Ninja Shizatch

Cyberjunk

noreply@blogger.com (Rhykker) — Fri, 22 Aug 2008 19:46:00 +0000

Welcome to the next level of interactivity for Ninja Shizatch, where you, the readers, get to dynamically exert your influence on the comic.

Welcome to the next level of animation for Ninja Shizatch, featuring a “movie slide-show” format that fits comfortably within your screen – no scrolling required!

Welcome to a sci-fi universe featuring familiar characters in a whole new setting to explore, satirize, and kick ass.

Welcome to Cyberjunk.

Although it is a play on words of cyberpunk, Cyberjunk (CJ) will satirize all aspects of science fiction, including, but not limited to, cyberpunk, hard SF, soft SF, military SF, and post-apoc. Whereas in regular NS I could parody fantasy themes, CJ will allow me to explore the other end of the spectrum that NS would not otherwise afford me.

CJ will update every Monday, whereas regular NS will continue to update on Fridays. Every second week or so, readers will get the opportunity to vote on one of two options; thought these options may generally be of the type that allow you to control choices the main characters make, some may also include things outside of the characters’ control.

Sample 1:

If you want our heroes to try to bluff their way past the guards, vote A.

If you want our heroes to try to sneak in through a window, vote B.

Sample 2:

If you want our heroes to be ambushed by space pirates, vote A.

If you want our heroes to be ambushed by cyborgs, vote B.

Before I get this project off the ground, I’m looking for at least ten readers who will agree to vote. If no one votes, then the purpose of this project is defeated.

So, if you agree to vote, let me know. If you are a DrunkDuck member, you can simply post on the Teaser 3 page saying so. If you are not a DD member, then simply post a response in this thread, saying you’ll vote, and use the name you’ll be using to vote. This will be the “voter registration” page for non-DD members. No anonymous posters, please! You’ll want to keep voting with the same name, because further down the line, I may allow “frequent voter points” to accumulate to “prizes,” such as having your vote count for two votes.

Animation & Interactivity

noreply@blogger.com (Rhykker) — Tue, 01 Jul 2008 04:11:00 +0000

The last two pages of Ninja Shizatch (as of today, so 113 and 112) have had more animation in them than any other pages, as far as I can remember. As a whole, Issue 5 has had more animation and interactivity than any other issue as well.

So my question to you, readers new and old, regular and casual, is, quite simply, what works for you?

To expand upon that question, the first point would be, do you like the fact that there is animation? Interactivity? Are those one of the reasons you read Ninja Shizatch? The heart of the matter is really, what type of animation/interactivity do you want to see more/less of?

Basically, I want to deliver more of what you want, and less (or none of) what you don't. If Easter Eggs don't do it for you, let me know. If you like subtle, background animations that don't take center stage, speak up. Feel free to point out specific pages or frames to help explain what you do/do not like; all input is immensely appreciated, and will serve to help make Ninja Shizatch into something you'll enjoy even more.

What sparked me to ask these questions was a casual stumbling upon a forum in which animation in webcomics was being discussed, and NS was mentioned. It was said that through my experimentations, sometimes the animation doesn't work, and I'd have to agree. One poster mentioned that the pulsing logo had to go - does anyone else agree on this? Honestly, the reason it's there is so that anyone casually stumbling upon the comic will immediately notice the animation - it's a sort of hook. I agree that it is somewhat distracting, but nothing prevents the reader from scrolling down until it is out of sight... But if you guys want it out, it's gone.

Heroes Unmasked

noreply@blogger.com (Rhykker) — Sun, 01 Jun 2008 21:00:00 +0000

So Jade was the first in my lineup of Heroes Unmasked. Who should I unmask next? Place your vote on the poll to the right.

EDIT

And the winner is Bronze. Thanks for your votes.

Mortal Kombat vs DC Universe

noreply@blogger.com (Rhykker) — Sat, 24 May 2008 04:17:00 +0000

DrunkDuck user JustNoPoint brought to my attention the latest Mortal Kombat game in development: Mortal Kombat vs DC Universe.

After doing some research, my overall impression of this new game is: sellout.

The DC Universe? Really? Midway, I know you lost millions of dollars this year, and it's thanks to you that Unreal Tournament 3 didn't turn out to be the smash hit it should have been, but have you sunk so low as to ride off the fame of DC comics to attract attention to your game?

