Atop the Fourth Wall

I have read very few comic books in my life. This is mainly because the comic and it's heroes must, with exceptions I am sure, continue on forever.

As new generations of fans keep coming along and with most veteran writers not wanting to repeat themselves and the character being passed along from writer to writer the characters will often exist only as physical shells as their personalities, their powers and even their stories and lives are inconsistent to the point where only the name and sometimes their face are recognisable.

Because of this comic book fans can find the names of the writers and artists very easily, usually, should they find a writer or artist that represents these characters the best... or worst.

Atop The Fourth Wall comes in.

Lewis Lovhaug plays his own character called Linkara. I was extremely sceptical about this - how does somebody act like a reviewer? Does the writer write their own thoughts on something or do they make them up for the character? I would rather have an honest opinion.

I was reminded at this stage by my own usernames in the various forums I have been a part of over the years and that, even though I have made up my name and certainly have not put a face to my words it was still myself speaking. I might not act quite the same since I am in a different social environment but I am still me.

Luckily for myself Linkara does not seem to have much of a character; I do not mean to say that Linkara is boring I simply mean that Linkara, for the review, is mostly Lewis. Linkara's story is often told through a video series that plays after the credits at the end of an episode, you can choose whether or not you would like to follow the story of Linkara.

I am not interested in the character in my honest opinion however, the story of Linkara is a popular element of the show. I can not tell you if the story is well written or not since I have not followed it. I can say it will not ruin your experience if you choose not to be involved. Suffice to say, for me, Linkara himself does not hold any weight with the only exception being that I do love to see the consistent costumes and sets - it really makes you feel like Lewis is putting on a show.

Now I have addressed Linkara I will address the show.

Lewis manages to find, or is sent, some of the most obscure, obscene, confusing, annoying, hilarious, facetious and awful stories that you can imagine exist; this works in the opposite way to reality in a very general sense: the worst the comic the better the review. Buried by their obscurity; often helped by age, exists a treasure trove of stories that you will never have been able to come across otherwise.

Lewis's examination of these stories is thorough. Through him you will see the stories as the characters themselves would but with a far wider view of the world. As Lewis reviews you will likely be relieved that all the problems you used to notice, big or small, are a problem for other people as well.

You will be given a unique perspective on some very unique situations. Lewis will notice things that make you laugh, make you angry and you will find yourself noticing something you would have not have found on your own. The depth and interest Lewis pays to the material is often impressive.

Lewis is able to step back and think about consistency as well as context and seemingly cares more about the story than the writers themselves did, taking it in whilst remaining critical and interested.

I agree that Lewis is not a comedian yet he is hilarious. Lewis's meticulous review style will throw you into these stories first hand and you will often find yourself laughing at his criticism of the problems as they occur as his voice and wording suggests to you the level of absurdity. Lewis is first to point out irony and inconsistency and put it in a context that is, itself, hilarious. Lewis uses the story and characters and approaches them with a clear mind as he lets them make fun of themselves and fall apart before his eyes.

This is not to say that Lewis does not write jokes but his biggest strength relies on your immersion in the characters and story. Lewis is armed with a library of appropriate and hilarious video and music responses to about anything that can happen. You often wonder how he can remember where to find each of these lines in the heaps of seasons and episodes he must have to dig through.

Lewis also has a great stage presence. Even though he will act out a lot of emotions for comic effect you never get the impression he is desperate for laughs, Lewis seems to really enjoy himself whether he is, ironically, suffering through dismal comic or laughing his way through a fun one. Lewis even voices all of the dialogue in fitting voices that he'll remember and assign to that character or type of character should they turn up again.

Overall Atop The Forth Wall is a show you should really experience, I dare say, especially if you are not a fan of comic books because you will not be prepared for what you'll see in these stories.

I have found so little wrong with my experience of the show that I have to give it an 8/10. I can not rate it higher because I have not gotten involved in Linkara's story and I have not ever found a perfect show. With this, though, you'll wonder if it could get much more professional.

"Atop the Fourth Wall" was always a fairly gimmicky, but still unique, concept: the Nostalgia Critic, but with comic books. And like the Nostalgia Critic, AT4W experienced a slow, withering decline over the years as it's haphazardly tried and failed to keep up with the times.

Akin to most of the Channel Awesome Criticsphere shows, you can look back on an early AT4W video then look at a more recent one and not discern much meaningful change in the way the main content is presented. Lewis Lovhaug, in his fictitious persona Linkara, basically sits in his basement and commentates over scans of bad comic books, makes jokes and one-liners here and there in a gratingly nasal voice, before declaring his final opinion. Although, there is one thing you will definitely notice has changed for the worse...

