an amazing
comic book by
frank miller and
geof darrow.
nixon, a robot built to believe he's human and either a
tax collector or
claims adjuster, runs around the city destroying the enemies of a
big, evil corporation. he gets messed up - his skin gets torn off, his
metal parts stick out at odd angles - he's taken back to the
corporate headquarters and
refurbished, then dropped off in the care of other
robots disguised as his family and pet. repeat.
'
last year's model,' who has rebelled against the corporation, tries to convince him of
the truth, aided by a
robot on the inside. unfortunately, she
sexually harasses him and he ends up
killing her.
the
plot is more or less unremarkable - it lacks the grit and
development of miller's
sin city books. it's the
graphics that make the comic awesome. the detail is achingly
precise. cars crash on the freeway and the exact damage to each vehicle is clear to the eye, though there are between twenty and fifty vehicles drawn on the page. the robots are warring in a street choked with
citizens, and each figure has a
unique expression, outfit, posture.
on the whole, it
kicks ass.