Even More Axe Cop Mania

I am now the proud owner of Axe Cop: Bad Guy Earth #2!  It is filled with the true amazingness I've come to expect from the Axe Cop universe.  I don't want to give too much away but I thoroughly enjoyed the battle between the dinosaurs and the aliens and I really wish my car had a "sword button."  If you haven't already done so, go make yourself familiar with Axe Cop and then find yourself copies of Bad Guy Earth #1 and #2.

I fully intended to go back to The Realm Games & Comics to make my purchase (you can read my previous post about The Realm here) but a bonus day off from my usual Wednesday nanny job made it possible to venture out into the comic book buying world during the day while there were still other stores open.  I consulted the "interwebs" and used ComicShopLocator.com to find Beach Ball Comics (on the corner of Beach Boulevard and Ball Road- clever).  I had been to this store a couple years ago when I had to pick up the copy of  Scud: The Whole Shebang they were holding for my husband.  I remembered the store being a friendly place and decided, since I didn't have to go back to the Realm, I shouldn't.  A quick phone call confirmed that Beach Ball Comics did in fact have copies of Bad Guy Earth #2 available.  The guy on the phone even offered to hold one just for me- this place already had more customer service points than The Realm and I hadn't even gotten there yet.

Walking in to Beach Ball Comics was like a breath of fresh air compared to my previous Axe Cop comic book purchasing experience.  This store was inviting, friendly, and the guys working there seemed like they were just having a good day selling comic books.  I didn't feel self-conscious or nervous walking into this place.  I didn't feel like I lacked enough "nerd cred" to be there.    My two-year-old daughter immediately gravitated toward the familiar TY Spongebob Beanie Babies, whose mere presence was an indication that this was no Dungeons and Dragons lair.  This was a wonderland of comics, toys, and collectibles.  This was a place where I felt comfortable geeking out without worrying about whether I was geeking out properly about the right thing.

We had fun browsing and pointing out fun things to each other.  My husband was rather taken by the giant Hulk statue that welcomed us into the store and our daughter went out of her mind when she saw the R2D2 that was bigger than her (she totally could have done Kenny Baker's job).  When we were done ooohing and aaaahing over all the fun stuff, I went to the front of the store and told the guy behind the counter that they were supposed to be holding an Axe Cop for me.  On his way to the other end of the counter before he even got to where they keep the stuff they are holding for people, he said, "Oh, yeah.  Katie, right?"  I was a bit stunned that he remembered my name from our short phone conversation hours earlier.  I couldn't even get the guy at "the other place" to look me in the eye.  Just as I thought this place couldn't get any better, I noticed that my new copy of Axe Cop: Bad Guy Earth #2 was neatly sheathed in a sleeve of plastic (which made it look very official and important).  The Realm didn't do that- at least not for free.

Needless to say, I will be visiting Beach Ball Comics again.  As for The Realm...The Realm who?  I realize the "light and fluffy" side of comics isn't for everyone and I'm not an expert by any means on what a comic book store should or shouldn't be like; however, I would much rather spend my money at a place where the staff is friendly and welcoming than a place where I feel like I'm interrupting some exclusive nerd meeting just by walking in the door.  I happily signed up for the Beach Ball Comics email newsletter and agreed to be a series subscriber which means when Axe Cop: Bad Guy Earth #3 comes out, they will automatically hold one for me, Katie.

Axe Cop Mania Continues

Wednesday, March 2, 2011 was a momentous day.  It was the day I made my first official comic book purchase ever.  It may come as a surprise to some of you that I'm not actually a "comic book" person.  I don't collect them, I don't really read them, and I've never followed an entire series.  That is, until Axe Cop (I may have mentioned Axe Cop here once or twice so, by now, you should have no excuse for not knowing what I'm talking about).

My comic book buying experience began with a few calls to local comic book stores to find out if they had any copies of Axe Cop: Bad Guy Earth #1 (the first straight to print Axe Cop series).  Since it was the official release date for the book I wanted to make sure I would be able to find a copy.  Many of my local shops had already closed for the day.  Some of them had never heard of Axe Cop (losers).  Others had already sold out of Bad Guy Earth- which was a bummer for me but great for Axe Cop!  Thankfully, The Realm Games & Comics is open until 10:00 p.m. on Wednesdays and they still had three copies of Bad Guy Earth #1.  My husband and I loaded our two-year-old daughter into the car and headed out.

I knew exactly where The Realm was, I've driven past it a million times, but until that night I had never actually ventured into the shop.  I will admit, I was a bit intimidated by the level of sheer nerdome  emanating from this place.  As we walked through the door into this strange dimension where at least twelve grown men were gathered around tables participating in various RPGs (Role Playing Games), I will admit I felt a bit out of place.  Not that I'm not a huge nerd myself.  I have participated in my fair share of nerdy activities; however, it's usually in a certain context and I'm usually dressed for the part and mentally prepared for what I'm about to experience.  On this night though, I was dressed like a "normal" person.

