Reviews WebVideo / Atop The Fourth Wall

Above all else, fun.

Atop the Fourth Wall is almost exactly like having a friend tell you about this really bad comic they read, cracking jokes about it to you, pointing out the especially egregious parts, and generally just having a good time with you roasting that comic he read. What makes this really work is Lewis/Linkara himself. Lewis is such a nice, friendly, humble, likable person, that he can quickly adopt to that "friend" role. Indeed, this is why we *care* when he complains about a comic, why we feel sorry for him and not the writers/artists/editors behind the comic he's reviewing, because we like him and are sympathetic to what he feels, which is an aspect of storytelling Lewis nailed.

Now, one can argue that other aspects of his storytelling are flawed due to self-insertion, or is just plain Narm, but I don't think those criticisms are approaching the work the right way. Continuing the earlier used metaphor of a friend talking to you about a comic book, the storyline parts are toned more like a casual, fun role-playing game with buddies than an actual story, which meshes very well with the review portions of the web show.

And that is another thing to remember: Its a web show. Web shows are equivalent to comic books as a medium, as both are serial based mode of primarily visual entertainment that works to (ideally) entertain for the length of the work, and then make you come back for the next one.

This concept of 'entertain-than-incentive-to-return' prevalent in serial storytelling nicely explains the reason for the storyline bits. They are basically hooks to get you to watch the next show, because you want to find out what happens next in the story. As well, the storylines really help the overall visual impact of the show. Comic book scans are a static medium with no movement and no sound. The storyline bits can have epic music, special effects, fighting choreography, props, costumes, etc., which thus make Atop the Fourth Wall a better show overall.

All of the above is why Atop The Fourth Wall is one of my favorite shows, online or otherwise, because it is just so fun to be around Lewis/Linkara, who really gives a valiant effort to make his reviews entertaining and leaving incentive to return. So go and watch it now!