I should say that the gameplay sounds great, with interesting changes to the combat system that keep MK fresh, such as fighting while free-falling in midair, and the graphics will likely be top of the line, given the game is built on Unreal Engine 3. But Superman was never cool, and he never will be cool. And compared to the dark, gritty MK characters, his bright blue spandex and flaming red cape stand out like Barney the Dinosaur in Jurassic Park.

The heart and soul of MK has always been the bloody violence; namely, the fatalities. But with this new cast of do-gooders, do you think we're still going to see spines ripped out of backs? Flesh flayed from bone? Can you see Superman decapitate Kano and defecate down his neck? Of course not. It's all going to be watered down.

Here's the kicker: the game won't be rated Mature.

Sellouts.

Mortal Kombat – 1995 Movie

noreply@blogger.com (Rhykker) — Mon, 21 Apr 2008 16:20:00 +0000

When I first saw the Mortal Kombat movie, thirteen years ago, before I was even ten years old, I think I enjoyed it. Mortal Kombat was cool, so a Mortal Kombat movie must be cool too, right?

Well, I watched the movie again yesterday. And to summarize, in one word, my thoughts on what should happen to whoever was responsible for this film:

Fatality.

Watching that abomination was an awkward experience in shame and embarrassment, as the horridly portrayed and miserably acted characters stumbled from one disjointed scene to another, with the occasional tidbit of uncomfortably unfunny humor thrown in like bacon bits sprinkled atop a chocolate cake.

I wanted the movie to be great, or even decent. I wanted to be able to at least say, “Well, it may not appeal to the average movie-goer, but at least it appeals to us MK fans.” I half expected someone to walk on stage halfway through the movie, directly face the camera, and say, “Just kidding. Well show you the *real* movie now.”

The plot was solid – well, solid enough for an action flick. Warriors are chosen to fight in the Mortal Kombat tournament in order to save the world from complete destruction, because of some silly rules set by gods or demigods or what-have-you. Fine. In fact, keeping the plot as simple as the games was probably the smartest thing the producers did – too often do movies based on a game lose the essence of what made it great by throwing in some indulgent plot.

Other than the serviceable plot, this movie’s only redeeming quality was the Mortal Kombat theme song, played in full at the credits, like some form of reward for having endured the horrendous movie. I try to ignore the fact that they played terribly cut versions of the song during two fights scenes.

With a minimal plot, the focus of the movie was on the abysmal characterization. Here’s a rundown on the characters:

Johnny Cage. They actually managed to find an actor that seems to be as much of a loser as the character. And then they one-upped the loser aspect by making him wear some office shirt with rolled up sleeves. This was actually the best-acted character. Which is surprising, given that Johnny Cage is an action movie actor: he’s the one character I expected to act over-the-top while constantly showing off his bad acting talent. Brownie points for throwing in his shadow kick.

Goro: The four-armed beast was portrayed decently, though far more verbose than I imagined. His lower arms seemed to be a bit too low, giving the impression of a giant insect.

Kano: More like lame-o. Even if you ignore his striped parachute pants and complete lack of any decent fighting skills, the movie reduced this criminal mastermind to a boorish brute that seemed unable to handle anything more difficult than bouncer work at an unpopular club. He uses his trademark knife to threaten Sonya, before getting his ass handed to him. What happened to his summersaults and laser-eye? I guess they decided to replace it with a lot of “suck.”

Kitana: The only similarities between the movie character and the game character are that she is the step daughter of the emperor, Shao Kahn, and that she fights. No war fans, no mask, no blue outfit. Her only purpose in the movie is to give some unnecessarily cryptic hint to Liu Kang on how to defeat Sub-Zero: “Use the element that gives life.” Why not simply say, “throw water at him while he’s casting his freeze shit”? Useless character.

Liu Kang: Yeah yeah, everyone loves Liu Kang. Well I don’t. He’s a staple of Mortal Kombat, and I would miss him if he was ever written off, but he’s always been vanilla for me; nothing but wallpaper. The movie rendition is just as bland. But at least they got an actor to portray him well enough, and managed to throw in his bicycle kick and a close-impact fireball.

Raiden: Ugh. They took the wise and powerful god of thunder, and turned him into the Jar Jar Binks of the movie. His voice, aside from being poorly acted, had some ridiculous effect applied to it, and he would make the occasional wise-crack which no one found the slightest bit humorous – neither the other characters, nor the audience. He uses his teleport and lightning bolt abilities, but both effects were poorly rendered. Easily the character I hated the most in the movie.

