Robocop: Beta 1 (February 2014)

Robocop Beta PRESS 1 I feel bad for the creators on Robocop: Beta, it’s not their fault the comic fails, it’s just the nature of pointless movie tie-ins. Otherwise it’s not a bad comic. It’s even got a good reveal at the end, it just doesn’t have anything else going for it. Ed Brisson’s able to give it a solid three act structure and Emilio Laiso’s art is decent.

Well, the art is decent for digest size. It’s hard to explain why, but it seems too big for the standard comic page. At a smaller size, it’d be a lot more effective. But it’s still perfectly serviceable art and the way Laiso draws the Michael Keaton character is nice. Not too photo-referenced but still recognizable.

Brisson can’t do anything with the comic because the comic is, as a part of the conclusion, supposed to be disposable.

It’s pointless and everybody knows.

C-

CREDITS

Writer, Ed Brisson; artist, Emilo Laiso; colorist, Michael Garland; letterer, Ed Dukeshire; editors, Alex Galer, Ian Brill and Eric Harburn; publisher, Boom! Studios.

Robocop: Memento Mori 1 (February 2014)

Is Memento Mori the best of Boom!’s terrible Robocop remake tie-ins? Maybe. It’s definitely the first one where the art engaged. João Vieira has the appearance of an interesting style. Cartoonish, almost. He really doesn’t–he just fakes it on the good panels and the rest are really pedestrian. But until one figures out the art, it does keep the mind occupied.

Speaking of minds and occupation, Mori is the story of Alex Murphy, human cop, as the doctors wipe his memory to install Robocop. Frank J. Barbiere apes countless tv shows, comic books and movies as Murphy runs through his subconscious trying to survive. It’s hideously unoriginal and completely nonsensical. Barbiere fakes having a point to the story.

But the comic does read quickly and one forgives the art problems and the unoriginality as things move along. Barbiere manages to promise something engaging… and fails to deliver.

CREDITS

Writer, Frank J. Barbiere; artist, João Vieira; colorist, Ruth Redmond; letterer, Ed Dukeshire; editors, Alex Galer, Ian Brill and Eric Harburn; publisher, Boom! Studios.

Robocop: To Live and Die in Detroit 1 (February 2014)

Robocop Again, not having seen the new Robocop movie, it’s hard to say who’s responsible for the nonsense of To Live and Die in Detroit. It could be writer Joe Harris. He certainly does write some terrible exposition about the Motor City and juxtaposes it against the lame action and activities of Robocop. Robocop, it turns out, is an asshat by the way. But did the editors make him an asshat or did the liaison at the license holder?

The art isn’t too bad. Piotr Kowalski does all right, actually. The sleek image of Robocop is boring, but the rest of the action’s decent. Shame about all Harris’s exposition. It’s nauseatingly obvious and incredibly lame. Unless some Detroit politician wants to give out the comic at a campaign rally.

But not with the resolution. The resolution is pure crap. Whoever came up with it should be ashamed of him or herself.

CREDITS

Writer, Joe Harris; artist, Piotr Kowalski; colorist, Vladimir Popov; letterer, Ed Dukeshire; editors, Alex Galer, Ian Brill and Eric Harburn; publisher, Boom! Studios.

Robocop (1987, Paul Verhoeven), the director's cut

There are a lot of acknowledged accomplishments to Robocop. Pretty much everyone identifies Rob Bottin and Phil Tippett. Bottin handled the startling makeup, Tippett did the awesome stop motion. Director Verhoeven gets a lot of credit–rightly so–and Basil Poledouris’s score is essential. Big scene or small, whenever Poledouris’s music kicks in, the film hits every note better.

One scene in particular is the Robocop in his old house sequence–which is just after Peter Weller starts to get the role as a character and not an automation; seeing Weller make that transition is amazing because he can’t do it with expressions, only pause.

That scene’s also fantastic for the unacknowledged Robocop accomplishment–Jost Vacano’s photography. He’s the one who makes the film feel real. Well, along with Verhoeven and the writers distaste for the cool-looking future they create. The writers are able to get in some great observations, but they never let the future get too real. It focuses the story’s attention unexpectedly well.

It doesn’t hurt the film’s perfectly acted. Easy examples are Kurtwood Smith and Miguel Ferrer, but everyone’s great. Nancy Allen is the perfect sidekick for Weller. Given how fast their characters get established in the film, they have to work well together immediately and they do.

Verhoeven’s the real star–he, Weller and Bottin, actually. Without Bottin and Weller, Robocop wouldn’t seem real, but without Verhoeven the film wouldn’t work. His approach to the violence–and the quiet–are essential to Robocop’s success.

Robocop: Hominem Ex Machina 1 (February 2014)

RoboCop Hominem Ex Machina rev Page 1 Okay, it’s a movie tie-in but it’s a prequel and a sequel. Who knows? The new Robocop isn’t out yet so is it even possible to gauge whether Michael Moreci and Jason Copland got the tone right… because they don’t create one of their own.

Moreci follows around Robocop’s human handler–or so the character seems, as I haven’t seen the movie–while Robocop is malfunctioning. There are riots, there are hostages, will Robocop come through in the end? Will Moreci actually write vicious criminals or ones out of toy commercials?

Vicious criminals wouldn’t fit Copland’s style. With the colors over Copland’s pencils–no inking here–Hominem Ex Machina looks like watercolor. It’s not an action style. Copland quite often flings Robocop through the air and it just looks absurd. So does all the tasering; it’s practically a PSA in favor of taser “safety.”

