https://www.amazon.com/dp/1646698967/
White Taiki looks like an exciting graphic novel. Can you tell us a little about it?
The series is really a cross between a western comic and an
action manga. Volume 1 was sort of supposed to feel like a double feature where
the first half is mostly a western and the second half is mostly a samurai
story, but with the second volume, the story meshes those two aspects together
and the story gets more gritty. Essentially, volume one is about the main
character getting revenge and volume two is about the main character getting
redemption. At the end of the day though, all the characters have their own
ideologies and even the heroes are morally gray.
How many books do you have planned?
Currently two volumes are published and the third volume
will be the finale. The final installment will be out in about a year from now
and I strongly believe it’ll be the best one.
That’s an amazing cover. Can you tell us a little about it?
The volume one cover shows the protagonists Yoshikuni and
Charles, and the villain, The White Samurai. It’s really supposed to capture
the three main focuses of this volume and they’re interweaving stories that
ignite the rest of the series. The volume two cover shows the divide between
who Yoshikuni was and who he will become.
What inspired you when writing White Taiki?
When I was younger I was a big fan of western movies such as True Grit or High Noon and I often enjoyed reading obscure western comics from the bargain bins at comic stores that were sometimes pretty unconventional. I’ve of course always been a fan of American comics and Japanese manga as well as Quinton Tarantino and Stanley Kubrick movies, so I really wanted to make a story that combined much of what I found gripping in my influences.
What part of the book was the most fun to write?
I don’t want to spoil it but there’s a scene at the end of
volume two where when writing it I thought to myself, “what if this scene was
thirty pages long?” To me that was one of my favorite scenes to write, because
I wanted to really exaggerate it so that it would feel like it was shown from
the perspective of the characters, and I think Akira Hikawa did a great job at
bringing that to life with his artwork.
What was your hardest scene/section to write, and why?
White Taiki is a serious story with some pretty heavy scenes, and those were definitely the hardest parts to write, because they had to make sense with the story while also portraying the deepest fears of the characters and the horrific things that they experience and are capable of.
What other projects are you working on?
Currently I’m working on a webcomic called “Kori The Panda”
that’s a lot more light hearted and comedic than White Taiki. It’s more simple, but since I’m writing and drawing
that one it’s been good practice. Aside from WT 3, I’m also working on a giant sci-fi comedy series called The Moroz Chronicles that will
eventually be on Amazon, but that turned out to be a much bigger project than I
expected. I want to have a lot of variety in my storytelling, because I’m a fan
of all different types of stories, so I like to write stuff that I’d be a fan
of.