ROBOCOP VS
THE TERMINATOR

Robocop and The Terminator are both among my favorite movies. They both belong to the group of movies that I consider to be perfect as a whole. I'm not alone in this, as many others feel the same way. Both Robocop and The Terminator have received rave reviews from both audiences and critics alike. Arnold Schwarzenegger made his breakthrough in Conan the Barbarian and The Terminator solidified Arnold's path to stardom.

This time, we're not only discussing one of my favorite comics, but we'll also go through these two movie series and contemplate their sequels. We'll explore what went wrong in the sequels of both movie series and ultimately find what the audience truly wanted.

Robocop got a sequel, Robocop 2, which the general public was not as excited about, while I love the movie just as much as the first one. The reason for this is that Robocop 2 is not as well-written as its predecessor. In fact, it's written quite poorly. The main character doesn't grow, the movie occasionally wanders away from the main character, and so on.

The movie starts where the first one left off and we begin to follow Alex Murphy's humanity, which immediately stops, and then we start following OCP's attempts to take control of the city and develop a new cyborg. I understand the idea behind each scene, like OCP's attempt to make Alex Murphy's Robocop ineffective by programming him with strange whims. This way, the company gets an effective Robocop off the street, which further pushes the city to the edge. This also paves the way for a new Robocop. There's a plot and it's a good idea, but the script makes it really hard to follow, and thus the viewer is rubbed the wrong way.

There are a couple of reasons, one of which is that the movie hasn't been toned down for a family audience; instead, it's brutal and hits the viewer hard by presenting an even colder world where money men decide everything. The police are on strike solely because the OCP company is driving them to it. I personally love themes where human greed surfaces and common good is abandoned. Robocop 2 brings this up very well.

ROBOCOP 2

SO WHY DO I LIKE THIS MOVIE?

Another factor is that, in my opinion, the movie has the best child character ever. Many people dislike Gabriel Damon's portrayal of Hob, but I actually like him. Think about it - a child who is the right-hand man of a drug cartel leader and then rises to lead a criminal organization. The idea is absurd and that's why it's so great. In addition, Hob surprises you every time because he's such an unusual child character and that's why he sticks in your memory.

The villains of Robocop 2.

The theatrical poster.

The stop-motion animation in the movie is the best I've ever seen. Phil Tippett (Star Wars, Jurassic Park, Starship Troopers) did such an excellent job that his team's designed RoboCain comes to life so well that you hardly even notice the stop motion. RoboCain's first scene is really well shot. It's scary and memorable.

These individual things don't yet explain why someone would consider Robocop 2 as good as Paul Verhoeven's directed first movie. The most important reason lies in me and my personal way of watching movies. In this case, I don't watch Robocop 2 as a movie, but as a comic book that's been made into a movie. This is because the structure of the movie is like a comic book, focusing more on the story than the main character's growth.

This is how you design your super villain. The mighty RoboCain.

The reasons for this are most likely found in the movie's origin. Frank Miller (The Dark Knight Returns, Daredevil, Sin City) wrote the original script, which then had to be rewritten because it was unfilmable. It's great that the script has been turned into a comic book as it is, and from it, you can immediately see why it didn't pass for a movie.

I have somewhat mixed feelings about this comic book myself. The comic is kind of cool, but it's a heavy read. It's like eating a giant-sized pizza, where the last slices are too much for one meal. The comic book contains stuff that are familiar from RoboCop movies 2, 3, and then some. The events in the comic are so massive that it seems that two different movies have been adapted from the original script. I recommend checking it out if you're interested in RoboCop's world. And it's better to read it multiple times than to watch RoboCop 3 even once, which is a children's movie compared to the first two.

THE ORIGINAL SCRIPT

Get this book. It also includes the original story for Robocop 3 and that is a great one!

This scene ended up into RoboCop 2.

