Dylan Dog
Encyclopedia
Dylan Dog is an Italian horror
comics series featuring an eponymous character (a paranormal investigator) created by Tiziano Sclavi
for the publishing house Sergio Bonelli Editore
. Though published in Italy, the series is mainly set in London, where the protagonist lives, though he occasionally travels elsewhere.
Sclavi's progressive disinvolvement has left other authors the task of carrying forward character continuity.
Dark Horse Comics
has published the English version of Dylan Dog. The series is also published in Croatia
by Ludens, in Serbia
by Veseli Četvrtak and Expik Publications, in Denmark
by Shadow Zone Media, in the Netherlands
by Silvester, in Poland
by Egmont Polska, in Spain
by Aleta Ediciones, and in Turkey
by Rodeo and Hoz Comics.
, an Italian comics and novel writer, while the graphic representation of the character was elaborated mainly by Claudio Villa
, who was its first cover artist too, taking the inspiration from the English actor Rupert Everett
, as he saw in the movie Another Country. The character was named for poet Dylan Thomas
.
Dylan Dog series debuted in October 1986 with a comic book entitled "L'alba dei morti viventi" ("Dawn of the Living Dead"), plotted and scripted by Tiziano Sclavi
and illustrated by Angelo Stano
; it proved to be a huge publishing success in the years to come. May 2003 saw the publication of Issue 200, entitled "Il numero duecento" ("The Number Two-Hundred"), plotted and scripted by Paola Barbato and drawn by Bruno Brindisi
. In August of 2011, the serie has reached the number 300, entilted "Ritratto di famiglia" ("Family Portrait").
-related subjects.
Another annual release was added in March 1991, L'almanacco della paura ("The Fear Almanac"): together with Dylan Dog stories, it includes articles and curiosities about film, literature
, and other topics, all related to the horror theme.
January 1993 saw the appearance of a new annual book, the Dylan Dog Gigante ("Giant-Size Dylan Dog"), so called because it was much larger than the monthly book and because it contained more stories.
Dylan Dog maxi (Maximum Dylan Dog) came out in July 1998. This was another annual release that collected together three previously unpublished stories.
character, Martin Mystère
. Alfredo Castelli
and Tiziano Sclavi
wrote and plotted this story, and Giovanni Freghieri did the drawings. The story had a sequel in 1992.
Dylan Dog is a penniless nightmare investigator ("L'indagatore dell'incubo") who defies the whole preceding horror
tradition with a vein of surrealism
and an anti-bourgeois rhetoric.
His clothes are one of his defining characteristics: he always dresses the same way, in a red shirt, black jacket, and blue jeans; he bought twelve identical outfits after the death of his lover Lillie Connolly. Even during the worst weather, he never wears an overcoat or even carries an umbrella, since, according to him, an overcoat "would ruin his look", and he thinks that an umbrella is a "useless invention. Especially when it doesn't rain."
One of the principal supporting characters in the series is his assistant (or rather, comic relief), Groucho, a punning double of Groucho Marx
. Another supporting character is Inspector Bloch, who was his superior when he worked at Scotland Yard
and remains his father figure (in fact he calls Dylan "Old boy") even after Dylan struck out on his own to become a private investigator specializing in the supernatural.
Dylan lives with Groucho at 7 Craven Road in a cluttered apartment with a doorbell that screams. His hobbies include playing the clarinet
and constructing a model ship which he apparently never manages to finish; he has many phobias, including claustrophobia, fear of bats
and acrophobia
. Dylan is also particularly susceptible to motion sickness
, which is one of the reasons why he rarely travels, and anyway never by plane. Once an alcoholic, he now never drinks. He is a vegetarian and animal rights
supporter. Dylan cares little for many aspects of modern life. He hates cellphones and to record his memories, he still uses a feather-pen and an inkpot. Naturally, he loves literature (poetry in particular), music (his tastes range from classical to heavy metal), and horror films. Though perpetually penniless, he doesn't seem to be interested in money. In fact, the usual first piece of advice he gives to numerous clients who have found themselves in his study over the years is to go to a psychiatrist or psychologist.
He does not believe in coincidences.
He's also a hopeless romantic who loves and loses a new woman in nearly every issue. In fact, in a majority of his cases, his clients are women, with whom he often has a sexual relationship.
