Atop the Fourth Wall
Atop the Fourth Wall is a web television series hosted by Lewis Jeffrey Lovhaug (born August 19, 1987), going by his pseudonym "Linkara". It is hosted on the website That Guy With The Glasses, run by the production company Channel Awesome.
In his program, Lovhaug reviews comic books of various genres (particularly superhero comics), with his catchphrase at the end of reviews being "This comic sucks!" Unlike other reviewers on Channel Awesome, he features a running story arc in which Linkara battles galactic conquerors and transdimensional entities. In addition, he is known for using limited profanity in his reviews, as he doesn't think he needs excessive swearing to make his jokes funny.
Background
Before the webshow, Lovhaug wrote and illustrated his own series of webcomics, which served as the origin of the name Linkara.
Atop the Fourth Wall started as a text-based review blog. In October 2008, Lovhaug participated in a contest on That Guy With The Glasses, filming his own version of Doug Walker's "Ask That Guy" videos. Since then, he has been a prominent reviewer on That Guy With The Glasses, often participating in crossovers with his fellow reviewers. Each episode is posted on blip.tv on Mondays, with the episode appearing on That Guy With The Glasses on Tuesday.
In several episodes, as well as in episodes of Nostalgia Critic, it is revealed that Linkara is a big Star Trek fan. In particular, he really enjoys the longest version of Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan. Linkara is also a fan of the Power Rangers franchise, utilizing a Green Power Ranger outfit used by Tommy Oliver and the Dragon Dagger in his story arc from time to time. He also loved Doctor Who, the first Doctor he's seen being the Seventh Doctor. He also possesses a fedora hat (used in the design of the show's logo) and a fake flintlock pistol known as "the magic gun."
Theme Song
Welcome to Atop the Fourth Wall, where bad comics burn.
Linkara's gonna teach you all a lesson you won't learn.
Brodsky, you're not the smartest.
Leinfeld, not an artist.
Anyone who's had a bad comic published, it could be your turn.
Linkara!
He is a man, punch, wears a purty hat.
Linkara!
He has a magic gun. Where'd he purchase that?
Linkara!
Coins, robots, Amazons, and trucks.
Linkara!
This. Comic. Sucks.
Linkara!
Show Format
The videos are often shot from a studio room in Lovhaug's apartment, with a beige wall in the background and Linkara sitting on a green futon. He opens the review with the catchphrase, "Hello and welcome to Atop the Fourth Wall, where bad comics burn!" and quickly provides some background information on the comic being reviewed for the day's episode. After the theme song, Linkara reads from the comic, scrolling through the panels, cracking jokes or pointing out continuity or factual errors in the comic. After the comic is finished, he yells out, "This comic sucks!" concluding the review with a brief summary of everything wrong with the comic and then tossing it at the futon and walking away. Additional text comments about the comic are made in the end credits.
As the show also features a running storyline, the segments are often played before and after the review segments, with an occasional stinger after the credits.
Running Gags
*"Of course! Don't you know anything about science?!"- from Superman: At Earth's End, used in response to implausible descriptions of scientific technology.
*"I am a man!"- used to mock overdramatic emotions. Also from SAEE.
*"Bees, my god."
*"I'm the goddamn Batman!"
*Clips from Mystery Science Theater 3000
*"Because poor literacy is kewl!", usually played whenever Linkara encounters a major grammatical error.
*Continuity Alarm- blares to indicate lack of continuity (although Linkara has since mostly phased it out)
*"You magnificant bastard, I read your book!" from Patton.
*"Its Magic, you don't have to explain it." Whenever something unexplainable appears, such as a plot hole or lack of research. Reference to Joe Quesada and his defense against complaints towards One More Day, of which Linkara has voiced hatred of.
*"There is logic in what he says."
Other Works
In addition to his reviews of bad comics, he has also completed a Let's Play of Star Trek Voyager: Elite Force. He and Iron Liz, his former girlfriend and occasional co-operator, also posted vlogs of themselves playing trading card games for anime franchises such as and Sailor Moon in You're Such a Card...Game!
He also is currently producing the "History of Power Rangers" series, in which he looks back at each season of the franchise and gives a serious but very informal overview about its elements.
After the DC relaunch, Linkara also produced a short series of videos called "That's All I'm Saying," in which he took a quick look at the titles in The New 52 as well as others (including the Buffy the Vampire Slayer comics) and shared his thoughts on their quality and storytelling.
Lovhaug has appeared in an episode of Yu Gi Oh The Abridged Series as well as provided a voice for Dragon Ball Abridged. Lovhaug is also a writer, having made his own webcomic called Lightbringer, several self published novels known as the Angel Armor series, and an indie title called Revolution of the Mask.
Characters
The following characters are played by Lovhaug:
*Linkara: The host. He has taken up the role as the Earth's defender, having a vast arsenal of weapons and tools ranging from Doctor Who, Star Trek, and Power Rangers.
