Atop the Fourth Wall

- Season 9

(2016)

Linkara kicks off the new year with some football. But since he's early for the Super Bowl, he decides to look at some SuperPro. It's been a while since he's visited this series, and there are plenty of good reasons why. This issue features our helmeted, padded jock hero going after an evildoer who sells steroids to athletes.

Well, blow me down. Linkara finally gets to talk about everybody's favorite spinach-eating super sailor, courtesy of his Patreon mateys. This story chronicles Popeye's life from birth on board a ship at sea, his Pappy shipping out on him, and the young man growing up on an all-spinach diet and developing a keen knack for fighting. This provides techniques for both survival and wacky hijinks.

The first PSA Hell of 2016 is a short comic for OnStar, starring the Caped Crusader. The Commissioner has been kidnapped by the Riddler, and in order to locate him and bring that crazy conundrum king to justice, Batman will need a little help from a commercial car security service. Hopefully he didn't buy it with a Bat Credit Card.

Linkara returns to the Kingdom of Monsters, even though it's still yet to be established. So while the monsters are still wreaking havoc on three continents, the comic decides to focus on a pair of freaky twin girls, more asshole children, and cultural satire for the brain-dead.

A few minutes ago in an apartment a good distance away...Linkara has returned to the comic franchise of The Star Wars, with the third issue. Little does Linkara know that this is the issue where things finally start to take shape, resembling the movie whose source material originated from this story. Roles may be reversed and 1 character may become 3, but it is indeed one with the Force of Others.

More wacky, inconsistent and overcrowded fun with Rob Liefeld's shameful excuse for a comic series. Today, Linkara looks at issue #8,000 where our poorly-drawn heroes fighting equally poorly-drawn foes in positions no human acrobat could imitate, and we get some poorly timed backstory. Oh, and Spawn is here too for some reason.

After 10 agonizing issues, All-Star Crazy Steve and Dick Grayson Age 12 finally comes to a close. So how does this harrowing saga of murder, kidnapping, child endangerment, misogyny, sex, scandals, perversion, and time jumps that would make all 13 Doctors crap themselves end? Batman and Robin are pushed aside to make way for a vulgar Batgirl story.

To celebrate the 20th anniversary of his all-time favorite Anime franchise, which is Pokémon for the few people who don't know, Linkara takes a look at--what else? A Pokémon comic. After an exhaustive search for a decent enough book, he settles on Pokémon Adventures.

Go Go Patreon Sponsors. Linkara's generous masters have requested he review the first five episodes of a Super Sentai known as Kaizoku Sentai Gokaiger. More Japanese Power Rangers. But he's happy to do it, because Linkara is secretly a Power Rangers fan. Not many people know this, but he does enjoy that franchise.

Linkara begins his month-long retrospective of the unsung Blue Beetle. Linkara begins by lecturing on BB's secret origins, in which he was a rip-off of The Green Hornet. Since then, his costume and character both evolved, he got himself an obligatory kid sidekick, a Beetlemobile, and an arsenal of nonsensical super powers. Among the highlights detailed in this saga is Garrett going off to fight the Nazis, and learning a devilish secret about Hitler.

Linkara continues his Blue Beetle retrospective by looking at the Silver Age recreation of the character, and the second man to take on the mantle.

Linkara tells us about the third Blue Beetle: Jaime Reyes. This era of BB features time travel, space travel, a myriad of oddball characters and crossovers.

As the month of March draws to a close, so does Linkara's retrospective on the history of the Blue Beetle. And what better way to end than to cover the character's tenure in DC Comic's reboot saga Linkara hates with every fiber of his being: The New 52.

Star Trek has lived long and prospered for 50 years, and being such a big Trekkie, Linkara honors the Enterprise's golden anniversary with a review of a comic that dared to bring the doctors of all five Star Trek series together for their own scientifically illogical space adventure. Can you say comic malpractice?

