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

Storyline The main character is a police officer from future Detroit who gets murdered in the line of duty. He is revived and transformed into a cybernetic cop by the megacorporation Omni Consumer Products (OCP) and now goes by RoboCop. Since the debut of the character in 1987, the franchise have been exercised through various media, including multiple comic book mini-series and ongoing series.

Marvel Comics

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

The stories told within these issues take place between the second and third RoboCop films. RoboCops futuristic setting is expanded with more futuristic elements like gangs riding on hover bikes, urban droids carrying out public services like waste disposal, and the fact that almost anyone with the know-how or money can create a giant killer robot. About mid-way through the comic's run, pressure from fan letters convinced Marvel to eliminate some of the more fantastical elements, such as flying characters, citing that RoboCop was set only in the near future. This led to a few conundrums and contradictions such as having biker gangs riding flying cycles in one issue and then switching to standard motorcycles in the next. The comic also had to uncomfortably deal with inconsistent characterization misconceptions in the films. For example, in the first movie, OCP's Chairman "The Old Man" is portrayed as a good-natured oldster who grew OCP from a small business and has little patience for the greedy corporate types he employs. In the second film, his character has changed to a corrupt villain. This proved very unpopular with fans of the first film who had liked the character. It also created a major paradox for the writers of the Marvel comic monthly series, as we see the "Old Man" as a good guy in the RoboCop film adaptation, as a villain in the RoboCop 2 adaptation, and strictly a good guy in the early monthly series of original stories. What followed was a transformation that uncomfortably teetered between strictly well intended, morally ambiguous, and corrupt, but with a good excuse. Another slight, yet noticeable, change was the character of OCP executive Donald Johnson name to Daniel Johnson. This was most likely to avoid criticism from fans of the TV series Miami Vice, though the original naming of the character was likely an in-joke referring to Miami Vice star Don Johnson.

The consistent theme throughout the 23 issues is RoboCop's continuing struggle to balance his humanity with the machine made after his brutal death. In the meantime, he fights street gangs, gangsters, drug pushers, addicts, politicians, terrorists, killer robots, mad scientist, cyborg animals, corrupt OCP employees, OCP's rival companies, foreign nations, mercenaries, OCP's attempts to mass-produce RoboCops, and competitive attempts to do the same, as well as criticisms from an otherwise well-meaning public.

RoboCop (one-shot film adaptation) (Oct 1987) Writer / penciller Publication dateBob Harras/Alan Kupperberg and Javier Saltares July 28, 1987 (cover dated October 1987) This issue follows the plot of the movie of the same name. Note: This issue was originally published in a black and white magazine format before being reprinted in a color trade paperback format in 1990.

RoboCop Vol. 1 (23 issue ongoing series) (Mar 1990–Jan 1992) Issue # Title Writer / penciller Publication date1 Kombat Zone Alan Grant/Lee Sullivan January 16, 1990 (cover dated March 1990) OCP enters the next phases for building its CEO's prophesied Delta City. A competing company called Nixco tries to muscle in on the Delta City contract and steals specs from RoboCop's design to release their own version of law enforcement. Manufacturing a small army of robotic Nixcops, their first mission is to destroy RoboCop along with an apprehended criminal who can tie a Nixco executive to a murder. 2 Murphy's Law Alan Grant/Lee Sullivan February 20, 1990 (cover dated April 1990) RoboCop escapes the Nixcops but is severely damaged. His witness is taken into Nixco custody where he is subjected to experimental surgery. Later, Robcop's partner, Anne Lewis, gets kidnapped, forcing Murphy to jump back into action. Arriving at the scene, he find Nixcops and ED-209 droids fighting it out for Anne's rescue; each one's creator seeing her kidnapping as a chance for positive publicity. RoboCop defeats both sides and rescues Anne. (At this early point in the development of Marvel's "Robo-universe", OCP's chairman, The Old Man, and his executive, Johnson, are rarely seen and are depicted as benevolent and on the side of the law. All this will change as Marvel's writers attempt to keep up with the movie series changes to these characters) 3 Dreamerama Alan Grant/Lee Sullivan March 20, 1990 (cover dated May 1990) A small group of thieves rob the recorded dreams of some of the most important businessmen and plan to use them as blackmail. The main suspect is Cybex, the man who initially came up with the ideas for Delta City, the ED-209's, and even RoboCop. Helped by an unfair contract, OCP stole his ideas and left him penniless. A previous fight with OCP also ended with him becoming crippled. 4 Dead Man's Dreams Alan Grant/Lee Sullivan April 17, 1990 (cover dated June 1990) Cybex captures Robocop to study him and learn what he can to build his own loyal army of cyborgs. With Nixco's president being one of the men whose dreams were stolen, Nixco sends an assassin (the kidnapped criminal witness from issue two, now under mind control) to take out Cybex. RoboCop follows the dueling criminals to a construction site where he manages to arrests them all.