RoboCop (comics)

RoboCop
Cover of the 1st issue
Publication information
Publisher	Marvel Comics
Schedule	Monthly
Genre	Crime Science fiction (Cyberpunk) Thriller
Publication date	March 1990 – January 1992
Number of issues	23
Main character(s)	Alex J. Murphy/RoboCop
Creative team
Writer(s)	Alan Grant Simon Furman
Artist(s)	Lee Sullivan
Creator(s)	Alan Grant (writer) Lee Sullivan (illustrator)

Frank Miller's RoboCop
Cover of first issue. Cover art by Frank Miller
Publication information
Publisher	Avatar Press
Schedule	Irregular
Format	Limited series
Genre	Crime Science fiction (Cyberpunk) Thriller
Publication date	July 2003 – January 2006
Number of issues	9
Main character(s)	Alex J. Murphy/RoboCop
Creative team
Writer(s)	Steven Grant
Artist(s)	Juan Jose Ryp
Creator(s)	Frank Miller (original screenplay, concept supervisor) Steven Grant (writer) Juan Jose Ryp (illustrator)

RoboCop refers to a number of comic book series spun off from the feature film of the same name.

The main character is a cybernetic police officer from Detroit who begins as a human police officer Alex J. Murphy, who is killed in the line of duty by a vicious crime gang. Subsequently, Murphy is transformed into the cyborg entity by the megacorporation Omni Consumer Products (OCP). Since his 1987 film debut, the RoboCop character and franchise have been exercised through numerous entertainment media, including multiple comic book mini-series and ongoing series.

In March 1990, Marvel Comics released the first issue of an ongoing RoboCop superhero comic book series based on the film. The series ran for 23 issues, ending in January 1992. In addition, a one-shot was released in August 1990, reprinting in color the 1987 black and white magazine adaptation of the film. That same month also saw a black and white magazine adaptation of the film sequel RoboCop 2, as well as a three issue mini-series, printing in color the same contents as the RoboCop 2 magazine. (The RoboCop 2 adaptation, as well as the monthly comic, are notable for depicting the same locations, set design and OCP logo as the first film and not the substitute designs/sets seen in the actual film RoboCop 2. This would continue in the Dark Horse comics.)

The stories told within these issues take place between the second and third RoboCop films. Entering a Marvel Universe, though not the main superhero universe by Marvel, RoboCop's futuristic setting is expanded with more futuristic elements like gangs riding on hover bikes, urban droids carry out public services like waste disposal, and almost anyone with the know-how or money can create a giant killer robot. About mid-way through the comics run pressure from fan letters convinced Marvel to eliminate some of the more fantastical elements, such as flying characters citing that RoboCop was set only in the near future. This let to a few conundrums and contradictions such as having biker gangs riding flying cycles in one issue and then switch to standard motorcycles by the next. The comic also had to uncomfortably deal with inconsistent characterization misconceptions in the films. For example, in the first movie, OCP's Chairman "The Old Man" is portrayed as a good natured oldster who grew OCP from a small business and has little patience for the greedy corporate types he employs. In the second film his character has changed to a corrupt villain. This proved very unpopular with fans of the first film who had liked the character. It also created a major paradox for the writers of the Marvel comic monthly series, as we see the "Old Man" as a good guy in the RoboCop film adaptation, as a villain in the RoboCop 2 adaptation, and strictly a good guy in the early monthly series of original stories. What followed was a transformation that uncomfortably teetered between strictly well intended, morally ambiguous, and corrupt, but with a good excuse. Another slight, yet noticeable, change was the character of OCP executive Donald Johnson name to Daniel Johnson. This was most likely to avoid criticism from fans of the TV series Miami Vice, though the original naming of the character was likely an in-joke referring to Miami Vice star Don Johnson.