By Zack Quaintance — Today’s Kickstarter Interview is with writer Steve Urena, who with the help of Comics Experience has a new book being crowdfunded right now. It’s called Slow Pokes, and it’s a conceptually-fantastic horror book that wonders — how scary would it be if sloths were fast? You can find my conversation with Steve below, and when you’re done reading, you can head to Slow Poke’s campaign page to back it.

Enjoy!

Steve Urena talks SLOW POKES - A Kickstarter Interview

ZACK QUAINTANCE: So, fast sloths horror murder comic...I have to start by asking, where did the idea for this book come from?

STEVE URENA: The idea came into my brain about 3-4 years ago. I was with friends at lunch talking about all the ridiculous horror and sci-fi movies that were getting play and it came to me. What if sloths became fast somehow and started killing everyone? I thought it was hilarious and backpocketed the idea. Sloths may look cute and cuddly at first glance, but on further inspection they are genuine NIGHTMARE FUEL. They make scary faces, they have sharp claws, and they can climb. Sloths are perfect for the horror genre.

ZACK: How did you connect with your collaborator on this project?

STEVE: I was lucky enough to take Comics Experience classes and created the story during their One-Shot course. I got such positive feedback from those who read it, that I felt encouraged to go through their Creative Services department to get the comic made. They found Juan Romera and Sean Rinehart, and I couldn’t be happier with the results.

As for the trailer, the t-shirts and our other perks over on our Kickstarter, I am so blessed to have such talented friends ( Kristin Greco, Vertebrae 33) who want to help and work with me on creating a fun experience for people who might want to check out this project. I can’t wait to share the official Slow Pokes theme song I worked on with singer Blake Raines that’s dropping October 1st.

ZACK: Can you tell us more about how Comics Experience helped with the creation of this book?

STEVE: Paul Allor of GI Joe fame is the project manager for this, and he helped find the artists and letterers while working together with me on refining Slow Pokes. The process was easy and seamless, and they are incredibly open to ideas while giving notes on making everything better. As someone who is completely new to this practice, it really helped with my anxiety about jumping headfirst into comics.

ZACK: What’s the scariest experience you’ve personally had with an animal, fast-moving or otherwise

STEVE: Haha. I’ve had a couple, but I’ll never forget the time a monkey jumped on the glass at the Miami Zoo when I was a kid. That experience scared the absolute shit out of me. My parents were there, and they always remind me how I went from 0-100 trying to get out of the way. I was lucky there was shielded by the glass!

ZACK: What do you see as the scope of this project once it’s out there? Might we see Slow Poke sequels at some point?

STEVE: The goal of funding this project is to make more comics. I have a few ideas I want to execute, and this has been a good gauge to see if people want to see my crazy ideas come to life. The ultimate goal would be a Slow Pokes movie down the line if Syfy or Troma or Blumhouse or anyone would be interested in that. I think the possibilities are endless and a lot of fun can be had. I don’t know who wouldn’t want to see a killer sloth in action.

Slow Pokes - A Kickstarter Comic

Slow Pokes
Writer: Steve Urena
Artist: Juan Romera
Letterer: Sean Rinehart
London James is a rebellious high-school teenager ready to move on to the next phase of his life. The only thing standing in his way is a request from his best friend Karate Carlos…oh and a bio engineered sloth who is now freakishly fast and out for blood. From the twisted mind of Steve Urena, Slow Pokes is a vulgar fun-filled filled horror-comedy thrill ride that’s filled with sloths, slaughter, and slapstick.
Back It Now: Slow Pokes on Kickstarter