Batman: Odyssey #1 - Atop the Fourth Wall 

I like how you pointed out Frank Miller didn't actually "bring us out" of the campy era of comics and that dark storylines existed before him. I really feel like more of the casual audience should know that.

Had to come back and rewatch this review after hearing Neal Adams has passed away. RIP Neal Adams your work on Batman Odyssey is batshit insane.

Ah, the long awaited sequel to Batman: Illiad.

I desperately want to see a Captain America shield made out of guns and duct tape.

At the time of this comment, I'm saddened to report that Neal Adams has tragically passed away at the age of 80. RIP Mr. Adams, your work and influence on comics, and indeed Batman, will never be forgotten.

I appreciate how this story allows Batman to make mistakes. That's something that frustrates me to no end with Batman media nowadays. Of course, the execution was all over the place, but hey, you had a nice idea at least.

Robin: "Seals?" Batman: "Arf, Arf" World's Greatest Detective everyone 👏👏👏👏

Why is watching crazy Batman so fun!?

I'd like to see a retrospective on the death of Superman, focusing mostly on the death of Superman event but the aftermath too.

Honestly i think Frank's biggest contribution, is not 'taking Batman back to his root's'. Since other creators were already doing that, and in some cases doing it better. Killing Joke. Frank's biggest contribution is that Dark Knight Returns got A LOT of publicity for being dark and thus got a lot of other Batman related things off the ground. Batman 89 came out 3 years after DRK. And 3 years after that we got BTAS. Had Frank not done DKR these projects might never have gotten off the ground.

9:03 i heard once heard a theory that Batman placed guns on his vehicles to get rid of obstacles such as barriacades or windows (as examplified in the Dark Knight trilogy) or to use on enemies in non-lethal ways, such as shooting at limbs to neutralize, or to threaten without actually firing (as examplified in Batman Beyond) so, a gun wielding Batman can work, but I still think he's much cooler without guns

Whenever something is called the "Odyssey" and it isn't about the main character travelling across the ocean with people he hates, having sex with women he barely knows and trying to get back to a strangely supportive wife he left two decades ago before fucking with her by pretending to be someone else, I have to admit, I feel slightly cheated.

I really do love this comic. I'm not kidding. The silliness and outright absurdity of it makes my copy of it a real prize to me, and when I met Neal Adams in person I was HEARTBROKEN I couldn't get him to sign it since it was "missing" at the time.

Linkara's kid halloween mask reminds me of Bat-mite.

I respectfully disagree with Neal Adams. One More Day ruined Spider-Man and destroyed him as a character. Spider-Man has not been able to move forward or grow up since One More Day.

Linkara, I love the reviews and how you're still doing old callbacks from nearly a decade ago. Which brings me to a small request: NEVER stop referencing Batman Fortunate Son or ASBAR. I don't know why, but those jokes never fail to make me laugh.

I think the reason Neal Adams decided to dress Dick with Tim's Robin costume is that Neal Adams was responsible for designing it in the first place.

Speaking of Batman and guns, there's a Batman story called Batman: Year Two, the sequel to Batman: Year One. (You know. A story Frank Miller wrote back when he made GOOD stories) In that comic, Batman also used a gun during the climax against the villain of the story. But it doesn't stop there. The Gun he used? It belonged to Joe Chill. For those who don't know, Joe Chill is the name of the criminal who shot Thomas and Martha Wayne. That's right, Batman was using the gun that killed his parents. Granted he gets rid of the gun by the end, but still.

Ok, at some point during our look at this series I'm expecting Batman to just look at the reader or whoever he's supposed to be talking to and scream "I NEED 200 LINCOLN HATS!!!"

