Beyond the diverse and artistic stories you find in comics, what I love about them is the creative teams that bring them together. Whether at DC, Marvel, or an independent publisher, behind every book is a passionate group of individuals. Writers, artists, and editors work together to bring us stories that then sometimes make it to the big screen or television. The dream of becoming a comic book creator may be tedious and a labor of love. But it’s an adventure that many venture on and never look back.

Writer/creator Sam Haine has now been on that journey for quite some time. His graphic novel is titled Slow City Blues. His team is made up of Shawn Moll on pencils. John Livesay is the artist coordinator, inker, and finisher. David Baron on colors and Thomas Mauer on letters and production. Last but certainly not least, Arisha Mann Cooper.

Slow City Blues started back in 2013 after Haine was turned down for a staff writing position at a video game company. While living on food stamps and waiting tables, Haine saved enough to commission his first set of sample pages. From there he hooked up with Livesay, who loved the story but recognized that the artwork needed direction. From there they put together an awesome art team for the interiors and covers.

Here is the synopsis for Slow City Blues:

SLOW CITY BLUES is an ongoing series following Detective John Loris, who gets trapped inside his imagination after a horrible accident causes him to try and take his own life. John instead ends up in Slow City, a construct of his mind’s eye, a place where anything is possible – except a way out. There, he must battle his deeply-rooted inner demons and examine who he truly was before entering this purgatory.  

In Slow City, John is reviled and feared as “The Trigger Man,” the one responsible for the existence of all. There, he does the only thing he knows how: solve crimes, with his partner (now a six-foot-six smart ass skunk called “Moof”). With his wife and son waiting back in the real world and his subconscious conspiring to keep him trapped in his imagination forever, John must overcome the worst parts of himself and defeat Death, in his quest to find out whether he is worthy of enlightenment and happiness – or if he is beyond salvation.  

LRM Online’s Emmanuel Gomez had the privilege of previewing Slow City Blues. It was a very well-paced and intriguing issue. It pulls the reader in with every panel and the scenes slowly start to blossom into the strange world where we are going to be following John and Moof. It’s definitely different from most other books out on the stands.

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Along with previewing the book we also talked to Sam Haine and John Livesay. We talk about all things Slow City Blues. Including the characters, story, and some of the artist’s decisions. Along with that, we also talk about the challenges in writing your first comic book. From the perspective of the up-and-coming writer and the veteran who has already been in the industry for years. It’s a great conversation and an even better book! You can check out the full conversation down below!

Slow City Blues is available now for pre-order on Zoop. They are a first of their kind curated turn-key solution for comic creators. Zoop provides everything from marketing, fulfillment, shipping, and after-campaign services.