The Frank Miller side of the Robocop story presented here ended at #7. It is over. Robocop prevailed. New Detroit was left in shambles and all the baddies are done. Or are they? I have felt throughout this entire series, that it just wasn't a great story. It had lots of big time action and hardcore violence. But other than that, things were just not there. No real substance managed to make it in, and no real heart either. It was a pity, as I am a huge fan of Frank Miller's work. The script that issues #1-7 covered became Robocop 3, which wasn't a great movie. The story was that Miller's script was changed significantly and that was the reason why. Well, The studios may have brutalized the script to the point that Miller left Hollywood for a while. But seeing the original script played out in comic form just added to the fact that the story just might not had been that good in the first place. I haven't been pleased. But fret not readers, because Boom Studios decided to make this mini eight issues, allowing for some "original" material to wrap things up. I believe that it was a good idea as I found within the pages of this one issue that missing element from the other seven. It had heart, lots of heart. And this issue provided an appropriate wrap up deserved of the Robocop franchise. It is good.
Ed Brisson writes in this issue and covers events shortly after the action of Last Stand #7. With the baddies gone, a vacuum has occurred in the city for power and The Scavengers gang has filled the void. They are tagging the city, trashing the city, and destroying the very spirit of the city (the landmark and the people). Yeah, they are bad dudes. When brought to his attention, Alex Murphy knows what he has to do. He has to take the city back for the people. Despite being out-manned and outgunned, Robocop goes to save the day.
That is the basic plot, but there is an underside to the story that swells up and provides some serious firepower in this rendering. It feels almost like a one shot comic, as it tells a whole story. I had to keep checking to make sure that it was a #8 from the same series that I had been reading. It is, and it blows the previous seven away like the great RoboCain did in the Robocop 2 movie. Speaking of which, RoboCain is here too. How he fits in here is worth reading and enjoying. Brisson writes a great tale and covers all angles excellently. Action, drama, humor. It's all here. Then there is the added area of heart. Brisson writes the story with real heart, making for an inspiring tale of redemption for people who have been nothing more than collateral damage for far too long.
Oztekin's wonderful art continues to be the rock star of the whole series, portraying every panel with wonderful design details. He makes the frames busy and keeps you moving along at a good pace. He's been here from the first, so I am very glad to see that the story finally catches up with him.
I entered this issue not knowing what to expect, but assuming the worse. The series had not impressed me and I didn't have much hope that this one would turn things around. I was wrong, dead wrong. Bisson and Oztekin's one two punch made for a perfect send off and gave this mini a sense of meaning once again. It's about people, not how much you can blow things up. They nailed that meaning here.
Score: 4/5
Writer: Ed Brisson Artist: Korkut Oztekin Publisher: Boom Studios Price: $3.99 Release Date: 3/12/14