What is Comic-Jutsu?

Welcome to Comic-Jutsu, where we examine the martial behind the arts of Sequential Illustration! Each week, we'll bring you dissection videos breaking down your favorite heroes and their fight scenes.

A comic book, also called comicbook, comic magazine or (in the United Kingdom and Ireland) simply comic, is a publication that consists of comics art in the form of sequential juxtaposed panels that represent individual scenes. Panels are often accompanied by descriptive prose and written narrative, usually, dialogue contained in word balloons emblematic of the comics art form. Although comics have some origins in 18th century in Eastern Asia, comic books were first popularized[disputed – discuss] in the United States and the United Kingdom during the 1930s. The first modern comic book, Famous Funnies, was released in the US in 1933 and was a reprinting of earlier newspaper humor comic strips, which had established many of the story-telling devices used in comics. The term comic book derives from American comic books once being a compilation of comic strips of a humorous tone; however, this practice was replaced by featuring stories of all genres, usually not humorous in tone.

Pathfinder Second Edition to First Edition Conversion Document

 

If you're a Pathfinder Grognard like me, you have bookshelves full of reference materials and bestiaries that are older than the average 5e player and you still haven't had a chance to use them yet. Before I move on to a new system such as Pathfinder Second Edition, I'd like to get some more use out of the books that already populate my bookshelves. 

Paizo has created a lot of great adventuring content over the years, and easily the best adventures since the glory days of Gary Gygax and company. Paizo seems to be hitting its stride with their Second Edition adventures at the time of this typing and I'd like to play or run a few of them. What is there to do when the two systems are almost wholly incompatible?  

You do what any Dungeon Master worth their salt would do, you convert the damn thing! To serve that end, I've developed the Pathfinder Second to First Edition Conversion Document to help with the task. Use this document along with Pathfinder Unchained and the corresponding Bestiaries to convert Paizo's new Pathfinder Adventures and modules to your favorite role playing game system, Pathfinder Role Playing Game (1e)! 

Download the Pathfinder Second Edition to First Conversion Document here!

Will Eisner The Spirit of an Artistic Pioneer short documentary

Will Eisner The Spirit of an Artistic Pioneer is a short documentary about the legendary cartoonist. Eisner shares a look at his work and philosophy behind creating sequential illustration. Reposted here for archival purposes.

William Erwin Eisner (March 6, 1917 – January 3, 2005) was an American cartoonist, writer, and entrepreneur. He was one of the earliest cartoonists to work in the American comic book industry, and his series The Spirit (1940–1952) was noted for its experiments in content and form. In 1978, he popularized the term "graphic novel" with the publication of his book A Contract with God. He was an early contributor to formal comics studies with his book Comics and Sequential Art (1985). The Eisner Award was named in his honor and is given to recognize achievements each year in the comics medium; he was one of the three inaugural inductees to the Will Eisner Comic Book Hall of Fame. Follow me: Comic-Jutsu: https://comicjutsu.blogspot.com/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/jtmcroberts Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/jtmcroberts/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jtmcroberts/ MVP Mutant Radio: https://mvpmutantradio.blogspot.com/

Mark Borchardt talks Creativity, Inspiration & Religion at Slamdance Festival 1999

Mark Borchardt sits down with Perry Farrell to talk about life, love, filmmmaking, and God. This interview was recorded at Slam Dance Film Fest 1999. This has been reposted here for archival purposes.