Here, however, are the reasons why I like the movie RoboCop 2. It's fun, full of action, attitude, unusual characters, social criticism, great effects before the digital era, and an absolutely top-notch superhero showdown, from which every superhero movie could take a cue. It's worth considering how much RoboCop 2 has inspired similar productions before judging it.

RoboCop 3 is just horrible movie and I have nothing to say about it. But there's a good news! Frank Miller's original script of RoboCop 3 is made as a comic book as well. That one kicks ass, so read it and pretend that the movie version never came out.

The first movie is like a horror film and contains harrowing scenes. The sequel isn't as harrowing but is otherwise a quality work and nicely advances the film series' story. Unfortunately, that's where it stopped, as the Terminator movies after the second one haven't added much to the story. Only the Sarah Connor Chronicles series still had some kick left, and even that was canceled prematurely.

T3 reveals why John Connor becomes the leader of the resistance movement, but otherwise, the movie doesn't tell us anything we don't already know. Salvation finally gives us the future war, but the same goes for it. We see things that were told in earlier parts, and the new revelations aren't significant. Genisys shows us the discovery of the time machine and the departure of the Terminator and Kyle Reese to the past. It's interesting, and we'd love to see more events happening in the dark future that we've been trying to guess, but again, it's not done.

Dark Fate shows us old things but with new names. The movie's hero is replaced with another character, and so is the villain. We don't want to see a new hero and villain clash; we want John Connor and Skynet. I watched Dark Fate only once and won't watch it a second time.

Instead, about a year and a half ago, I played Terminator Resistance and its DLC. The game was developed by the notoriously infamous Rambo the Video Game developer Teyon and published by Reef Entertainment. I never played Rambo because I saw in advance what was coming. The Terminator game also faced prejudices, but some development had occurred. Players embraced the game with open arms, so I decided to give it a try.

As a game, the production isn't very impressive. It's a bit like a poor man's Fallout if we can say so bluntly. But the game still works. It's not a modern-day standard masterpiece, but it's still a functional game. Then there's the content. This is how it should be done! In the game, you constantly feel that you're in the Terminator world, which is absolutely essential when playing a licensed game.

THE TERMINATOR

THE GAME KICKS ASS!

The game's script is functional but not extraordinary. However, it shows us things we've been pondering since the first movie. We get to fight against the destroyers we know, but we also encounter new machines. We see human extermination sites where machines take people to be destroyed. We see Kyle Reese's journey (DLC), etc. None of the movies have shown us these things. Are studios too cautious to bring this to the screen? Who knows.

The upcoming RoboCop game.

When movies fail, the games come to rescue!

Now the same studio is bringing out a RoboCop game. The last time I played an interesting RoboCop game was probably in the '80s. So now it's not very difficult to bring a new Robo game to the market. But I have expectations for this game. The original RoboCop, Peter Weller, returns to his role as a voice actor, which is like a promise of quality. The trailers have been nice, and I believe the game will capture the RoboCop world just like their Terminator game did. And it would be nice to have an expansion to the RoboCop world, revealing new things to us.

I also hope that the studio has developed as much as it did between Rambo and Terminator. It would be great if the RoboCop game were closer to today's standards and we'd get something unforgettable in our hands.

For some reason, movies don't seem to give good sequels to these beloved works anymore. The responsibility seems to have shifted to different media, such as games and comics.

Hello Hollywood! Play this game and learn how it is done!

Now we finally get to the main topic of this text, one of my favorite comic books. Robocop vs The Terminator offers an interesting story that delves deeper into the worlds of both characters in one package.

The comic begins in the future, where a Skynet-dominated world is destroyed and humanity has fought for its survival. Florence, a member of the future resistance movement, discovers a connection between RoboCop and Skynet. She learns that RoboCop's technology is key to creating Skynet. Florence decides to travel back in time and kill RoboCop so that Skynet would never be created and humanity's destruction would be prevented. Skynet, on the other hand, sends Terminators back in time to kill Florence and ensure its own existence in the future

The comic was published in 1992 and was written by the previously mentioned Frank Miller. Walter Simonson (Thor, X-Factor, Detective Comics) illustrated the work. Simonson can also be credited with New Fantastic Four, where Wolverine, Spider-Man, Hulk, and Ghost Rider form a new Fantastic Four team.