.
said: "I can read the Bible
, Homer
, or Dylan Dog for several days without being bored."
in Italy: including both reprints and new stories, it sells over a million copies each month.
February 1997 saw the release of the Super Book, a tri-monthly release that reprinted the special annual issues that had come out ten years before.
has released seven English volumes of Dylan Dog, six in 1999, and one more in 2002. In this version, Groucho became a clean-shaven fellow called Felix because of a legal dispute with Groucho Marx's estate. Mike Mignola
drew new covers for the 1999 releases.
.
created the covers until Dylan Dog #41 (1990), after which he was replaced by Angelo Stano
. While Stano has also illustrated several stories, Villa has illustrated only a short one, in the seventh Dylan Dog Gigante.
directed the film Dellamorte Dellamore (known abroad as Cemetery Man
or Of Death and Love), with a screenplay written by Giovanni Romoli and based on Tiziano Sclavi
's similarly titled novel.
Francesco Dellamorte (his mother's surname was Dellamore) - a sort of Italian alter ego
for Dylan Dog - appears for the first time in the third special issue of Dylan Dog, Orrore nero (Black Horror), released July 1989, in which he met the Nightmare Detective, but the Sclavi's novel was written before the special issue.
Francesco Dellamorte also appears in a short (comic book) sequel to Orrore nero, entitled Stelle cadenti (Falling stars), where Dylan, Groucho, Francesco and Gnaghi are walking together during saint Lawrence's night, watching shooting stars and talking about life and death. But they are not alone, that night...
English actor Rupert Everett
played the protagonist, Francesco Dellamorte, while Italian model and actress Anna Falchi
played the female lead. Although Everett, playing Dellamorte, wore Dylan Dog's trademark costume, the Dylan Dog character did not appear in the movie.
has directed an official American film adaptation of Dylan Dog starring actor Brandon Routh
as the title character. Differences between the comic result in the film being set in New Orleans instead of London, the character of Groucho being replaced by an un-dead sidekick called Marcus due to issues for the production to acquire the rights to use the Groucho Marx
name and style, another difference is Dylan Dog's Volkswagen Beetle being black with a white hood instead of the opposite like in the comic. The film also appears to be much lighter in tone and more action-oriented, lacking the surreal feeling, the black humor and the melancholy of the comic book, and the Dylan character is portrayed like more of a scientist-adventurer in the vein of Indiana Jones
, rather than the romantic loner he is in the comics. It was originally going to premiere on Halloween
2010 in Italy but has since been pushed back to an April 29th 2011 release. The film has been produced by the independent company Platinum Studios
.
Horror fiction
Horror fiction also Horror fantasy is a philosophy of literature, which is intended to, or has the capacity to frighten its readers, inducing feelings of horror and terror. It creates an eerie atmosphere. Horror can be either supernatural or non-supernatural...
comics series featuring an eponymous character (a paranormal investigator) created by Tiziano Sclavi
Tiziano Sclavi
Tiziano Sclavi is an Italian comic book author, journalist and writer of several novels. Sclavi is most famous as creator of the comic book Dylan Dog in 1986, for Italian publishing house Sergio Bonelli Editore...
for the publishing house Sergio Bonelli Editore
Sergio Bonelli Editore
Sergio Bonelli Editore is a publishing house of Italian comics. It takes its name from its president and comic book author, Sergio Bonelli....
. Though published in Italy, the series is mainly set in London, where the protagonist lives, though he occasionally travels elsewhere.
Sclavi's progressive disinvolvement has left other authors the task of carrying forward character continuity.
