Fox Picks Up Axe Cop For Late-Night Animation

Axe Cop

, the popular webcomic by Ethan and Malachai Nicolle, has been picked up by Fox as the first new series for its upcoming Saturday night animation block (Animation Domination HD) intended to target adult viewers and compete with Cartoon Network's Adult Swim. The series, created by then 5-year-old Malachai, debuted in January 2010 and featured an axe-wielding police officer in reflective Aviator sunglasses and his merry band of misfit allies who join him to fight evil. It's every bit as silly and insane as you would expect of a comic written by a five-year-old, in both all the good and the bad that implies. "Axe Cop is one of the most creative, hilarious and naturally viral comic properties to emerge in the last decade," said division head Nick Weidenfeld in an interview with Deadline, who broke the news. "It has all the makings of an iconic animated series and it will help set the tone for Fox's new late-prime Saturday animation lineup." The article describes the business model for Animation Domination HD as pretty similar to Adult Swim, except that it's being designed specifically with digital distribution in mind. Says Deadline: "Axe Cop is one of four six-episode quarter-hour animated series Weidenfeld plans to introduce in the block during its first year on the air, along with about 50 short-form shows of 1-3 minute each, which are expected to also have strong digital presence."