Bionic Buzz® got to interview Samuel Haine & John Livesay from the comic book series SLOW CITY BLUES. It 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.

Sam Haine came up with the premise for Slow City Blues after being turned down for a staff writing position at a video game company in 2013. Soon after, he saved up enough money waiting tables to commission the first set of sample pages while living off food stamps. From those first pages, he was introduced to John Livesay, who liked the story, but knew the art needed direction and Sam needed guidance. John connected Sam with Legendary Marvel Editor-in-Chief Jim Shooter, who taught Sam the ins-and-outs of writing for comics – what Sam calls the “Shooter School of Storytelling.” John, acting as Coordinator, put together the art team, as well as landed a host of A-list cover artists. Sam found that the world of Slow City helped him reflect and better understand what was happening in the world and his part in it. He hopes the story connects in an authentic manner and inspires tough conversations and loving introspection.

THE CREATIVE TEAM:

Samuel Haine – Writer/Creator: Sam grew up in the wilderness of Alaska. While  Slow City Blues will be his debut title, Sam has a handful of feature film and television scripts under his belt. His mentors have included the legendary Jim  Shooter and NY Times Bestselling author Kristin Hannah. Sam currently lives in  Southern California, but dreams of returning to the wild with his fiancé, Laura and their 120lb. pit-bull, Peter. He spends most of his free time pecking away at his debut novel, reading, snowboarding, or getting his butt kicked at Magic the  Gathering.

Shawn Moll – Pencils: Shawn is a freelance Comic book Artist/Illustrator, whose pedigree includes work for Marvel Entertainment, DC Comics, WildStorm  Studios. Titles include WHAT IF VENOM/DEADPOOL, SHE-HULK, WILDCATS,  FRIDAY THE 13th, OUTSIDERS, and “52″, among others. Shawn lives in the remote Northwoods near the shores of Lake Superior with his wife and children and their dog. He spends most of his free time training in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and hanging out with his family.

John Livesay – Artist Coordinator & Inks/Finishes: John Livesay was born in  Detroit Michigan and had been a professional comic book artist for the last 28  years. He has worked for just about every comic publisher out there, including  Marvel, DC, Image, IDW, and Valiant. He’s also worked on some of the most popular and classic characters in the history of the medium, such as Spider-Man,  The Avengers, X-Men, Batman, and The Flash. John lives in Southern California with his wife, Felicia, and daughter, Olivia. He’s a huge collector of comics and comic art and has long run out of places to store all his long boxes.

David Baron – Colors: David Baron started his career in 1995 at the age of 15,  busting into the comic book industry and immediately working on the biggest and brightest characters printed today. His work has influenced new talent and has shaped the way many see comics and their iconic characters today.  David lives in Southern California with his wife, Kristy, and son, Michael.  Some of David’s past projects include BATMAN, JUSTICE LEAGUE, GREEN  ARROW, GLOBAL FREQUENCY, DUNE, TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA TURTLES,  and BLOODSHOT.

Thomas Mauer – Letters & Production: Thomas is a German letterer and designer. He’s worked on projects for a wide range of publishers such as 01 First  Second, Aftershock Comics, Boom, Comixology, and IDW. His credits include  THE BEAUTY, CRUDE, HARDCORE, POPGUN, and THE REALM.

Artisha Mann Cooper – Story Consultant: Artisha Mann Cooper has forged an impressive career as a go-to indie Producer, multi-hyphenate artist, and host of the Two Legit to QT podcast. She has worked on films such as Bikini Sunshine,  with Academy-nominated director Milcho Manchevski, Before During After, I Can  I Will I Did, Goodbye Butterfly, and the Cinequest Audience Award-winning thriller  Slapface.

THE COVER ARTISTS:

David Finch, Paul Pope, Derrick Chew, Doug Mahnke, Brett Booth, Julian Totino  Tedesco, Francesco Mattina, Yasmine Putri, Howard Porter, Phillip Tan, Cary  Nord, Pat Olliffe, and Randy Green.

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