Astonishing Tales is an American anthology comic book series originally published by Marvel Comics from 1970 to 1976. Its sister publication was Amazing Adventures (vol. 2).
113-427: In 2008 and 2009, Marvel produced 11 webcomics starring different characters under the umbrella title Astonishing Tales . Several stories were reprinted in the six-issue miniseries Astonishing Tales (vol. 2) (April–Sept. 2009). Astonishing Tales began as a split title with solo features starring the jungle lord Ka-Zar and the supervillain and monarch Doctor Doom in 10–page stories each. The latter feature
226-547: A "certain liability ... it sounds like ' Robby the Robot ' or Gobots or something else. It's nothing like that." The campaign began three months before the film's release, when 5,000 adult-oriented and family-friendly trailers were sent to theaters. Orion promotions director Jan Kean said that children and adults responded positively to the RoboCop character. Miguel Ferrer recalled a theater audience laughing derisively at
339-612: A "killer" aesthetic. Davies was influenced by killer whales and a United States Air Force LTV A-7 Corsair II . He approached the design with modern American aesthetics and a corporate-design policy that he believed prioritized looks over functionality, including excessive and impractical components. He did not add eyes, thinking that they would make ED-209 more sympathetic. The fully-articulated fiberglass model took four months to build, cost $ 25,000, stood 7 feet (2.1 m) tall, and weighed 300 to 500 lb (140 to 230 kg). The 100-hour work weeks took their toll and Davies minimized
452-591: A 25-cent and a 30-cent edition. Issue #29 (April 1975) was a fill-in that reprinted an edited version of the first Guardians of the Galaxy story, from Marvel Super-Heroes #18 (Jan. 1969). In addition to Astonishing Tales ' sister publication, Amazing Adventures (vol. 2), Marvel announced plans in 1970 for a never-realized third split book featuring Doctor Strange and the Iceman . In 2008 and 2009, Marvel produced 11 webcomics starring different characters under
565-651: A Buscema- Neal Adams collaboration on one issue. The feature ended with issue #20 (Oct. 1973). Barbara "Bobbi" Morse first appeared in the Ka-Zar story in Astonishing Tales #6 (June 1971) and would later become the superheroine Mockingbird. Joshua Link was introduced in Astonishing Tales #8 and later became the supervillain Gemini of Zodiac . Issues #12 and #13 introduced the Man-Thing to color comics, as
678-660: A Ka-Zar antagonist. Issue #14 featured a censored color reprint of the black-and-white Ka-Zar tale in the comics magazine Savage Tales #1 (May 1971). Two issues contained back-up-feature reprints of 1950s jungle stories from Marvel predecessor Atlas Comics : two stories from Lorna the Jungle Girl #14 (July 1955) in Astonishing Tales #9, and a Jann of the Jungle story from Jungle Tales #2 (Nov. 1954), in Astonishing Tales #14. Astonishing Tales #21–24 (Dec. 1973–June 1974) featured " It! The Living Colossus ", starring
791-481: A business in its own right, with sites such as Webcomics Nation . Traditional comic book publishers, such as Marvel Comics and Slave Labour Graphics , did not begin making serious digital efforts until 2006 and 2007. DC Comics launched its web comic imprint, Zuda Comics in October 2007. The site featured user submitted comics in a competition for a professional contract to produce web comics. In July 2010, it
904-454: A director proved difficult; Verhoeven dismissed the script twice because he did not understand its satirical content, until he was convinced of its value by his wife. Filming took place between August and October 1986, mainly in Dallas , Texas. Rob Bottin led the special-effects team in creating practical effects , violent gore and the RoboCop costume. Verhoeven emphasized violence throughout
1017-555: A few thousand dollars for the script rights and $ 25,000 between them for the rewrite. They were entitled to eight percent of the producer profits upon release. Davison's contacts with puppeteers, animators, and practical effects designers were essential to Verhoeven, who had no prior experience with them. The producers discussed changing the Detroit setting, but Neumeier insisted on its importance because of its failing auto industry. The connection between Clarence Boddicker and Dick Jones
1130-511: A fiberglass helmet. Moving sections were joined with aluminum and ball bearings. The costume is supported by an internal harness of hooks, allowing for sustained movement during action scenes. Seven costumes were made, including a fireproof version and costumes depicting sustained damage. Reports on their weight vary from 25 to 80 lb (11 to 36 kg). RoboCop's gun, the Auto-9, is a Beretta 93R with an extended barrel and larger grip. It
1243-502: A fiberglass skull containing a blood squib and explosive charge. The articulated head was controlled by four puppeteers, and had details of sweat and blood. A fan motor attached to the body made it vibrate, as if shaking in fear. The charge in the skull was connected to the trigger of Smith's gun by wire to synchronize the effect. Emil's melting mutation was inspired by the 1977 science-fiction film The Incredible Melting Man . Bottin designed and constructed Emil's prosthetics, creating
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#17327795417661356-456: A foam-latex headpiece and matching gloves that gave the appearance of Emil's skin melting "off his bones like marshmallow sauce". A second piece, depicting further degradation, was applied over the first. Dupuis painted each piece differently to emphasize Emil's advancing degradation. The prosthetics were applied to an articulated dummy to show Emil being struck by Boddicker's car. The head was loosened so it would fly off; by chance, it rolled onto
1469-660: A format proved highly successful in South-Korean webcomics when JunKoo Kim implemented an infinite scrolling mechanism in the platform Webtoon in 2004. In 2009, French web cartoonist Balak described Turbomedia , a format for webcomics where a reader only views one panel at a time, in which the reader decides their own reading rhythm by going forward one panel at a time. Some web cartoonists, such as political cartoonist Mark Fiore or Charley Parker with Argon Zark! , incorporate animations or interactive elements into their webcomics. The first comics to be shared through
