What advantages do you think the growth of digital comics has given creators like yourself? Are you a tablet user yourself for reading comics and what digital comics do you rate and recommend?

CS: I am a graphic designer. Digital is very familiar to me. But it wasn’t part of my vernacular in terms of creating comics. Which now seems so funny. It was such a natural progression/format. I wasn’t a huge tablet user until this year. I built plenty of projects for digital media, but hadn’t really thought there was a place for me in that realm.

I think it is the equivalent of digital recording for the music industry. On demand comics are great. But as a creator its expensive. I was doing books just to get them out, never to make anything off them. I tried to break even in terms of cost, but it was tough.

With digital, its amazing, you can have the book, there, for the world, without the high print costs.

And with ComiXology, they offer to add the books to their library for free. Its amazing.

I think that doing web comics is huge. Its a great way to get out and find an audience. But there was always sort of the distance inherent about web comics. Even if you read them on a laptop, they couldn’t fit in your hand. There was the panning, or progressing from page to page.

Comics is still so much about touch, and holding. It seems the tablet allows that perfect union of indie creativity and unique expression of web comics, with the packaging and feel of what makes comics comics.

I love using the tablet now for comics. For volumes, for exploring, its really a great resource.

I used to pack tons of graphic novels for trips, not knowing what I might feel like reading. Now i have access to so much. Its a wonderful luxury and resource.

As to what I’m reading digitally, I’m all in for Mike Allred. I just picked up Manhattan Projects as well. And Masks & Mobsters is something that is going in a great direction.

Finally, what can we look forward to in the world of Motorcycle Samurai in the coming weeks and months?

CS: This fall will see the first full limited series for Motorcycle Samurai.

I can’t wait to get more of this world out there. The preview was designed as a prolog to the first series. If the preview issue 0 was the pilot, then the start of season one is going to be a blast. Its going to come out in the fall through ComiXology & Top Shelf.

The story is about White Bolt bringing the Masked Man home and the complications that arise. The town is a ramshackle outcropping at the edge of an old mine and is controlled by a Boss with a winding past. Its where we get to meet the other series regular, the Hero to the masked Anti-hero. We get to journey into the badlands and start to explore.

Really I imagine the world as a western noir. And there is little room for a hero in world of noir. Which means its going to get rough.

As I said, I love Rio Bravo, so there are elements of that. A town in the control of the underworld, and the efforts it takes to stand against such forces. There is only the committed individual.

There are of course lots of swords and a few explosions.

So, if the issue 0 was a spaghetti-western Mad Max, the first series is the spaghetti-western Mad Max version of Chandlers ‘Big Sleep‘ with a Western Darth Vader and more importantly, a Uncle Owen!

Because that’s really all anyone really wants, right?! More Uncle Owen.

If this has got your engine running for the world of the Motorcycle Samurai then be sure to check out issue #0 on the Top Shelf ComiX app and ComiXology. For more info on Chris visit his website TheMotorcycleSamurai.com or follow him on Twitter @C_Sheridan_Art