Linkara is forced once again to look at a good comic. Why? Because he isn't one to bite the hand that feeds his bank account. The comic de jour is Blackest Night. He looks at not one, but 8 issues surrounding life, death, resurrection, and everything in between.

Show him the money, he'll show you the comic (provided you've followed the proper channels, that is). It's another Patreon sponsored review for Linkara today as he digs into Dart #1, a mean-spirited comic about a sexy superhero and a greedy toy company. Plenty of grammar errors and Liefeld-worthy artwork make this a blunder to behold.

Linkara reads the third part of "Leaves of Grass" in which Batman battles the Floronic Man while fending off Poison Ivy's toxic advances, while Tim Drake gives us a lecture on the history of marijuana and its many good uses. And to think, the pages of this comic could've been better used as hemp.

By popular demand (from 1 person), Linkara reviews a JRPG. It involves a fiendish plot to usurp the throne from Her Majesty, and the only ones fit to stop the forces of evil are two siblings turned lovers and the most likable character is the would-be villain. Yep, it's one of THOSE games.

Linkara looks at issue 3 in the Ultimate Power universe, by Greg Land, who is literally retracing his steps. In this issue, the Fantastic Four, the Avengers, and a couple facsimiles set out to stop a bio-mass from engulfing the eastern seaboard.

Linkara continues his celebration of Star Trek's golden anniversary with issue #3 of The Next Generation comic series. It's an intergalactic battle of morals, plot holes and creative differences. Not to mention it prominently features one of the many banes of Linkara's existence: Q.

Break out the fruit pies, it's time for another Comic Book Quickies. So, what little slices of pie does Linkara have to stomach this time? Spider-Man has to stop Printout-Man from not only causing a run on the bank, but from hoarding the city's supply of Hostess Cupcakes, a Beast Wars mini-comic with Megatron and Optimus Primal going toe to toe, a commercial comic on the dangers of "Spiromania", and Captain America teams up with Colgate Junior to stop Count Plaqula.

For the 100th, it was a cartoon hedgehog in an unreal world. For the 200th, it was Spidey selling his soul in a story that is the bane of Linkara's existence. For the 300th, it was the worst piece of literature Frank Miller ever contributed to. Now, for #400, Linkara will review - a musical comic, as in a comic based off a terrible musical. It's a tuneful review with musical numbers and a ballad of guest stars.

With Batman vs. Superman and Captain America vs. Iron Man playing out all over theater screens, Linkara decides to look back at the time Superman was pitted against Spider-Man. Marvel and DC's first crossover event. And as Linkara discovers, this little crossover battle is different from those that would come after it, because it's done exceptionally well. It doesn't just pull punches, because every punch has a purpose.

Linkara schools a disastrous Titans/Young Justice trilogy that was supposed to be the grand finale of both series (at the time). But these young crime-fighters go out with anything but a bang, because when you don't show the proper respect for continuity and previously developed characters, then you have the recipe for one sucktacular comic, and this is only Part 1. Linkara must brace himself for the incomprehensible spores of madness that await him in the next two issues.

Stupid is as stupid does with issue 2 of this Titans/Young Justice Graduation comic. Linkara covers more insanity as the two teams butt heads and point fingers instead of using their brains and fists.

Linkara finally closes out this trilogy of terror that is Titans/Young Justice: Graduation Day. It's pompous and circumstantial pandemonium as the gang engage in battle with an evil Superman robot which results in pointless deaths of significant characters. Graduation? Nope, this series needs to go to summer school.

Linkara rants and raves about the politically incorrect event comic known as Civil War, going through 15 things that confuse, bewilder or just plain infuriate him.

Linkara reviews a comic from his favorite Star Trek series, Deep Space Nine. In this adventure, the team tries to control an outbreak of some experimental scientific mold that tries to take over the ship, all while trying to keep up with the Cardassians.

