Atop the Fourth Wall

- Season 10

(2017)

The start of the new year sees Linkara getting his Mon on by looking at a Digimon comic. Five kids at a summer camp get more than they bargained for when they come across these adorable little digital devils, who come from an alternate reality that truly plays by its own rules.

This next number is a surreal comic on music videos requested by Linkara's questionably loyal Patreon sponsors. Despite thinking musical comics are bogus, Linkara still looks at six issues of insanity about a morose girl who makes a deal with a mysterious entity behind a TV screen to sacrifice a piece of herself for something better...and it doesn't go as planned. Battles from within one's self never do.

Linkara's Patreon dudes requested a bodacious comic today, it's the debut of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. But these are your older brother's Ninja Turtles from the dark, gritty Mirage comics. This semi-Secret Origins Month episode tells the origins of the Turtles, Splinter and The Shredder. So if you wanna see how it all really began, this is your slice of pizza.

Linkara is in trouble again, as he is now at Issue 3. Teen angst, animosity, love triangles, and of course, sex are all the rage the third part of this sorry saga. And, because someone didn't use protection, May becomes pregnant. With this backstory of his parents and aunt and uncle's early courtship days, it's no wonder Peter became so messed up.

The Force of Others is mildly strong with this one. As Linkara reviews issue #4 of what Star Wars probably would've been had George Lucas completely gotten his way, our heroes seek transport off Acquilea with the droids. They meet a jolly green swashbuckler who may be of some help.

Linkara grants another Patreon sponsor's wish by looking at a TV show, instead of a comic. It was one of Spidey-s many forays onto the small screen, and since Linkara is a big Spider-Man fanatic, except for that one comic that shall remain nameless, he looks at an episode of the short-lived Spectacular Spider-Man series.

Linkara goes back to his roots, in the very early days of internet reviewing, he wrote blogs on comic books. The first book he blogged about was the first issue of Youngblood. And now, ten years later, with his own successful video reviewing series, he's at Youngblood #9. Fortunately Liefeld had little to do with this one, but that doesn't stop it from being an all-out mess. It's a satirical look at Hollywood and stardom as Badrock heads to L.A. to star in his own TV show.

Linkara laments not reviewing any Mr. T related comics the previous year, and for that, we pity the fool. However, he decides to get back on track and review The A-Team #2. In this harrowing adventure, our heroes set out to rescue the elderly father of some video game magnates from a dangerous Japanese ninja cult.

It's no surprise that so many DC fans were disappointed with the live action Batman vs. Superman movie.So, Linkara sees the Patreon signal in the sky and receives a request to review the animated, and much better version that came out 20 years earlier.

For this year's retrospective, Linkara covers the first half of the comic chronicling the adventures of the dimension hopping superhero team, the Exiles.

Linkara finishes up this year's retrospective as he finishes covering the good, the bad, and the very confusing aspects of the Exiles comic series.

Even though Linkara previously established a desire not to review political comics, he decides to make an exception with one notoriously bad book that depicts former president Ronald Reagan as a Rambo-style bad-ass who has to save the country from a nuclear meltdown caused by dastardly super villains.

Never let it be said Linkara doesn't work hard for the money, as this week's Patreon request is Fist of the North Star, or at least the first chapter of the infamous manga. It's a post-apocalyptic world where mankind is at each other's throats to preserve what little resources they have left, when from out of the hot, dusty desert air came a lone wanderer. A hero. His name was Max - er, Kenshiro. Don't get mad.

Who are the real monsters? The overgrown reptiles causing chaos and destruction throughout the cities of earth, or the overblown comic writers causing chaos and destruction through horrible written trite with brain-dead pop culture satire and one-dimensional characters? That is the question Linkara poses as he tortures himself with issue #4 of Godzilla: Kingdom of Crap.

Linkara is requested to review an episode of the lesser-known Iron Man animated series in which Tony gets hitched. As he stands at the altar, he remembers back to the action-packed events that lead up to this union ala the series' first semi-clip show. Bad jokes and little attention to the titular wedding, plus it has a twist ending worthy of Shyamalan.

Ancient Greek Wackyness is present and accounted for in Athena #3, the second sequel to the comic known for it's overuse of T&A, with extra A. Like the last issue, Linkara put off reviewing this one for as long as he could, and finds that he hasn't missed much, because not much as happened. It's a perfect display of what happens when the Greek Gods exchange their powers to take on the forms of mortals, and among those powers is brain power.

