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Frank Miller's RoboCop #1-3
The Complete Frank Miller RoboCop Omnibus
The complete collected adaptation of legendary storyteller Frank Miller’s original vision of RoboCop. Included in this omnibus are writer Steven Grant’s (2 Guns) adaptations of the unproduced screenplays for RoboCop 2 and RoboCop 3 originally written by Frank Miller (Sin City, 300). Includes selections from Frank Miller's screenplays, and an original never-before seen RoboCop Frank Miller art piece from his RoboCop 2 screenplay. Bear witness to the wall-to-wall violence, black comedy, science fiction, and neo-noir that never made it to the big screen.
Collecting FRANK MILLER'S ROBOCOP #1-9 and ROBOCOP: LAST STAND #1-8.
Collecting FRANK MILLER'S ROBOCOP #1-9 and ROBOCOP: LAST STAND #1-8.
401 pages, Kindle Edition
First published December 7, 2016
83 people are currently reading
129 people want to read
About the author
Frank Miller
1,358 books5,377 followersFrank Miller is an American writer, artist and film director best known for his film noir-style comic book stories. He is one of the most widely-recognized and popular creators in comics, and is one of the most influential comics creators of his generation. His most notable works include Sin City, The Dark Knight Returns, Batman Year One and 300.
Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name.
Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name.
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Displaying 1 - 23 of 23 reviews
December 21, 2019
When I found out these existed I thought it was a cool idea. Frank Miller's unproduced screenplays from Robocop 2 and 3. Sounds great. The robocop 2 adaptation was originally made by Avatar and IT IS TERRIBLE. Like a lot of Avatar's comics, it's full of graphic violence to the point of just being gross. It's full of rampant sexism and T and A. The female police officers get their clothes blown off until they are girls with guns in lingerie. It's ridiculous. Juan Jose Ryp is a fantastic artist now, but back then his art was super detailed, yet, he hadn't figured out how to make his characters stand out in each panel. I couldn't tell what was going on in half the pages.
The Robocop 3 book at least has coherent story and art. It's Robocop trying to stop the OCP from destroying Old Detroit.
I would only bother with this if you're a huge Robocop fan.
The Robocop 3 book at least has coherent story and art. It's Robocop trying to stop the OCP from destroying Old Detroit.
I would only bother with this if you're a huge Robocop fan.
June 3, 2017
This heavy volume contains two long format graphic novels illustrated from unproduced screenplays by Frank Miller, and a shorter epilogue set in the same timeline. The two stories are illustrated by different artists. It appears to me by the significant difference in pacing and panel placement between the two stories that the artists were probably also responsible for translating the stories from screenplay to page, as compared to a more traditional comic strip in which the writer would describe panels, placement, and sometimes even the size and details of the individual panels. Whether or not this is so, there is a significant difference between the two stories and their methods of storytelling. My judgment is that the first is far superior.
The stories fit together as a whole. Anyone who enjoys the first would likely want to read the second. However, the stories are available separately. Since the second isn't essential, if a reader wanted something shorter, I'd recommend only reading the first.
Both stories are very Frank Miller. They are dark, cynical, pessimistic, violent, cruel, and gratuitous in gore and titillation. As I came to the end of the book, I wondered if the word "sci-fi-sploitation" had ever before been used. Readers familiar with Miller will see a lot they've seen before. There are strong echoes especially of The Dark Knight, especially in the first story.
Miller does a fantastic job of capturing the spirit and tone of Robocop, as interpreted of course through his unique brand of storytelling. I personally found that the difference between the films Robocop and Robocop 2 - the latter based on Frank Miller's script - to be a jarring swing to the right. Miller loses some, but not all, of the dark satire in the original film, and seems to bring a darker, more conservative perspective to the story. It isn't a worldview I share, but this comic shows him pulling off this change in interpretation better than the films.
Fans of Miller and Robocop know what they are likely to find here. This is Miller being Miller, not slumming. The first story is Robocop at its best. The second is passable. Fans of both will enjoy the book. It is unlikely to convince people new to this writer or franchise.
The stories fit together as a whole. Anyone who enjoys the first would likely want to read the second. However, the stories are available separately. Since the second isn't essential, if a reader wanted something shorter, I'd recommend only reading the first.
Both stories are very Frank Miller. They are dark, cynical, pessimistic, violent, cruel, and gratuitous in gore and titillation. As I came to the end of the book, I wondered if the word "sci-fi-sploitation" had ever before been used. Readers familiar with Miller will see a lot they've seen before. There are strong echoes especially of The Dark Knight, especially in the first story.