Really like your point about Batman and guns. So many people just dismiss the idea of even exploring the idea which frustrates me cause honestly there is an interesting conversation to be had there. Bruce using a gun and either shooting to wound only or using rubber bullets makes sense with his morality cause after all he will beat people up which can easily lead to severe injuries and even internal bleeding. The reason for him not using firearms really has more to do with the fact that it represents a weapon made specifically for killing and most importantly he has a psychological issue with it due to how his parents where killed. Many writers botch this (I hate the Brubaker issue about it where he essentially says that anyone even good guys who use guns are the "enemy" cause killing should never take a button press despite.....you know sometimes killing someone quickly being kinda needed in combat) Batman is supposed to always be able to find the non lethal solution, most people cannot and he has no qualm with that, it is a matter of Batman (and subsequently the Batman family) being there to do the impossible and prevent others from having to make that sacrifice. There is such a thing as a righteous kill, Batman is there to make sure the people of Gotham don't have to make that kind of decision though, not cause killing makes you just as bad as a a murder like Joker (as hack writers think it does) but rather because it is still a terrible thing to have to do and so Bruce wants to make sure people don't have to if he can help it

I would like you to talk about more on the Bronze Age of comics.

"Systems" "ONLINE" "Seals" "DISENGAGED" "Seal" "There is so much a man can tell you..."

always cracks me up when he uses his Batman voice when it's just Bruce Wayne talking to people.

"6 dollars a gallon?!" Greetings from 2022.

I just love the "murcielago" part, is so funny when they try to make a character sound spanish and then completely forget the accent. Its "murciélago", if you ever say "murcielago" someone will laugh at you. Btw, i mean the comic autors, not Linkara, he pronounced it as it was written.

Wait, Bruce Wayne is a rubber person? Guys... what if Bruce Wayne is actually Monkey D. Luffy after he found the One Piece and decided to become a superhero?

9;04 Another thing to mention about the whole 'Batman with guns' thing is that, if you remember Beyond, it's ultimately what made Bruce retire.

The guns making Captain America's shield joke made me laugh out loud. Bravo, Sir. *sincere applause*

I dunno, Robin and Batman throwing small insults at each other just seems like something friends and family do for fun. And hey, they're both.

Definitely so bad, it's good. Few things make sense and Batman is being way more goofy then even his Adam West incarnation, but when you finished reviewing ASBaR I was filled with a whole lot of "I don't care" while here I'm actually chuckling over how weird everything is. Just the idea of Batman making seal noises is just too funny to stay mad at it.

When you think about it, the Batman from the early seasons of Batman The Animated Series was closer to the Bronze Age Batman than the 90's Batman

Are we sure it's not "Batman Oddity" ?

I like this Batmobile. It looks practical. I'll never forget the ridiculous sight of the 1989 Micheal Keaton Batmobile needing a grappling hook to make a moderately tight corner due to just how huge and unwieldy it is.

This is Crazy Steve's less crazy, friendlier brother, Insane Bob.

From what I remember, Adams actually designed Tim's suit and just wanted to use it here.

Bob Shrek... "Somebody once told me...''

Not really related to the review but I really like that Linkara reads Bruce Wayne as Batman even when he isn't in costume.

Honestly, I kinda love the goofy banter between batman and robin in this.

Bad Batman is always fun.

So Batman initially used guns but he stopped because he got shot by bandits and was rescued by the Mexican Punisher who tells him that guns shouldn't be used by pussies, later he gives a speech to Robin about why he thinks guns are stupid, then Man-Bat and some kind of gargoyle monster argue about something in the Batcave while Batman goes to a pier to avoid the Riddler and do an impression of Kite-Man? And this is all a story being told by Batman, about... guns, I think? What?

Y'know, to be fair, I COULD see Batman being inspired by BOTH Zorro and James Bond. It would certainly explain a lot. Also, I think the reason Dick Grayson is very clearly dressed like Tim Drake...might actually be the fault of the animated shows. For some reason, ever since Tim Drake's costume was introduced in the comics, the cartoons featuring Robin would use that as the default costume for the character, despite the fact that, more often than not, it was Dick as Robin. Even in the New 52, his original costume was changed to look more like Tim's. So it's not outside the realm of possibility that the artist simply drew him in Tim's costume out of habit of seeing him in it. Mind you, that's still a major botch, but it's at least one with an explanation.

I would love to see you continue to riff on this ludicrous nonsense of a series featuring Crazy Steve's sane, yet still jokey cousin, Goofy Steve!

Now I want to hunt this comic down just for shits and giggles. Also, I love that floppy mask he used.

