Axe Cop: Animated Awesomeness

• Based on the webcomic Axe Cop
• Created by Ethan Nicolle and Malachai Nicolle
• Animation Domination (Fox)
• July 21, 2013 to June 25, 2015

Main Cast

• Main Title Narrator-Malachai Nicolle
• Axe Cop-Nick Offerman
• Flute Cop-Ken Marino
• Grey Diamond-Rob Huebel
• Anita-Megan Mullally
• Sockarang-Patton Oswalt
• Chemist ‘M’-Peter Serafinowicz
• Chief of Police-Tyler the Creator

An axe-wielding police officer is dedicated to killing the various bad guys he crosses paths with.

Axe Cop is an insane piece of television animation from years ago. This show is one of those things that is so different and unusual that it’s hard to put into words exactly what it is about. It’s a combination of a kid’s intense playful imagination and his brother who stitched together those random thoughts into a cohesive if not nonsensical narrative. At least that was the foundation of the show.

Listening to the dialogue you can see that this springs at least in part from the mind of a child. These are not intricate plots or well-developed characters. For example Axe Cop declares all girls stupid and that sounds much more like something a five year old would spout than what would spring from the mind of an adult. There is a zombie island in space. In one episode Axe Cop’s ancestor wins the revolutionary war and fights the King of England who looks suspiciously like the Burger King. And that is what made this show so much fun.

There is no real strong thread from one story to the next other than the characters. Axe Cop is very nearly stream of consciousness storytelling that is perhaps some of the most absurd material you will ever find on television.  If you have ever played with a young child, then you know what this show can be. They will come up with some of the most unusual out there things but it will be normal and natural to them. When watching this you will laugh and smile and try to figure out what you just saw and how anyone came up with it.

This might also make it not for everybody. The humor is bizarre and comes from the oddity of it all. You need to be willing for things to get weird and to just enjoy the ride. Not everybody can do that. A weird moment here and there is acceptable but continuously? Not so much for many.

And it all started as a comic. Axe Cop is perhaps one of the best comic book to screen translations of any property in comic book history. I admit to having discovered the show first and then discovering it was based on a comic book.

It was with some trepidation I went and picked up some issues (actually several of the limited series) at Baltimore Comicon years ago. I was curious what the source material was like and fully prepared for it to be nothing like what I saw. I was blown away when not only the essence, but the execution of the concept was exactly what I got when viewing the show. That is something extremely rare in how properties are handled. I could run a little long list of differences between the comic book and the film or the comic book and the TV show of many properties. This has virtually no difference that I can really think of. At least not one that’s important. 

There are some minor design changes and some coloring differences but nothing that will make you say, “That doesn’t look like the comic book” or ask, “Where did that come from?” Those appear to be to make it look good for the screen.

There is very little original or new out there on the big or small screen and the unfortunate thing is that when something original and unique shows up it gets passed by. Viewers like comfort food in the end or worse they like to feel crappy about the world or have their crappy worldview supported. This does not support a crappy worldview but rather will make you laugh and happy and smile. And this is perhaps one of the most unique shows I have ever encountered. It’s just so bizarre and difficult to explain. 

Axe Cop is a show that did not get the attention it deserves and left us far too soon. It is funny and bizarre. As of this writing it is available on Amazon Prime but you need to pay. If you haven’t seen this then you need to check it out. You will not regret it.

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