Miller does a fantastic job of capturing the spirit and tone of Robocop, as interpreted of course through his unique brand of storytelling. I personally found that the difference between the films Robocop and Robocop 2 - the latter based on Frank Miller's script - to be a jarring swing to the right. Miller loses some, but not all, of the dark satire in the original film, and seems to bring a darker, more conservative perspective to the story. It isn't a worldview I share, but this comic shows him pulling off this change in interpretation better than the films.
Fans of Miller and Robocop know what they are likely to find here. This is Miller being Miller, not slumming. The first story is Robocop at its best. The second is passable. Fans of both will enjoy the book. It is unlikely to convince people new to this writer or franchise.
November 14, 2017
Meh. Incoherent. Laboriously hamish. Thinly developed. Aggressively sexist and misogynistic. Poorly plotted.
I don't care about Frank Miller, and mostly find his dude bro angst tediously gratuitous. His RoboCop has nothing on Verhoeven's remarkable art trash action satire. I know, Miller didn't adapt these graphic novels; only penned the scripts. But these adaptations come off with about the same obnoxious superficiality found in many of Miller's original works--Batman: Year One is the exception. I've never understood why so many like him. Don't think I ever will. He's but a pale imitation of far better artists.
I don't care about Frank Miller, and mostly find his dude bro angst tediously gratuitous. His RoboCop has nothing on Verhoeven's remarkable art trash action satire. I know, Miller didn't adapt these graphic novels; only penned the scripts. But these adaptations come off with about the same obnoxious superficiality found in many of Miller's original works--Batman: Year One is the exception. I've never understood why so many like him. Don't think I ever will. He's but a pale imitation of far better artists.
December 1, 2021
Frank Miller's writing shines, but the artist are....less than his equal. Top that with the lack of even a cursory introductory essay to give the work some context and you have a read that is interesting as a 'what if' curio but which has little other value.
May 7, 2019
Although I love much of Frank's work, I can say this book worked for me. It has plenty of satire of corporate toxicity and social trends (circa 1990), but it's surprisingly light on plot and totally transparent on character. The first part (Robocop 2) has some good ideas in it, but not enough character and the art is too busy, cluttering the storytelling with insane detail like a poor man's Geoff Darrow. The second has better art and clearer characters, but lacks the bite of the first.
The most fascinating thing about both stories is the prominence of women characters. Robocop is nearly a cipher, so the main villain and lead protagonist in each narrative winds up being a woman, shadow in the villains' cases but compelling in the heroes' instances, despite the artist's tendency to partially undress her in the first story.
The most fascinating thing about both stories is the prominence of women characters. Robocop is nearly a cipher, so the main villain and lead protagonist in each narrative winds up being a woman, shadow in the villains' cases but compelling in the heroes' instances, despite the artist's tendency to partially undress her in the first story.
July 14, 2019
I was SO excited to read what I understood to be the Frank-Miller-penned script for Robocop 2, which was turned down for movie-dom because it was "unfilmable" and then made into a comic. There is no part of what is set down there that I find uninteresting.
But the book needed some work. It was kinda confusing. The general idea, a rogue Robocop fighting the company that made him, would have made for a great movie. But I'm not real sure about the beats of the story.
Believe me, if you want to capture my interest, tell me something was too violent for 1980's film. But then you have to deliver something that makes me think, "Yes, agree. Too violent."
There was a moment where Murphy's partner was in a gunfight that seemed to blow most of her clothes off. THAT was a very 1980's action moment. But other than that, the whole affair could've been more 80's.
But the book needed some work. It was kinda confusing. The general idea, a rogue Robocop fighting the company that made him, would have made for a great movie. But I'm not real sure about the beats of the story.
Believe me, if you want to capture my interest, tell me something was too violent for 1980's film. But then you have to deliver something that makes me think, "Yes, agree. Too violent."
There was a moment where Murphy's partner was in a gunfight that seemed to blow most of her clothes off. THAT was a very 1980's action moment. But other than that, the whole affair could've been more 80's.
November 13, 2021
Reread it to see if my opinion has changed, it didn’t. I’ve come to the conclusion that outside of the 1st movie there really isn’t anything interesting about the character.
September 28, 2018
Man, this is bad. Bad story, bad writing, bad art. Just. . . ughhh.
May 19, 2025
We now reach my last Robocop comic, at least so far...
