While I have a great love for the cheesy fun of the first Robocop movie, I hated the second one and never bothered seeing the third one. So my interest in Frank Miller's take on this character was really pretty low, because while he has a great record in comics, his record with Robocop is about as good as Joel Schumacher's wirh Batman. However, the word has always been that Miller's script was butchered by the forces of Hollywood, and Avatar has assembled a pretty impressive roster of talent to prove that word true with this comic-book adaptation of Miller's original plans for the character. The result is a pretty interesting mixture of urban nightmare, over-the-top violence and social satire, not quite as fun as that of Robocop director Paul Verhoeven or as pointed as I would expect from two outspoken writers like Grant or Miller (at least so far), but certainly interesting to read and full of potential.
Some of this material comes across as dated and over-the-top (and not in a good way), like the obnoxious and stupid Jerry Springer-esque show that we've all seen parodied a dozen times, often in a much funnier manner, but some of it captures the goofy fun that Verhoeven had with the material. The ironically upbeat infomerical about giving up your home for the promise of a better corporate future was well-done, and contrasted nicely with the urban squalor reality. In addition, the notion of corporations ruling our lives, and how far cops have a duty to protect and serve when they're not being taken care of themselves or respected by those they protect, are certainly topical questions of the day.
I'm a little surprised, given that neither Grant or Miller are shy with their opinions, that this comic is so straightforward in its approach. Rather than a sly commentary on ultra-violence or corporate greed, it comes across largely as an exercise in ultra-violence and cool action movie moments. Certainly the rendition of Old Detroit as a rundown urban warzone, as bad as if it had been hit by a nuclear bomb and had to rebuild without governmental structures or law enforcement, makes for a reality in which a machine-gun toting, viciously murderous cyborg can come across as a shining super-heroic example, but so far there's not a lot of personality to the book. It's just so much carnage.
It is lovely carnage, though. Juan Jose Ryp's style is almost too detailed at times, and in danger of having the important elements of the foreground blend into the background, but thanks to fantastic colors by Nimbus Studios and an artistic approach that certainly shows a lot of effort having gone into it, the style pretty much works. In particular, the kinetic charge of the car chase and the ultra-bloody after-effects of Robocop's crime-fighting tactics is very reminiscent of the adrenaline charge to be found in the Robocop movie. Ryp also doesn't skimp on the detail when it comes to weapons, buildings, vehicles and other technology, and it is his design sense that helps to bring forth the urban squalor so effectively.
Ultimately, however, this is just the beginning, and while there's reason to hope given how effectively this team has captured the over-the-top style of Robocop, there aren't the glimmers of plot or satire that were found in the Robocop film. If the creators can take the sensibilities, which they've obviously nailed given this issue as evidence, and apply it to a strong plot mixed with a good sense of irony and social observation, they'll really have something. Either way, I suspect they'll have a book that the few die-hard fans of this character will enjoy.
