History ComicBook / DylanDog

Because of [[TheMovie a generally acknowledged rule,]] there was a LiveActionAdaptation called ''DylanDogDeadOfNight'', starring BrandonRouth as the eponymous detective and co-starring SamHuntington, AnitaBriem, Creator/PeterStormare, TayeDiggs and KurtAngle (yes, ''[[ProfessionalWrestling that]]'' [[WTHCastingAgency Kurt Angle]]). The storyline of the movie isn't an AdaptationDistillation of any story arc of the comic, but an entirely independent one instead. The film was poorly-received, and has been disowned by most fans of the comic.

Because of [[TheMovie a generally acknowledged rule,]] there was LiveActionAdaptation called ''DylanDogDeadOfNight'', starring BrandonRouth as the eponymous detective and co-starring SamHuntington, AnitaBriem, Creator/PeterStormare, TayeDiggs and KurtAngle (yes, ''[[ProfessionalWrestling that]]'' [[WTHCastingAgency Kurt Angle]]). The storyline of the movie isn't an AdaptationDistillation of any story arc of the comic, but an entirely independent one instead. The film was poorly-received, and has been disowned by most fans of the comic.

* CoolOldGuy: Inspector Bloch, recurring character and old friend of Dylan.

** By the way, since using real people as a base for characters is the way SBE works, Bloch is based on Robert Bloch, the author.

* MonsterOfTheWeek

* RareGuns: Dylan owns an antique [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bodeo_Model_1889 Bodeo Model 1889]]. Often {{Lampshaded}} by people who can recognize it.

* SharedUniverse: Set in the same continuity as most of the modern Bonelli (the publisher) comics, such as ''Zagor'', ''Martin Mystere'' (on whom the cartoon ''WesternAnimation/MartinMystery'' is ''loosely'' based on), ''Dampyr'', and others, with some characters moving between series

* TheGrimReaper: She and Dylan spend a lot of time together.
* HeterosexualLifePartners: Dylan and Groucho.

* PungeonMaster: Groucho again.

* SarcasmBlind: Jenkins.

* NoCelebritiesWereHarmed: Groucho, Dylan's sidekick. [[Creator/MarxBrothers Quite obviously so]].

* AlliterativeName

* BreakingTheFourthWall: Happens in some of Sclavi's surreal stories.

* DeadpanSnarker: Dylan and Bloch, mainly.

* DeusExitMachina: Kim, a young HotWitch who falls in love with Dylan, was PutOnABus because: 1) Dylan had to remain single and 2) her powers risked achieving {{Story Breaker|Power}} status. To say nothing of her cat Cagliostro, who is ''even more powerful''.

* FollowTheLeader: TheMovie to ''{{Film/Constantine}}'' - we have Marcus, an {{Expy}} of [[Creator/ShiaLaBeouf Chas Kramer]] [[FanNickname Asshole]], and there's even a club owned by a bald black dude. On, and PeterStormare's in it.

* NonActionGuy: Dylan, while not totally incompetent in dangerous situations, definitely isn't an ActionHero and gets his ass handed to him fairly often.
** Lampshaded in the film:

* OOCIsSeriousBusiness: Twice in "''Johnny Freak''". Dylan [[INeedAFreakingDrink downs a glass of alcohol]] upon learning that [[spoiler:Johnny's physical mutilations (except the deafness) were explants of perfectly healthy organs]]; and when Johnny's real family takes him away, Groucho gets uncharacteristically sad.

* ZombieApocalypse: Xabaras has developed a serum that turns people into zombies. It also happens in the [[MindScrew confusing]] story where Morgana is introduced.

* FollowTheLeader: TheMovie to ''{{Film/Constantine}}'' - we have Marcus, an {{Expy}} of [[ShiaLaBeouf Chas Kramer]] [[FanNickname Asshole]], and there's even a club owned by a bald black dude. On, and PeterStormare's in it.

* NoCelebritiesWereHarmed: Groucho, Dylan's sidekick. [[MarxBrothers Quite obviously so]].

* ComicBookFantasyCasting: Dylan's appearance was inspired by actor Rupert Everett. Also, Kim is... well, Kim Novak. Plus, Professor Adam looks like an old Sean Connery. Some of the first stories featured characters that seemed to be based on Jack Nicholson, Bette Davis, Janet Leigh, Anthony Perkins and several others. And then there's Groucho.
*** As a general rule, Sergio Bonelli Editore - the publishing house of Dylan Dog - tends to use this a lot. In reality, almost all of the main cast of every series they published is heavily based upon real actors (Alan Ladd for TexWiller, RupertEverett for Dylan Dog, Marlon Brando for Napoleone). Among the major series it publishes, only the protagonist of NathanNever is not based on an actor... but his main sidekick used to be [[Creator/SigourneyWeaver "Legs" Weaver]].