Dark Horse Comics
Dark Horse Comics
Dark Horse Comics is the largest independent American comic book and manga publisher.Dark Horse Comics was founded in 1986 by Mike Richardson in Milwaukie, Oregon, with the concept of establishing an ideal atmosphere for creative professionals. Richardson started out by opening his first comic book...
has published the English version of Dylan Dog. The series is also published in Croatia
Croatia
Croatia , officially the Republic of Croatia , is a unitary democratic parliamentary republic in Europe at the crossroads of the Mitteleuropa, the Balkans, and the Mediterranean. Its capital and largest city is Zagreb. The country is divided into 20 counties and the city of Zagreb. Croatia covers ...
by Ludens, in Serbia
Serbia
Serbia , officially the Republic of Serbia , is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central and Southeast Europe, covering the southern part of the Carpathian basin and the central part of the Balkans...
by Veseli Četvrtak and Expik Publications, in Denmark
Denmark
Denmark is a Scandinavian country in Northern Europe. The countries of Denmark and Greenland, as well as the Faroe Islands, constitute the Kingdom of Denmark . It is the southernmost of the Nordic countries, southwest of Sweden and south of Norway, and bordered to the south by Germany. Denmark...
by Shadow Zone Media, in the Netherlands
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
by Silvester, in Poland
Poland
Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
by Egmont Polska, in Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
by Aleta Ediciones, and in Turkey
Turkey
Turkey , known officially as the Republic of Turkey , is a Eurasian country located in Western Asia and in East Thrace in Southeastern Europe...
by Rodeo and Hoz Comics.
Publication history
Dylan Dog was created by Tiziano SclaviTiziano Sclavi
Tiziano Sclavi is an Italian comic book author, journalist and writer of several novels. Sclavi is most famous as creator of the comic book Dylan Dog in 1986, for Italian publishing house Sergio Bonelli Editore...
, an Italian comics and novel writer, while the graphic representation of the character was elaborated mainly by Claudio Villa
Claudio Villa (comics)
Claudio Villa is an Italian comics artist who has primarily worked with Sergio Bonelli Editore, and is currently involved in illustrating several books in the Tex Willer comic series...
, who was its first cover artist too, taking the inspiration from the English actor Rupert Everett
Rupert Everett
Rupert James Hector Everett is an English actor. He first came to public attention in 1981, when he was cast in Julian Mitchell's play and subsequent film Another Country as an openly gay student at an English public school, set in the 1930s...
, as he saw in the movie Another Country. The character was named for poet Dylan Thomas
Dylan Thomas
Dylan Marlais Thomas was a Welsh poet and writer, Encyclopædia Britannica. Retrieved 11 January 2008. who wrote exclusively in English. In addition to poetry, he wrote short stories and scripts for film and radio, which he often performed himself...
.
Dylan Dog series debuted in October 1986 with a comic book entitled "L'alba dei morti viventi" ("Dawn of the Living Dead"), plotted and scripted by Tiziano Sclavi
Tiziano Sclavi
Tiziano Sclavi is an Italian comic book author, journalist and writer of several novels. Sclavi is most famous as creator of the comic book Dylan Dog in 1986, for Italian publishing house Sergio Bonelli Editore...
and illustrated by Angelo Stano
Angelo Stano
Angelo Stano is an Italian comic book artist. He is mainly famous for his drawings for Dylan Dog, for which he drew the very first story. He is the current cover artist of the series.-Biography:...
; it proved to be a huge publishing success in the years to come. May 2003 saw the publication of Issue 200, entitled "Il numero duecento" ("The Number Two-Hundred"), plotted and scripted by Paola Barbato and drawn by Bruno Brindisi
Bruno Brindisi
Bruno Brindisi is an Italian comics artist.Brindisi was born in Salerno. Initially he collaborated with his fellow Salernitan Roberto De Angelis and Luigi Siniscalchi, debuting on the fanzine Trumoon; later he worked for erotic series published by Blue Press and Ediperiodici...
. In August of 2011, the serie has reached the number 300, entilted "Ritratto di famiglia" ("Family Portrait").
Annuals
In August 1987 a special annual release was added to the monthly series, called Numero Speciale (Special Issue), with one story longer than usual and, in addition, small extra books on various horrorHorror fiction
Horror fiction also Horror fantasy is a philosophy of literature, which is intended to, or has the capacity to frighten its readers, inducing feelings of horror and terror. It creates an eerie atmosphere. Horror can be either supernatural or non-supernatural...
-related subjects.
Another annual release was added in March 1991, L'almanacco della paura ("The Fear Almanac"): together with Dylan Dog stories, it includes articles and curiosities about film, literature
Literature
Literature is the art of written works, and is not bound to published sources...
, and other topics, all related to the horror theme.
January 1993 saw the appearance of a new annual book, the Dylan Dog Gigante ("Giant-Size Dylan Dog"), so called because it was much larger than the monthly book and because it contained more stories.