You know, the batman mask with the floppy ears really remind of the 1949 batman that rifftrax did

Also: Neal Adams is a proponent of expanding earth "theory" I'll give you time to recover from the palm imprints in your forehead.

The Halloween Batmask is one of my favorite running gags

I feel like this is a call back to the silver age with a more modern aesthetic. Either that, or they're going for an Adam West kind of flavor, and I feel like that helps make this a little bit special, in both definitions of the term.

Okay, now I'm hooked. How will this comic review involve Cheese Wiz?

There seems to be a common line that authors or comic creators have that Spider-Man being more akin to his roots is better than the whole Marriage thing even though fans preferred that. And yet by that logic then why did they ever advance his character in any direction and just have him be a forever high schooler instead. Like...seriously. Honestly i'd say the direction Peter's in now of being yet another philanthropist CEO is more ruinous and off putting to the idea that defines Spider-Man than whatever the problems were before One More Day.

"I'm more like some kind of rubber person." "Gomu Gomu No.... BATARANG!"

I like how he's possessed by the entity but still takes the time to review comics.

Asterix next? Nice! A rare case of Linkara reviewing a comic I'm familiar with beforehand. My late grandfather had a full collection of Asterix books, and I've read through many of them.

This feels like Batman in this comic is actually the Lego version of him.

Thank Gahhhhad for a new Linkara review.

(internal thoughts)I thought about the moral question of whether I should use guns.... (says aloud) "I LIKE CHEESE WHIZ!!!!"

It amuses me when people say OMD "saved" Spider-Man so he could be who he was meant to be. Really? Well Stan Lee and Steve Ditiko created Spider-Man and it was Stan Lee's idea to marry Peter and Mary Jane. Wouldn't he know better than any who Spider-Man was meant to be?

You know how you said that this is all just a weird episode of Rick and Morty? For the love of everything, PLEAAAAASE do a Rick voice for Batman and a Morty voice for Robin. Keep the Halloween Batman mask though. It's hilarious.

I'd say the boy blunder scene is more of a jovial jab. He's become so comfortable with the lad that he can be a little comedic at times in good faith. I really enjoyed this comic for its portrayal of Batman. He feels more light hearted, like a batman that has a moment to relax and spend time with the people he's close with while doing business as usual

Hey Linkara it was so awesome meeting you this past weekend at Con Bravo and thanks again for signing my copies of Kickassia and the Atop the 4th Wall Vol. 1 DVD I got from you. Great review as well just as good as my old favorites of yours the All Star Batman and Robin reviews

I _love_ that title card! It's even funnier in context.

I don't know if anyone else mentioned this already, but Neal Adams designed Tim's costume, so that's probably the reason he went with that design as opposed to Dick's classic short pants and pixie boots outfit. He seems quite fond of that design.

I actually fought this was okay until Man-bat came and everything got really complicated

Yeah, the facial expressions are weird, but the artwork itself is actually quite nice for the majority of it. But the dialog is seal-shit insane. ARF ARF! But, if you just ignore the dialog and look at the artwork, the comic seems like it is going though the motions of a standard storyline. The dialog looks like it was all placeholder.

also i have to disagree on neal adams opinion on one more day because that storyline didn't save spidey but did the exact opposite and that was destroyed the character inside and out

17:19 Of course! The criminals are trying to build a deadly bee weapon!

so simply going off what is shown in this review, I'm pretty sure that the "Other" Man-Bat, is actually a manifestation of his mind. He states specifically that he HAD to come in the Man-Bat form to tell Bruce something, and we see the creature pushing him to tell him that something. In addition to the earlier statements about guns making Batman/Robin feel "strong", I think it was meant to be implying that he was drawing inner strength from the serum, or the transformation. I don't know much about ManBat's lore, so I may be way off, but that was how I read that part

Man I love this stuff. It's such a joy for me compared to the "We deleted the SUN out of existence" dark and edgy stuff I see anytime I go into a comic shop the past several years.

15:26- To be fair, Dick also wore the Tim Drake Robin suit in Batman: The Animated Series.

I know this is a non-storyline episode, but I still can't help but be a little creeper out by... the truth.