It’s somewhat inoffensive licensed dreck.

CREDITS

Writer, Michael Moreci; artist, Jason Copland; colorist, Juan Manuel Tumburús; letterer, Ed Dukeshire; editors, Alex Galer, Ian Brill and Eric Harburn; publisher, Boom! Studios.

Robocop: Last Stand 7 (February 2014)

Robocop Last Stand 007 rev Page 1 It’s an all art issue. It’s an all action issue too, but there’s not even the regular amount of witty banter for an action issue. So it’s just Öztekin doing a fight scene between Robocop and various cyborgs. All the cyborgs look alike. Robocop does have some special gear and there are a couple plot twists and sight gags… but it’s basically just this one fight scene.

I love Öztekin’s artwork but this issue doesn’t challenge him. He’s not doing anything crazy. Gone is the way he paced out intricate action sequences. It’s just Robocop punching one cyborg, then another one. Oh, they gang up on him and he’s got to persevere, but there’s no tension. That lack of tension is Grant’s fault.

Even though this issue has the big fight scene, it feels like a bridging one. What’s important isn’t what has happened here but what’s coming next. Unfortunate.

C+

CREDITS

Writer, Steven Grant; artist, Korkut Öztekin; colorist, Michael Garland; letterer, Ryan Ferrier; editors, Alex Galer and Ian Brill; publisher, Boom! Studios.

Robocop: Last Stand 6 (January 2013)

293044 20140108233914 large It’s funny how interesting art changes things in terms of pacing. Not just good art; there are plenty of comics out there with good art and bad pacing and the issue doesn’t work out. But with good, interesting art?

Take this issue of Last Stand–Grant skirts over a big plot development because it’s better to let Öztekin show it visually than to tell it with exposition. The whole issue takes place over fifteen or twenty minutes it seems and the issue reads in like four.

Except it’s bunch of great art used in perplexing ways. Öztekin still has Robocop, but he gets to visually play with all sorts of crazy other machinery and then also the desperate humanity of the whole thing. It’s big stuff and would have made a cool montage in a movie. But Öztekin does better than a movie could.

It’s a great-looking, solid comic.

CREDITS

Writer, Steven Grant; artist, Korkut Öztekin; colorist, Michael Garland; letterer, Ryan Ferrier; editors, Alex Galer and Ian Brill; publisher, Boom! Studios.

Robocop: Last Stand 5 (December 2013)

Robocop 05 rev Wow, what a downer issue.

In a lot of ways, it seems like a rejection of the reader’s expectations, which Grant had only recently raised–and only if the reader is familiar with Robocop 3. But this issue? This issue reaffirms the reader has no idea what’s going on.

Unfortunately it does feel rushed. Some of the rushing is for effect–bluntly and quickly presenting plot twists gives the issue a sense of urgency–but Öztekin’s art also suffers. The art’s still awesome, he just doesn’t get to do as many awesome action sequences. The action here is, like I said, rushed.

The narrative also suffers. Grant relies on one or two panel updates–not even the traditional Robocop news updates–to show big changes going on.

It’s a bridging issue. The twists get Grant some more good will–but the comic’s readable no matter what thanks to the art.

CREDITS

Writer, Steven Grant; artist, Korkut Öztekin; colorist, Michael Garland; letterer, Ryan Ferrier; editors, Alex Galer and Ian Brill; publisher, Boom! Studios.

Robocop: Last Stand 4 (November 2013)

Robocop 04 preview Page 1 When I got done with this issue, I looked at the indicia to make sure I was remembering correctly and there really are four whole issues left. I’m a little sad it isn’t five, because this issue is phenomenal.

Grant’s script, except some of the stuff with the corporate guys, mostly keeps out of artist Öztekin’s way. Not in a bad way, like Grant is lazy–he isn’t. He writes some funny stuff for the little kid, who was weak last time but is the perfect sidekick for Robocoo this issue. I just mean Grant lets Öztekin go wild.

Whether it’s a car chase or a dialogue sequence in the diner with Robocop’s friends, Öztekin always makes the right move. There are maybe three perfect panels in the car chase; fantastic.

And the Robocop repair sequence is wonderful. Öztekin’s style, by being so wrong for Robocop, is perfect for it.

CREDITS

Writer, Steven Grant; artist, Korkut Öztekin; colorist, Michael Garland; letterer, Ryan Ferrier; editors, Alex Galer and Eric Harburn; publisher, Boom! Studios.

Robocop: Last Stand 1 (August 2013)

Robocop01digitalpage1jpg e934bf 640w I’m going to regret making this statement. I’m liking Robocop: The Last Stand. At first I was confused with the art choice–Korkut Öztekin has a punky, very indie art style and it doesn’t seem to fit Robocop. But it works. He goes for these great caricatures on the characters, who writer Steven Grant is writing as caricatures anyway.

So the art works.

The issue I had, first off, was Grant apparently doing a sequel to his years old Robocop 2 adaptation from Avatar. I don’t think it’s an exact sequel and Grant doesn’t waste time recapping or even doing exposition. He does a fantastic job leaking details about the new ground situation–Robocop is a renegade out trying to help people, Nancy Allen is dead, the evil corporation is after Robo.

There’s also a terrible cliffhanger. Grant doesn’t even try to make it dramatic. He just stops the comic.

CREDITS

Writer, Steven Grant; artist, Korkut Öztekin; colorist, Michael Garland; letterer, Ryan Ferrier; editors, Alex Galer and Eric Harburn; publisher, Boom! Studios.