Reptile: This character starts off as a small, Gollum-like bipedal chameleon lizard, rendered in terrible CGI. He later gets thrown into a statue and transforms into a human ninja form for some reason, gets his ass kicked, transforms back, and then dissolves into roaches and worms when he dies. Apparently, things don’t have to make sense in movies.

Scorpion: I’d like to point out that all three ninjas (Reptile, Scorpion, and Sub-Zero) have their arms hidden under black cloth in the movie, as opposed to exposed in the game - undoubtedly to hide the fact that they couldn’t find actors with muscles. His signature harpoon attack was altered to a living snake-like being with a beak that shot from a slit in his palm, and promptly died when it struck a tree instead of Johnny Cage. Ridiculous change, especially given that, based on the movie alone, we have no idea what that snake-thing would have done. Scorpion, being a revenant of sorts, is supposed to have clear, white eyes, with no iris or pupil. For the movie, the actor wore some kind of white contact lenses, which instead made it seem like he had cataracts. He says his trademark “get over here!” but follows it up with “come here!” and “get down here!” Once is enough, kthxbai. We get to see him take off his mask to reveal his flame-spitting skull, which was well-done, compared to the rest of the movie.

Sub-Zero: I suppose they did the best they could with this character, although the events leading up to his death involve him using some freeze ability that seems to take an eternity to charge up, giving Liu Kang plenty of time to think up a plan: throwing a bucket of water towards the ninja, passing through the aura of cold, somehow freezing the water into the shape of a stalactite, which proceeds to impale Sub-Zero through the gut.

Shang Tsung: Possibly the most believable character, though he made incorrect use of the classic “Fatality” phrase. But I forgive him, because Liu Kang made incorrect use of the classic “Flawless Victory.” Shang Tsung did show some shape-shifting abilities in the movie, but never used them in combat, nor any other sorcerer powers other than summoning a bunch of easily-vanquished warriors.

Sonya Blade: After just about everything this character said, I thought to myself, “what a bitch.” It’s as though the producers did everything in their power to make her unlikable. If so, it’s the only thing they succeeded in accomplishing.

Sad. Just sad.

Design A Samurai

noreply@blogger.com (Rhykker) — Fri, 21 Mar 2008 18:45:00 +0000

As part of the interactive theme of the webcomic, I thought I’d give the readers the opportunity to help me visually design a samurai who will be joining the party in a future issue of Ninja Shizatch.

So how will this work?

On Mondays and Fridays, I will post a comic page wherein you will get to pick a certain aspect of this Ancient Egyptian samurai’s design. For instance, for the first page, you get to choose her hair style, and what she wears around her waist. By clicking the arrows besides the selection, you get to see the different styles available.

To give me your results, post them in the following format:

Hair: L(F)

where L is your favorite of the lot, and (F) is your second favorite.

You may either post your choices as a comment on DrunkDuck, or as a response to this blog entry where no signup is required.

For every page, you will have six days to get your votes in. So for the first page, posted on a Friday, you have until the following Thursday. If it’s a Monday, you have until the following Sunday.

If you would like to make any suggestions for future categories (ie, different tops) or for a category that has just been posted, please feel free to post them – a link to a picture of what you are describing would be most welcome.

Please note that teal is just a placeholder color – anything presently colored teal will be changed to a color of your choosing near the end. The slippers, armbands, and top are also placeholders.

Upcoming categories include: neck, upper arms, lower arms, and legs. I am out of ideas for tops, so if you are not content with the current one, please feel free to make suggestions.

UPDATE (March 24)

Today's choices:

Neck and Upper Arm.

For me to completely understand your choices, please post them as follows:

Neck: A(B)

Upper Arm: A(B)

Where the first letter is your favorite, and the letter in brackets is your second favorite.

UPDATE (March 28)

Design a Samurai - III

The winning hair is the one shown.

But for the waist, there was a tie - so for today's choices, there is a re-vote between the two runner-up waist pieces, in addition to lower arms and legs.

To ensure I completely understand your choices, please post them as follows:

Lower Arm: A(B)
Waist: A
Legs: A(B)

where the first letter is your favorite, and the letter in brackets is your second favorite.

UPDATE (March 31)

Design a Samurai - IV

The winning Neck is shown - well, it's not, because the winning Neck was no neck piece at all.

There was a tie for winning Upper Arm, so here's a revote.

Today's categories are Face and Weapon. Just a reminder, you always have one week to get your votes in, even though a new page is posted.