My husband and I later agreed that we felt like we represented the "real" world spilling in through the doors of this safe haven for fantasy role play.  There was a "what are you doing here" vibe when we entered- if there had been music playing I would have expected to hear the clichéd record scratch sound effect and then silence as the piercing eyes of hard core fanboys looked right through our souls.  We wondered later how often a real live female walks into that place, let alone a real live "miniature" female, dressed in bright pink, carrying a Cinderella princess figurine.  Perhaps it happens more often than I think but on this particular evening there were no visible hints of a feminine touch- not even that of a totally awesome nerdy girl who can hold her own against the boys in a trivia challenge.  I felt alone and lost with no one to relate to- okay, that's a little dramatic.

The awkwardness quickly faded as we pretended like we knew what we were doing and made our way to the piles of new comic releases and found what we were looking for.  We lingered a bit and thumbed through the graphic novels to see if we could find any copies of Scrooge and Santa- nope, didn't think so.  Our daughter was starting to get restless and kept saying, "Daddy, I wanna play with the toys," as she pointed to various figurines and action figures.  My husband's response to her was quite amusing, "No, Sofie, those aren't toys...well, I guess technically they are but...never mind, just don't touch anything."  So, in order to avoid offending any of the men who were playing with said toys (as pointed out by a two-year-old who simply sees the world as it is), we made our way to the counter to make our purchase.

As I pulled out my money and handed it to the guy behind the cash register, I proudly said, "I think you should know that this is my first ever official comic book purchase."  He stared blankly as he took my money and put it in the drawer.  "Great.  Well...enjoy it," he said, handing me my receipt but I'm pretty sure he was thinking, "Lady, just take your Axe Cop and your kid and let me get back to my RPG."

Axe Cop: Bad Guy Earth #1 was well worth stepping out of my comfort zone to obtain.  The story is shaping up to be amazing, in true Axe Cop form, and there is an epic drawing of a T-Rex crying.  Part two of the three part series comes out tomorrow and I plan on, once again, invading The Realm's personal space by showing up on a Wednesday evening with my husband and my daughter to make my second official comic book purchase ever.  I look forward to finding out why that T-Rex is crying and following Axe Cop through the rest of the journey as he chops off heads and saves the world- at least I'm hoping it will go something like that.

Happy Birthday Axe Cop!

A little over a week ago my husband and I got the following Facebook message from Ethan Nicole, a friend of my husband's (and illustrator of the online comic, Axe Cop, which is written by Ethan's six-year-old brother, Malachai)...

Hey Kenfields!
I have a question, and don't feel the least bit bad if the answer is flat out no. I just had an idea to have an Axe Cop birthday cake at the event on the 27th. I was trying to think of who would make a really awesome one and I thought of you guys. Of course I thought maybe Will could make a cool Axe Cop candle (like the one in the comic where he is holding up the two axe candles) but I figured I would see if you guys would be up to it...I like the idea of having a cake at this event, but there's no way I can make it happen, so I thought I'd see if you'd like to try.

Ethan

We were more than happy to help out a friend and honored to be a part of this special event. This table of baked goods is what we ended up with...


But I'm getting ahead of myself. Here's a detailed look at our adventures in cake embellishing.

Our efforts began primitively. After deciding the only logical thing to do was make Uni-Cupcakes, inspired by Uni-Baby and Uni-Man from Uni-Smart World, the goal became figuring out the best way to construct 80 or so unicorn horns. After considering various edible sculpting mediums, I chose Vanilla Tootsie Rolls. Thankfully, since Valentine's Day is just around the corner, Vanilla Tootsie Rolls are currently being sold in bags with their Cherry flavored counterparts. I did some practice runs with the cherry flavored candies (which, by the way, smelled exactly like the playdough I made from cherry flavored Kool-Aid the other day- huh) and then an actual vanilla one. They are pictured, from left to right, in the order I made them.


I decided coffee stir straws would be better than doubling up toothpicks and managed to perfect my unicorn horn twisting technique, here's the result...


...and then I made 86 of them...


The Uni-Cupcake Prototype (hand-crafted Vanilla Tootsie Roll unicorn horn stuck in an Albertsons Bakery cupcake). I am so glad this worked because I didn't really have a "Plan B" (obviously, I like to live on the edge)...


Lots of Uni-Cupcakes...


My daughter waited all day to partake of the chewy confection. In the world of Axe Cop, uni-horns can grant wishes. I wonder what Sofie wished for...


...another cupcake, of course!


This awesome candle, which topped an Albertsons Bakery cake, was constructed by Will Crawford (check out his blog here), another friend of Ethan's. It is a reference to Ask Axe Cop #3, Will did an excellent job making it authentic. Good thing too because we didn't want to get anything wrong like they did in Ask Axe Cop #50...


Another angle of the awesomeness...


Ethan and Malachai, the masterminds behind this whole crazy thing, did the honors and blew out the candles after we sang Happy Birthday to Axe Cop.


This whole event was just a really fun time. Ethan and Malachai signed lots of copies of Axe Cop Volume 1 (including ours). They also conducted a live panel during which they showed us the Axe Cop process, created a new character on the spot, answered some questions, and showed some great Axe Cop related videos. On the way home, my husband and I discussed how mind boggling this whole Axe Cop thing is. We are so proud of Ethan and the hard work he is doing. He displays an insane amount of patience in letting a six-year-old dictate the stories but it is the genuine love he has for his little brother that makes the whole thing work.

Happy Birthday Axe Cop! Your crazy antics and outrageous characters bring us laughter and remind us that even the innocence of childhood is riddled with bad guys whose heads must be chopped off.