Always willing to try new things, especially when his Patreon sponsors demand it, Linkara decides to look at something he's never reviewed in all the 400+ episodes of his show: an audio drama. That's right, taking a break from printed media, Linkara reviews one of audio: a story in the Doctor Who-verse featuring a conflict between two nations, and a world where science is outlawed and magic is revered.

Ten-four, good buddy, Linkara's hauling a load with issue 6 of our favorite comic book truck driver, US-1. Each book has gotten weirder and weirder, and this one is no exception as our heroic trucker swoops in to help the owners of a local truck stop, who are behind on their mortgage payments. Being the all-American good guy he is, Ulysses won't let a greedy banker or a violent biker gang stand in his way of righting wrongs.

Stardate 8106: Linkara reviews the very first comic book adaptation of Star Trek: Voyager. Though not as exciting as the series, the comic does share one very important aspect with it: they take full advantage of the "fiction" in 'science fiction.'

"A Reluctant Escort" is an apropos title for the first chapter of Unsounded, as Linkara is reluctant to escort his viewers through this web comic. However, this journey is mandated by the Kingdom of Patreon, to whom Linkara has pledged his loyalty. Unsounded tells the tale of an obnoxious young princess and her reluctant zombie escort have to avoid many treacherous and deadly obstacles - mainly each other.

Patreon's wish is Linkara's command. This week's outing is an odd sci-fi comic about a classic, seldom-known comic character called James Bigglesworth, or Biggles for short. In this adventure, the brazen pilot has to solve the mystery of a space station that seemingly launched itself and is threatening to nuke the entire world.

The world's greatest detective in the world's worst movie made for an unsavory combination, but, of course, there had to be a comic adaptation. So, Linkara digs into the comic version of Batman and Robin, to compare and contrast with the ludicrous film. And, of course, you-know-who shows up to do the mandatory Bat Credit Card freak-out...but Linkara's one step ahead to nip that old meme in the bud.

Because Superman had nothing better to do, he's back to hock more Tandy computer products with the Whiz Kids. Linkara delves into the latest adventures of the Whiz Shills that features not only Superman, but Supergirl as well, helping to push the latest state-of-the-art, groundbreaking technology 1981 had to offer.

With the fate of the world resting in his hands, vowing not to rest until he can decipher a mysterious message from the future, Linkara takes a rest anyway to review a Star Trek/Green Lantern crossover comic. It's the Trek's 50th anniversary, and Linkara marks the occasion with a comic in which universes collide, the Lantern rings come in the possession of the Enterprise crew, and all sorts of wacky hijinks ensue.

Sponsorship is Magic as My Little Patreon encourages Linkara to bite the bullet and review a My Little Pony comic. He gets more than he bargained for with a magical adventure about the ponies using magic and friendship to save the green forests from an unscrupulous land developer.

It's mega manga time again as Linkara commemorates the 20th anniversary of Yu-Gi-Oh. While he's not very hip on the original series, he is a BIG fan of GX. While the manga is not without flaws, Linkara finds it to be a somewhat solid story about two teams using their magic cards to create monsters. Each team making sure their deck is larger...that's deck of cards, you pervs.

The light of Patreon shines brightly upon Linkara tonight, as they've selected a topic that's very near and dear to him to review: comic books. Though not really a book, it's the pilot to an X-Men animated series that was never made. Being a big fan of the superhero mutants and all their wacky friends and enemies, Linkara looks over this 1989 effort and tries to see why this show never made it to series.

Linkara has good reasons to feel paranoid. His spaceship is destroyed, there's an evil presence stalking him, and most of all, it's October. Halloween is right around the corner, which means more of that jovial murderous ghoul Freddy Kruger. In this gory mini-series, Freddy attempts to get all the teens of Springwood to fear him again, and with this gang of misfits and pushovers, he's got his work cut out for him. Dull story if you can read between the lines.