Post your picks:

Face: A(B)
Upper Arm: A
Weapon: A(B)

where the first letter is your favorite, and the letter in brackets is your second favorite.

If you don't have a DrunkDuck account, you may post your choices as a response to the blog entry on the official Ninja Shizatch webpage, where no signup is required (link below).

UPDATE (April 4)

Design a Samurai - V

The winning lower arm, waist, and legs are shown.

Today's category is Color - the accessory color. The final option is just a silly bonus, not an actual choice.

Upcoming choices will be skin tone, eye makeup, height, and name. If you have suggestions for other categories, please speak up.

UPDATE (April 7)

Design A Samurai - VI

The winning Face, Upper Arm, and Weapon is shown.

Today's category is Name. As you may have guessed, this samurai's name must have something to do with gold. Choices A through P are real words from various languages having to do with gold, whereas the rest are actual names whose meaning has something to do with gold.

As always, you have one week to get in your votes by leaving a message with your favorite and second favorite choice.

UPDATE (April 11)

Design A Samurai - VII

There was a tie for Color, so today is a revote between the two highest voted colors.

If you don't have a DrunkDuck account, you may post your choices as a response to the blog entry on the official Ninja Shizatch webpage, where no signup is required (link below).

UPDATE (April 14)

Design A Samurai - VIII

A re-vote for the name - it's a tie between Nebu (the Ancient Egyptian word for "gold") and Nubia (an Ancient Egyptian name derived from "Nebu").

UPDATE (April 18)

Design A Samurai - IX

The winning color is shown - it was a close one.

Today's category is skin color. "Pallor - African" was the default skin tone shown in all previous pages. The names are simply the names of the colors I picked off a skin tone chart - so if you don't think a particular skin tone looks like its namesake, I wash my hands from it.

I can only think of two categories left: height, and eye makeup. If anyone has suggestions for other categories, please let me know.

On Linearity

noreply@blogger.com (Rhykker) — Sun, 03 Feb 2008 19:09:00 +0000

One recurring topic in Ninja Shizatch has been linear, railroading plots. In pop culture, this is generally viewed as a bad thing for tabletop RPGs, in which the Game Master kills off one of the best aspects of the genre by forcing the players to do essentially what he planned for them to do, unwaveringly following his storyline.

But I see it as a negative aspect of video games as well.

Let’s face it: nowadays, most games are all about graphics – few developers actually work hard at producing a novel-quality plotline. If that weren’t enough, some make their games so linear that you’re forced to trudge through their low-quality story, giving you no liberties in making choices that may affect the plot.

I don’t mind linear games – so long as they have a great story. Blizzard Entertainment makes games with great stories – StarCraft is a very linear game, but I didn’t mind at all because I didn’t want to interfere in any way with the riveting plot. Same goes for WarCraft III. WarCraft II had a pretty decent plot – not as good as SC or WC3, but still good. However, it was not as linear as the other two – you could choose a faction (orcs or humans) and depending on that choice, the entire outcome of the game would be affected. Diablo II is also not completely linear, in that you have several optional quests, tied into the plot, which will award you allies, items, or abilities, though the overall plot remains the same.

On the other hand of the spectrum, we have non-linear games. From what I hear about Knights of the Old Republic, this game allows you to make decisions that affect how NPCs interact with you, what side-quests are available, and the whole Jedi/Sith thing has a powerful impact on how you play the game. I’m willing to pardon a poor plot if I get this type of freedom.

Here are my thoughts on the various degrees of linearity in strategy games, shooters, and RPGs.

Linear strategy game: There is only one rigid storyline. Individual “levels” do not take into consideration what you have done in previous levels. “Hero units” that were lost are revived. All your resources are set to preset value. All buildings and units you constructed disappear, to be replaced with presets for the “level.”

Sub-linear strategy game: Depending on which “faction” you pick, the plot will end differently.

Non-linear strategy game: As sub-linear, but “hero units” that died stay dead. Some “levels” retain the buildings, units, and resources of previous levels, if still on the same battlefield and timeframe. Allies and enemies can be made, depending on the completion of optional side-missions.

Linear shooter: Individual “levels” do not take into consideration what you have done in previous levels. At each level, you start off at max health, with preset weapons and ammo. Any item pickups, weapons, or ammo you haven’t used by the end of the previous level is mysteriously lost, or otherwise unavailable. There is only one way to beat each level (generally by killing something).

Sub-linear shooter: “Levels” flow into one another – you retain the items and health you had in previous levels.