*Harvey Finevoice: A 1940s-style lounge singer and gangster. Armed with a machine gun.
*'90s Kid: An obnoxious teenager who praises common fads from the 1990s, particularly gratuitous violence and Rob Liefeld's artwork. Background music is usually Smells Like Teen Spirit by Nirvana.
*Ninja-Style Dancer: A ninja who is completely silent and is an excellent dancer.
*Dr. Linksano: A mad scientist and alternate universe version of Dr. Insano (a character created by Lovhaug but popularized by Noah Antwiler from The Spoony Experiment). He tries to be evil and frightening, but is often undone by no more than his own incompetence and ineffectiveness.
*Boffo the Clown: A dignified, content, and overall not-evil clown. Speaks with a car horn.
Other characters include:
*Iron Liz: Played by Elizabeth Skochil, Lovhaug's former girlfriend. She stands by Linkara during his battles. In her off-time, she has a review show dedicated to pen-and-paper role-playing games.
*Lord Vyce: A galactic conquerer, who is conquering universes to "protect" them from a mysterious being known as the Entity. After a fierce battle, Linkara triumped over him and exiled him to a prison dimension, while claiming control of his spaceship, naming it Comicron-1.
*Snowflame: A schizophrenic one-shot character introduced in New Guardians #1. The original character is the villain of New Guardians #2, and was praised for having a line so lame it was awesome. He is apparently addicted to cocaine.
*Pollo: Named after the Spanish word for "chicken," Pollo is a robot constructed by Linkara and one of his closest friends and allies. In October 2011, Lovhaug posted a contest for fans to submit a new redesign for Pollo, as the old model has been falling apart. Currently, Pollo (like much of his set) is now computer animated. Pollo is voiced by a Microsoft Sam like program.
*Mechakara: An alternate universe version of Pollo who comes from a world where robots rebelled against humanity and exterminated most organic life. Mechakara uses a suit made from Linkara's own flesh and there is no one in the worlds he hates more than Linkara, and wishes to make him suffer in every possible way.
*NIMUE: Named after the Lady of the Lake from Arthurian lore, NIMUE is an AI program that helps to run the functions of Comicron-1. "She" is often voiced by either Amythest Angel (aka The Prop Lady) or Obscurus Lupa.
*The Entity: A terrible creature from Lord Vyce's native universe, which wishes to consume and convert all of existence to its singularity. It's later revealed to be the MissingNo. glitch from . Linkara ultimately defeats the creature by making it realize how pointless its goals and existence truly are.
In his program, Lovhaug reviews comic books of various genres (particularly superhero comics), with his catchphrase at the end of reviews being "This comic sucks!" Unlike other reviewers on Channel Awesome, he features a running story arc in which Linkara battles galactic conquerors and transdimensional entities. In addition, he is known for using limited profanity in his reviews, as he doesn't think he needs excessive swearing to make his jokes funny.
Background
Before the webshow, Lovhaug wrote and illustrated his own series of webcomics, which served as the origin of the name Linkara.
Atop the Fourth Wall started as a text-based review blog. In October 2008, Lovhaug participated in a contest on That Guy With The Glasses, filming his own version of Doug Walker's "Ask That Guy" videos. Since then, he has been a prominent reviewer on That Guy With The Glasses, often participating in crossovers with his fellow reviewers. Each episode is posted on blip.tv on Mondays, with the episode appearing on That Guy With The Glasses on Tuesday.
In several episodes, as well as in episodes of Nostalgia Critic, it is revealed that Linkara is a big Star Trek fan. In particular, he really enjoys the longest version of Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan. Linkara is also a fan of the Power Rangers franchise, utilizing a Green Power Ranger outfit used by Tommy Oliver and the Dragon Dagger in his story arc from time to time. He also loved Doctor Who, the first Doctor he's seen being the Seventh Doctor. He also possesses a fedora hat (used in the design of the show's logo) and a fake flintlock pistol known as "the magic gun."
Theme Song
Welcome to Atop the Fourth Wall, where bad comics burn.
Linkara's gonna teach you all a lesson you won't learn.
Brodsky, you're not the smartest.
Leinfeld, not an artist.
Anyone who's had a bad comic published, it could be your turn.
Linkara!
He is a man, punch, wears a purty hat.
Linkara!
He has a magic gun. Where'd he purchase that?
Linkara!
Coins, robots, Amazons, and trucks.
Linkara!
This. Comic. Sucks.
Linkara!
Show Format
The videos are often shot from a studio room in Lovhaug's apartment, with a beige wall in the background and Linkara sitting on a green futon. He opens the review with the catchphrase, "Hello and welcome to Atop the Fourth Wall, where bad comics burn!" and quickly provides some background information on the comic being reviewed for the day's episode. After the theme song, Linkara reads from the comic, scrolling through the panels, cracking jokes or pointing out continuity or factual errors in the comic. After the comic is finished, he yells out, "This comic sucks!" concluding the review with a brief summary of everything wrong with the comic and then tossing it at the futon and walking away. Additional text comments about the comic are made in the end credits.
