Imagine having a skill set so deadly that even after being sent to Hell, you are still expected to clock in for work? In Cavan Scott’s Godfather of Hell from Vault Comics, Dario goes from small-time mobster in life to Satan’s debt collector in the afterlife.
We chatted with Scott about the new trade collecting the complete series.
DEANNA DESTITO: We had chatted briefly at NYCC a couple of years ago about this book. Can you give us a more in-depth description of what it’s about?
CAVAN SCOTT: Of course! Godfather of Hell tells the story of Dario, an enforcer for a small-time mob boss. Everything is going great for him, or so it seems. His boss trusts him and he’s even hooked back up with the love of his life, childhood sweetheart Elena – who also happens to be his boss’s estranged daughter.
But then he crosses a line and is gunned down in the street. If that wasn’t bad enough, he wakes up to find himself in Hell in the clutches of Satan’s not-so-little helpers. And that’s where the fun starts. Dario looks around and realises that Hell is just one big racket – and he knows how to work, it’s rackets. He gets himself a job as one of the devils’ debt collectors and finds his way back to the mean streets, possessing innocent – and not so innocent – bystanders in order to collect souls promised to his infernal overlords.
So far, so devious… He has everything he wants. A bachelor pad on the river Styx… All the succubi he desires… Even an impish sidekick, Jaakobah, to teach him the ropes…And then he comes face to face with Elena and all Hell literally breaks loose…
DESTITO: What inspired this story?
SCOTT: Vault Editor-in-Chief Adrian Wassel and I were discussing how we’d love to work on an exorcism story with a twist. I suggested a possession story from a demon’s point of view and it went from there. A demon trying to escape Hell seemed a little obvious, so I wondered what other reason an agent of Satan might walk the Earth. Debt-collecting sprang immediately to mind. After all, if people are selling their souls to the devil, some would try to welch on the deal, right?
DESTITO: Clearly your protagonist is a flawed man and has done some stuff. What makes a character like this so interesting to write, and how do you build a world around him that is even worse than he is?
SCOTT: Everyone says baddies are more fun to write, and they are, but actually anyone who walks a tightrope between good and evil is even more satisfying. Sure, Dario has done bad things – and not lost a lot of sleep over it – but he does have at least one redeeming feature: his love for Elena.
As for the world around him? Well, he’s literally in Hell, surrounded by scheming devils and tortured sinners. Our wonderful artist Pius Bak has done such an amazing job bringing Hell to vivid, neon-lit life. You can’t help rooting for Dario as he tries to keep one step ahead of the demons.
DESTITO: Does this trade offer anything new for readers?
SCOTT: The complete story! Unfortunately, the Diamond bankruptcy hit just after issue one came out, meaning that Godfather of Hell’s monthly release schedule was cancelled before issue two even hit the shelves. But Vault never gave up on us – and now all four chapters are finally available for everyone to read.
DESTITO: Do you want plan to play in this universe in the future?
SCOTT: Oh, I absolutely want to. I especially want to write more Jaakobah, as the wise-cracking imp is one of my favourite characters ever. Pius draws him like a demented Tex Avery character. He’s so much fun.
Plus, you know what they say… the devil makes work for idle hands…
Godfather of Hell is available in stores today. Read an extended excerpt below!