Dylan Dog maxi (Maximum Dylan Dog) came out in July 1998. This was another annual release that collected together three previously unpublished stories.
Specials
In October 1990 an irregularly numbered issue came out: Dylan Dog e Martin Mystère - Ultima Fermata: l'incubo! (Dylan Dog and Martin Mystère - Last Stop: Nightmare!). It presented an unpublished story in which the nightmare investigator teamed up with another famous BonelliBonelli
-People:* Camillo Bonelli, Captain Regent of San Marino* Carlo Bonelli , Italian cardinal* Federico Bonelli, Italian ballet dancer* Franco Andrea Bonelli , Italian zoologist* Gian Luigi Bonelli , Italian comics writer...
character, Martin Mystère
Martin Mystère
Martin Mystère is an Italian comic book. Created by writer Alfredo Castelli and drawn by Giancarlo Alessandrini, it was first published in Italy by Sergio Bonelli Editore in 1982....
. Alfredo Castelli
Alfredo Castelli
Alfredo Castelli is an Italian comic book author and writer.-Biography:Born in Milan, Castelli began his comic book career at an early age, creating the strip Scheletrino, a humor series for Italian comic book Diabolik, when he was only 16 years old.In 1966, with Paolo Sala, he created Comics Club...
and Tiziano Sclavi
Tiziano Sclavi
Tiziano Sclavi is an Italian comic book author, journalist and writer of several novels. Sclavi is most famous as creator of the comic book Dylan Dog in 1986, for Italian publishing house Sergio Bonelli Editore...
wrote and plotted this story, and Giovanni Freghieri did the drawings. The story had a sequel in 1992.
Characterisation
Horror fiction
Horror fiction also Horror fantasy is a philosophy of literature, which is intended to, or has the capacity to frighten its readers, inducing feelings of horror and terror. It creates an eerie atmosphere. Horror can be either supernatural or non-supernatural...
tradition with a vein of surrealism
Surrealism
Surrealism is a cultural movement that began in the early 1920s, and is best known for the visual artworks and writings of the group members....
and an anti-bourgeois rhetoric.
His clothes are one of his defining characteristics: he always dresses the same way, in a red shirt, black jacket, and blue jeans; he bought twelve identical outfits after the death of his lover Lillie Connolly. Even during the worst weather, he never wears an overcoat or even carries an umbrella, since, according to him, an overcoat "would ruin his look", and he thinks that an umbrella is a "useless invention. Especially when it doesn't rain."
One of the principal supporting characters in the series is his assistant (or rather, comic relief), Groucho, a punning double of Groucho Marx
Groucho Marx
Julius Henry "Groucho" Marx was an American comedian and film star famed as a master of wit. His rapid-fire delivery of innuendo-laden patter earned him many admirers. He made 13 feature films with his siblings the Marx Brothers, of whom he was the third-born...
. Another supporting character is Inspector Bloch, who was his superior when he worked at Scotland Yard
Scotland Yard
Scotland Yard is a metonym for the headquarters of the Metropolitan Police Service of London, UK. It derives from the location of the original Metropolitan Police headquarters at 4 Whitehall Place, which had a rear entrance on a street called Great Scotland Yard. The Scotland Yard entrance became...
and remains his father figure (in fact he calls Dylan "Old boy") even after Dylan struck out on his own to become a private investigator specializing in the supernatural.
Dylan lives with Groucho at 7 Craven Road in a cluttered apartment with a doorbell that screams. His hobbies include playing the clarinet
Clarinet
The clarinet is a musical instrument of woodwind type. The name derives from adding the suffix -et to the Italian word clarino , as the first clarinets had a strident tone similar to that of a trumpet. The instrument has an approximately cylindrical bore, and uses a single reed...
and constructing a model ship which he apparently never manages to finish; he has many phobias, including claustrophobia, fear of bats
Fear of bats
Fear of bats, sometimes called chiroptophobia, may refer both to a specific phobia associated with bats and to common negative stereotypes and fear of bats stemming from prejudices and misinformation.-Roots and misconceptions:...
and acrophobia
Acrophobia
Acrophobia is an extreme or irrational fear of heights. It belongs to a category of specific phobias, called space and motion discomfort that share both similar etiology and options for treatment.Most people experience a degree of natural fear when exposed to heights, especially if there is little...
