I Am Axe Cop!

An exclusive chat with the creative force behind the newest viral web comic sensation. He’s a 5-year-old!

Perhaps you have visited the Internet recently. If so, you have probably been sent a link to the awesomely whimsical web comic Axe Cop, which has gone all viral in the past few days. The Axe Cop stories are imagined by 5-year-old Malachai Nicolle and are then illustrated by his 29-year-old, Eisner Award-nominated brother, Ethan. Axe Cop is about a cop—with an ax, obviously—who goes around beheading various monsters and bad guys with the help of his partner who is sometimes a dinosaur. Or other times an avocado.

To get the inside scoop on this web phenomenon, GCD phoned the brothers yesterday morning, starting with Malachai—who we interrupted brushing his teeth. He rinsed, then his dad handed him the phone.

GCD Have you shown Axe Cop to your friends at school?
Malachai I showed one that doesn’t have blood at school. It had zero blood.

GCD So it can’t have anything violent if you’re going to take it to school?
Malachai Nope. But in one of them Axe Cop chopped a snowman’s head off. Remember that? And he melted it. Was that cool?

GCD It was very cool. Are there any other comic books you want to write?
Malachai Yeah, Moon Warriors will be a new one. It’s when these ninja warriors are awake at night, and they fight at night. But in the morning they’re asleep.

GCD Why do they fight at night?
Malachai Because they’re called Moon Warriors, and they have to be up at night, like bats do.

GCD Will the Moon Warriors ever meet Axe Cop?
Malachai Hmm, that’s a good question. Maybe or maybe not. Axe Cop will see their faces and think they’re bad guys. He’ll say, “You’re bad guys!” And they’ll say, “No, we’re Moon Warriors!” Together they’re an unstoppable team.

GCD Have your parents put any of your comics up on your refrigerator?
Malachai No, but we’re gonna make a book out of them. And we’ve got it online. Ethan draws it on his laptop and then puts it online with a very long cord.

GCD How’s your big brother paying you back for helping out with this?
Malachai He doesn’t pay me! But if they want to buy the book, they’ll give us money so we can get rich. We love money!

Smart kid. Next we rang up Ethan. For his take on the whole phenomenon, and a story about how an Adult Swim exec accidentally invited his 5-year-old brother out for drinks, click here.

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