When you think about it, Frank Miller's not that bad. Wait wait, before you shoot me, hear me out. Think of all the things that look so much BETTER in comparison to his work.

Ah, Neal Adams, artist of some of the most influential comics like Green Lantern & Green Arrow run and Batman: Demon Saga. It just bizarre, I couldn't finish first issue.

Two things: First off, think I know why the flashbacks are the way they are. The art and word balloons are what's actually going on at the time, and the narrative captions are Bruce telling the story. However, _there is no indication of this in the comic itself._ Not even an author's note. That and it's likely (but not certain) that the moment with him mentioning the semi-auto pistols was meant in general, but again, there's no indication of that in the book itself! Also: I _need_ to see a Dr. Seuss-style book about crimefighting.

Batman: I'm more like some rubber person. Monkey D. Luffy: ...Ripping off my thing, huh?! At least give me credit!!

I wish Linkara would use the crappier mask in more reviews, it’s just awesome

The other day I was wondering why Linkara never reviewed this stinker. And by the mother of all coincidences he just did. Finally.

Even Rick and Morty can't get beyond thunderdome

Ohhhh, you haven't read too far into the book yet, I see. Odyssey gets... it gets like, Marville level crazy. The first issue only hints at the madness to come.

Oh boy! I have been hoping for this for a while. Hopefully we'll eventually also get to Batman: The Widening Gyre.

“There wasn’t a communications breakdown between the artist and writer- they’re the same guy!” That doesn’t actually rule out the possibility. And considering that… it would explain a lot.

Neal Adams work on Green Arrow/Green Lantern is an all time favorite of mine. Even if it did have that one Roy Harper story.

He... He's gonna review an Astérix comic? He's gonna review an ASTÉRIX comic?!? Dude, I LOVE Astérix! It's my all-time favorite Franco-Belgian comic book series! I never thought this would ever happen, but I'm so pleased to see that someone on Patreon managed to make him review an album from that series. Though I'm surprised it's not one of the comics made by Albert Uderzo on his own, given that the ones made after the death of co-creator René Goscinny are usually seen as much weaker, particularly the one with aliens in it. But still, an Astérix comic reviewed by Linkara? Bring it on!

I'm sorry, but I laughed at the "Arf arf" thing. Probably because it was so out of place for Batman.

I have heard of this so it will be fun seeing you cover this. It´s really confusing but the ideas could work but if your complains holds true if I read this then yeah I don´t like Batman talking down on Robin. I was so confused with Man-Bat being in the Bat-cave like it was normal. I have never heard of it. I like the idea. Man-Bat and the doctor who becomes him could be a allie to Batman like Curt Connors sort of. That could be a awesome movie. The Man-Bat goes lose, tries to find a home and finds Batmans Cave but we don´t know it is until much later.

Titans Return soundwave....that's all I can see in the live action sections....

Batman with a gun. The Walker Brothers are proud

I must say that I love the way Batman looks on this art!!

Anyone one who defends "One More Day" fucking loses me instantly.

Floppy eared "I am the night!" improved my day.

What's the Entity planning? Matter of fact, what are 90s kid and the others planning to counter the Entity?

Wait....Man-Bat can talk in the comics?

A LOT OF STRANGE BULLSHIT HAPPENS IN THIS BOOK, but I still kinda dug it. Call me crazy.

Bruce: open the bat-cave doors Alfred. Alfred: I'm sorry master Bruce, but I'm afraid I can't do that

Linkara is going to review Asterix. My life will soon be complete

“Arf, arf!” I bust out laughing at that. Like… the hell? What a weird tone…

Jacked up part of all this is I can hear H. Jon Benjamin's voice with every close up of Bats....

damn... I forgot how hilarious this comic is... It feels more like a batman parody starring the actual batman

As a batman fanatic I love Neal adam's work in the past and I've always wanted to see how bad odyssey was and wow is it's laughably stupid.

Linkara: "this comic doesn't blow, this comic sucks."

YES! YOU'RE DOING THAT COMIC, and one of the funniest and my favorites too! Ready your magic potions!

Damn it, I wanted to see every single hair on his LEFT arm! :( So close, and yet so far...