Does this new franchise deliver a big enough punch to land an audience?  Read on to find out.

The official description from Image:

A young orphan named Rock was left for dead, now he’s out for revenge! With partners Lex and Bear by his side, our hero will find out who burned his home and family to the ground. If that means taking on every goon, punk, and topless stripper ninja in the city… then so be it. PART ONE OF THE BORN TO LOSE TRILOGY!

If you were a gamer that grew up in the late 80s or early 90s, you more than likely found yourself with a need to play side-scrolling beat ’em ups.  Titles ranged from Comix Zone to Streets of Rage with plenty of variations in between to sate the appetite of every worthy fanboy or fangirl.  If you yearn for a return to those sweet adolescent memories than this is a comic book made especially for you.

Sina Grace and Daniel Freedman nail what can, and should, be described as a love letter to a simpler but exciting time.  In regard to nostalgic genre movies done right this title absolutely excels as it finds an insatiable balance between poking fun and lifting up. We have stereotypical main characters, a paper thin narrative and dialogue that would make any uninitiated reader cringe and you know what?  It adds up to an outlandishly entertaining good time that proves the skill of the people behind it.

The art delivered by Sina Grace absolutely evokes the material it attempts to emulate.  Whether we’re dealing with a barroom brawl or the beginning of a boss fight the pencil strokes create an atmosphere that’s worth following.  I was particularly impressed with how the illustrator brought the inherent feelings of a video game to life while combining them with shots that are exclusive to a wholly different medium.

Burn the Orphanage: Born to Lose #1 is not perfect by any stretch of the imagination, but it’s certainly entertaining enough as it embraces embarrassing yet honest stereotypical tropes of an age long forgotten.  Recommended.

4/5