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Slow City Blues

by Samuel Haine, Shawn Moll, John Livesay, David Baron & Thomas Mauer

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 ending up in this self-made 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 named “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.

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Special #1 Variant (David Finch B&W/Virgin Cover)

48-page issue #1

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BLANK Sketch Cover Issue #1

48-page issue #1. If you buy one and bring it to a Con, we'll sketch a one of a kind cover just for...

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Special Hardcover Variant (Doug Mahnke B&W Cover)

Collecting issues #1-5. Comes with free PDF copy of the TPB.

$70

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Special Hardcover Variant (Doug Mahnke B&W Cover)(SIGNED)

Collecting issues #1-5. SIGNED by the whole team. Comes with free PDF copy of the TPB.

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Issue #2 (Derrick Chew Cover - VIRGIN VARIANT)

48-page issue #2. SCROLL DOWN TO 'COVERS' SECTION TO SEE IN GREATER DETAIL.

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Box Set A (Slipcase)

Yasmine Putri 'cool' cover on Slipcase containing individual issues of #1-5 with all Cover A's (Finc...

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Box Set B (Slipcase)

Yasmine Putri 'warm' cover on Slipcase containing individual issues of #1-5 with all Cover B's (Pope...

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Retailer Bundle

Ten #1 issues, Seven #2 issues, Five #3 issues, Five #4 issues, Five #5 issues - all Cover A. Price...

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Issue #1 Retailer Variant (Randy Green Cover)(Bundle of 5 Copies)

48-page issue #1. Price is for 5 copies and includes 50% wholesale discount. In order to qualify for...

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Issue #1 Retailer Variant (Randy Green B&W Cover)

48-page issue #1. Price includes 50% wholesale discount. Can order a maximum of 10 copies (please en...

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PDF copy of the TPB

Collecting issues #1-5. DRM free.

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PREVIEW

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

PRAISE

Jim Starlin (Creator of Marvel’s Thanos, Infinity Gauntlet Saga, Ominous Press’ Dreadstar):
“The rich story and complex characters will keep you immersed to the very end. The violence and satire top off the kind of novel you can’t put down as each issue’s cliffhanger makes you want to find out what happens next!”
 
Aaron Couch (The Hollywood Reporter):
“Slow City Blues is a strange, imaginative tale with art to match. It's not quite like anything else I'm reading!”
 
Coy Jandreau (Collider.com/CoyCast):
“Slow City Blues is the Neo-Noir detective on the edge drama you never knew you wanted but absolutely need. It's one part Brad Pitt's 'Cool World' two parts Kurt Russell's 'Big Trouble in little China' with a nice heaping helping of comic book references. SCB is what indie comics are all about!”
 
Darick Robertson (Co-creator of THE BOYS & HAPPY!):
“John and Moof are an amazing unlikely duo in a fantastical world with intriguing, bizarre, and original characters. The artwork is excellent and immerses you in this Heavy Metal through-the-looking-glass environment of humanoid animals and crazy creatures.”
 
Steve Orlando (Batman, X-Men, Wonder Woman):
“SLOW CITY BLUES is a wild ride, championed by the Sam Spade antihero of an anthropomorphic plant and animal world, a gonzo Adult Swim vision of ROGER RABBIT world of drinks, sex, and violence. It's high-octane action satire!”
 

Andrew Dyce (SCREENRANT)

"Opening with a killer hook, SLOW CITY BLUES is a fever dream nobody would ever want to live in, but an absolute blast to visit."

 

David F. Walker (Writer/Co-Creator Bitter Root):
"[Slow City Blues] is very cool. It's insane (in the best way)."
 
Jimmy Palmiotti (Harley Quinn, co-founder of Marvel Knights):
“Slow City Blues is a visually beautiful and disturbingly fun book that keeps the reader wondering where it is going next with every page turn. Worldbuilding at its best.”
 
Dinesh Shamdasani (CEO & CCO @ BAD IDEA):
“Livesay is a piece of s#@t, but he makes great comics”

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, boxing, 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, DC, and WildStorm. 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 - Coordinator & Inks/Finishes: John Livesay was born in Detroit Michigan and has 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 First Second, Aftershock, 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.

ORIGIN

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 and 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 authentically and inspires tough conversations and loving introspection.

WHY NOW?

Slow City Blues is a wildly bizarre, action-packed, darkly funny, and provocative examination of Self, that offers the opportunity for empathy and introspection in a time that finds us more divided than ever before.

COVERS

Issue #1 - David Finch (Cover A) / Paul Pope (Cover B)

 

Issue #2 - Howard Porter (Cover A) / Derrick Chew (Cover B)

 

Issue #3 - Francesco Mattina (Cover A) / Doug Mahnke (Cover B)

 

Issue #4 - Julian Totino Tedesco (Cover A) / Cary Nord (Cover B)

 

Issue #5 - Brett Booth (Cover A) / Philip Tan (Cover B)

 

Box Set Covers (Cool/Warm) - Yasmin Putri

 

ORIGINAL ART

 

 

 

PRESS

STRETCH GOALS

RISKS

While there are always risks with crowdfunding and a new title and new company, in reality, the risks for this book are virtually zero. With Zoop we are blessed to be working with the folks who ran the crowdfunding campaigns for Keanu Reeves' BRZRKR and Scott Snyder’s NOCTERRA, so needless to say they know exactly how to deliver beautiful, high-quality products. 

 

And speaking of beautiful, high-quality products! Ours is done! Totally! Finished and in the can! All five issues and all of the covers are ready to go. That means the only waiting you’ll be doing is for the printing and shipping. Which Zoop has COVERED!  And barring another pandemic or natural disaster you should expect to receive your rewards/purchases so fast you’ll wonder why you don’t buy all your books from Zoop! 

 

Last but not least, communication: it’s the name of the game. So we’ll be updating you every step of the way; be it in email blasts or on social media, when something happens -- good, bad, or great -- you’ll be the first to know! No waiting in limbo. You have our word. And our word is bond. 

 

We are so thankful that you decided to come on this adventure with us. And we thank you from the bottom of our hearts. 

 

Now buckle up! It’s going to be an amazing ride!

DELIVERY

Since the books are all done, we should be going to print shortly after (hopefully) funding, and we estimate the whole process to get everything made, shipped to our fulfillment partner and sent out to all supporters to be about 3 months.

 

So estimated delivery is October 2021 - and we'll keep you updated all along the way!

A few short answers to how this works.