Mark Borchardt (born August 20, 1966) is an American independent filmmaker. He is best known as the subject of the 1999 film American Movie, which documented three years he spent writing, shooting and editing his horror short, Coven (1997). Filmmakers Chris Smith and Sarah Price began filming Borchardt while he was attempting to put together funding for his unfinished feature Northwestern. After the project collapsed, Borchardt decided instead to finish Coven, which he had started years earlier. After Coven was completed, Smith and Price compiled their footage into American Movie, which was picked up by Sony Classics and won the Grand Jury Prize at the 1999 Sundance Film Festival. Since then Borchardt has been active appearing on television and in movies. Borchardt has made five appearances on Late Show with David Letterman, including serving as Letterman's 2000 election correspondent. He made several TV appearances on The Show with No Name, a show in Austin, TX, between 2000 and 2003. In 2004, he played himself in a cameo appearance on the television cartoon series Family Guy, along with friend and American Movie co-star Mike Schank. He and Mike also have their own series on Zero TV, Mark and Mike and in, 2006, Mark and Mike hosted a national television special called Night of the Living Dead: LIVE from Wisconsin on Halloween night. Borchardt has appeared in several movies, including The One (2001), The Tunnel (2001), Abby Singer, & The Godfather of Green Bay (2005). Borchardt also starred in Modus Operandi (2009), played a gravedigger in the partially animated comedy Hamlet A.D.D. (2014), had a leading role in the horror feature The Hagstone Demon (2011), and played Mr. Englan in the directorial debut of fellow Milwaukee filmmaker Jozef K. Richards, The Amateur Monster Movie (2011). In addition, Borchardt also made a cameo in the music video for the Leslie and the Ly's song "Zombie Killer" featuring Elvira, Mistress of the Dark on guest vocals. He has contributed to Kevin Lindenmuth's 2001 book, The Independent Film Experience (ISBN 0786410752 ) and had his short stories published in magazines. Borchardt is one of a trio of hosts on "Cinema Fireside," a weekly film discussion show on WXRW 104.1 in Milwaukee. In 2004, he announced he would direct Scare Me and sent out casting calls. In 2008, he announced a 2009 release date, which was originally slated for a 2005 release. As of Summer 2010 the movie was still in production and as of 2021, it still has not been released. In April 2012, Borchardt stated that about 65% of the film had been shot, and that he was happy with the first forty pages of the script. However, he maintained parts of the script needed to be revised and while he had rough-cut some of the footage, there was no completion date in place for the project. According to a March 2013 update for the Scare Me IMDb page, the release date has been set for April 1, 2014. In 2018 he directed a documentary called The Dundee Project, which focused on attendees of a UFO festival in Wisconsin. The film premiered at Slamdance Film Festival (Park City), then played at Fantastic Fest (Austin), Nighthawk Cinema (Brooklyn), and the Chicago Critics Film Festival. Follow me: Comic-Jutsu: https://comicjutsu.blogspot.com/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/jtmcroberts Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/jtmcroberts/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jtmcroberts/ MVP Mutant Radio: https://mvpmutantradio.blogspot.com/

Rob Zombie shoots on Remakes 2009

Here's a rare interview from Rob Zombie during his time directing Halloween II. He shares his thoughts on filming remakes and horror films. This IGN interview is reposted here for archival purposes.

Robert Bartleh Cummings, (born January 12, 1965), known professionally as Rob Zombie, is an American singer, songwriter, filmmaker, and voice actor. He is a founding member of the heavy metal band White Zombie, releasing four studio albums with the band. He is the older brother of Spider One, the lead vocalist of the industrial metal band Powerman 5000. Zombie's first solo effort was a 1996 song titled "Hands of Death (Burn Baby Burn)", written and performed with Alice Cooper. It went on to receive a nomination for Best Metal Performance at the 39th Annual Grammy Awards. In 1997, he began working on his debut solo studio album, Hellbilly Deluxe, which was released in August 1998. A month later, Zombie officially disbanded White Zombie. Hellbilly Deluxe went on to sell over three million copies worldwide and spawned three singles. Zombie directed the horror film House of 1000 Corpses in 2000, though the controversial project was not released until 2003. His second studio album, The Sinister Urge (2001), became his second platinum album in the U.S. Zombie directed The Devil's Rejects (2005), a direct sequel to his prior film House of 1000 Corpses. The project received a more positive reception than its predecessor. His third studio album, Educated Horses (2006), was a departure from his earlier recordings. The album became his third to enter the top ten of the Billboard 200, but saw a decrease in sales compared to his previous releases. Deciding to focus on his directing career, Zombie directed the horror film Halloween (2007), a remake of the 1978 horror classic of the same name. The film became Zombie's highest-grossing film to date, though was generally received negatively by critics. He later directed Halloween II (2009), which failed to match the success of its predecessor. He released the animated film The Haunted World of El Superbeasto that same year. Zombie returned to music with the release of his fourth studio album, Hellbilly Deluxe 2 (2010). The album peaked at number eight in the U.S., where it sold over 200,000 copies. In 2012, Zombie released a second remix album and directed the horror film The Lords of Salem, which was released in 2013; that year he also released his fifth studio album Venomous Rat Regeneration Vendor. Later he directed the horror film 31. Zombie released his next solo album, The Electric Warlock Acid Witch Satanic Orgy Celebration Dispenser, in 2016, followed nearly five years later by his seventh studio album, The Lunar Injection Kool Aid Eclipse Conspiracy (2021). Since the beginning of his music career, Zombie's music and lyrics have featured notable horror and sci-fi themes. His live shows have been praised for their elaborate shock rock theatricality. Since beginning his solo career, Zombie has sold an estimated fifteen million albums worldwide. Halloween is a 2007 American slasher film written, directed, and produced by Rob Zombie. The film is a remake of the 1978 horror film of the same name and the ninth installment in the Halloween franchise. The film stars Tyler Mane as the adult Michael Myers, Malcolm McDowell as Dr. Sam Loomis, Scout Taylor-Compton as Laurie Strode, and Daeg Faerch as the young Michael Myers. Rob Zombie's "reimagining" follows the premise of John Carpenter's original, with Michael Myers stalking Laurie Strode and her friends on Halloween night. Working from Carpenter's advice to "make [the film] his own", Zombie chose to develop the film as both an origin story and a remake, allowing for more original content than simply re-filming the same scenes. Despite mixed reviews, the film, which cost $15 million to make, went on to gross $80.3 million worldwide in unadjusted U.S. dollars. Zombie followed the film with a sequel, Halloween II, in 2009. Follow me: Comic-Jutsu: https://comicjutsu.blogspot.com/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/jtmcroberts Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/jtmcroberts/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jtmcroberts/ MVP Mutant Radio: https://mvpmutantradio.blogspot.com/

