[vc_row][vc_column][vc_single_image image=”29986″ img_size=”900×500″ alignment=”center”][vc_column_text]Slow City Blues is an upcoming comic book series from Image comics that was created by Samuel Haine. What makes Haine’s journey so interesting is the dedication he had to make sure his vision came to life. Working at a Mexican restaurant to save up $1,500 – Haine used this money to get the first few pages of the comic created. As everything started to transform, legendary comic book icon Jim Shooter stepped in. The founder of Valiant comics, Shooter helped Haine bring his vision to life and now, Haine’s dream has become a reality.
Check out the official press description for Slow City Blues:
Slow City Blues is an ongoing, genre bending series about Detective John Loris, Slow City Blues brings you everything you crave in a comic book: action, adventure, suspense, fantasy, tragedy, and plenty of humor. The story is focuses on Detective John Loris, who gets trapped inside his imagination after accidentally killing a little girl in the line of duty. After trying to take his own life, John instead ends up in Slow City, a construct of his mind’s eye, a place where anything and everything is possible, except a way out. John is both revered and reviled as The Creator, but in Slow City, even God is just another slob. So, he does the only thing he knows how: Be a cop. But times are changing and the wheels in his mind are in motion. And now, John and his partner, a six foot six, smart-ass skunk, must solve a double homicide and bring the killer to justice before a gang war between the Gorillas of the Devil’s Backbone and the Dragons of the Midnight Syndicate destroys Slow City.
Luckily, we got to speak with Mr. Haines and Mr. Shooter to dive a little bit deeper into Slow City Blues and the journey it took to get there. Check out the interview below!
Geek Vibes Nation: It’s awesome to be speaking to both you guys so I think we should jump right in. I’m gonna start with Samuel. Sam or Samuel?
Samuel: Whichever’s good for you.
Geek Vibes Nation: The story of what you did to make this dream come true is absolutely awesome. So, could you kind of walk us through your journey and how that has been? What really inspired the story [of Slow City Blues]?
Samuel: Yea, so six years ago, I was up for a job as a writer for a video game company. I won’t name names, but [it] has since gone to funk and belly up. I had gotten down to the final round – they have you do writing test after writing test. You talk about salary and relocation. We even tried to find a place where the commute wouldn’t be so bad because I live in Los Angeles. It’s near San Francisco. The head of HR said it’s between you and a person in the company who is in QA. He’s a bit older, but we like you. You’re really good, we can build you around company culture – I was 24 at the time – ugh…23, either way we’ll let you know. You will get a call from me. Never heard from them again. Left hanging. So, that is where this started – it started out of spite (laughs). I wanna do this – you can’t tell me no. They had a property that was kind of a noir. I had never written noir. I come from film, but I learned from obviously reading and doing noir. I had never written a noir – I found it almost scary. It hit like a bolt of lightning – we had to work on it a lot. We got it. I was working at a Mexican restaurant at the time. I was an EBT. I saved $1,500 dollars working at this Mexican restaurant to get these first few pages down. I went from this is a scary thing to then it suddenly being handed to Jim Shooter – who thankfully took mercy on me. Agreed to come aboard. Take me to the Jim Shooter School of storytelling.
Geek Vibes Nation: [to Jim] What was it about Samuel’s story and his pitch that drew you in?
Jim: Well it was the ideas…the ideas were incredible. I had never seen anything like it. I said this guy has a heck of an imagination. As he said several times, this is new territory for him. I have been doing this for 54 years. I thought, I started – we started having discussions. Emailing things back and forth. Away we went. It started wrong with the art. I met with him and tried to work with him a little bit, I called Sam and said you need to get someone else. He’s not gonna tell your story well. We then got Shawn [Moll]. Here and there along the way, we have our story. I gave Sam my thoughts, complaints, whatever. It’s been coming together really well. It’s brilliant. It’s architecture as well as art, gotta make sure it fits. I guess that’s where I come in – I’m like the coach.
Geek Vibes Nation: Sam, what is the inspiration for John’s partner who is a six foot skunk?
Sam: Ugh, yea, I think it came from – even before – thank god before Jim came before, I got a bit of the light. John was gonna be a fuzzy animal himself. I thought it was gonna be one of those Shifu things – take no crap kinda guy. That doesn’t bode well to connect with humans. I at first was gonna make him a raccoon. But, then Jim pointed out to me that well, duh Rocket Raccoon. You think cats, deer – doesn’t work. What kooky thing can I make it? I ask who has been a skunk before? We went with skunk – what do we call him? Stinky? That’s obvious. I go to google translate and type in Skunk – in French it’s mouffette…muffaletta – no, that’s the sandwich. He always has this smart assy feel. Having this skunk that is a stinkless skunk even though he’s very much not. Gives a chip on his shoulder and drives that smart assery.
Jim: As the character emerged, before I got there; his personality became sort of skunk like.
Sam: He’s always so food focused.
Geek Vibes Nation: I do really wanna ask either of you – when can we expect Slow City Blues?
Sam: The first issue is 37 pages and is coming February 19th 2020. You can grab it, John [Livesay] and Jim set up the most amazing cover art – best in the industry. Four bucks! We wanna make sure you got your value’s worth. Jim really came in and helped to find an end. The north star. Let’s work towards this. The team itself is fantastic. I’m so besides myself and blessed. From coming from being a bartender and working with Jim Shooter every day.
Jim: Hollywood expression do the math and that’s what I’m here for. We went through and determined that and it came out pretty good.
Make sure you keep a lookout for Slow City Blues, which will come out on February 19, 2020.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]
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