Non-linear shooter: As sub-linear, but there are multiple ways to progress through, and defeat, “levels,” which may include finding allies, shortcuts, avoiding fights, etc. Enemies you failed to kill in previous levels may come back to haunt you (a failed side-mission). Prisoners you saved in previous levels (an optional side-mission) may return to help you.

Linear RPG: Regardless of race/class/gender/etc, your character is treated the same by NPCs, and these characteristics have no bearing whatsoever on the plot. Quests must be completed in a sequential manner, all leading to a single possible ending.

Sub-linear RPG: NPCs will mildly acknowledge your race/class/gender (ie, by calling you “sir” or “ma’am,” or referring to you as an “elf” or “mage”). Side-quests are optional and may be completed whenever you wish. You may or may not hire certain “party members” who may give you access to certain side-quests.

Non-linear RPG: As sub-linear, but your character’s actions play an important role in the story. Playing a good or evil character will drastically affect the outcome of the plot. Your race/class/gender will shape the flow of the story – playing an elf may allow you access through an elven forest; playing a mage may allow you to consult with archmages, etc.

FAQ

noreply@blogger.com (Rhykker) — Sun, 09 Dec 2007 19:54:00 +0000

Frequently Asked Questions

At this point, they are Occasionally Asked Questions.

If you have any questions about Ninja Shizatch, leave a post under this article – no signup is required. If someone posted a question you would like answered, quote it and +1 it.

Ie:

"The scaling is sometimes confusing; who is taller, Jade or Bronze?"

Q: I'm a bit confused with the breaking of the 4th wall...

Are the characters part of some RPG? Or is this really happening? And if it's the former, is it table-top or a video game, and do they know that they're in it?

A: This issue has been purposely left vague to allow for personal interpretation. My own interpretation, which may vary from yours, is that Ninja Shizatch is a webcomic, based on a live-action movie, based on a video, game based on a tabletop RPG group - and the breaking of the 4^th wall occurs on all four levels.

By this interpretation, NS first started as a campaign in some fantasy tabletop RPG d20 system, possibly Dungeons & Dragons or a variant thereof. The samurai are the Player Characters, run by real-life people, who make out-of-character comments, regarding computers, football, their character sheets, dice rolls, the Game Master, etc…

Secondly, the tabletop RPG was adapted to video game format. The samurai are still the Player Characters, who are now all connected to the same game server over the internet (or playing on the same console). Jokes are made involving skipping through NPC dialogue, possessing invisible inventories, inputting cheat codes or otherwise hacking, etc…

Thirdly, a movie/movie series was made about NS, and the samurai are now played by leading actors. The rest of the cast consists largely of extras (ninjas who are seen on screen for a few seconds before dying) or characters with minor speaking roles. Jokes are made involving resentment for failing to get the leading role, receiving fan mail, delivering monologues, etc…

Lastly, a webcomic was made. The samurai are the protagonists, and jokes are made involving viewing the webcomic itself, narration, panels, etc…

Some of these are less obvious than others, and many jokes can seem to fall under more than one category. The players/actors behind the samurai are sometimes able to keep in-character – particularly during dramatic or otherwise plot-important scenes, because that’s when they know they should be taking things seriously. After all, the players know that their characters can die, and the actors know that their characters can be killed off.

Q: Does Sapphire have a weapon?

A: Sapphire has throwing knives, which she launches with deadly accuracy.

Q: Why was Sapphire picked instead of Shadow for The Legionaries of the Shadow? Is it seriously because they were looking for a girl?

A: Shadow and Jade are the same age, whereas Sapphire is slightly older. At the time, Sapphire had more experience than Shadow, and was the superior samurai.

Ninja Shizatch: The Movie

noreply@blogger.com (Rhykker) — Sun, 07 Oct 2007 01:23:00 +0000

That’s right. Hollywood will be producing a Ninja Shizatch live-action motion picture, complete with an all-star cast and LucasArts special effects. The film’s projected budget is the national net worth of the country of

Turkmenistan

. Ninja Shizatch: The Movie is scheduled for release in theatres once the Google Empire has finished consolidating its intergalactic dominion.

Now, here’s the current lineup of actors I had in mind for the various parts:

Shadow

For Shadow, I needed to find a hulking, intimidating, badass actor that could put on a face that constantly looks angry. Someone who could throw around a gruff voice, and throw around a 150 lb ninja. A friend of mine suggested The Rock – Dwayne Johnson. And I think it’s the perfect choice

Jade

For Jade, I needed to find an actress that could look fierce and sexy, but still look like a “good girl.” I think Scarlett Johansson manages to pull it off.