1582-552: A great production designer or a great RoboCop costume – not both. William Sandell was hired. Monte Hellman directed several of the action scenes. RoboCop was filmed primarily on location in Dallas , with additional filming in Las Colinas and Pittsburgh . Verhoeven wanted a filming location which suggested the near future. Detroit was dismissed because it had many low buildings, many brownstones and Victorian -style buildings. Neumeier said that it
1695-423: A large amount of exposure by being spread through social media . In China, Chinese webcomics have become a popular way to criticize the communist government and politicians in the country. Many webcomics by popular artists get shared around the country thanks to social networks such as Sina Weibo and WeChat . Many titles will often be censored or taken down by the government. RoboCop RoboCop
1808-761: A major language in Australia, Canada, India, the United States, and the United Kingdom. Cultures surrounding non-anglophone webcomics have thrived in countries such as China, France, India, Japan, and South Korea. Webcomics have been a popular medium in India since the early 2000s. Indian webcomics are successful as they reach a large audience for free and they are frequently used by the country's younger generation to spread social awareness on topics such as politics and feminism . These webcomics achieve
1921-535: A more machine-like character), before settling on a sleek aesthetic inspired by the work of Japanese illustrator Hajime Sorayama . Verhoeven admitted his unrealistic expectations after reading Japanese science-fiction manga ; it took him a while to realize it, which contributed to the costume delay. The scope of the RoboCop costume was unprecedented, with its design and construction exceeding cost and schedule. The costume took six months to build with flexible foam latex, semi-and completely-rigid polyurethane , and
2034-851: A number of awards that were handed out annually from 2001 to 2008. The Dutch Clickburg Webcomic Awards (also known as the Clickies) has been handed out four times between 2005 and 2010. The awards require the recipient to be active in the Benelux countries, with the exception of one international award. Though webcomics are typically published primarily on the World Wide Web, often webcomic creators decide to also print self-published books of their work. In some cases, web cartoonists may get publishing deals in which comic books are created of their work. Sometimes, these books are published by mainstream comics publishers who are traditionally aimed at
2147-428: A paranoid fantasy. He was a representation of part of my outlook and world view. He was a culmination of many of the messages in some of the music of the time. He was part of some of the things going wrong in our country at the time. Maybe he was the science that was going wrong". Artist George Pérez made his professional comics debut with a two-page backup feature in issue #25. The last two issues were released in both
2260-509: A re-release of the 1937 animated film Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs ($ 7.5 million) and the horror sequel Jaws: The Revenge ($ 7.2 million), both of which were also in their first week of release. RoboCop retained the number-one position in its second weekend with an additional gross of $ 6.3 million, ahead of Snow White ($ 6.05 million) and the debuting comedy Summer School ($ 6 million). It
2373-433: A replacement; because the costume was designed for Weller, however, he was encouraged to mend fences. Mime Moni Yakim helped Weller to develop a slower, more deliberate way of moving. Weller's experience in the costume was worsened by the warm weather, which made him sweat off up to 3 lb (1.4 kg) per day. Verhoeven began taking prescription medication to cope with stress-induced insomnia, and he filmed scenes under
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#17327795417662486-558: A robot bursting into a meeting and killing everyone. Miner described the film as "comic relief for a cynical time" during the presidency of Ronald Reagan , when economist " Milton Friedman and the Chicago Boys ransacked the world, enabled by Reagan and the Central Intelligence Agency . So when you have this cop who works for a corporation that insists 'I own you,' and he still does the right thing—that's
2599-457: A source of income for web cartoonists, but micropayment systems have not been popular with artists or readers. Many webcomics artists have received honors for their work. In 2006, Gene Luen Yang 's graphic novel American Born Chinese , originally published as a webcomic on Modern Tales , was the first graphic novel to be nominated for a National Book Award . Don Hertzfeldt 's animated film based on his webcomics, Everything Will Be OK , won
2712-678: A sparkling compound were fired from an air gun at RoboCop to create the effect of ricocheting bullets. Bottin was tasked with designing the RoboCop costume. He researched the Star Wars character C-3PO and its stiff costume, which made movement difficult. Bottin was also influenced by robot designs in Metropolis (1927), The Day the Earth Stood Still (1951), and several comic-book superheroes. He developed about 50 designs based on feedback from Verhoeven (who pushed for
2825-492: A stone giant introduced in an anthological science fiction -monster story in Tales of Suspense #14 (Feb. 1961), with a sequel in issue #20 (Aug. 1961). Tony Isabella and Dick Ayers comprised the modern feature's writer-artist team. The final feature in Astonishing Tales starred and introduced Deathlok , a conflicted cyborg who predated the popular film character RoboCop by several years. At least two major iterations of
2938-456: A student video by aspiring director Michael Miner. The pair met and discussed their similar concepts: Neumeier's RoboCop and Miner's robot-themed rock music video . In a 2014 interview, Miner said that he also had an idea called SuperCop . They formed a working partnership and spent about two months discussing the idea and two to three months writing together at night and over weekends, in addition to their regular jobs. Their collaboration
3051-420: A villain was "about a gazillion times more fun than playing the good guys". Jones, he said, has no compassion and is an "evil [son of a bitch]". Miguel Ferrer was unsure if the film would be successful, but was desperate for work and would have accepted any offer. The Old Man was based on MCA Inc. CEO Lew Wasserman , whom Neumeier considered a powerful and intimidating individual. Television host Bixby Snyder
3164-412: Is a 1987 American science fiction action film directed by Paul Verhoeven and written by Edward Neumeier and Michael Miner. The film stars Peter Weller , Nancy Allen , Daniel O'Herlihy , Ronny Cox , Kurtwood Smith , and Miguel Ferrer . Set in a crime-ridden Detroit in the near future, RoboCop centers on police officer Alex Murphy (Weller) who is murdered by a gang of criminals and revived by