* NoExportForYou: {{Averted}}... sort of. Creator/DarkHorseComics have translated a [[SarcasmMode whopping seven]] books, with brand new covers by [[ComicBook/{{Hellboy}} Mike Mignola]].
** And even then, [[WritingAroundTrademarks Groucho had to be called Felix]], [[ClumsyCopyrightCensorship and his mustache was edited out]].

Interestingly enough, it can be said that ''Dylan Dog'' has already had a [[TheMovie movie version]], but for the name and some minor adjustments. Based upon a book written by Tiziano Sclavi (the character's creator) around one of the very first drafts of the series (before [[ExecutiveMedding Bonelli]] mandated the change from an Italian setting and protagonist to an Anglo-Saxon one, as customary for the Milanese publisher, whose only Italian hero to date was the Swiss-based Napoleone) and played by the very actor upon whose likenesses D.D. was molded (RupertEverett), ''[[CemeteryMan DellaMorte DellAmore]]'' is a pretty clear {{expy}}. Placed on the outskirts of Milan, minus Groucho, but definitely a young D.D., complete with melancholy zombies and a rusty VW Beetle.

Because of [[TheMovie a generally acknowledged rule,]] there was LiveActionAdaptation called ''DylanDogDeadOfNight'', starring BrandonRouth as the eponymous detective and co-starring SamHuntington, AnitaBriem, PeterStormare, TayeDiggs and KurtAngle (yes, ''[[ProfessionalWrestling that]]'' [[WTHCastingAgency Kurt Angle]]). The storyline of the movie isn't an AdaptationDistillation of any story arc of the comic, but an entirely independent one instead. The film was poorly-received, and has been disowned by most fans of the comic.

* EnemyWithout: An interesting variation where A deribelately forces B to become A's EnemyWithin, so that A may physically interact with its own evil side. [[spoilers:The disfigured villain initially wants to "commit suicide" by eliminating both his good-looking substitute and Dylan Dog, whom he forces to become his serial killer character "Joe Montero". He changes his mind and ends up [[ICannotSelfTerminate using Montero to kill himself]]]].

** [[spoiler: Also the good side of Xabaras, an old sword master confined to a mysterious island in another dimension.]]

* AssholeVictim: In most of the stories, the "poor" victims of the MonsterOfTheWeek turn to be unlikeable jerks who did something bad enough to deserve the monster's anger. In some cases, they are revealed to be even worse than the monster itself.

* BrokenAesop: The series insisted that physical beauty does not count, and yet Dylan kept going to bed only with young, gorgeous chicks. Realizing the problem, the writers finally had Dylan sleeping with a much older, ugly, overweight woman.

* TheCasanova: Usually Dylan sleeps with ''at least'' one different woman each month.

* ComicBookFantasyCasting: Dylan's appearance was inspired by actor Rupert Everett. Also, Kim is... well, Kim Novak. Plus, professor Adam looks like an old Sean Connery. Some of the first stories featured characters that seemed based on Jack Nicholson, Bette Davis, Janet Leigh, Anthony Perkins and several others. And then there's Groucho.
*** As a general rule, Sergio Bonelli Editore - the publishing house of Dylan Dog - tends to use it a lot. In reality, almost all of the main cast of every series they published is heavily based upon actors (Alan Ladd for TexWiller, RupertEverett for Dylan Dog, Marlon Brando for Napoleone). Among the major series it publishes, only NathanNever protagonist is not based on an actor... but his main sidekick used to be [[Creator/SigourneyWeaver "Legs" Weaver]].

** [[spoiler: Also the Good side of Xabaras, an old swordsmaster confined into a mysterious island in another dimension.]]
** By the way, being using real people as a base for characters the way SBE works, Bloch is based on Robert Bloch, the author.

* DeusExitMachina: Kim, a young HotWitch who falls in love with Dylan, was PutOnABus because: 1) Dylan had to remain single and 2) her powers risked to achieve the {{Story Breaker|Power}} status. To say nothing of her cat Cagliostro, who is ''even more powerful''.

* DramaticGunCock: Lampshaded and Deconstructed in the film when Dylan tells his would-be killer that he cocked the gun too early, and that he should have waited to see if simply putting the gun in his face would be scary enough.