. Dylan is also particularly susceptible to motion sickness
Motion sickness
Motion sickness or kinetosis, also known as travel sickness, is a condition in which a disagreement exists between visually perceived movement and the vestibular system's sense of movement...
, which is one of the reasons why he rarely travels, and anyway never by plane. Once an alcoholic, he now never drinks. He is a vegetarian and animal rights
Animal rights
Animal rights, also known as animal liberation, is the idea that the most basic interests of non-human animals should be afforded the same consideration as the similar interests of human beings...
supporter. Dylan cares little for many aspects of modern life. He hates cellphones and to record his memories, he still uses a feather-pen and an inkpot. Naturally, he loves literature (poetry in particular), music (his tastes range from classical to heavy metal), and horror films. Though perpetually penniless, he doesn't seem to be interested in money. In fact, the usual first piece of advice he gives to numerous clients who have found themselves in his study over the years is to go to a psychiatrist or psychologist.
He does not believe in coincidences.
Setting
The series is mainly set in London, where the protagonist lives, though he occasionally travels elsewhere, such as imaginary realms such as "La zona del crepuscolo". His address is Craven Road n°7, London, in reference to director Wes CravenWes Craven
Wesley Earl "Wes" Craven is an American actor, film director, writer, producer, perhaps best known as the director of many horror films, particularly slasher films, including the famed A Nightmare on Elm Street and Wes Craven's New Nightmare, featuring the iconic Freddy Krueger character, the...
.
Supporting characters
- Inspector Bloch, Dylan's superior when he worked at Scotland YardScotland YardScotland Yard is a metonym for the headquarters of the Metropolitan Police Service of London, UK. It derives from the location of the original Metropolitan Police headquarters at 4 Whitehall Place, which had a rear entrance on a street called Great Scotland Yard. The Scotland Yard entrance became...
, remained his friend and father figure even after our hero quit the force. Bloch and Dylan often help out in each other's cases. Bloch is more rational and grounded than Dylan and often disregards supernaturalSupernaturalThe supernatural or is that which is not subject to the laws of nature, or more figuratively, that which is said to exist above and beyond nature...
explanations. He is an old but competent officer who dreams of retirement. Though Dylan causes enough trouble on his own, Bloch is also plagued by his hapless underling, Jenkins, whom he constantly threatens to sentence to a life of directing traffic. His graphic representation was inspired by English actor Robert MorleyRobert MorleyRobert Adolph Wilton Morley, CBE was an English actor who, often in supporting roles, was usually cast as a pompous English gentleman representing the Establishment...
. - Groucho was a Groucho MarxGroucho MarxJulius Henry "Groucho" Marx was an American comedian and film star famed as a master of wit. His rapid-fire delivery of innuendo-laden patter earned him many admirers. He made 13 feature films with his siblings the Marx Brothers, of whom he was the third-born...
impersonator whose character became his permanent personality (hinted to be because of memory loss in 'Oltre quella porta' issue 228). Now he lives and works with Dylan Dog as his professional sidekickSidekickA sidekick is a close companion who is generally regarded as subordinate to the one he accompanies. Some well-known fictional sidekicks are Don Quixote's Sancho Panza, Sherlock Holmes' Doctor Watson, The Lone Ranger's Tonto, The Green Hornet's Kato and Batman's Robin.-Origins:The origin of the...
. He enjoys puns and women, though he does not share his employer's luck with the ladies. Groucho's goofy, off-beat personality helps temper Dylan's moodiness. He also reminds his boss when their finances are in dire straits (almost always), shows up with a pistolPistolWhen distinguished as a subset of handguns, a pistol is a handgun with a chamber that is integral with the barrel, as opposed to a revolver, wherein the chamber is separate from the barrel as a revolving cylinder. Typically, pistols have an effective range of about 100 feet.-History:The pistol...
in the nick of time and throws it in Dylan's hand right on time, and makes tea. At some point in every issue Groucho makes one or two jokes that annoy Dylan and the person listening to the joke (often a client of Dylan's). An example: "...once, I had a dog which could utter its own name. It was named Woof."