By popular request via Patreon, Linkara reviews one of the New 52 Batman comics. If you thought All-Star Batman and Robin was bad - it still is, but here are three issues of another book that is bat-shit insane (pun intended). In this tale of wackiness, the Dark Knight monologues about fear while having to face off against Two-Face, who is now a giant mutated monster and calling himself One-Face, despite still having two, and a mysterious Playboy bunny seems to be behind it all. Just a sample of the crazy mess Linkara has now gotten himself into.

PSA Hell returns with a comic voted on by Linkara's Patreon sponsors. The New Teen Titans set out to rid the city of drugs and their dealers, while helping Not-Robin's cousin, a former addict, not give in to the temptations around him.

For the first installment of Event Comics Month, worlds lived, worlds died, and nothing was ever the same again. Linkara takes a look at Crisis on Infinite Earths.

Good or evil: which will ultimately prevail in a battle. Linkara joins the heroes and villains of the Marvel universe to answer that question as he covers the event comic Secret Wars.

How exactly does one face up to the power of a God? Linkara finds out as the heroes struggle against the tyrannical Thanos in the event comic The Infinity Gauntlet.

Event Comics Month comes to a close along with a universe as Linkara reviews the comic that rebooted the DC Universe with Flashpoint.

Linkara is a big fan of the show Babylon 5, so he decides to review a tie-in comic. An ex-position-filled yarn about Commander Sinclair receiving a giant blast from the past involving Earth's government and his own mind.

It is an uncertain time for Linkara. Although Comicron One has been destroyed, he has managed to keep unseen threats at bay and maintain business as usual. Among such distractions is The Star Wars #5, where Luke, Han, Annikin, Leia, Whitesun and the droids escape Imperial ambush and head to Ophuchi. All the while, there's a strong love-hate relationship forming between Annikin and Leia, in true Star Wars tradition.

Patreon sponsored review time again. Linkara revs up his motorcycle to take a look a volume of the All-New Ghost Rider, as Robbie Reyes struggles to control his demons and meets an old friend.

Linkara gears up for more Miller Time, returning to the franchise of Robocop vs. The Terminator. This time around, the woman from the future who claims Robocop is responsible for bringing SkyNet online and bringing about the eradication of the human race is proven to be telling the truth. Now Robo must protect her and fight off an onslaught of Terminators to prevent this possible future.

Time is out of joint as Linkara reads issue 2 of the Superman vs. The Terminator saga. While Superman is stuck in the future helping the resistance take down SkyNet, the machines plot to send an army of terminators back to the past to kill John Connor, Superman and all of humanity.

What can be expected from the next entry in the Whiz Kids saga? Perpetually returning from summer vacation? Plugs for primitive, early '80s computer products? A sinister plot to abduct children at a state fair? What comes to no surprise to Linkara is that like always, comics designed to sell computers think they're best suited to include hard-hitting, real-life dramatic situations. Because trying to hit close to home is always the best way to plug a 1981 brick cordless phone.

Linkara successfully completes work on Comicron Two and takes her on her maiden voyage. To celebrate the christening of his new space ship, he reviews a terrible comic. Issue four of Ultimate Power, featuring our zany heroes crossing dimensions to fight foes, but forgetting to take a tangible story with them. And Greg Land boldly goes where no tracer has gone before.

While Linkara battles a nefarious inner conflict, he manages to take time out to fulfill a Patreon sponsor request. It's a fantasy Manga about a ragtag gang setting out to save a girl from a monster, only they come face to face with a much more power foe: hunger.

One of the better Batman writers who was responsible for bringing the Dark Knight back to his dark roots in the '70s has since come of retirement and written another comic series about him. Linkara reviews issue #1 of the new series, relieved that it wasn't Frank Miller who penned it - although the concept and subject matter isn't too far from typical Miller territory.

The Sponsors of Patreon have requested that Linkara cover a comic from the famous Asterix series. Being unfamiliar with the material, he agrees to review The Legionary, which follows our bumbling, roughhousing heroes on a quest to save the missing fiancee of a girl with whom Obelix has become smitten.

Ready for a quickie? Linkara has even more comic shorts and one-page ads to satisfy our cravings. So, what did comic publishers trick unsuspecting kids into buying this time? Well, we've got more footwear follies as a kid trips a carjacker with his pair of Dingo boots; hip dino Rocky D. pushing rock candy; a kid conquering the game world with a wireless controller; and finally, Superman catching crooks in disguise as an even more powerful superhero: a Hostess salesman.