3277-470: Is made by overlaying photographs with strips of typewriter-style text. As in the constrained comics tradition, a few webcomics, such as Dinosaur Comics by Ryan North , are created with most strips having art copied exactly from one (or a handful of) template comics and only the text changing. Pixel art , such as that created by Richard Stevens of Diesel Sweeties , is similar to that of sprite comics but instead uses low-resolution images created by
3390-668: Is on the brink of social and financial collapse. Overwhelmed by crime and dwindling resources, the city grants the mega-corporation Omni Consumer Products (OCP) control of the Detroit Police Department . OCP senior president Dick Jones demonstrates ED-209 , a law-enforcement droid designed to supplant the police. ED-209 malfunctions and brutally kills a volunteer, allowing ambitious junior executive Bob Morton to introduce OCP's chairman ("the Old Man") to his own project: RoboCop . Meanwhile, police officer Alex Murphy
3503-441: Is shot to death by ED-209), and Lee de Broux as cocaine warehouse owner Sal. Mario Machado and Leeza Gibbons play news hosts Casey Wong and Jess Perkins, respectively, and television-show host Bixby Snyder is played by S. D. Nemeth. Angie Bolling and Jason Levine appear as Murphy's wife and son. RoboCop director Paul Verhoeven makes a cameo appearance as a dancing nightclub patron, producer Jon Davison provides
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3616-479: Is shown by a stop-motion puppet of Cox, animated by Rocco Gioffre. The limited development time forced Gioffre to use a foam-rubber puppet with an aluminum skeleton instead of a better-quality, articulated version. It was composited against Mark Sullivan's matte painting of the street below. ED-209's murder of OCP executive Mr. Kinney was filmed over three days. Kevin Page's body was covered with 200 squibs, but Verhoeven
3729-497: Is transferred to the Metro West precinct. Murphy and his new partner, Anne Lewis, pursue notorious criminal Clarence Boddicker and his gang: Emil Antonowsky, Leon Nash, Joe Cox, and Steve Minh. The gang ambushes and tortures Murphy until Boddicker fatally shoots him. Morton has Murphy's corpse converted into RoboCop, a heavily armored cyborg with no memory of his former life. RoboCop is programmed with three prime directives: serve
3842-542: The Deep Ellum neighborhood. One explosion was larger than anticipated; actors can be seen moving out of the way, Smith had to remove his coat because it was on fire, and the actors involved received an additional $ 400 in stunt pay. The Shell gas station that explodes was in the Arts District , where local residents unaware of the filming called the fire department. The scene was scripted for flames to modify
3955-786: The Eisner Awards began awarding comics in the Best Digital Comic category in 2005. In 2006 the Harvey Awards established a Best Online Comics Work category, and in 2007 the Shuster Awards began an Outstanding Canadian Web Comic Creator Award. In 2012 the National Cartoonists Society gave their first Reuben Award for "On-line comic strips." Other awards focus exclusively on webcomics. The Web Cartoonists' Choice Awards consist of
4068-434: The direct market of comic books stores. Some web cartoonists may pursue print syndication in established newspapers or magazines . The traditional audience base for webcomics and print comics are vastly different, and webcomic readers do not necessarily go to bookstores. For some web cartoonists, a print release may be considered the "goal" of a webcomic series, while for others, comic books are "just another way to get
4181-431: The 2000s, webcomics became less financially sustainable due to the rise of social media and consumers' disinterest in certain kinds of merchandise. Crowdfunding through Kickstarter and Patreon have also become sources of income for web cartoonists. Webcomics have been used by some cartoonists as a path towards syndication in newspapers . Since the mid-1990s, Scott McCloud advocated for micropayments systems as
4294-631: The 2007 Sundance Film Festival Jury Award in Short Filmmaking, a prize rarely bestowed on an animated film. Many traditionally print-comics focused organizations have added award categories for comics published on the web. The Eagle Awards established a Favorite Web-based Comic category in 2000, and the Ignatz Awards followed the next year by introducing an Outstanding Online Comic category in 2001. After having nominated webcomics in several of their traditional print-comics categories,
4407-793: The Internet were Eric Millikin 's Witches and Stitches , which he started uploading on CompuServe in 1985. Services such as CompuServe and Usenet were used before the World Wide Web started to rise in popularity in 1993. Early webcomics were often derivatives from strips in college newspapers , but when the Web became widely popular in the mid-1990s, more people started creating comics exclusively for this medium. By 2000, various webcomic creators were financially successful and webcomics became more artistically recognized. Unique genres and styles became popular during this period. The 2010s also saw
4520-539: The Media Breaks, but "TJ Lazer" was directed by Neumeier. RoboCop ' s violent content made it difficult to receive an R rating from the Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA), which restricted the film to viewers over 17 unless accompanied by an adult. It initially received the more-restrictive X rating , limiting the film to those over 17. Although some reports suggest it
4633-840: The OCP Tower during a board meeting, revealing the truth behind Morton's murder. Jones takes the Old Man hostage, but the Old Man fires Jones, nullifying Directive 4. RoboCop shoots Jones, causing him to crash through a window to his death. The Old Man compliments RoboCop's shooting and asks his name. He replies, "Murphy." In addition to the main cast, RoboCop features Paul McCrane as Emil Antonowsky, Ray Wise as Leon Nash, Jesse D. Goins as Joe Cox and Calvin Jung as Steve Minh, members of Boddicker's gang. The cast also includes Robert DoQui as Sergeant Warren Reed, Michael Gregory as Lieutenant Hedgecock, Felton Perry as OCP employee Donald Johnson, Kevin Page as OCP junior executive Mr. Kinney (who