Bronze

For Bronze, I needed the anti-Shadow – a subtle, humble muscular badass. Vin Diesel.

Sapphire

For Jade’s older sister, I needed a “bad girl,” someone who can look seductive and dangerous, someone who won’t take shit from anyone. Elisha Cuthbert.

Silver

For Silver, I was looking for someone who can act out a really over-the-top dramatic narrator voice, pull exaggerated facial expressions, emote humorous body language, and just generally be slapstick funny. Jim Carrey is the man (though he’s gonna need to get ripped).

What do you think of my choices? I’m still casting, so nothing is final – suggestions are more than welcome. If you can, include a picture with your suggestion.

Half-Naked Is Also Half Clothed

noreply@blogger.com (Rhykker) — Wed, 03 Oct 2007 03:05:00 +0000

“why are all the girls in ur comic half naked? lolol”

A question a friend asked me over MSN.

A fair question.

And although the issue has not yet come up, I’m sure that at some point down the line, I’m going to have someone (well, most likely a woman) bring up the whole “unrealistic portrayal of women in comics” issue. And possibly express disgust in my comic. And possibly threaten to cut my balls off.

Well anyway, Ninja Shizatch is a satire. It’s a satire of gaming, a satire of pop culture’s view of martial arts, a satire of comics, a satire of characterization, a satire of classic heroes, a satire of storytelling… hell, it satirizes a whole array of subjects. Sometimes, the satire is very obvious. Other times, it’s subtle – sometimes subtle to the point of going unnoticed.

So how does this tie into my semi-nude dames?

I believe I covered this in the 4^th page of the comic, as well as the ensuing commentary:

“Hey, if it looks cool, why not? Screw realism - to look as badass as possible, men have to have the coolest accessories, and women have to have the least amount of material covering them as possible.”

Now, to be fair, women in most mainstream comics generally have much more cloth covering them than those in my comic. But look at this:

Catwoman here is covered from neck to toe in cloth – but if the colorist would have made that purple outfit skin-colored, she would be nude. Clothed or not, she is essentially naked. Would keeping only a bra and panties on this pic really make a big difference? I don’t think so.

But that’s the thing – artists will draw the female body as shapely as possible, with unrealistic, form-fitting outfits – but then they have scruples when it comes to how much skin is being exposed.

Well, I’m just taking this traditional concept of the sexy comic book chick and satirizing it by pushing it to the extreme with outfits that can have no purpose other than showing off as much skin as possible without going into an 18+ rating.

Your thoughts? Did you “get” why my females are so scantily clad? Does it offend you? Does it amuse you? What makes Jade and Sapphire sexy?

Birthday Milestone

noreply@blogger.com (Rhykker) — Sat, 08 Sep 2007 16:44:00 +0000

Well, today marks the one year anniversary of the official launch of the Ninja Shizatch webcomic. Ninja Shizatch itself is much, much older, but that's another story.

In a year, we've seen the conclusion of two Issues of the comic and the start of a third, for a total of 57 pages (69 including contests, filler, and cover pages).

In a year, I've improved on the comic's overall quality, and I've increased my updating frequency to twice a week.

Back in May, I made a post with the following statistics:

As of today, DrunkDuck records a total of 21,250 hits, and 142 comments from DD users (including my own).

That's an average of 84 hits a day, and 3.74 comments per page.

Well, over the past three months, the number of pageviews has more than tripled (65,690), the number of comments more than doubled (395), the average number of pageviews per day more than doubled (183) and the average number of comments per page increased to 5.72.

I owe these increases to two things: the new update schedule, and, more recently, DrunkDuck featuring Ninja Shizatch on its front page (September 5th).

The fortuitously timed DD Feature made for an excellent birthday present for the comic - one that I am very thankful for, because it is the best bit of advertising Ninja Shizatch has received. As a University student, I essentially make just enough money to break even with the cost of my studies, so paying for advertisements is not an option for me.

So thanks DrunkDuck, and thanks to all my readers, both new and old.

Cheers

Feedback & Discussion

noreply@blogger.com (Rhykker) — Fri, 01 Jun 2007 21:34:00 +0000

Want to comment on the comic? Discuss the plot? Make predictions? Offer suggestions? Ask questions? Post here.

