The following is an interview with writer Rafael Scavone (Hidden Society, Red Tag) regarding the upcoming release of the comic book series, Devil’s Luck: A Hailstone Story, through Comixology Originals. In this interview, Fanbase Press Editor-in-Chief Barbra Dillon chats with Scavone about his shared creative experience in working with artist Eduardo Ferigato to bring the story and characters to life on the page, what readers may take away from the story’s themes, and more!
Barbra Dillon, Fanbase Press Editor-in-Chief: Congratulations on the upcoming release of Devil’s Luck: A Hailstone Story! How would you describe the series’ overall premise, and what can you share with us about your decision to revisit the town of Hailstone for this story?
Rafael Scavone: The series follows a dentist, quite a new occupation back in the 1930s, who gets entangled in a plot to profit from the golden teeth of one of his patients. His main goal is to fund his escape from that cold snowy town to a sunny beach in California – but things get out of control and the dentist’s California Dream turns into his very own nightmare.
Revisiting Hailstone was always my plan, since the first series, Hailstone: The Lost Children, with Rafael de Latorre, back in 2023. I first started imagining it as my “personal horror set”, where I can play with interesting characters at different times of History. And in fact, I have several stories already written and taking place in this fictional town in the North of Montana.
BD: The series deftly weaves a twisting tale of greed and betrayal within the socio-economic backdrop of the Great Depression. Was there anything from your research of the period that stood out to you and informed the thematic elements of your narrative?
RS: There are two things from that period that guided me while writing Devil’s Luck: A Hailstone Story. The first was the disillusion brought by the collapse of a generation that had dreamed about a better and richer life after WWI, but ended up crushed by 1929’s Crash and the Great Depression that followed.
The second thing was the price of gold, which in the worst years of the Great Depression was hitting record highs, often pushing desperate people to find violent ways to survive or escape their hard realities. It creeped me out to imagine people literally pulling golden teeth to survive, and it struck me as a very powerful element to fuel a horror story.
BD: How would you describe your shared creative process in working with artist Eduardo Ferigato to bring the story and characters to life on the page?
RS: It’s super collaborative. He came out with a special tailored art and color style, only for this series, and it’s beautiful! Also, when I first handed the story’s outline to Ferigato and he said he was eager to draw it, he also brought a cool idea for the ending scene that improved a lot of the story’s outcome. Even though we usually have clear roles in the process of creating comics, I always love when the artist I’m co-creating with adds to the story, the characters or any other element that improves the outcome.
BD: At Fanbase Press, our #StoriesMatter initiative endeavors to highlight the impact that stories can have on audiences of various mediums – no matter the genre. How do you feel that this story may connect with and impact readers, and what, if any, conversations do you hope that it may inspire?
RS: I hope the readers can get the mix of different conversations that Devil’s Luck: A Hailstone Story will raise. Of course, there’s the greed and betrayal, that you mentioned above, but there’s also an important discussion about faith in something, doesn’t matter if it’s “good” or “evil.” You can also read it as faith in yourself – which can lead to a more introspective reflection – or faith in your possessions, as a sort of a Capitalism horror tale. I can guarantee to the readers that this series finale is something quite disturbing, and I would love to hear from readers about how that landed or impacted them.
BD: What makes Comixology Originals the perfect home for this series?
RS: What I like most about creating for Comixology Originals is the reach it gives to creator-owned comics. I believe the digital-first approach also helps spread the comic before the printed version hits the shelf. This is my fifth title with Comixology Originals, and I’m quite happy with the freedom it gives me to create.
BD: Are there any other projects – past or current – that you would like to highlight for our readers?
RS: Yes! There’s, of course, Hailstone: The Lost Children (Comixology and Dark Horse). It’s a western-horror with a sci-fi spice. It’s beautifully drawn by Rafael de Latorre, and it’s where this fictional town first appears.
I should also mention Red Tag (Comixology and Dark Horse), a political thriller set in Brazil, which I co-created with Rafael Albuquerque and Roger Cruz, back in 2022. I love this series and I felt it was overshadowed amid the information chaos of the pandemic, so I would love readers to give it a chance. And I will say – still very current to the Brazilian (but not only) political context.
And last, but not least, I’ve the honor to write a short horror story named “The Wheel” for the classic EC Comics. It will be featured in the Catacomb of Torment #8, with art and colors by my brothers in art: Rafael Albuquerque and Marcelo Maiolo. It will be published by Oni Press.
BD: Lastly, what would you like to tell fans who want to learn more about Devil’s Luck: A Hailstone Story and your other work?
RS: I’m especially proud of Devil’s Luck: A Hailstone Story! In my own (biased) opinion, it’s the best creator-owned series I’ve written so far. I’m also particularly happy with how fine tuned the art, colors, letters, and covers are. So, I will tell fans to give it a shot, but brace yourselves because at each issue the story will grow surprisingly tense till the great ending, which as I mentioned above, will be a spectacle apart.
For folks who want to stay tuned with my next projects, you can follow me on Instagram (@rafaelscavone), BlueSky (@rafaelscavone.bsky.social), or check my website (www.rafaelscavone.com).
