Caitlin Yarsky teamed up with Dark Horse Comics for Living Hell, a dark modern fantasy tale centered on Jerome Jameel, “a loving father and husband who also happens to be a demon”: “He’s fled his former prison of Hell to live incognito on earth as a bartender, hiding in plain sight. Jerome is determined to stay out of trouble, but when he kills one of Hell’s most vicious bounty hunters in self defense, he inherits the job of infernal bailiff, hunting down his own kind. Jerome soon faces a range of ancient deities and monsters, from the human-eating ghosts known as Jikininki to psychopomps like Baron Samedi. But with every act of betrayal, Jerome loses a little more of his hard-earned humanity.”
Along with a 5-page preview you can read right now, we caught up with Living Hell writer & artist Caitlin Yarsky to learn more about the upcoming series:
In the first issue alone, you establish such a rich mythology for the world of Living Hell, that I’m dying to learn more! What was the inspiration for this series and can you talk about how you found a home for it at Dark Horse?
Caitlin Yarsky: I’ve always been fascinated by mythology and folklore around the world, and by modern stories that incorporate them in a relatable way. There’s also something really fun about a monster-of-the-week throwback because it makes the universe more expandable and modular, but also allows for a larger story arc within it.
This is a story about demons and monsters, but it’s deeply rooted in a story about family. What can you tell our readers about the family at the center of Living Hell and why their story is so important to you?
Caitlin Yarsky: It might seem cliche but I took a lot of inspiration from my childhood and friends I’ve had in different stages of my life. I had a rather unusual childhood, raised mostly by a single dad who was a singer-songwriter and an active parent that I got along with really well. My family speaks fluent sarcasm and a lot of our group texts are long strings of improv meant to make each other laugh. I realized recently that I hadn’t seen a lot of family dynamics like this in books I’ve read, and thought it would be something relatively unique I could bring to the story.
Can you give us some insight into your creative process to develop these characters and creatures?
Caitlin Yarsky: I treated the “monster-of-the-week” demons the same way as the main characters. I wanted to portray themes of “othering”, of alienation and bigotry toward any groups designated as outsiders. So by giving a glimpse of the demons’ personal relationships, pasts and their roles in human society, it emphasizes the way Hell is literally demonizing them in order in justify hunting them down. I also wanted the main character to be a sort of anti-hero, because a “good” person feeling trapped into doing something terrible adds some nuance that makes writing him more fun and interesting.
What kind of tease can you give our readers on what they can expect over the series’ first four issues?
Caitlin Yarsky: Get ready for more fights with demons from around the world, family secrets coming out, love and sacrifice. And Pants the dog being the dumbest, sweetest sidekick ever.
Can you give our readers a handful of recommendations of films they should watch to get them ready for Living Hell?
Caitlin Yarsky: Here’s a mix of film/tv that inspired this series: Buffy the Vampire Slayer, The Triplets of Belleville, the Iron Giant, and Coraline.
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Living Hell #1 (of 4) arrives at your local comic book shop on November 6th. For more on Living Hell and Dark Horse Comics, visit: www.darkhorse.com