As the show also features a running storyline, the segments are often played before and after the review segments, with an occasional stinger after the credits.
Running Gags
*"Of course! Don't you know anything about science?!"- from Superman: At Earth's End, used in response to implausible descriptions of scientific technology.
*"I am a man!"- used to mock overdramatic emotions. Also from SAEE.
*"Bees, my god."
*"I'm the goddamn Batman!"
*Clips from Mystery Science Theater 3000
*"Because poor literacy is kewl!", usually played whenever Linkara encounters a major grammatical error.
*Continuity Alarm- blares to indicate lack of continuity (although Linkara has since mostly phased it out)
*"You magnificant bastard, I read your book!" from Patton.
*"Its Magic, you don't have to explain it." Whenever something unexplainable appears, such as a plot hole or lack of research. Reference to Joe Quesada and his defense against complaints towards One More Day, of which Linkara has voiced hatred of.
*"There is logic in what he says."
Other Works
In addition to his reviews of bad comics, he has also completed a Let's Play of Star Trek Voyager: Elite Force. He and Iron Liz, his former girlfriend and occasional co-operator, also posted vlogs of themselves playing trading card games for anime franchises such as and Sailor Moon in You're Such a Card...Game!
He also is currently producing the "History of Power Rangers" series, in which he looks back at each season of the franchise and gives a serious but very informal overview about its elements.
After the DC relaunch, Linkara also produced a short series of videos called "That's All I'm Saying," in which he took a quick look at the titles in The New 52 as well as others (including the Buffy the Vampire Slayer comics) and shared his thoughts on their quality and storytelling.
Lovhaug has appeared in an episode of Yu Gi Oh The Abridged Series as well as provided a voice for Dragon Ball Abridged. Lovhaug is also a writer, having made his own webcomic called Lightbringer, several self published novels known as the Angel Armor series, and an indie title called Revolution of the Mask.
Characters
The following characters are played by Lovhaug:
*Linkara: The host. He has taken up the role as the Earth's defender, having a vast arsenal of weapons and tools ranging from Doctor Who, Star Trek, and Power Rangers.
*Harvey Finevoice: A 1940s-style lounge singer and gangster. Armed with a machine gun.
*'90s Kid: An obnoxious teenager who praises common fads from the 1990s, particularly gratuitous violence and Rob Liefeld's artwork. Background music is usually Smells Like Teen Spirit by Nirvana.
*Ninja-Style Dancer: A ninja who is completely silent and is an excellent dancer.
*Dr. Linksano: A mad scientist and alternate universe version of Dr. Insano (a character created by Lovhaug but popularized by Noah Antwiler from The Spoony Experiment). He tries to be evil and frightening, but is often undone by no more than his own incompetence and ineffectiveness.
*Boffo the Clown: A dignified, content, and overall not-evil clown. Speaks with a car horn.
Other characters include:
*Iron Liz: Played by Elizabeth Skochil, Lovhaug's former girlfriend. She stands by Linkara during his battles. In her off-time, she has a review show dedicated to pen-and-paper role-playing games.
*Lord Vyce: A galactic conquerer, who is conquering universes to "protect" them from a mysterious being known as the Entity. After a fierce battle, Linkara triumped over him and exiled him to a prison dimension, while claiming control of his spaceship, naming it Comicron-1.
*Snowflame: A schizophrenic one-shot character introduced in New Guardians #1. The original character is the villain of New Guardians #2, and was praised for having a line so lame it was awesome. He is apparently addicted to cocaine.
*Pollo: Named after the Spanish word for "chicken," Pollo is a robot constructed by Linkara and one of his closest friends and allies. In October 2011, Lovhaug posted a contest for fans to submit a new redesign for Pollo, as the old model has been falling apart. Currently, Pollo (like much of his set) is now computer animated. Pollo is voiced by a Microsoft Sam like program.
*Mechakara: An alternate universe version of Pollo who comes from a world where robots rebelled against humanity and exterminated most organic life. Mechakara uses a suit made from Linkara's own flesh and there is no one in the worlds he hates more than Linkara, and wishes to make him suffer in every possible way.
*NIMUE: Named after the Lady of the Lake from Arthurian lore, NIMUE is an AI program that helps to run the functions of Comicron-1. "She" is often voiced by either Amythest Angel (aka The Prop Lady) or Obscurus Lupa.
*The Entity: A terrible creature from Lord Vyce's native universe, which wishes to consume and convert all of existence to its singularity. It's later revealed to be the MissingNo. glitch from . Linkara ultimately defeats the creature by making it realize how pointless its goals and existence truly are.
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