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4746-503: The OCP Tower, but Directive 4 is activated: a fail-safe measure to neutralize RoboCop when he acts against an OCP executive. Jones admits his culpability in Morton's death and releases an ED-209 to destroy RoboCop. Although he escapes, RoboCop is attacked by the police force on OCP's order and is badly damaged. He is rescued by Lewis, who brings him to an abandoned steel mill to repair himself. Angered by OCP's underfunding and short-staffing,
4859-531: The OCP boardroom scene in which RoboCop calls himself Murphy, another scene revealed that Lewis was alive in a hospital before showing RoboCop on patrol. The latter scene was thought to lessen the former's triumphant feeling, and was removed. Verhoeven wanted the in-film Media Breaks to abruptly interrupt the narrative and unsettle the viewer. He was influenced by Piet Mondrian 's art, which featured stark black lines separating colored squares. Peter Conn directed many of
4972-552: The RoboCop costume; it was thought that Schwarzenegger would look like the Michelin Man or the Pillsbury Doughboy . Others were reluctant because their face would be largely concealed by a helmet. Davison said that Weller was the only person who wanted to be in the film. The low salary he commanded was in his favor, as were his good body control from martial-arts training and marathon running and his fan base in
5085-811: The X-rated cut, and audiences laughed less at the R-rated version. According to Verhoeven, people "love seeing violence and horrible things". The film is 103 minutes long. Basil Poledouris composed the film score after working with Verhoeven on Flesh + Blood . The score combines synthesizers and orchestral music, reflecting RoboCop's cyborg nature. The music was performed by the Sinfonia of London . The special-effects team, led by Rob Bottin , included Phil Tippett , Stephan Dupuis , Bart Mixon and Craig Davies . The effects were very violent because Verhoeven believed that that made scenes funnier. He compared
5198-636: The actors, however, but was too engrossed in filming to be sociable. Cox and Allen spoke warmly of Verhoeven. Weller spent his time between filming with the actors who played his enemies (including Smith, Ray Wise and Calvin Jung), who maintained healthy lifestyles that supported Weller in his training for the New York City Marathon . A number of locations in and around Dallas were used in production. An office in Renaissance Tower
5311-399: The artist themself. However, it is also common for some artists to use traditional styles, similar to those typically published in newspapers or comic books. Webcomics that are independently published are not subject to the content restrictions of book publishers or newspaper syndicates , enjoying an artistic freedom similar to underground and alternative comics . Some webcomics stretch
5424-752: The author Clive Barker . Serialised content included Scarlet Traces and Marshal Law . In March 2001, Shannon Denton and Patrick Coyle launched Komikwerks .com serving free strips from comics and animation professionals. The site launched with 9 titles including Steve Conley's Astounding Space Thrills , Jason Kruse's The World of Quest , and Bernie Wrightson 's The Nightmare Expeditions . On March 2, 2002, Joey Manley founded Modern Tales , offering subscription-based webcomics. The Modern Tales spin-off serializer followed in October 2002, then came girlamatic and Graphic Smash in March and September 2003 respectively. By 2005, webcomics hosting had become
5537-512: The boundaries of taste, taking advantage of the fact that Internet censorship is virtually nonexistent in countries like the United States. The content of webcomics can still cause problems, such as Leisure Town artist Tristan Farnon 's legal trouble after creating a profane Dilbert parody, or the Catholic League 's protest of artist Eric Millikin 's "blasphemous treatment of Jesus." Webcomic artists use many formats throughout
5650-595: The brutality of Murphy's death to the crucifixion of Jesus , an effective way to evoke sympathy for the character. The scene was filmed at an abandoned auto-assembly plant in Long Beach, California , on a raised stage that allowed operators to control the effects from below. To show Murphy being dismantled by gunfire, prosthetic arms were cast in alginate and filled with tubing that could pump artificial blood and compressed air. Weller's left hand, attached to his shoulders by velcro and controlled by three operators,
5763-410: The car's hood. The effect was completed with Emil's liquified body (raw chicken, soup, and gravy) washing over the windscreen. The same dummy stands in for RoboCop when he is crushed by steel beams (painted wood). Verhoeven wanted RoboCop to kill Boddicker by stabbing him in the eye, but it was believed the effort to create the effect would be wasted due to censorship concerns. Dick Jones's fatal fall
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#17327795417665876-414: The character, featuring different individuals, starred in series in the 1990s and 2000s. Created by artist Rich Buckler, who devised the initial concept, and writer Doug Moench , the feature ran from #25–28 and 30–36 (Aug. 1974 – Feb. 1975 and June 1975 – July 1976), the final issue. Bill Mantlo scripted issues #32–35, with Buckler himself scripting the finale. Buckler described Deathlok as "an extension of
5989-539: The content out." Webcomics have been seen by some artists as a potential new path towards syndication in newspapers . According to Jeph Jacques ( Questionable Content ), "there's no real money" in syndication for webcomic artists. Some artists are not able to syndicate their work in newspapers because their comics are targeted to a specific niche audience and would not be popular with a broader readership. Many webcomics are published primarily in English , this being
6102-569: The core of the film." Neumeier and Miner conceived the in-universe news and advertisement "Media Breaks" that appear throughout RoboCop , and a spec script was completed by December 1984. The first draft of the script, RoboCop: The Future of Law Enforcement , was given to industry friends and associates in early 1985. A month later, Neumeier and Miner had two offers: one from Atlantic Releasing and another from director Jonathan Kaplan and producer Jon Davison with Orion Pictures . An experienced producer of exploitation and B films such as
6215-496: The creator's immediate friends and family, while some of the most widely read have audiences of well over one million readers. Webcomics range from traditional comic strips and graphic novels to avant garde comics, and cover many genres , styles , and subjects. They sometimes take on the role of a comic blog . The term web cartoonist is sometimes used to refer to someone who creates webcomics. There are several differences between webcomics and print comics. With webcomics