The nightmare continues...for Linkara, who still has two more issues of this crap. In Paranoid #2: Insomniac Boogaloo, we pick up where we left off, with Freddy causing more of his trademark mayhem for a group of clueless teenagers. And Linkara has a few of his own supernatural forces with malevolent intent to deal with.

Linkara is ready for this Nightmare to end as he gets to issue 3, and while it did show some potential for interesting ideas, it simply pissed them all away for shoddy exposition and cheap thrills. Once he gets through this nightmare, Linkara must face the other one stalking him in the real world.

Spider-Man, Spider-Man. Can this comic suck? You bet it can. In honor of Linkara's 8th anniversary, he keeps in tradition of reviewing another entry in the ludicrous Clone Saga series. Ben Reilly finds difficulty in balancing the life of a superhero and a civilian, while some cyber criminals use the art of virtual reality to upload data about people and use them for dastardly purposes. Meanwhile, to understand the nefarious entities in his new house, Linkara seeks help from an old friend, who once experienced a dark side.

If something sucks, on your comic shelf, who you gonna call? Linkara. This Halloween special includes a review of three Ghostbusters II comics featuring the Real Ghostbusters. Worlds collide as the cartoon meets the second movie, which Linkara deems better than the first. And speaking of ghosts, Linkara still has that pesky entity haunting his new house to worry about. Fortunately, though, he's got some help.

Secret Origins Month 2016 is off to a Strange start. The new Doctor Strange movie has hit theaters and so Linkara decides to look at the origins of the good doctor. The master of black magic.

Linkara dives deep to bring us the origins of Aquaman, that hero of the sea. If you've ever wondered who he was, where he came from, and how he single-handedly defeated the Nazis, here is your answer.

It's another mysterious origin for Linkara as he looks at the coming of that unsung heroic archer Hawkeye. An overlooked showman at Coney Island, he witnesses Iron Man's heroics and decides he can do the same thing too. After he bungles his first attempt at heroism, he finds himself recruited by Black Widow to defeat Iron Man.

Before the Avengers and the Justice League, and even the Super Friends, there was the Justice Society of America. To wrap up Secret Origins Month 2016, Linkara looks at their origin. Featuring such memorable members as The Atom, The Sandman, The Spectre, The Hawkman, The Hourman, Dr. Fate, and Johnny Thunder. Each one has a fascinating story to tell...all of which are told in this one comic.

Linkara begins the Christmas season with galloping hysterics, as he looks at a My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic Christmas comic. It wasn't a Patreon request, but he's still reviewing it for the money. Hey, comic reviewers with magic guns who save the world on a monthly basis need to eat too. In this comic, Twilight and Spike are snowed in at the train station and worried they'll miss Pinkie Pie's party. To pass the time: stories within a story.

If you've ever wondered what a Christmas Carol/Ghostbusters crossover would be like, The Real Ghostbusters made such an episode about it 30 years ago. However, much like A Christmas Carol itself, there can be many retellings of the story via different methods and characters. And so today, as Linkara continues his celebration of A Franchise Christmas, reads a comic adaptation of the Ghostbusters tangling with the Ghosts of Christmas Past, Present and Future, and watch as greed, avarice and mistrust nearly break up the team.

Seasons creepings from Atop the Fourth Wall, as Linkara digs an Elvira comic from his Christmas stocking. The horror hostess made her way to print media with a bizarre comic that has a dozen names. And much like her TV shows, Elvira's comic is an anthology: a version of A Christmas Carol to scare the Dickens out of you, Santa Claus committing a hit and run, a possessed homicidal Christmas tree, and aliens visiting a post-apocalyptic Earth have a run-in with Jolly St. Nick.

Linkara reflects back on the year 2016, listing the many highs and the over-abundance of lows. But most of all, he reflects on himself and his own fortunes, good and bad. Including mistakes he's made, and he's counted down 15 of the most glaring ones to date. Or at least the ones he didn't mention in past Top 15 Screw-Up videos.