The Vault has two new books in stock this year with very violent protagonists, and at NYCC ’24, the publisher had Colin Howell and Cavan Scott on hand to discuss them.
Read more about both books below.
Blending neo-noir and supernatural elements, The Godfather of Hell is the story of a mob enforcer who does his best to rule Hell in exchange for eternal damnation for his sins. The first issue is written by New York Times bestselling author Cavan Scott (Star Wars: The High Republic, The Shadow Service) and written by Bram Stoker Award-winning artist Pius Bak (Eat the Rich, The Magicians). The series will debut in October 2024. Nathan Gooden (Barbaric), Joshua Hickson (Deviant), Chris Sheahan (House of Slaughter), Jake Phillips (Destroy All Monsters), Colin Howell (Lilith), Connor Boyle (Judge) Art from several other artists will also be featured, including Dredd. ).
Lilith is an immortal woman exiled from her home, a dimensional dimension that is suspiciously similar to humanity’s concept of hell. She secretly preys on humans while pretending to be a model on Earth. That is, until he meets Penelope, a kind bookstore owner who holds a book that may hold the secret to returning Lilith to her home dimension. If the two unequaled people don’t fall in love first!
I chatted with Scott and Howell on the show.
Howell: I’m the writer and artist behind “Lilith,” which is basically the story of this distant monster who finds love in an unlikely person. She is a very, very lonely person until she finds someone to help her get home. This is the story of how she found love and family. It’s full of murder, bloody horror, and sexy men and women. It’s goth. If you looked at Jennifer’s body and thought she did nothing wrong, this book is for you.
Deanna Destito: Do you like to mix up genres a bit? Straight horror, straight comedy, straight romance?
Howell: When I first started writing Lilith, I thought it was too serious. That’s not correct. So I started making it more interesting and it started becoming more fun and people loved it. It balances dark horror elements with silly comedy. I just want to do things that are fun for me…I don’t want that to be a big deal and people get depressed because of it. I want them to actually like her. she’s not a bad person. I can say that.
Scott: Something similar happened in “The Godfather of Hell.” It’s a bit of a mashup of genres. A gangster movie directed by Lucifer. So this is the story of a debt collector, a mob enforcer, who finds himself on the wrong side of his boss in a drive-by shooting. He eventually goes to hell and then leaves. This is the best job opportunity ever for me. Because hell is a big commotion.
Destito: I read both the first issues and really enjoyed them. Although they are different, they both have horror and humor. There’s a lightness to it, and even though the main characters aren’t good people, you like them.
Scott: Yeah. The first thing he does is throw someone out the window.
Howell: I also like the fact that your character becomes a usurer from hell. I really like that idea.
Destito: Are you working on anything else?
Scott: Yeah, shadow services.
HOWELL: We have to finish it. I just sat there and it ended on a cliffhanger and I thought, wait, this isn’t how it’s supposed to be.
Scott: And I know how it ends.
Howell: I know! It kills me.
Destito: How was it? Would you like to collaborate with Shadow Services?
Scott: We first worked together on Star Wars. Simply put.
Howell: Yeah, a little bit about Vader’s Castle and the story of young Han Solo.
Scott: When I pitched Shadow Services to Adrian (Wassell) from Vault, he immediately mentioned Colin’s name and I was like, “Yeah!” Why didn’t I think of that? And the more problems there were, the more monstrous and demonic they became. Then they threw a dragon into it.
Howell: Oh, yeah. He feels sorry for that. I put this in my script. No, it’s not!
Scott: Yeah. So this was another mashup of genres. There’s a lot of James Bond and Mission Impossible in there, from London to Rome. and various other places.
Destito: If you could have any comic book, manga, video game, or movie character to guest appear in your current book, who would you choose?
Howell: I recently got back into Marvel fandom after watching Deadpool and Wolverine, so I’m trying to get out of my current brain rot. After being away for many years, he returned after the end of The Avengers. Oh my god. Hugh Jackman shirtless.
Destito: Yes, please.
Howell: That movie was a lot of fun. I haven’t enjoyed a Marvel movie that much since the first Avengers movie. So I think it’s Wolverine who works with Lilith. Because they’re both immortal. She technically cannot die by human hands. She can only die by her own race. A little hint, a little trivia. But I can imagine a fight breaking out and Logan going, oh my goodness…and of course, in true Logan fashion, he’ll probably hit her. He punched every chick in the Marvel Universe.
Destito: None of them.
Scott: And he’s still lying in bed looking at pictures.
Destito: What about your book?
Scott: Well, I think it’s Pyramid Head because we only see one side of hell.
Destiny: I love Silent Hill.
Howell: The first movie was great, so I’m still praying that another good movie will come out. But finally, why did the Puritans exist?