Those obnoxious storylines! In another uncanny reflection of the Nostalgia Critic's fall from grace due to an overreliance on cutaway gags, AT4W has basically been ruined by Lovhaug's insistence that each video has to tie in to some ridiculous, nonsensical sci-fi storyline that usually has absolutely nothing to do with the comic review at hand. I find it funny how Linkara can have the gall to mock bad writing in his comic books, but is completely un-self-aware to the atrocious quality of his own little storylines.

Worse, Lewis always portrays the Linkara character as an awesome gun-toting Marty Stu who goes around defeating supervillains in a spaceship with a quirky cast of robot sidekicks and whatnot. You can really tell that Lewis regards these narrative segments as a big draw to his videos, but they're really not -- most people just skip to the actual review, because that's understandably what they'd rather be watching. They're just too embarrassing to sit through, and I'm sure Lewis will feel the same way in many years time (not that he learned from his attempts to write a superhero webcomic and Pokemon fanfiction). While I applaud his efforts to experiment, I think he should either try something else or just stick to the original thing.

What I will say in the show's favour is that there's at least a great variety of comics reviewed -- it's not just the standard Marvel/DC fare, and Lewis manages to get hold of some really obscure and interesting titles. Not only that, but AT4W is one of the only notable Criticsphere review (they're more like overviews, really) shows that showcases both good and bad media. A break from the whinging and nitpicking is refreshing. Some of Lewis's diary insights that accompany his videos in the descriptions are also quite fun to read through. So overall, AT4W isn't bad, as I'll still stick on a video when I feel in the mood, but the flaws are increasingly hard to ignore.

I remember when Lewis had started doing his comic book reviews. There was actual care put into the reviews because there were actual reviews. he would talk about the comic book. He'd talk about the artist or the panels. He'd actually comment on what was going on and give a genuine review. But as time went on, and his fan base started growing the reviews started getting less insightful and more insufferable. Instead of talking about the comments he'd just make a snide comment about a panel or do a bit of a riff on it.

And then came the skits. They started small but eventually grew into arcs that lasted an entire season. It started be less about the comic books and more about Lewis' Mary Sue insert called Linkara. Such a cool guy. He's not only got a magic gun, morpher, Star Trek weapons but robots and a bloody spaceship. Yes you heard me right, he's got a spaceship. This is because he's supposed to be the hero of this reality. He's fought evil space warlords, missing numbers, pyramid head and other nonsensical beings.

I honestly gave up on this show a long time ago.

I have never heard of a critic who reviewed comic books before. I am so glad this guy was out here to prove me wrong. The thing is, Linkara is a lot more of a people pleaser than the Nostalgia Critic. There's tons of stuff he won't review, but with Linkara, just give him money on Patreon and he'll review it! Now, he isn't as funny as the Nostalgia Critic, but is still tons of fun. I guess it's because I just personally associate with him more. He's into stuff like anime and "Pokémon" while the Critic isn't. Come to think of it, I don't think there's a single franchise that Lewis Lovhaug is a part of, Doug Walker is a part of. Dang, these guys complete each other.

He's my second favorite person on the site. I would be lying if I didn't say that his nicer attitude didn't remind me more of myself. The Critic uses R-rated language a lot and he doesn't. What's also great is that Linkara videos have continuity, which is what was even pointed out in the Critic's review of "After Earth". I'm not going to mention the Critic anymore. My favorite review of his is and always will be his review of "One More Day". I think the Critic made more jokes about "The Phantom Menace" and "My Little Pony" then he did of this comic. Thank you so much for giving us this wonderfully pleasing episode. I would even go so far as to say that was the best episode of anything I saw in my life. His complaints are quite realistic.

There's also a lot of other characters that Lewis plays. These are really all distinct characters that contribute to the story in their own ways. It's great to see who the next arc villain will be. I have never seen any review show that had as much of an ongoing story as this. It's just great to have all these colorful characters appear. He points stuff out, as most people would. I became a fan of comic books before watching him.

I mean, it's a form of media that you don't have to pay for! Just go to a bookstore and read them! For all the strange opinions he may have on his favorite stuff, he's definitely worth looking into, if only because comic book reviews are pretty rare on the Internet. Perfect ****.

As an avid fan of comic books and superheroes; any show that reviews them is an instant favorite of mine. atop the fourth wall is easily my favorite comic book reviewing show. it is funny, insightful, and action packed. lewis lovhaug is a true genius and I hope he continues into the future. if you read this review lewis; good job dude.