Linkara is not too familiar with the Jojo Manga and subsequent anime OVA, but the Patreon sponsors requested it and so he must give them a look anyway. He reviews the first four episodes of JoJo's Bizarre Adventures that truly live up to the show's name. There are ninjas, vampires, and even Jack the Ripper.

With the Entity threatening the lives of Linkara and his friends, and time being of the essence to stop it once and for all, Linkara decides to pause and recenter himself by reviewing a comic--er, movie. Hey, the sponsors requested it and he's got a brand new spaceship to pay for. Remember the Thunderbirds? They were basically your parents' Team America, only not as vulgar or funny.

Linkara and the Nostalgia Critic team up to review the comic adaptation of the 1989 Tim Burton Batman movie. Witty banter bounces off the walls like bullets off the Bat's cape.

Linkara's Patreon sponsors have requested him to review - a comic. A bad comic? Yup. What spore of madness is this? Well, haven't you always wanted to read an Iron Man comic without Iron Man and instead a scientific mishap about playing God with regenerating bacteria? If yes, then this is all your fault.

The Magic of Patreon forces Linkara back to Equestria with another My Little Pony comic. They call it pony love as a high school nerd vies for the affections of an in-name-only princess. When he's finally done with that, Linkara rejoins his friends in outer space to combat and hopefully defeat the Entity once and for all.

The fate of the world hangs in the balance as Lord Vyce seizes control of Comicron One, locking the crew in the brig. Despite Linkara insisting that the Entity is no more, Vyce is hellbent on finishing what he started. Fortunately for Linkara, it isn't so urgent that he can't take time out to review a Patreon-requested comic.

In this comic continuation of Freddy's Dead, it seems Freddy may not be dead after all. As is tradition to start off the month of Halloween, Linkara reviews another Nightmare on Elm Street comic that picks up where the sixth film left off. Maggie is having nightmares about possibly becoming Freddy, and so she travels back to Springwood to learn more about who her father really was.

A paranoid Linkara looks at the Nightmare on Elm Street comic that follows the Paranoia mini-series. As far as story, character, coherency and artwork, it's dry as a bone. As Springwood has all but managed to cure themselves of Freddy by the miracle of modern medicine, four out-of-town armed robbers knock off a liquor store and one way or another, each one has a run-in with a very restless Freddy and his laundry list of puns.

Linkara continues his month-long tribute to the man of our dreams with New Line Cinema's Tales of Horror #1, which features not only Freddy, but Leatherface too. Unfortunately, they don't duke it out, they just get their own stories: a chainsaw salesman narrowly misses having Leatherface for a customer, and Freddy manages to recruit some mortal sociopaths to do his dirty work.

It's the ninth year anniversary. It's time once again to return to the Clone Saga as Ben Reilly continues to fight against his creators to actual be the title character in The Sensational Spider-Man.

Linkara finishes off Halloween by reading the ultimate horror crossover comic: Freddy vs. Jason vs. Ash, three slashers from three franchises going toe to toe to toe. A once proposed sequel to Freddy vs. Jason, now a 6-issue mini-series, there's bound to be knives and puns being hurled in rapid succession.

For an abridged Secret Origins Month, Linkara goes back to the very beginning for the origins of one of Marvel's first characters: Namor the Submariner.

Unite the seven, for real this time. Secret Origins month continues as Linkara takes a look at the dawn of justice as the DC superheroes team up to battle Starro in Brave and the Bold #28.

Patreon sponsored review time and a pseudo Secret Origins month episode. Linkara takes a look at the first four episodes of the tokusatsu TV show Kamen Rider Fourze.

Nothing says Christmas like sadomasochism, which is why Linkara has decided to start the Christmas season off on a jolly note with that most festive of horror franchises: Hellraiser. Pandora's Box is wrapped in pretty paper and bows, just waiting to be unwrapped.

Linkara delivers another bundle of Christmas fun with a comic about a magic Christmas tree, Nazis, and Wonder Woman.

Everyone and their goldfish knows about The Star Wars Holiday Special and what a horrible stain it is on the franchise, but few people know about a similar holiday special that's goofy for all the RIGHT reasons. Prepare to get stirred, whipped and steamed as Linkara reviews The STEAM WARS Holiday Special.

It's Christmas day. What better way to celebrate with some superhero comics? Linkara takes a look at an anthology where even the heroes enjoy the holidays in Christmas with the Superheroes #2.