This book includes the adaptation of the unproduced screenplays for Robocop 2 and 3 that Frank Miller wrote. Of course I had to read it! Agreed, Robocop 2 and 3 are not that great, to put it mildly, but it still could hold a few good ideas as crazy as the ultraviolent techno-dystopia run by megacorporations that the first instalment established, incidentally some topic where Miller had a chance to shine with (say Ronin and/or Martha Washington). Maybe these screenplays, free from any studio interference, would be more interesting... I was wrong.
Robocop 2 got some interesting artwork by Juan José Ryp and Steven Grant has always been a solid writer but honestly there's not much to save from this hell of a fuckup. If you've watched the movie you can connect some dots easily (there are some plots from 2 but also from 3 as well) but I wonder how it'd be if you had never seen it cause this is real havoc. Even if we were to follow that path, I honestly can't find anything interesting or even fun.
Robocop 3... well, at least it's somewhat more coherent and makes it for an amusing read too but definitely not great. Dull and derivative.
Certainly, Alex Murphy deserved more.
This book includes the adaptation of the unproduced screenplays for Robocop 2 and 3 that Frank Miller wrote. Of course I had to read it! Agreed, Robocop 2 and 3 are not that great, to put it mildly, but it still could hold a few good ideas as crazy as the ultraviolent techno-dystopia run by megacorporations that the first instalment established, incidentally some topic where Miller had a chance to shine with (say Ronin and/or Martha Washington). Maybe these screenplays, free from any studio interference, would be more interesting... I was wrong.
Robocop 2 got some interesting artwork by Juan José Ryp and Steven Grant has always been a solid writer but honestly there's not much to save from this hell of a fuckup. If you've watched the movie you can connect some dots easily (there are some plots from 2 but also from 3 as well) but I wonder how it'd be if you had never seen it cause this is real havoc. Even if we were to follow that path, I honestly can't find anything interesting or even fun.
Robocop 3... well, at least it's somewhat more coherent and makes it for an amusing read too but definitely not great. Dull and derivative.
Certainly, Alex Murphy deserved more.
April 12, 2020
In theory this should all work out pretty well. Comic book legend Frank Miller, known for his gritty, often over-the-top machismo-laiden storytelling and RoboCop, a steroidal vision of the future from the late 80's where corporate elites oversee the steady decline of humanity.
In theory, yes. In practice, as a comic book adaptation of Miller's original vision for RoboCop's 2 and 3, it's ever quite so almost there. Much of it better suited for the screen rather than the page, the art is a muddle and doesn't always punctuate the beats the story is going for.
As storytelling it's a much better effort. Miller was trying his darnest to create an honest-to-goodness trilogy but would never see that vision realised on-screen. Altogether it feels a far truer follow-up to the first film and resolves it's larger themes in a more sincere way than the filmed sequels ever did.
Worth a read if only to get a rough idea as to how an unrealised vision might have looked but I think it deserves better presentation. A less than definitive way of presenting a definitive work.
In theory, yes. In practice, as a comic book adaptation of Miller's original vision for RoboCop's 2 and 3, it's ever quite so almost there. Much of it better suited for the screen rather than the page, the art is a muddle and doesn't always punctuate the beats the story is going for.
As storytelling it's a much better effort. Miller was trying his darnest to create an honest-to-goodness trilogy but would never see that vision realised on-screen. Altogether it feels a far truer follow-up to the first film and resolves it's larger themes in a more sincere way than the filmed sequels ever did.
Worth a read if only to get a rough idea as to how an unrealised vision might have looked but I think it deserves better presentation. A less than definitive way of presenting a definitive work.
April 30, 2018
I had thought it was going to be the graphic novel that inspired the first movie. Nope, it is Miller’s proposal for RoboCop2, in graphic form. But it looks like the movie went with something else, so it looks like he re-jiggered it for Robocop3, but they went with something else.
I LOVED Frank Miller's The Dark Knight, but not this. So much unsophisticated cynicism. Apparently big corporations are crawling with psychopathic killers. Very busy artwork, but much of it doesn't resolve into actual detail. And he can't draw a woman without sexing her up. OK, so thanks for that at least.
I'm a bit surprised by accusations of misogyny. Yes, several of the major villains were women, but also several of the major heroes. At least they were significant in the story.
The epilogue portion was better.
That said, it was still stylish and dramatic, crafted for impact, visually creative. It's a mediocre work by a major artist.
