. I’ll post more info here once I have it.

Once I have finished drawing the American Choppers, I will need to figure out what to do next. I am considering taking a break from Axe Cop for a while to pursue some other endeavors, especially finishing book 1 of Bearmageddon. I don’t think we will ever be finished telling Axe Cop stories, but as Malachai gets older, I think the way we make them will change. More on that as I get it figured out. Thanks for reading!

Ethan

Page 226 – Coffee Party

So, that’s it. This concludes AXE COP: REVENGE ON RAINBOW GIRL.

Thanks to Ethan and Malachai for letting us take a shot at our own AXE COP story. Thank you for reading. If you commented, thanks extra for that. This has been a long slog- I’ve been working on this comic for almost a year now, in between other projects. Getting feedback was the return on my investment and I appreciated all of it. …That was a lie. I didn’t appreciate the guy that said “I don’t like this artwork” a couple of weeks back. That guy can get eaten by sharks. The rest of you, though, you’re nice.

Now that my docket’s wide open, I don’t know what I’m going to do with myself. I’ll be needing new art projects. Got one? Hit me up at my FB page. Don’t mind the zombie and skull art, I do metal album covers and that stuff is all over the place over there.

Now if you’ll excuse me, I’m going to go treat the kids to a coffee party.

KIDS’ QUOTES OF THE WEEK

We’re playing pretend.
“Okay, you be Spider-Man and I’ll be the King of Ostriches.”
-Charlotte, 3 years old

“Mommy! Mommy! …Mommy, listen!
Mommy, listen to this! Ready?
Are you ready?? Fish skipple.”
-Amelia, 4 years old

Page 225 – BOOOOM

The Axe Cop Swinger™ 2008.
Because if you’re going to design an axe that doesn’t chop off a head, it’d better do something interesting.

AXE COP – REVENGE ON RAINBOW GIRL wraps up next week, so someone else make me draw something. Hit me up at my Facebook page and give me something else to doodle. …Preferably for money.

KIDS’ QUOTES OF THE WEEK

Amelia rolls around in the grass at the entrance to the
cemetery. Charlie says “Mia, we’re in a graveyard.
Do you really want to roll around in dead people??”
-Charlotte, 7 years old

“If the car window cuts off your arm and
another car runs it over, would you feel it?”
-Amelia, 4 years old

Page 224 – Bright Purple

When you turn good, whatever you’re wearing turns brighter and more saturated. It’s just the way it is.

Just two comics left to go, and Ethan’s going to pick things back up.

The action’s not over with. Next week, we learn of the other functions of the Axe Cop Swinger™ 2008.

KIDS’ QUOTES OF THE WEEK

Charlotte: “I have cocks!”
Mommy: “Excuse me?”
Charlotte: “Cocks! That’s short for comfy socks!”
-Charlotte, 9 years old

Amelia’s drawing me a picture of Dracula.
“I drawed the cape for evil.”
-Amelia, 5 years old

Page 223 – The Kids Don’t Care

So I’m back from tour now. I’ll spare you any details or adventures, no one cares. The big event I’d like to talk about came up two weeks ago with Page 221. It seems I brought Fire Slicer back to life, and I didn’t even know it.

Fire Slicer was killed off in THE MOON WARRIORS GO CAMPING, a one-page story Malachai drew. I recall reading it back in 2011, but I apparently didn’t recall that the Moon Warriors were eaten by the God Of All Bears. I began to see the comments roll in about Fire Slicer being alive again and got all irritated with myself. I’ve been dreading this because in these big battle scenes, I’ve been drawing ancillary Axe Cop characters here and there and then wondering- are they alive? What’s the continuity, here? I had similar concerns about Leaf Man, Hand Cuff Man and Mr. Stocker. I’m pretty sure Mr. Stocker’s dead according to continuity, but I just couldn’t resist putting my favorite non-Axe Cop Axe Cop character in my story.