6328-402: The detail of ED-209's feet, since he did not think they would be shown. The model was later used on promotional tours. Davies spent another four months building two 12-inch (30 cm) miniature replicas for stop motion animation. The two small models allowed scenes to be animated and filmed more efficiently, which saved time in completing the 55 shots needed in three months. Tippett was
6441-495: The film, making it so outlandish that it became comical. Censorship boards believed that it was too extreme and several scenes were shortened or modified to receive an acceptable theatrical rating . RoboCop was a financial success upon its release in July 1987, earning $ 53.4 million. Reviewers praised it as a clever action film with deeper philosophical messages and satire, but were conflicted about its extreme violence. The film
6554-414: The increasing aggression of American financial services in response to growing Japanese influence and the popularity on Wall Street of The Book of Five Rings , a 17th-century book about how to kill more effectively. Neumeier also believed that Detroit 's declining automobile industry was due to increased bureaucracy. ED-209's malfunction in the OCP boardroom was based on Neumeier's office daydreams about
6667-461: The influence. He often choreographed scenes with the actors before filming. Improvisation was also encouraged, because Verhoeven believed that it could produce interesting results. Smith improvised some of his character's quirks, such as sticking chewing gum to a secretary's desk and spitting blood onto the police-station counter: " 'What if I spat blood on the desk?' ... [Verhoeven] got this little smile on his face, and we did it." Neumeier
6780-441: The lead ED-209 animator, assisted by Randal M. Dutra and Harry Walton. Tippett conceived ED-209's movement as "unanimal"-like, as if it were about to fall over before catching itself. To complete the character, the droid was given the roar of a leopard. Davison provided a temporary voiceover for ED-209's speaking voice, which was retained in the film. RoboCop contains seven matte effects, mainly painted by Gioffre. Each matte
6893-456: The megacorporation Omni Consumer Products as the cyborg law enforcer RoboCop . Unaware of his former life, RoboCop executes a campaign against crime while coming to terms with the lingering fragments of his humanity. The film was conceived by Neumeier while working on the set of Blade Runner (1982), and he developed the idea with Miner. Their script was purchased in early 1985 by producer Jon Davison on behalf of Orion Pictures . Finding
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#17327795417667006-428: The nature of humanity, personal identity, corporate greed and corruption, and is seen as a rebuke of the era's Reaganomics policies. Its success created a franchise : the sequels RoboCop 2 (1990) and RoboCop 3 (1993), children's animated series, live-action television shows, video games , comic books , toys, clothing and other merchandise. A remake was released in 2014. In a near-future dystopia , Detroit
7119-475: The next decade. In March 2000, Chris Crosby , Crosby's mother Teri, and other artists founded Keenspot . In July 2000, Austin Osueke launched eigoMANGA , publishing original online manga , referred to as "webmanga". In 2001, the subscription webcomics site Cool Beans World was launched. Contributors included UK-based comic book creators Pat Mills , Simon Bisley , John Bolton , and Kevin O'Neill , and
7232-409: The parody Airplane! (1980), Davison said that he was drawn to the script's satire. He showed Neumeier and Miner films—including Madigan (1968), Dirty Harry (1971), and Mad Max 2 (1981)—to demonstrate the tone he wanted. After Orion greenlit the project, Neumeier and Miner began a second draft. Davison produced the film with his Tobor Pictures company. Neumeier and Miner were paid
7345-554: The police database to identify Emil's associates and review Murphy's police record. He recalls further memories while exploring Murphy's former home, his wife and son having moved away after his death. Elsewhere, Jones gets Boddicker to murder Morton as revenge for Morton's attempt to usurp his position at OCP. RoboCop tracks down Boddicker's gang. After a shootout, RoboCop brutally interrogates Boddicker until he admits to working for Jones. He cannot kill Boddicker as that would violate his prime directives. RoboCop attempts to arrest Jones at
7458-403: The police force goes on strike; Detroit descends into chaos as riots break out throughout the city. Jones frees Boddicker and his remaining gang, arming them with high-powered weaponry to destroy RoboCop. Boddicker's men are quickly eliminated at the steel mill, but Lewis is badly injured; RoboCop, trapped under steel girders, kills Boddicker by stabbing him in the throat. RoboCop confronts Jones at
7571-470: The project at Culver Studios ' Mansion House . Verhoeven wanted to direct it as a serious film; Neumeier gave him comic books to explain the tone they wanted, including 2000 AD with the character Judge Dredd . Neumeier and Miner wrote a third draft based on Verhoeven's requests, working through injuries and late nights; the 92-page revision included a subplot about a romantic affair between Murphy and Lewis. After reading it, Verhoeven admitted that he
7684-597: The public trust, protect the innocent, and uphold the law. A fourth prime directive, Directive 4, is classified. Assigned to Metro West, RoboCop is hailed by the media for his brutally efficient campaign against crime. Lewis suspects that he is Murphy, recognizing the unique way he holsters his gun (a trick Murphy learned to impress his son). After experiencing a nightmare of Murphy's death during maintenance, RoboCop encounters Lewis, who addresses him as Murphy. While on patrol, RoboCop arrests Emil, who recognizes Murphy's mannerisms, which furthers RoboCop's recall. RoboCop then uses
7797-400: The restrictions of traditional books, newspapers or magazines can be lifted, allowing artists and writers to take advantage of the web's unique capabilities. The creative freedom webcomics provide allows artists to work in nontraditional styles. Clip art or photo comics (also known as fumetti ) are two types of webcomics that do not use traditional artwork. A Softer World , for example,