I LOVED Frank Miller's The Dark Knight, but not this. So much unsophisticated cynicism. Apparently big corporations are crawling with psychopathic killers. Very busy artwork, but much of it doesn't resolve into actual detail. And he can't draw a woman without sexing her up. OK, so thanks for that at least.
I'm a bit surprised by accusations of misogyny. Yes, several of the major villains were women, but also several of the major heroes. At least they were significant in the story.
The epilogue portion was better.
That said, it was still stylish and dramatic, crafted for impact, visually creative. It's a mediocre work by a major artist.
May 7, 2018
This is brilliant -everyone is entitled their own opinion, but some of the other reviews for this confuse me.
To start - I hate the Robocop sequels, didn't mind the TV and cartoon, and enjoyed the direct to TV films. I can be considered a fan of Robocop, so not surprisingly, I really enjoyed this book.
Miller's original story treatments aren't perfect, but they would have made far superior films than what we were treated to. This book needs tackling in 3 section, Robocop 2, Robocop 3 and the epilogue.
Robo 2 -Not a massive fan of the art style, but the story is well done and an enjoyable read
Robo 3 -Art is great, Story is excellent and a far departure from the film version
Epilogue - Not a Frank Miller creation, but very good all same. It serves as a fitting and conclusive end to the Robocop series
Read this book
To start - I hate the Robocop sequels, didn't mind the TV and cartoon, and enjoyed the direct to TV films. I can be considered a fan of Robocop, so not surprisingly, I really enjoyed this book.
Miller's original story treatments aren't perfect, but they would have made far superior films than what we were treated to. This book needs tackling in 3 section, Robocop 2, Robocop 3 and the epilogue.
Robo 2 -Not a massive fan of the art style, but the story is well done and an enjoyable read
Robo 3 -Art is great, Story is excellent and a far departure from the film version
Epilogue - Not a Frank Miller creation, but very good all same. It serves as a fitting and conclusive end to the Robocop series
Read this book
December 30, 2024
Frank Miller's work is hit or miss, in my opinion. His work with RoboCop falls somewhere in the middle. It starts off strong but loses steam as it continues. However, I am a huge Fan of RoboCop, and I love that this exists. I am in the minority; I love RobCop 2. RoboCop 3, not so much. If you're a diehard RoboCop fan then you'll love it.
December 16, 2020
This omnibus compiles a decadent, ultra violent series of stories that could have become much better sequels to the original RoboCop movie. Miller's style and themes are clearly influenced by the Verhoeven classic dystopian mood.
July 30, 2021
This book is terrible. It’s Frank Miller’s actual script of Robcop 2 that got rewritten without his consent. That is bad movie, but kind of fun-bad, while this comic is just bad bad. It’s so over the top that at times I had to remind myself that it wasn’t parody. Do not read
June 11, 2023
While the writing is far better than both RoboCop 2 & RoboCop 3, the artwork isn't the best at times. However it's a great collection filled with lots of action, humour, craziness and dark themes. What both RoboCop films should have been but weren't. A must have got all RoboCop fans.
August 15, 2019
Difficult to imagine why this incomprehensible mess never got made into a movie.
September 25, 2019
This is very interesting to read - it's the original, non-mutilated scripts for Robocop 2 and 3 turned into a comic book. They are a lot better than what the movies turned out to be.
June 3, 2022
While concepts in here are interesting, Miller has just such an ugly streak. He can’t seem to find the humanity in the machine.
June 13, 2022
Azione troppo veloce e confusionaria per i miei gusti
March 11, 2023
3 better than 2
Pretty ho hum Miller edginess. You can see the bones they picked over for 2, but his ideas for 3 were way better
Pretty ho hum Miller edginess. You can see the bones they picked over for 2, but his ideas for 3 were way better
August 29, 2025
Arguably as trash as the sequels we actually got.
Read
January 1, 2019Where does anyone anywhere get the chutzpah to call a piece of work 'The Complete Frank Miller RoboCop Omnibus' while not including the Miller/Simonson RoboCop Versus Terminator? I ask you. The nerve! Complete? Hah!
(Still, there's something somewhat appealing here, rough-edged and unhewn as it may be. You can see the germ of what could be. That's not always true for Miller's later work; I guess age and booze gets in the way of it.)
(Still, there's something somewhat appealing here, rough-edged and unhewn as it may be. You can see the germ of what could be. That's not always true for Miller's later work; I guess age and booze gets in the way of it.)
Displaying 1 - 23 of 23 reviews