“Mega Kill-All Bots”
Issue four of Burn the Orphanage by Sina Grace and Daniel Freedman picks up directly where issue three left off. Rock, Lex and the rest of the ragtag, 1980’s inspired, freedom fighters are off to infiltrate Mann Jr’s compound. Teaming up with a group of topless stripper ninjas and armed with roller skates, the mission begins.
As with the previous three issues, Sina Grace’s pencils nail the 1980’s / 90’s feel. Each character, from the lovable tank named Bear to our hero, Rock, feels as though they were ripped right out of a Nintendo game. With each turn of the page I swore I could hear 8-bit music playing in the background. While the characters, and story, may resemble that of the Nintendo era; Grace’s art style screams that of the golden age of comics (late 1930’s to mid 1950’s). It is an odd amalgam of generations that just melds beautifully.
As I mentioned previously, issue four takes place immediately after three. However, this issue triples on the outlandish and stylized fight scenes. Each scene tossed in one crazy element after another. Yet, the story is never lost within all the brightly colored (by the talented Renee Keyes) panels. This is something I must commend Grace and Freedman for. In just three short issues, I came to care about the core cast of misfits. Each with their own wise-ass comments and silly puns. Seeing them all in this penultimate issue, facing bloody and brutal deaths, is captivating and refreshing. To often are comic readers given characters who are boring, cookie cutter and stale.
With everything coming to a head next issue, I am very excited to see how it ends. Will Rock save Jess from the superpowered, and brightly colored, Elyse? Can Lex and the rest of the team take down Mann Jr. and save the city? I have no idea, but I am honestly stoked to read the final issue.
Rating: 9 / 10
Originally written for Comic Book Therapy. Posted here with their permission
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