I’ll keep this a running post for discussion and feedback on the comic, where you can exchange thoughts with myself and other readers.

To get the ball rolling, and since I’ll be posting the splash page for Book 2, I’ll open with a question:

What do you think of the new outfits? Likes and dislikes about anything specific? Their looks will continue to alter throughout the comic, so if there’s anything you’d like to see remain or be discarded, feel free to let me know.

Design-A-Villain Contest

noreply@blogger.com (Rhykker) — Sun, 27 May 2007 20:28:00 +0000

Ninja Shizatch needs a new recurring villain – the first one didn’t last long enough to recur. So I’m going to leave it up to you, the readers, to design the recurring villain, in as much detail as you want. In the end, I will either pick the best submission, or, more likely, combine the best aspects of multiple submissions. Don’t forget to name your villain!

The only stipulations are as follows: he must be a member of the Gold Skull Ninjas, and be humanoid.

Post your villain ideas here.

New Direction?

noreply@blogger.com (Rhykker) — Wed, 23 May 2007 14:03:00 +0000

*NOTE* If you don’t wish to read through this entire post, simply read the last paragraph.

The Ninja Shizatch webcomic has been running since September 2006. As of today, DrunkDuck records a total of 21,250 hits, and 142 comments from DD users (including my own).

That's an average of 84 hits a day, and 3.74 comments per page.

However, eXTReMe Tracking tells me that roughly 70% of my traffic is from reloads.

So what I've gathered from the hits and the comments is that Ninja Shizatch has built up a small fanbase of regular (or semi-regular) readers and commenters, for all of whom I am greatly appreciative, however it is not quite drawing in as many new readers as I would like.

From the beginning, my goal with Ninja Shizatch has been to create a webcomic tailored to meet the desires of its readers. A webcomic that would give more of what the readers like, and less (or nothing at all) of what they dislike. A webcomic that would make regular readers feel as though their input actually helps shape the story.

Looking over some of the pages that received the most comments, I find that the majority of them have action, all of them have animation, some of them have plot elements, and none of them involve humor exclusive to gaming.

Since I am always seeking to improve Ninja Shizatch (and a careful look through the comic pages should show a marked improvement in graphic design), I’ve decided to start shifting the comic in a slightly different direction.

Parodies of gaming have been done to death, and they’ve been done better. There are other webcomics that specialize in Dungeons & Dragons humor, or video games, or what-have-you. Some of my pages are dedicated entirely to making a gaming joke – well, no more. I may still throw in some gaming humor now and again, but I’ve realized that my best-received “jokes” are those unrelated to gaming, and have to do with the characters or story itself.

Which brings up the point about the story. Essentially, there has been little to no plot. The driving force of the comic has been parody – “what can I make fun of next, and how can I make my characters make fun of it?” I find this to have been a mistake. Though my intention with Ninja Shizatch was never to make a great story, a long-running comic of this variety suffers if there is no plot driving the story onward.

So all this to say the following: Ninja Shizatch will henceforth be more story-driven, and the humor will shift away from gaming parody and more to in-context humor. What do you think? Is this a good move? What would you recommend?

Twice A Week?

noreply@blogger.com (Rhykker) — Mon, 21 May 2007 18:07:00 +0000

The Ninja Shizatch webcomic has been running on a one-update-per-week schedule. Should I switch to twice a week? If so, on what days should I post updates? Mondays and Fridays?

If enough people comment, I’ll switch to twice a week.

Ask A Samurai Contest

noreply@blogger.com (Rhykker) — Sun, 08 Apr 2007 17:24:00 +0000

Have you ever wished you could go back in time and ask a samurai a question?

Well now is your chance!*

We have a panel of three excellent samurai warriors waiting to answer your questions about anything and everything.

Have questions specific to Ninja Shizatch, or even a question directed specifically to Silver, Shadow, or Jade? Ask away! Our samurais are eager and willing to respond!**

The best questions will be featured in the Ninja Shizatch webcomic!***

Just post your question or questions as a comment, below.

*Warning: contest may not actually make you travel through time. Ninja Shizatch is in no way responsible for any disturbances in the space-time continuum due to irresponsible time travel. Please consult with a doctor and quantum-physicist before engaging in a temporal paradox.

**Warning: samurai may not actually be eager or willing. Ninja Shizatch in no way guarantees that your question will be taken with good humor. We are not accountable for any samurai swearing vengeance on your family.