7910-575: The rise of webtoons in South Korea , where the form has become very prominent. This decade had also seen an increasingly larger number of successful webcomics being adapted into animated series in China and Japan. In March 1995, artist Bebe Williams launched one of the first webcomics collectives, Art Comics Daily . Newspaper comic strip syndicates also launched websites in the mid-1990s. Other webcomics collectives followed, with many launching in
8023-447: The role, but did not want to be involved with another special effects-laden film or play a "psychopath" after working on Extreme Prejudice (1987). Robert Picardo also auditioned for the role. Ronny Cox had been stereotyped as playing generally nice characters, and said that this left the impression that he could not play more masculine roles. Because of this, Verhoeven cast him as the villainous Dick Jones. Cox said that playing
8136-402: The scene with a polarized lens filter . RoboCop's mechanical recharging chair was designed by John Zabrucky . The OCP boardroom model of Delta City was made under the supervision of art director Gayle Simon. The film's police cars are 1986 Ford Taurus models painted black. The Taurus was chosen because of its futuristic, aerodynamic styling for the vehicle's first production year. The car
8249-474: The science-fiction genre after his performance in The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai Across the 8th Dimension (1984). Verhoeven said he hired him because "his chin was very good". Weller spent months working with mime Moni Yakim, developing a fluid movement style with a stiff ending while wearing an American football uniform to approximate the finished costume. Weller said that working with Verhoeven
8362-641: The second installment, with the team of writer Gerry Conway and penciler Barry Windsor-Smith taking over for issues #3–6. Thomas and signature Hulk artist Herb Trimpe teamed for the next two issues, with Thomas abetted by Mike Friedrich on the latter. Astonishing Tales then starred Ka-Zar solely in stories ranging from 16 to 21 pages each. A variety of creative teams followed, with Lee, Thomas, Conway and Len Wein individually writing or collaborating on stories before Mike Friedrich became regular writer with issue #14 (Dec. 1972). Pencilers included Dan Adkins , Rich Buckler , Gil Kane , and John Buscema , plus
8475-443: The second-unit director position in order to direct Deadly Weapon (1989); Orion executive Barbara Boyle suggested Paul Verhoeven—who had been praised for his work on Soldier of Orange (1977) and his first English-language film, Flesh+Blood (1985)—for director. Verhoeven looked at the first page and rejected the script as awful, stalling the project. Boyle sent Verhoeven another copy, suggesting that he pay attention to
8588-427: The shooting schedule, but it denied Weller the month of costume rehearsal he had expected. Weller was frustrated with the costume; it was too cumbersome for him to move as he had practiced, and he spent hours trying to adapt. He struggled to see through the thin helmet visor and interact with (or grab) objects while wearing the gloves. Weller fell out with Verhoeven and was fired, with Lance Henriksen considered as
8701-561: The sign to read "hell"; Davison approved it, but it does not appear in the film. Miner called it a disappointing omission. The nightclub was the former Starck Club. Verhoeven was filmed demonstrating how the clubbers should dance, and used the footage in the film. Other Dallas locations included César Chávez Boulevard , the Reunion Arena and the parking lot of the Crescent . The final battle between RoboCop and Boddicker's gang
8814-515: The subtext. Verhoeven was still uninterested until his wife Martine read it and encouraged him to give it a chance, saying he had missed the "soul" of the story about someone losing his identity. Not fluent in English, Verhoeven said that the satire did not make sense to him; the scene that attracted his attention was RoboCop returning to Murphy's abandoned home and experiencing memories of his former life. Davison, Neumeier and Verhoeven discussed
8927-737: The trailer, which he found disheartening. Models and actors in fiberglass RoboCop costumes made appearances in cities throughout North America. The character appeared at a motor-racing event in Florida, a laser show in Boston, a subway in New York City, and children could take their picture with him at the Sherman Oaks Galleria in Los Angeles. An incomplete version of the unrated film was screened early for critics, which
9040-663: The umbrella title Astonishing Tales : Several stories from those series were reprinted in the six-issue limited series Astonishing Tales (vol. 2) (April–Sept. 2009). Webcomics Webcomics (also known as online comics or Internet comics ) are comics published on the internet, such as on a website or a mobile app . While many webcomics are published exclusively online, others are also published in magazines , newspapers , or comic books . Webcomics can be compared to self-published print comics in that anyone with an Internet connection can publish their own webcomic. Readership levels vary widely; many are read only by
9153-522: The voice of ED-209, and director John Landis appears in an in-film advertisement. Smith's partner, Joan Pirkle, appears as Dick Jones's secretary. RoboCop was conceived in the early 1980s by Universal Pictures junior story executive and aspiring screenwriter Edward Neumeier . A fan of robot-themed science-fiction films, Star Wars , and action films, Neumeier had developed an interest in mature comic books while researching them for potential adaptation. The 1982 science-fiction film Blade Runner
9266-526: The world. Comic strips , generally consisting of three or four panels , have been a common format for many artists. Other webcomic artists use the format of traditional printed comic books and graphic novels , sometimes with the plan of later publishing books. Scott McCloud , an early advocate of webcomics since 1998, pioneered the idea of the " infinite canvas " where, rather than being confined to normal print dimensions, artists are free to spread out in any direction indefinitely with their comics. Such
9379-419: The wrong film reel . The MPAA also objected to a scene of a mutated Emil being disintegrated by Boddicker's car, but Verhoeven, Davison and Orion refused to remove it because it consistently received the biggest laughs during test screenings. Verhoeven made the violence comical and surreal, and believed that the cuts made the scenes appear more (not less) violent. He said that his young children laughed at