Cultural influence
Italian author Umberto EcoUmberto Eco
Umberto Eco Knight Grand Cross is an Italian semiotician, essayist, philosopher, literary critic, and novelist, best known for his novel The Name of the Rose , an intellectual mystery combining semiotics in fiction, biblical analysis, medieval studies and literary theory...
said: "I can read the Bible
Bible
The Bible refers to any one of the collections of the primary religious texts of Judaism and Christianity. There is no common version of the Bible, as the individual books , their contents and their order vary among denominations...
, Homer
Homer
In the Western classical tradition Homer , is the author of the Iliad and the Odyssey, and is revered as the greatest ancient Greek epic poet. These epics lie at the beginning of the Western canon of literature, and have had an enormous influence on the history of literature.When he lived is...
, or Dylan Dog for several days without being bored."
Sales
Dylan Dog is the most widely sold comic bookComic book
A comic book or comicbook is a magazine made up of comics, narrative artwork in the form of separate panels that represent individual scenes, often accompanied by dialog as well as including...
in Italy: including both reprints and new stories, it sells over a million copies each month.
Reprints
The first reprint series came out in July 1990, the second in June 1991, and the third in June 1996, this time called Collezione Book (Collection Book); in October 2006 the bi-monthly reprint Grande ristampa was released.February 1997 saw the release of the Super Book, a tri-monthly release that reprinted the special annual issues that had come out ten years before.
Dark Horse
American publisher Dark Horse ComicsDark Horse Comics
Dark Horse Comics is the largest independent American comic book and manga publisher.Dark Horse Comics was founded in 1986 by Mike Richardson in Milwaukie, Oregon, with the concept of establishing an ideal atmosphere for creative professionals. Richardson started out by opening his first comic book...
has released seven English volumes of Dylan Dog, six in 1999, and one more in 2002. In this version, Groucho became a clean-shaven fellow called Felix because of a legal dispute with Groucho Marx's estate. Mike Mignola
Mike Mignola
Michael Joseph "Mike" Mignola is an American comic book artist and writer who created the comic book series Hellboy for Dark Horse Comics. He has worked for animation projects such as Atlantis: The Lost Empire and the adaptation of his one shot comic book, The Amazing Screw-On Head.-Career:Mignola...
drew new covers for the 1999 releases.
Collected editions
A 680 page volume, Dylan Dog Casefiles, was released in 2009 (ISBN 1595822062), to tie in with the movie Dylan Dog: Dead of Night. It reprinted the seven stories Dark Horse previously released. This volume also includes cover art by Mike MignolaMike Mignola
Michael Joseph "Mike" Mignola is an American comic book artist and writer who created the comic book series Hellboy for Dark Horse Comics. He has worked for animation projects such as Atlantis: The Lost Empire and the adaptation of his one shot comic book, The Amazing Screw-On Head.-Career:Mignola...
.
Covers
Claudio VillaClaudio Villa (comics)
Claudio Villa is an Italian comics artist who has primarily worked with Sergio Bonelli Editore, and is currently involved in illustrating several books in the Tex Willer comic series...
created the covers until Dylan Dog #41 (1990), after which he was replaced by Angelo Stano
Angelo Stano
Angelo Stano is an Italian comic book artist. He is mainly famous for his drawings for Dylan Dog, for which he drew the very first story. He is the current cover artist of the series.-Biography:...
. While Stano has also illustrated several stories, Villa has illustrated only a short one, in the seventh Dylan Dog Gigante.
Awards
- 2000: Nominated for the "Favourite comic" Eagle Award
- 2008: Nominated for the "Favourite European Comics" Eagle Award
Dellamorte Dellamore
In 1994 Italian director Michele SoaviMichele Soavi
Michele Soavi, sometimes known as Michael Soavi is an Italian filmmaker.-Career:Michele Soavi was born in Milan. As a teenager, Soavi enrolled in creative arts classes and developed into a talented actor. He took acting lessons at Milan's Fersen Studios, but his greatest talent was working behind...
directed the film Dellamorte Dellamore (known abroad as Cemetery Man
Cemetery Man
Cemetery Man is a 1994 comedy horror film directed by Michele Soavi. A co-production of Italy, France, and Germany, the screenplay by Gianni Romoli was based on the 1991 novel by Tiziano Sclavi...
or Of Death and Love), with a screenplay written by Giovanni Romoli and based on Tiziano Sclavi
Tiziano Sclavi
Tiziano Sclavi is an Italian comic book author, journalist and writer of several novels. Sclavi is most famous as creator of the comic book Dylan Dog in 1986, for Italian publishing house Sergio Bonelli Editore...
