Crafting A Sci-Fi Samurai Saga & A Goodnight Kiss To Subverted Superheroes With Daniel P. Riley

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What if we could infuse the ethos of a samurai into a futuristic setting? This was the intriguing premise that sparked the creation of "Gabriel" in Jisedai. His journey encapsulates the essence of samurai honor and duty set against the backdrop of a society grappling with the aftermath of technological upheaval. Gabriel emerges as the peak of a breed of cyber-enhanced assassins bred by mega-corporations vying for supremacy in a world where traditional firearms have been outlawed. The resurgence of feudal-style warfare becomes the arena for power struggles among these corporate entities. In many ways, the series is Daniel's love-letter to Kurosawa.

Ever the romantic, Legacy of Heroes is Daniel's goodnight kiss to the modern subverted (often perverted) superhero. Modern writers seem to hate superheroes even more than the idea of good and evil itself. They have twisted every tale into a morally ambiguous exploration of how all the bad guys are misunderstood and the heroes are just dickheads with capes hiding behind charm and superpowers. The idea of a symbol of hope and virtue is a quaint remnant of a bygone era. Creators, like Daniel, are beginning to ask if maybe hope and virtue wouldn't be so bygone if we hadn't given up on the cornerstones of our modern mythology.