Axe Cop (TV series)

Development

The webcomic Axe Cop was created by Ethan Nicolle and his young brother Malachai, who was five years old at the time. Ethan developed the comic by taking the stories Malachai told, refining them without losing Malachai's inventiveness, and drawing the comic around them. The webcomic's popularity led to publishing deals with Dark Horse Comics for larger comic-book-sized stories. The television series originated from a conversation between Nick Offerman and Animation Domination High-Def producer Nick Weidenfeld some years before the program's debut. Offerman expressed interest in participating if a show were made. Weidenfeld brought the idea to Phil Lord and Chris Miller, also fans of the webcomic, who asked Weidenfeld to lead the project, stating it "has to be emotional." As Lord and Miller were working on 21 Jump Street, they suggested Weidenfeld turn to Judah Miller for directional help. Weidenfeld and Miller arranged a retreat with writers and creators of Drawn Together Dave Jeser and Matt Silverstein, voice actors Ken Marino, Patton Oswalt, and Offerman, and comic creator Ethan Nicolle. The group discussed favorite parts of the comic and how to translate it into a show, keeping moments that are "100-percent pure Malachai." When writing plots led to narrative dead ends, Ethan contacted Malachai to explain the story so far and have Malachai provide the missing narrative. Malachai also visited the studios during the animation process for the shorts and offered advice, such as insisting that Zombie Island be set in space, a tangent the writers and animators agreed with for its illogical humorous value and included.