's similarly titled novel.
Francesco Dellamorte (his mother's surname was Dellamore) - a sort of Italian alter ego
Alter ego
An alter ego is a second self, which is believe to be distinct from a person's normal or original personality. The term was coined in the early nineteenth century when dissociative identity disorder was first described by psychologists...
for Dylan Dog - appears for the first time in the third special issue of Dylan Dog, Orrore nero (Black Horror), released July 1989, in which he met the Nightmare Detective, but the Sclavi's novel was written before the special issue.
Francesco Dellamorte also appears in a short (comic book) sequel to Orrore nero, entitled Stelle cadenti (Falling stars), where Dylan, Groucho, Francesco and Gnaghi are walking together during saint Lawrence's night, watching shooting stars and talking about life and death. But they are not alone, that night...
English actor Rupert Everett
Rupert Everett
Rupert James Hector Everett is an English actor. He first came to public attention in 1981, when he was cast in Julian Mitchell's play and subsequent film Another Country as an openly gay student at an English public school, set in the 1930s...
played the protagonist, Francesco Dellamorte, while Italian model and actress Anna Falchi
Anna Falchi
Anna Falchi is an Italian-Finnish model and film actress.-Career:Anna Falchi was born Anna Kristiina Palomäki in Tampere, Finland, the daughter of an Italian father and Finnish mother. In 1978, at the age of six, she moved to Italy with her family. She started her career as a model...
played the female lead. Although Everett, playing Dellamorte, wore Dylan Dog's trademark costume, the Dylan Dog character did not appear in the movie.
Dylan Dog: Dead of Night
Kevin MunroeKevin Munroe
Kevin Andrew Munroe is a Canadian-born filmmaker, now an American citizen. His best known work is that of writer and director of TMNT . He also had a cameo appearance as a diner patron in the same film. His most recent film was Dead of Night....
has directed an official American film adaptation of Dylan Dog starring actor Brandon Routh
Brandon Routh
Brandon James Routh is an American actor and former fashion model. He grew up in Iowa before moving to Los Angeles to pursue an acting career, and subsequently appeared on multiple television series throughout the early 2000s. In 2006, he gained greater recognition for his role as the titular hero...
as the title character. Differences between the comic result in the film being set in New Orleans instead of London, the character of Groucho being replaced by an un-dead sidekick called Marcus due to issues for the production to acquire the rights to use the Groucho Marx
Groucho Marx
Julius Henry "Groucho" Marx was an American comedian and film star famed as a master of wit. His rapid-fire delivery of innuendo-laden patter earned him many admirers. He made 13 feature films with his siblings the Marx Brothers, of whom he was the third-born...
name and style, another difference is Dylan Dog's Volkswagen Beetle being black with a white hood instead of the opposite like in the comic. The film also appears to be much lighter in tone and more action-oriented, lacking the surreal feeling, the black humor and the melancholy of the comic book, and the Dylan character is portrayed like more of a scientist-adventurer in the vein of Indiana Jones
Indiana Jones
Colonel Henry Walton "Indiana" Jones, Jr., Ph.D. is a fictional character and the protagonist of the Indiana Jones franchise. George Lucas and Steven Spielberg created the character in homage to the action heroes of 1930s film serials...
, rather than the romantic loner he is in the comics. It was originally going to premiere on Halloween
Halloween
Hallowe'en , also known as Halloween or All Hallows' Eve, is a yearly holiday observed around the world on October 31, the night before All Saints' Day...
2010 in Italy but has since been pushed back to an April 29th 2011 release. The film has been produced by the independent company Platinum Studios
Platinum Studios
Platinum Studios, Inc. is a publicly traded media company based in the United States. It controls a large independent library of comic book characters, which it seeks to adapt, produce, and license for all forms of media including print, film, online, mobile / wireless, gaming, and merchandising...
.