Roger Corman & Vincent Price on The Moviemakers discussing Scary Movies 1984

Elwy Yost interviews the King of the B's Roger Corman and Vincent Price in this clip from The Moviemakers. Thanks to original uploader robatsea2009. Uploaded here for archival purposes.

Roger William Corman (born April 5, 1926) is an American film director, producer, and actor. He has been called "The Pope of Pop Cinema" and is known as a trailblazer in the world of independent film. Many of Corman's films are based on works that have an already-established critical reputation, such as his cycle of low-budget cult films adapted from the tales of Edgar Allan Poe. In 1964, Corman—admired by members of the French New Wave and Cahiers du Cinéma—became the youngest filmmaker to have a retrospective at the Cinémathèque Française, as well as in the British Film Institute and the Museum of Modern Art. He was the co-founder of New World Pictures, the founder of New Concorde and is a longtime member of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. In 2009, he was awarded an Honorary Academy Award[9] "for his rich engendering of films and filmmakers". Elwy McMurran Yost, CM (July 10, 1925 – July 21, 2011) was a Canadian television host, best known for hosting CBC Television's weekday Passport to Adventure series from 1965 to 1967, TVOntario's weekday Magic Shadows, from 1974 until the mid-1980s, and Saturday Night at the Movies from 1974 to 1999. Yost also developed Magic Shadows, which showed classic serials in half-hour early evening installments with introductions providing background and interesting details by Yost; the movie review show Rough Cuts; Talking Film and The Moviemakers. Follow me: Comic-Jutsu: https://comicjutsu.blogspot.com/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/jtmcroberts Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/jtmcroberts/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jtmcroberts/ MVP Mutant Radio: https://mvpmutantradio.blogspot.com/

Matt Fraction talks about Outlaw Comics and Artistic Influences 2008

Matt Fraction interview from Heroes Con 2008. The acclaimed writer of The Immortal Iron Fist and Sex Criminals lets Comic-Jutsu pick his brain about comics, sequential illustration and storytelling.

