I got the idea for this one from an unsolicited real estate flier, exhorting me to sell my place. I thought the phrase “What price would you sell for?” was very evocative. That combined with the somewhat smarmy look of the real estate agent made me think of the devil trying to drum up business.

I had a fun time finding examples in literature of people who supposedly sold their soul to the devil. Unfortunately, many of them ended up being killed for the mere suspicion. If you’re curious here are wikipedia links for the 3 people in the testimonials:

• Faust
• Tommy Johnson, a real person, fictionalized in O Brother, Where Art Thou?
• Theophilus of Adana
• Other deals with the devil

Short timelapse of the creation process: