Axe Cop: The Book

March 8, 2011

Axe Cop is a story about a copy who has an axe. He uses it to cut people’s heads off.

The entire story, along with its characters, are the creation of Malachai Nicolle, age 5. He has a brother named Ethan Nicolle, who is very much older and who is very much a talented comic book artist.

The series began as an online comic (available online for free). I would recommend starting with Episode 1.

I kept up with the story for a while, but found that reading it in a browser wasn’t all that enjoyable. A few weeks back, I learned that the comic was actually out in book form! Happily, it arrived over the weekend and I’ve been reading it ever since.

There is no way I can adequately describe the Axe Cop universe. Suffice it to say that Axe Cop is the main character (his real name is Axey Smartist), and there are a host of other wonderful supporting characters. There’s Flute Cop (who is also sometimes Dinosaur Soldier, Avocado Soldier and Ghost Cop). There’s a baby with a unicorn horn, who grants wishes. And there are the Ninja Moon Warriors: Vampire Wolfer and Fire Slicer, who both live on the moon.

The best description I’ve come up with is that this story is a child’s Id let loose, unfettered and full of chocolate milk. Much, if not all, of the Axe Cop world is based in ridiculousness… but it’s Ethan’s artistic abilities that turn that world in to a clear reality. When you’re reading Axe Cop you’re not so much in it for the story… you’re in it to marvel at how this five year old’s mind works.

One of the areas I didn’t explore on the website was a section called Ask Axe Cop. These are user-submitted questions which Malachai answers. They are just as good as the regular story, and an added bonus of the book is that Ethan provides a bit of context as to each Q/A session.

Q: Dear Axe Cop – If you had to ride a dinosaur which dinosaur would you ride, and why?
A: I already have a T-Rex named Wexter.

// Edit: I’ve been reading this on the train to/from work, and more than once I’ve had to put down the book because I was laughing so much. The last book I remember sending me into giggling fits was Me Talk Pretty One Day, by David Sedaris.