9492-420: Was added at Orion's suggestion. Kaplan left to direct Project X (1987), and finding his replacement took six months; many prospects declined because of the film's title. The project was offered to David Cronenberg , Alex Cox , and Monte Hellman ; Hellman joined as second-unit director . Miner asked to direct, but Orion refused to trust a $ 7 million project to an untested director. He declined
9605-550: Was also a union city, making it more expensive to film there. Detroit made a brief appearance in nighttime, stock aerial footage at the beginning of the film. Chicago was dismissed for aesthetic reasons, New York City for high costs, and California because according to Davison, Orion wanted to distance itself from the project. Dallas was chosen over Houston because it has modern buildings and older, less-maintained areas where explosives could be used. The filming schedule in Dallas
9718-405: Was announced that DC was closing down Zuda. Some creators of webcomics are able to do so professionally through various revenue channels. Webcomic artists may sell merchandise based on their work, such as T-shirts and toys, or they may sell print versions or compilations of their webcomic. Webcomic creators can also sell online advertisements on their websites . In the second half of
9831-420: Was designed to explode in a controllable way so it could be easily put back together for repeat shots. The right arm was jerked away from Weller's body by a monofilament wire . A detailed, articulated replica of Weller's upper body was used to depict Boddicker shooting Murphy through the head. A mold was made of Weller's face using foam latex that was baked to make it rubbery and flesh-like, and placed over
9944-411: Was dropped after issue #8 (Oct. 1971). The creative team of "Doctor Doom" was initially composed of writer Roy Thomas and penciler - inker Wally Wood , a veteran of 1950s EC Comics stories and one of the early, signature artists of Daredevil . Wood remained as artist through issue #4 (Feb. 1971), succeeded by penciler George Tuska for two issues and Gene Colan for the final two. Larry Lieber
10057-499: Was filmed at a steel mill in Monessen , outside Pittsburgh. Filming ended in late October 1986. An additional $ 600,000 budget increase was approved by Orion for post-production and the music score, raising the budget to $ 13.7 million. Frank J. Urioste was the film's editor. Several pick-up shots were filmed during this phase, including Murphy's death, RoboCop removing his helmet, and shots of his leg holster. After
10170-523: Was filming on the Warner Bros. lot behind Neumeier's office, and he unofficially joined the production to learn about filmmaking. His work there gave him the idea for RoboCop : "I had this vision of a far-distant, Blade Runner –type world where there was an all-mechanical cop coming to a sense of real human intelligence". He spent the next few nights writing a 40-page outline. While researching story submissions for Universal, Neumeier came across
10283-478: Was his main reason for choosing the role over appearing in King Kong Lives (1986). Stephanie Zimbalist was cast as Murphy's partner Anne Lewis, but dropped out because of contractual obligations to Remington Steele (which had been canceled in 1986, but was revived because of its popularity). Her replacement, Nancy Allen, thought the film's title was terrible but found the script engrossing. Allen
10396-424: Was initially difficult because they did not know each other well, and had to learn how to constructively criticize each other. Neumeier was influenced to kill off his main character early by the psychological horror film Psycho (1960), whose main character was killed early in the film. Inspired by comic books and his experience with corporate culture, Neumeier wanted to satirize 1980s business culture. He noted
10509-400: Was intended to feature a customized interior that would show graphical displays of mug shots, fingerprints, and other related information, but the concept was considered too ambitious. The 6000 SUX driven by Boddicker and others was an Oldsmobile Cutlass Supreme , modified by Gene Winfield and based on a design by Chip Foose . Two working cars were made with a third, non-functional one that
10622-444: Was known for her long blonde hair, but Verhoeven wanted it cut short so the character was not sexualized. Her hair was cut eight times before the desired look was achieved. Allen undertook police-academy training for her role, and sought advice from her police lieutenant father. Verhoeven encouraged her to act masculine and gain weight, which she accomplished by quitting smoking. Kurtwood Smith auditioned for Boddicker and Jones. He
10735-399: Was known mainly for television work, had not had film success, and saw RoboCop as a B-film with potential. The character was scripted to wear glasses so he would look like Nazi Party member Heinrich Himmler . Smith was unaware of this, and interpreted it as the character having an intelligent and militaristic front to conceal being a "sneering, smirking drug kingpin". Ironside was offered
10848-454: Was made with a sheet of aluminum behind it to create reflective detail. RoboCop's vision was created with hundreds of ink lines on acetate composited over existing footage. Several attempts had to be made to get the line thickness right; at first, the lines were too thick or too thin. Assuming that thermographic photography would be expensive, Kuran replicated thermal vision using actors in body stockings painted with thermal colors and filmed
10961-411: Was modified to fire blank bullets , and vents were cut into the side to allow for multi-directional muzzle flashes with every three-shot burst. To budget for ED-209's development, Tippett developed preliminary sketches and hired Davies to design the full-scale model which was constructed with the help of Paula Lucchesi. Verhoeven wanted ED-209 to look mean, and thought that Davies' early designs lacked
11074-476: Was nine weeks, but it soon became clear that it would take longer. Based on filmed footage, Orion approved the schedule extension and a budget increase to $ 13.1 million. The weather fluctuated during filming; Dallas in summer was often 90 to 115 °F (32 to 46 °C), and the weather in Pittsburgh was frigid. RoboCop's costume was not finished until some time into filming. This did not impact
11187-509: Was nominated for several awards, and won an Academy Award and a number of Saturn Awards . RoboCop has been critically reevaluated since its release, and it has been hailed as one of the best films of the 1980s and one of the greatest science fiction and action films ever made. The film has been praised for its depiction of a robot affected by the loss of humanity, in contrast to the stoic and emotionless robotic characters of that era. RoboCop has continued to be analyzed for its themes such as