Matt Fritchman (born December 1, 1975), better known by the pen name Matt Fraction, is an Eisner Award-winning American comic book writer, known for his work as the writer of The Invincible Iron Man, The Immortal Iron Fist, Uncanny X-Men, and Hawkeye for Marvel Comics; Casanova and Sex Criminals for Image Comics; and Superman's Pal Jimmy Olsen for DC Comics. In 2020, Sex Criminals concluded with issue #69, volumes 2 and 3 of November were released, and Adventureman, the long-anticipated series from Fraction and Terry Dodson and Rachel Dodson began releasing from Image Comics, and his and Lieber's run on Superman's Pal, Jimmy Olsen concluded, with a collected trade paperback entitled Who Killed Jimmy Olsen? being released in October. Fraction served as a consultant for the Hawkeye television miniseries, which was heavily inspired by his 2012 comic run. He also planned to make a cameo appearance as a member of the Tracksuit Mafia, but was unable to commit to this, due to complications stemming from the COVID-19 pandemic. Follow me: Comic-Jutsu: https://comicjutsu.blogspot.com/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/jtmcroberts Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/jtmcroberts/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jtmcroberts/ MVP Mutant Radio: https://mvpmutantradio.blogspot.com/

Rob Zombie's Spookshow International with Gene Colan Tribute R I P (9-1-1926 – 6-23-2011)

The late great Gene Colan provided art for some of the tales in Rob Zombie's Spookshow International comic series almost twenty years ago. In this tribute video I take a look at some of this work.

Rest in Power. Eugene Jules Colan (/ˈkoʊlən/; September 1, 1926 – June 23, 2011) was an American comic book artist best known for his work for Marvel Comics, where his signature titles include the superhero series Daredevil, the cult-hit satiric series Howard the Duck, and The Tomb of Dracula, considered one of comics' classic horror series. He co-created the Falcon, the first African-American superhero in mainstream comics; Carol Danvers, who would become Ms. Marvel and Captain Marvel; and the non-costumed, supernatural vampire hunter Blade. Colan was inducted into the Will Eisner Comic Book Hall of Fame in 2005. Follow me: Comic-Jutsu: https://comicjutsu.blogspot.com/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/jtmcroberts Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/jtmcroberts/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jtmcroberts/ MVP Mutant Radio: https://mvpmutantradio.blogspot.com/

Al Feldstein interview Tales From the Crypt EC Mad Tribute RIP (10-24-1925 – 4-29-2014)

Here's another archival video from the time I was able to interview the one and only Al Feldstein, artist and editor of EC Comics at Heroes Con in Charlotte, NC. Forgive the potato quality, but that was what we had to work with at the time.

Al Feldstein was born October 24, 1925, in Brooklyn, New York, to a Jewish household. He was the son of Max, who made dental molds, and Beatrice Feldstein. After winning an award in the 1939 New York World's Fair poster contest, he decided on a career in the art field and studied at the High School of Music and Art in Manhattan. During World War II, he served stateside in the Army Air Forces. Arriving at EC in 1948, Feldstein began as an artist, but he soon combined art with writing, eventually editing most of the EC titles. Although he originally wrote and illustrated approximately one story per comic, in addition to doing many covers, Feldstein finally focused on editing and writing, reserving his artwork primarily for covers. From late 1950 through 1953, he edited and wrote stories for seven EC titles. As EC's editor, Feldstein created a literate line, balancing his genre tales with potent graphic stories probing the underbelly of American life. In creating stories around such topics as racial prejudice, rape, domestic violence, police brutality, drug addiction and child abuse, he succeeded in addressing problems and issues which the 1950s radio, motion picture and television industries were too timid to dramatize. While developing a stable of contributing writers that included Robert Bernstein, Otto Binder, Daniel Keyes, Jack Oleck and Carl Wessler, he published the first work of Harlan Ellison. EC employed the comics industry's finest artists and published promotional copy to make readers aware of their staff. Feldstein encouraged the EC illustrators to maintain their personal art styles, and this emphasis on individuality gave the EC line a unique appearance. Distinctive front cover designs framing those recognizable art styles made Feldstein's titles easy to spot on crowded newsstands. Those comic books, known as EC's New Trend group, included Weird Science, Weird Fantasy, Tales from the Crypt, The Haunt of Fear, The Vault of Horror, Shock SuspenStories, Crime SuspenStories, Panic and Piracy. After the New Trend titles folded in 1955, Feldstein edited EC's short-lived New Direction line, followed by EC's Picto-Fiction magazines. Follow me: Comic-Jutsu: https://comicjutsu.blogspot.com/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/jtmcroberts Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/jtmcroberts/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jtmcroberts/ MVP Mutant Radio: https://mvpmutantradio.blogspot.com/

Tomb of Dracula Gene Colan Tribute R I P (9-1-1926 – 6-23-2011)

Gene Colan tribute video. Archival video where I take a look at some of Colan's works including his masterpiece Tomb of Dracula from Marvel Comics.