***Warning: “best” is a subjective term. Don’t whine if your question isn’t picked.

The Jade Samurai

noreply@blogger.com (Rhykker) — Thu, 12 Oct 2006 21:28:00 +0000

Jade hasn’t been given a real reason for joining Silver and Shadow – but that doesn’t mean she doesn’t have one. Confused? Clarification will come - patience, young grasshopper…

When Silver, Shadow, or the Game Master himself step out of line, Jade doesn’t hesitate to put them back in their places with quick-witted sarcasm – but with looks like that, she can get away with it.

Of the three, Jade is the most concerned with things being “correct” and will often point out mistakes – after all, she wants the comic to be as great as can be, for her fans.

More to come as the story progresses…

Quote: Uhm… they were bad guys, right?

Leave a comment with your thoughts on the Jade Samurai.

The Shadow Samurai

noreply@blogger.com (Rhykker) — Thu, 12 Oct 2006 20:23:00 +0000

Shadow was recently freed by Silver from 3000 years of demonic possession, and decided that he owed the other samurai a small favor, thus joining him on his quest. How he was freed is still unknown to the readers…

Shadow’s ancestors were the rulers of the Shadow Dragon Empire. Shadow himself used to be the emperor of a powerful dynasty, but no information has yet been revealed in regards to what happened…

Manly. Powerful. Angry. Chauvinistic. Insulting. Crude. Arrogant. These are some of the words that describe Shadow – and words that Shadow would proudly use to describe himself.

Shadow makes no attempt to stay in-character – he is fully aware that he is a character in a webcomic that parodies RPGs, and will use this knowledge to his advantage.

As much as Silver has a zest for life, Shadow is the complete opposite – with a short temper and easily irritable personality, Shadow can give the impression of always being in a bad mood. Hey, if you had to put up with lesser beings all day, wouldn’t you be?

More to come as the story progresses…

Quote: Cliché battle-cry!

Leave a comment with your thoughts on the Shadow Samurai.

The Silver Samurai

noreply@blogger.com (Rhykker) — Wed, 11 Oct 2006 21:58:00 +0000

The leader of the trio of samurais, Silver is taking his newfound companions on an epic quest to retrieve the Blade of Glory from the Shadow Dragon Empire.

Not the brightest bulb in the socket – by which I mean to diplomatically say that he is practically mentally handicapped – Silver has an unquenchable zest for life and takes insults to his intelligence in good stride. However, this may also be attributed to the possibility that he just doesn’t understand the concept of being insulted.

It is known that Silver used to be a ninja, and decided to proclaim himself a samurai at some point. The exact circumstances upon which this occurred have yet to be revealed…

Silver’s ineptitude is legendary – though he manages to screw up royally, these mishaps have a way of working out for him.

More to come as the story progresses…

Quote: Wow, loot! Woot woot!

Leave a comment with your thoughts on the Silver Samurai.

The History of Ninja Shizatch

noreply@blogger.com (Rhykker) — Sun, 08 Oct 2006 18:48:00 +0000

The history of Ninja Shizatch is a bittersweet tale of tragedy and rebirth.

It all began back in my high school years, when the word "bizatch" was temporarily gaining popularity among the social elite.

I had just acquired Macromedia Flash, and wanted to try my hand at animation. So I made a movie. A movie about a Silver Ninja, who destroyed a small army of blue ninjas with ease and class.

The title? "Well," I thought to myself, "it's just some ninja shizatch." And so it was.

Over the years, I made a few episodes of Ninja Shizatch (the latest ones can be found on Newgrounds), but I would only come out with two episodes a year due to my poor animation skills and lack of time.

Ninja Shizatch was beginning to gain some popularity, as people seemed to steal the latest episode off Newgrounds and post it on other websites without my consent. I figured I must be doing something right if people were stealing my work.

Unfortunately, the fans waited, and waited, and waited... The internet community is fickle - after seeing that I was not updated, they quickly forgot about Ninja Shizatch.

I did not want NS to die. Finally, I decided to let the animation go, and work on a Ninja Shizatch webcomic. Now roughly a month old, Ninja Shizatch is settling into its new format, and is being received well by the webcomic community.

Hats off to DrunkDuck for hosting Ninja Shizatch and letting the dream live on.

Ninja Shizatch - Launch of Official Website

noreply@blogger.com (Rhykker) — Sun, 08 Oct 2006 16:02:00 +0000

Today marks the launch of the official website for the Ninja Shizatch webcomic, hosted on DrunkDuck (see link on sidebar).