I went to Ethan a few times asking up on whether a character is alive, but the dude was planning a wedding, drawing a comic, overseeing a TV show and doing any number of other things. Eventually he just said “draw who you want, don’t worry so much about continuity.” That’s not a direct quote, mind you, I don’t feel like hunting through gmail to find that. Anyway. In a kid logic universe, death may mean even less than it does in the Marvel Universe. Hell, Axe Cop was killed on the same page where Fire Slicer returned and it meant almost nothing.

So, yeah, I brought back Fire Slicer by accident. Whoops. Ethan says not to worry about it for reasons that remains to be seen. Let’s just say that God Of All Bear stomachs aren’t all they’re cracked up to be.

KIDS’ QUOTES OF THE WEEK

‎”I’m gonna have the most beautiful wedding,
and if you guys don’t die by then, I’ll invite you!
But if you DO die by then, I’ll invite your
ghosts. Just don’t creep me out.”
-Charlotte, 7 years old

Me: “I dunno Mia, this is a pretty scary story.
I don’t think it’s good for you to hear it before
bed, I don’t want you to have nightmares.”
Amelia: “It’s okay Unca Tommy, when you
say scary things, my head doesn’t
hear them. So I don’t hear them either.”
-Amelia, 3 years old

Page 222 – The Perfect Revenge

And there you have it: the perfect revenge. We got to this part in the story and she laid out the revenge. I said “that’s it?” She said “yeah!” So, why not. An elaborate plan can be a simple murder, sure! You don’t argue with kid logic.

So. Yeah. Rainbow Girl’s dead. Enjoy your meal, Wexter.

The story’s not over yet. Next week: Lightning Boy strikes back.

KIDS’ QUOTES OF THE WEEK

Charlie has lost a Wii game.
She sadly says “I have no hearts left.”
-Charlotte, 6 years old

Amelia’s woken mommy up.
“Come on mommy, let’s get up! I sitting up, you sit up!
I getting out of bed! I go on my BELLY! Let’s GO!”
-Amelia, 3 years old

Page 221 – Sparkling Like A New Man

Yeah, I said someone would die. I didn’t say it would last. Thanks, Ralph Wrinkles!

When I asked Charlotte what sort of a battle cry Rainbow Girl may have as she kills Axe Cop, she blurted out “rainbowtastic!” almost immediately. Makes sense to me.

I’m on tour right now. I had to upload this and the next page, and write up the blog posts for them, in advance. Rough stuff. Right now I’m somewhere off in the south, playing metal for underattended shows. But, hey, it’s travel.

Next week we will finally see Axe Cop get… the perfect revenge. He and Dinosaur Soldier and Army Chihuahua planned it way back on page 6. What could this plan entail? We finally learn next time.

KIDS’ QUOTES OF THE WEEK

Charlotte is looking for Wiimotes and finds one of the empty
silicone sheaths. “I found one, but it’s got no bones in it.”
-Charlotte, 6 years old

“I dreamed I had twenty-nine ice creams with sprinkles,
cherries and hot fudge. Then I throwed up. I ate a
chicken and I throwed up again. Then me and Charlotte
falled down the stairs that were made of toilet paper
and daddy catched us before we broke our legs.”
-Amelia, 4 years old

Page 220 – Orange juice?

Axes deflect burning hot rainbows. Just so you guys know.

I’m taking off on tour for the next two weeks, but the pages will go up. I’m cranking away at the comics mill to get the pages done in time. Weirdly, the big pain in making these isn’t the art or coloring or lettering, so much, but the sound effects. I really don’t like doing sound effects. I try to adhere to Nate Piekos’s (of Blambot.com) methods of coming up with sound effects, but maaan, I don’t know that I’m cut out for it. I do know that a good sound effect really helps a panel a great deal. I just don’t feel like I’m the guy to make them. Being the only guy working on a comic can be really frustrating in a number of ways.

The battle ramps up between Axe Cop and Rainbow Girl. Next week… SOMEONE DIES.

KIDS’ QUOTES OF THE WEEK

“I really like learning about fire.”
-Charlotte, 6 years old

Amelia’s singing along to the radio.
“Oh, I just died in your arms tonight
It must have been a pillow fight”
-Amelia, 6 years old