The Tomb of Dracula is an American horror comic book series published by Marvel Comics from April 1972 to August 1979. The 70-issue series featured a group of vampire hunters who fought Count Dracula and other supernatural menaces. On rare occasions, Dracula would work with these vampire hunters against a common threat or battle other supernatural threats on his own, but more often than not, he was the antagonist rather than protagonist. In addition to his supernatural battles in this series, Marvel's Dracula often served as a supervillain to other characters in the Marvel Universe, battling the likes of Blade the Vampire Slayer, Spider-Man, the Werewolf, the X-Men, Howard the Duck, and the licensed Robert E. Howard character Solomon Kane. Follow me: Comic-Jutsu: https://comicjutsu.blogspot.com/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/jtmcroberts Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/jtmcroberts/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jtmcroberts/ MVP Mutant Radio: https://mvpmutantradio.blogspot.com/

Adrian Paul Highlander The Series Duncan MacLeod on Martial Arts (2013)

Adrian Paul of Highlander the Series discusses his martial arts philosophy. Original video shot by me. Please contact and credit to use. Thank you.

Highlander: The Series is a science fantasy action-adventure television series featuring Duncan MacLeod (Adrian Paul) of the Scottish Clan MacLeod, as the eponymous "Highlander". It was co-produced by Rysher Distribution in the United States, Gaumont Television in France, Reteitalia in Italy, RTL Plus in Germany, and Amuse Video in Japan.[1][3] An alternate sequel to the 1986 feature film Highlander, it features a storyline in which the protagonist of that film (Connor MacLeod, a member of a race of "Immortals") has not won "the Prize" sought by all Immortals, who still exist post-1985. Christopher Lambert reprised his role as Connor in the pilot episode, which introduced series protagonist Duncan MacLeod, an Immortal who was taken in by the same clan of Scottish Highlanders who had found and raised Connor generations before. The series was an international hit and was nominated twice for the Motion Picture Sound Editors' Golden Reel Award (Foley Artist ("The Gathering"): 1992; Foley Artist ("The Darkness"): 1993), three times for the Gemini Award (Best Dramatic Series: 1996; Best Performance by an Actor in a Guest Role in a Dramatic Series: 1997 (John Pyper-Ferguson), 1996 (Bruce A. Young)), once for a Saturn Award (Best Genre Syndicated TV Series: 1997), and eight times for the Online Film & Television Association Award (Best Guest Actress in a Syndicated Series (Sandra Bernhard), Best Direction in a Syndicated Series, Best Writing in a Syndicated Series, Best Syndicated Series, Best Ensemble in a Syndicated Series: 1997; Best Actor in a Syndicated Series (Peter Wingfield), Best Syndicated Series, Best Ensemble in a Syndicated Series: 1998). Follow me: Comic-Jutsu: https://comicjutsu.blogspot.com/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/jtmcroberts Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/jtmcroberts/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jtmcroberts/ MVP Mutant Radio: https://mvpmutantradio.blogspot.com/

USA Today on Comics Books (1989)

A comic book, also called comicbook, comic magazine or (in the United Kingdom and Ireland) simply comic, is a publication that consists of comics art in the form of sequential juxtaposed panels that represent individual scenes. Panels are often accompanied by descriptive prose and written narrative, usually, dialogue contained in word balloons emblematic of the comics art form. Although comics have some origins in 18th century in Eastern Asia, comic books were first popularized[disputed – discuss] in the United States and the United Kingdom during the 1930s. The first modern comic book, Famous Funnies, was released in the US in 1933 and was a reprinting of earlier newspaper humor comic strips, which had established many of the story-telling devices used in comics. The term comic book derives from American comic books once being a compilation of comic strips of a humorous tone; however, this practice was replaced by featuring stories of all genres, usually not humorous in tone. Follow me: Comic-Jutsu: https://comicjutsu.blogspot.com/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/jtmcroberts Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/jtmcroberts/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jtmcroberts/ MVP Mutant Radio: https://mvpmutantradio.blogspot.com/