While Frank Miller's original Robocop 2 screenplay was a packed jumbo pizza, Robocop vs Terminator moves comfortably forward and is enjoyable and exciting to read. Creativity is used wonderfully, and we see new things like a human child portraying a terminator. That alone gives the feeling that you can't trust anyone or anything in this world.

Simonson's illustrations are clear and fit well into this type of story. The artwork is dynamic and moves the story forward smoothly. Simonson's illustrations enliven action scenes and create powerful visual elements that help the reader immerse themselves in the story. This is especially important in action-oriented comics.

THE AMAZING SEQUEL FOR BOTH MOVIES!

WALTER SIMONSON

Considering all the sci-fi starting points, the illustrations support them excellently. There are a lot of details when technical things are depicted on panels. The man draws RoboCop and Terminator in a way that they look like they do in the movies. Especially the details of the Terminator's endoskeleton must have taken a lot of time, and that time has been well spent. I appreciate it!

Walter Simonson

Frank Miller

When RoboCop takes off his helmet, the jaw drops. That's Peter Weller's Alex Murphy! Simonson has managed to illustrate Alex Murphy to look just like we know him from the movies. Details are present here as well. Not only do the faces resemble Peter Weller's, but they also include things from the movies, such as the scar where Clarence Bodicker shot Murphy in the first film.

As Murphy goes through things, Simonson illustrates emotions on his face, adding depth to the atmosphere. At this point, you forget that it's a comic book. There are the famous actor's faces in their iconic roles, doing what they do in the movies. They convey their character's emotions to the viewer and help them identify with them. Damn... This alone is something that, if you're annoyed that Robocop and Terminator didn't continue gracefully after the first two movies, this comic fixes the issue.

Peter Weller is back!

I notice that Miller and Simonson both strive to convey the recognizable elements of the movies. RoboCop's dialogue contains familiar lines from the movies. Then again, RoboCop poses in ways that remind you of certain movie scenes. Then there's the eternal question that little boys used to argue about.

WHO WOULD WIN?

Terminator, designed as a killing machine, moves smoothly and quickly, allowing it to adapt to various situations and be a dangerous opponent. This mobility and speed are part of its cybernetic frame design and make it an efficient fighter. On the other hand, RoboCop usually moves slower and more stiffly due to his armor and cybernetic frame. Slower movement can be a disadvantage in battle, but it doesn't necessarily mean that RoboCop is a weaker opponent.

RoboCop's skills and abilities, such as lightning-fast weapon handling and shooting, demonstrate that he has excellent reaction time and coordination, which can compensate for his slower movement. Although RoboCop's stiffness may affect his performance in some situations, his expertise and human side can still make him a serious challenge for other characters, such as the Terminator. The ultimate outcome in the battle would depend on many factors, including the characters' strategies, conditions, and environment.

The Terminator (especially the T-800 model) is designed to be extremely durable and can withstand significant damage, including hits from ordinary firearms. Therefore, RoboCop's handgun, the Auto-9, would likely not cause serious damage to the Terminator. RoboCop's Cobra Assault Cannon (also known as the Cobra Gun) could be a much more effective weapon against the Terminator. This extremely powerful, high-powered weapon can cause massive destruction and destroy armored targets. The Cobra Cannon could cause significant damage to the Terminator and even destroy it if it hit critical parts, such as the AI processor.

In this battle, RoboCop's ability to choose the right weapons and strategies would be a decisive factor in his success against the Terminator. Using a powerful weapon like the Cobra Cannon could give RoboCop the opportunity to defeat the Terminator. Does the comic then answer this question?

