Cops #11

   

This issue focuses on the character of Barricade and what makes him tick. A crowd control specialist, Barricade uses a giant battering ram called a bull. But this cop doesn’t get a high by pushing others around. His technique is very psychological and he is very mellow. That’s not always been the case, as we see in his origin story that early run-ins with rioting crowds as a child has left him with some serious baggage.

   To have a cartoon tie-in comic take on some serious roles and show both guts and heart is rare. I keep coming back to the fantastic job Larry Hama did on the origin GI Joe run, where the heroes are unique in their specialties, but they are incorruptible, Plus, the villains, while totally despicable, are buffoonish in order to show kids that violence shouldn’t be glorified and that crime doesn’t pay! (Remember, everybody shoots guns but the targets never got hit- unless you were aiming at a water tower or gas tank for a distraction!)

   Awesome Stuff. Soon, the entire series will be in my custody.

   Worth Consuming.

   Rating: 9 out of 10 stars.

Cops #1

   No- this isn’t a comic based on Fox’s documentary series COPS. These are the Centralized Organization of Police Specialists. When the cartoon came out in the 80s, I thought it strange that there were so many different cop uniforms and it just wasn’t my cup of tea. Little did I know that SWAT teams and bomb units and even Texas Marshall’s did indeed have their own costumes.

 Rumor has it that Mattel wanted a cartoon based on Robocop and had characters and villains mocked up ready for production. But the movie was so violent and filled with scenes of attempted rape and drug use that the idea was scrapped. However, Mattel already had invested millions in the idea and looking to make lemonade from lemons, so they kept the futuristic scenery and made up new heroic characters and named the cartoon COPS. That 'Cops' was also a hit series on Fox at the time didn’t hurt either.

 Here, a crazed scientist with an exposed brain tries to join the Big Boss’ crew. On the head honcho’s tail is a G-Man that already took out the baddie’s baby brother. When the G-Man goes into a coma, a clandestine crew of policemen from across America are recruited to bring order to the harsh landscape of Central City.

 It’s juvenile- but it’s fun. The art is really good for a campy looking cartoon. I think if I understood police like I do now, I would have liked the cartoon of the 80s better. But, now I see the campy side of this product and I like it even more. Especially, the bad guys- they’re extremely cartoonish even though they commit dastardly acts of violence.

 The most important thing is the writing. For an 80s TV tie-in, it’s really good. I’m talking Larry Hama doing GI Joe good! The verdict is not quite out, but I am seriously thinking this is going become a series added to my wish list.

   Worth Consuming

   Rating: 9 out of 10 stars.