11300-556: Was on set throughout filming and occasionally wrote additional scenes, including a New Year's Eve party after seeing some party-hat props and a news story about the Strategic Defense Initiative platform misfiring. Verhoeven found Neumeier's presence invaluable, because they could discuss how to adapt the script or location to make a scene work. Verhoeven gained a reputation for verbal aggression and unsociable behavior on set; Smith said that he never yelled at
11413-556: Was painted on masonite . Gioffre supervised on-site filming to mask the camera where the matte is inserted, and remembered having to crawl out from a five-story-high ledge to get the right shot of the Plaza of the Americas. The burnished steel RoboCop logo was developed using photographic effects that supervisor Peter Kuran based on a black-and-white sketch from Orion. Kuran created a scaled-up matte version and backlit it. A second pass
11526-536: Was predicted to be a sleeper hit . It received positive feedback before release, including a positive industry screening (considered a rarity) and pre-release screenings that demonstrated the studio's confidence in the film. Marketing the film was considered difficult. For the Los Angeles Times , Jack Mathews described RoboCop as a "terrible title for a movie that anyone would expect an adult to enjoy". Orion head of marketing Charles Glenn said it had
11639-464: Was predicted to dominate the theaters but many other films were expected to perform well, including the action adventure Ishtar , the comedies Harry and the Hendersons , Who's That Girl and Spaceballs , the action film Predator and sequels such as Superman IV: The Quest for Peace and The Living Daylights , the latest James Bond film. With the musical La Bamba , RoboCop
11752-418: Was refused an R-rating eleven times, Verhoeven said that the number was actually eight. The MPAA took issue with several scenes, including Murphy's death and ED-209 shooting an executive. The violent scenes were shortened and Media Breaks were added to help lighten the mood; Verhoeven recalled that one reviewer was confused by their jarring appearance in the film, and complained that the projectionist had used
11865-452: Was released in the United Kingdom without cuts, which the BBFC justified by the comic excess of the violence and the clear line between the hero and villains. RoboCop began a wide North American release on July 17, 1987. During its opening weekend, the film earned $ 8 million from 1,580 theaters—an average of $ 5,068 per theater. It was the weekend's number-one film, ahead of
11978-439: Was the fourth-highest-grossing film in its third weekend with a gross of $ 4.7 million, behind La Bamba ($ 5.2 million) and the debuts of the horror film The Lost Boys ($ 5.2 million) and The Living Daylights ($ 11.1 million). RoboCop never regained the number-one spot, but remained in the top ten for six weeks. By the end of its theatrical run, the film had grossed about $ 53.4 million and
12091-413: Was unconventional for an action film. Glenn reasoned that critics who favored Verhoeven's earlier work would appreciate RoboCop . Feedback was generally positive, providing quotes for promotional material and making it one of the best-reviewed films of the year up to that point. The week before release saw the introduction of television commercials and limited theatrical screenings for the public. The film
12204-498: Was unhappy with the result and brought him back months later to re-shoot it in a studio-built recreation of the board room. Page was again covered in over 200 squibs and plastic bags filled with spaghetti squash and fake blood. Page described intense pain as each squib detonation felt like a punch. In the cocaine-warehouse scene, Boddicker's stuntman was thrown through glass panes rigged with detonating cord to shatter microseconds before he hit. Gelatin capsules filled with sawdust and
12317-598: Was used for the OCP interior of; the company's exterior is Dallas City Hall , modified with matte paintings to appear taller. The OCP elevator was that of the Plaza of the Americas . The Detroit police station's exterior is Crozier Tech High School ; its interior is the Sons of Hermann hall, and city hall is the Dallas Municipal Building . Scenes of Boddicker's gang blowing up storefronts were filmed in
12430-615: Was used when the vehicle exploded. The 6000 SUX commercial features a plasticine dinosaur animated by Don Waller and blocked by Steve Chiodo . Industry experts were optimistic about the theatrical summer of 1987 (June–September). The season focused on genre films—science fiction, horror, and fantasy—that were proven to generate revenue, if not industry respect. Other films—such as Roxanne , Full Metal Jacket and The Untouchables —were targeted at older audiences (over age 25), who had been ignored in recent years by films targeted at teenagers. The action comedy Beverly Hills Cop II
12543-598: Was writer for issues #3–6, succeeded by Gerry Conway . "Ka-Zar" was initially by the longstanding and highly influential team of writer and Marvel editor-in-chief Stan Lee and penciler and co-plotter Jack Kirby , the duo who had introduced the jungle lord years before as a one-issue supporting character in The X-Men . Ka-Zar had since guest-starred in Daredevil and in other series before gaining his first solo feature here. After that initial story, Roy Thomas scripted
12656-554: Was written as an Americanized, more-extreme version of British comedian Benny Hill . Radio personality Howard Stern was offered an unspecified role, but turned it down because he thought the idea was stupid (although he later praised the finished film). Principal photography began on August 6, 1986, on an $ 11 million budget. Jost Vacano was the cinematographer , after working with Verhoeven on Soldier of Orange . Verhoeven wanted Blade Runner production designer Lawrence G. Paull , but Davison said he could afford either
12769-493: Was wrong and returned to the second draft in search of a comic-book tone. Six to eight months were spent searching for an actor to play Alex Murphy / RoboCop. Arnold Schwarzenegger , Michael Ironside , Rutger Hauer , Tom Berenger , Armand Assante , Keith Carradine and James Remar were considered. Orion favored Schwarzenegger, the star of their recent success The Terminator (1984), but he and other actors were considered too physically imposing to be believable in
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