One of Schlockmania’s great pleasures in 2025 was covering the excellent expanded reissue of These Fists Break Bricks and Armies Of The Night, the absorbing history of the cult film The Warriors. Both books were co-written by Chris Poggiali, who recently took some time out of an action-packed schedule to answer a set of questions from yours truly about both books and a few related topics. Read on to learn a lot about martial arts cinema, the complex history of The Warriors and what it’s like to research and write about such topics. Grab a drink and some snacks because you’ll want to devote some time to reading these detailed responses.

These Films Break Bricks was originally designed to be a book of kung fu film posters with a little accompanying text. You can see that element of its original conception in the finished product's lavish graphic design, which incorporates an array of mind-blowing vintage poster designs drawn from several martial arts film fans' collections. However, the two authors realized they were onto something bigger and more impressive than just another coffee table book and put their writing/researching skills to the test. The result is something better than I was hoping for.