Brandon Borzelli's Geek Goggle Reviews

Axe Cop Bad Guy Earth #1Axe Cop #1 of 3
Dark Horse Comics
Nicolle & Nicolle

By now everyone has probably heard of Axe Cop. A comic book that's written by a six year old and drawn by his thirty year old brother (yes, a quarter century age gap) that originally became a web hit now has its own mini series of original material. Part of the charm in the book is that it is from the mind of a child, but the book wouldn't be a coherent read if it didn't have that quirky element to hold it all together. In other words, the book isn't as chaotic as talking to a six year, but it has a level of unpredictability to it that you just don't see in a lot of comics these days. Overall this is a good book but you really have to let your imagination go while reading it.

If you want to understand how crazy this book is then you need not look further than the first page. Axe Cop is in a coffee shop with his partner Dinosaur Soldier when Axe Cop inadvertently drinks from a cup that is actually Mr. Cup. And by drinking from Mr. Cup he drank some of his brains. Mr. Cup may never be the same as his friend Mr. Hammer points out. If you find this confusing or uninteresting than you probably shouldn't pick up the issue because this is the type fun you get on every page.

The bulk of the plot deals with Axe Cop and Dinosaur Soldier trying to take out the villain planet that is threatening the Earth. The issue features highlights such as faint bombs, planet shockers, invisible labs, good guy machines and a laser portal gun. The issue moves quickly and provides a lot to digest. You get a little bit of Axe Cop's origin, high speed car chases, battles in space and a fire breathing dinosaur. What's not to like?

Ethan Nicolle's artwork holds everything together. His style is as fun as the story and his characters all have a level to them that isn't quite cartoon but doesn't take itself too seriously either. This is a book with a clear message that this story is to be enjoyed by simply sitting back and relaxing. There's nothing lurking below the surface and the art isn't trying to pry any extra emotions from the readers. It's just straightforward, pure fun.

There's a letter in the back from the older Nicolle explaining the genesis of the character and the inspiration for the book. Based on the description it just sounds like this creation was a blast, made a couple of people that were just being themselves. Really, this is all that a comic book should be about in order to be enjoyable.

4 out of 5 Geek Goggles