DF Interview: Cavan Scott makes readers a brimstone bargain they can’t refuse in ‘Godfather of Hell’

By Byron Brewer

Dario Santini has lived a charmed life as an enforcer and debt collector for mob boss Niccolo Mechini. He's had it all: respect, power, even the love of a good woman. But everything changes when he crosses a line and is shot dead on the sidewalk. Waking up in Hell, Dario faces a future of pain and suffering... unless he can turn eternal damnation into a business opportunity.

From Vault Comics comes Godfather of Hell, neo-noir hellfire from New York Times Bestseller Cavan Scott (Star Wars: The High Republic, Shadow Service, Dead Seas) and Bram Stoker Award-winning artist Pius Bak (Eat the Rich, The Magicians, Stranger Things). I chatted with the scribe about the coming comic.

Byron Brewer: Cavan, tell readers what inspired Godfather of Hell, your coming book which blends neo-noir with the fires of the nether region.

Cavan Scott: Godfather of Hell came about when I asked what it would be like to tell a story of an exorcism from a demon’s POV. I’d been talking to Adrian Wassel, Editor-in-Chief for Vault, about an exorcism book for a while but couldn’t find the hook. Just who was this demon? Then inspiration struck when I saw that a new season of the excellent Godfather of Harlem series starring Forest Whitaker had landed on my Amazon Prime account. The name came first – Godfather of Hell – and the characters followed. My love of gangster movies is second only to my love of exorcism flicks. Was there a way to mash up the two? The answer was a resounding yes and I fired the pitch off to Adrian that very night. The green light came immediately.

Byron: Introduce us to Dario Santini. Who was he, who is he when we first encounter him in #1, and what challenge(s) loom before him in the book?

Cavan Scott: Dario is a young mobster rising the ranks of his local gang. He’s an enforcer and debt collector, good at what he does and brutal when he needs to be. He also has a good relationship with his boss, the infamous Niccolo Mechini. Well, good may be stretching the point, but they’ve not come to blows yet, even when Dario dated Niccolo’s daughter, Elena. But Elena has gone now. She’s gotten out of her Dad’s life, rising the ranks of her own chosen organization, the DA’s office! But two things change everything for Dario: First, Elena comes crashing back into Dario’s life… and bed. And then, Dario makes a mistake which puts him on a collision course with Niccolo. A mistake that leaves him riddled with bullets and dying in a back alley.

Dario wakes in Hell to pay for his crimes… but attracts the attention of one of the Princes of Hell, an arch-demon who is in the market for a debt collector of his own.

Byron: What other characters are important to this supernatural crime series? Can you spotlight a few here?

Cavan Scott: Elena remains a huge part of Dario’s life, even after his eternal damnation. And then there’s Jaakobah. I adore writing Jaako. He’s an imp who takes particular interest in Dario’s afterlife and has an almost Tex Avery or Bat-Mite energy about him. Jaako is going to be the star of the book, mark my words.

Byron: I am imagining there is a representation of Satan/Lucifer, etc. – the Devil – in this story. If so, what can you tell us about this Ruler of Hell – especially as it pertains to the book and to Santini?

Cavan Scott: Well, Satan is the big boss for sure, but Dario is actually employed by Samael, one of the principle powers and principalities in Hell. If Ol’ Nick is the gang boss, think of Samael as his first Lieutenant, a gigantic serpentine demon who sees everything. If you look back at the original Judeo-Christian lore, Samael is sometimes depicted as the Angel of Death and, according to some traditions, was the serpent in the Garden of Eden. He’s a slippery character for sure, and in the Godfather of Hell mythos has been dealing in souls since the Fall of Adam and Eve. As for his relationship with Satan, well, everyone in Godfather of Hell has an agenda and Samael is no exception.

Byron: Talk about the horrific renderings of Bram Stoker Award-winning artist Pius Bak.

Cavan Scott: Oh, my heavens (if the writer of such an infernal piece of work can invoke the realm of the angels), Pius is an absolute joy to work with. We’ve been talking a lot about how Hell itself is going to be portrayed, a neon-soaked nightmare that mashes up the cinematography of films such as Drive with the paintings of Hieronymus Bosch. And his demons? Oh, Pius’ demons! There’s a hint of Samael on the cover of issue one that no one’s noticed yet, but when you see the king of devils revealed in all his diabolical glory… Wow! Just wow!

Byron: And coming off a discussion of Pius, what about Vault’s incredible line of crime movie poster homage variants that launch issue #1 by a who’s-who of art talent: Nathan Gooden (Barbaric), Joshua Hixson (Deviant), Chris Shehan (House of Slaughter), Jake Phillips (Destroy All Monsters), Corin Howell (Lilith), and Conor Boyle (Judge Dredd)?

Cavan Scott: That’s quite some role call, isn’t it? Vault has pulled out all the stops on this, and of course, I was so happy to see Corin, my co-creator of Shadow Service, on the list! I always jump at the chance to work with Corin who is doing incredible work on Lilith at the moment. I’m hoping we’re both going to be able to return to Shadow Service again soon.

Byron: Cavan, what other projects of yours, inside or outside comics, can you tell readers about?

Cavan Scott: So, I’m basically trying to own Halloween this year. Not only do I have Godfather of Hell from Vault, I also have Night of the Slashers, my Purge meets Freddie Krueger splatter-fest launching October 2 from Magma Comix. Then there’s the Star Wars: Vader’s Castle The Deluxe Library Collection from Dark Horse (collecting my annual Halloween specials set in a galaxy far, far away) and a story in the 2024 DC Halloween special, I Know What You Did Last Crisis.

Beyond that, I have Venom War: Zombiotes launching from Marvel this month (which I’ve been describing as Shaun of the Dead in the Bar With No Name with Shocker and She-Hulk) while I’m currently working on the final run of my bestselling Star Wars: The High Republic series which hits next February, also from Marvel.

And that is just the beginning…

Dynamic Forces would like to thank Cavan Scott for taking time out of his busy schedule to answer our questions. Godfather of Hell #1 from Vault Comics is slated to be on sale October 9!

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