And here we go!

OH, YES!

Robocop and the T-800 face off, and a clear winner emerges from the match. When two different characters or brands meet in crossover stories like RoboCop Versus The Terminator, the creators often have to consider the characters' rights and fanbases. Therefore, they might want to balance the power relations between the characters and avoid giving a definitive winner so that fans of both characters won't be disappointed. This is not the case this time, and for good reason. Nowadays, it's unlikely that such an honest product would be seen, as businessmen would ruin the story by minimizing risks.

But the winner of the duel is not the biggest climax here, and the comic focuses on the dynamics between the characters. There are many twists and turns in the story, and at times while reading it, you would think the timeline is getting mixed up from time travel. RoboCop Versus The Terminator comic received generally positive reception, although opinions vary. Many readers and critics appreciated Frank Miller's script and Walter Simonson's drawings. By combining two popular movie characters, the story attracted both RoboCop and Terminator fans.

RoboCop still does what he was made for... Uphold the law...

RECEPTION

The comic received praise for creating an interesting and exciting story that combined the best elements of two different movie universes. However, some critics and readers may have felt that the plot was a bit complicated or that the comic did not fully live up to the potential of the major characters. Overall, RoboCop Versus The Terminator was an interesting and entertaining comic that received mostly positive reception. It is still remembered as one of the most intriguing and iconic encounters in comic book history. The good reception tells us that a game was released under the comic's name on several platforms

HOW I FEEL ABOUT IT

I like the story and the illustrations a lot, but I wonder how to rate this on a 0-5 scale. In the illustrations, I could complain about the colors because they are a bit faint, and thus cheapen the otherwise great illustrations. What bothers me more is the lack of a certain aspect. This isn't quite a perfect work because who comes to mind when you mention The Terminator?

That's right, it's missing the iconic Austrian muscleman in his black leather jacket and sunglasses. Specifically, Arnold's T-800 vs RoboCop would be an interesting story. Quotes like "Dead or alive, you're coming with me." and "I'll be back." associated with recognizable characters would have crowned this work. The first time I read this, I was left waiting for that. Seeing RoboCop with Peter Weller's face, I was left waiting for when the T-800, looking like Arnold, would appear. Arnold's absence doesn't ruin the comic by any means, but it would have been a super awesome addition.

What comes to the comic book being better than the rest of the sequels, I have an example why I feel like that. It is about the scene that made me almost drop from my seat in theaters about 20 years ago.

In T3, John Connor wonders how Judgment Day is still coming, even though they destroyed Cyberdyne and all the materials related to the Skynet project in T2. To this, the terminator played by Schwarzenegger replies that they only managed to postpone Judgment Day and that it is inevitable.

This is lazy writing, if anything. Arnold might as well have said in that scene that Judgment Day will come so they can make more movies because that's how the movie's explanation sounds to the audience.

When considering that single scene, the RoboCop vs Terminator comic offers a much more interesting perspective. The fact that RoboCop becomes a key figure in the birth of Skynet is something the characters in T2 didn't take into account. They destroyed Cyberdyne, but there would still be a cyborg operating in Detroit from which events would develop towards the birth of Skynet.

The comic doesn't tell it like this, but the reader understands this after watching Terminator 2. The reader must be able to connect the pieces themselves. This event requires combining the RoboCop and Terminator brands, which allows for this intriguing course of events. Therefore, I feel that this comic provides us with a reasonable reason why the future apocalypse happens, and it doesn't have to be made into humanity's destiny, as T3 lazily presents it.

In light of these points, RoboCop vs The Terminator stands as the best available sequel for both movie franchises. While it has its flaws, it doesn't lazily present events and offers action that suits both series without softening their edges. Additionally, it provides something completely new from both characters, and if anyone in Hollywood is reading this, I hope my message gets across.

4/5 stars.

This single page shows the values of humanity and the cold aspect of machines.