* FlatEarthAtheist: Dylan is strangely skeptical for someone who has faced any sort of supernatural occurrences.

* ImpersonatingAnOfficer: This is part of Dylan's shtick as he works on a case. To be fair, he actually ''was'' a cop once, and kept his ID card. A running gag is when he uses it and thinks "Hope (s)he doesn't notice it's expired". Often, they do.

* MandatoryTwistEnding: All the stories written by author Chiaverotti - so much, in fact, that fans now commonly refer to this kind of finales as a "Chiaverotti ending".
* MindScrew: Almost every storyline about Dylan's past. And quite a few of others.

** And even then, [[WritingAroundTrademarks Groucho had to be called Felix]], [[ClumsyCopyrightCensorship and his moustache was edited out]].
* NonActionGuy: Dylan, while not totally incompetent in dangerous situations, isn't definitely an ActionHero and gets his ass handed to himself fairly often.

* OOCIsSeriousBusiness: Twice in "''Johnny Freak''". Dylan [[INeedAFreakingDrink downs a glass of alcohol]] upon learning that [[spoiler:Johnny's physical mutilations (except the deafness) were explants of perfectly sane organs]]; and when Johnny's real family takes him away, Groucho gets uncharacteristically sad.

** A fairly important recurring character is called professor [[Creator/HGWells Wells]].

** Usually is only a dream (Cagliostro's dream in two different episodes). Or some cosmic entity, namely Death, resets everything because "it's more interesting this way". Hell's Beurocratic Department is good at hiding things, too.

* WhoYouGonnaCall: If you have a problem with ghosts, vampires, werewolves, zombies or anything supernatural, call Dylan. He comes cheap and he is a nice guy. There's a good chance he will fuck things up and will get you killed, though. And if you're a lady, you just might get laid.
* ZombieApocalypse: Xabaras has developed a serum that turns people into zombies. It also happens in the [[MindScrew confusing]] story when Morgana is introduced.

The second-best selling Italian comic book, once the first during the "Dylan craze" of the early nineties. Created by Tiziano Sclavi and published by Sergio Bonelli, ''Dylan Dog'' is a series focusing on a former UsefulNotes/ScotlandYard detective now known as the "Nightmares Investigator", who lives in Craven Road 7, London and fights monsters, demons and many more otherworldly creatures [[CatchPhrase for £100 a day plus expenses]], or solves cases about horrifying sociopathic criminals. The series (at least during its first years) managed to [[DeconstructorFleet deconstruct horror clichés]] and to create an intriguing, flawed and sympathetic AntiHero in a [[BlackAndGrayMorality morally complex world]]. ''Dylan Dog'' was also known for the surreal, poetic quality of its writing and its black humour.

Interestingly enough, it can be said that ''Dylan Dog'' has already had a [[TheMovie movie version]], but for the name and some minor adjustments. Based upon a book written by Tiziano Sclavi (the character's creator) around one of the very first drafts of the series (before [[ExecutiveMedding Bonelli]] mandated the change from an Italian setting and protagonist to an Anglo-Saxon one, as customary for the Milanese publisher, whose only Italian hero to date was the Swiss-based Napoleone) and played by the very actor upon whose likenesses D.D. was molded (RupertEverett), ''[[CemeteryMan DellaMorte DellAmore]]'' is a pretty clear {{expy}}. Placed in the outskirts of Milano, minus Groucho, but definitely a young D.D., complete of melancholic zombies and rusty VW Beetle.

* PluckyComicRelief: Groucho!

* DeusExitMachina: Kim, a young HotWitch who falls in love with Dylan, was PutOnABus because: 1) Dylan had to remain single and 2) her powers risked to achieve the [[StoryBreakerPower Story Breaker]] status. To say nothing of her cat Cagliostro, who is ''even more powerful''.

* DoesNotUnderstandSarcasm: Jenkins.

* FieryRedHead: Lillie.

* IncrediblyLamePun: Every other sentence said by Groucho.
* KilledOffForReal: [[spoiler: Lillie and Bree]]. Possibly [[spoiler: Kim too]].

* LukeIAmYourFather: [[spoiler: Xabaras is Dylan's father]].

** And the story "Orrore Nero" (Black Horror) features [[spoiler: TheMafia using a Zombie-like serum to fake their deaths.]]

** A fairly important recurring character is called professor [[HGWells Wells]].

The second-best selling Italian comic book, once the first during the "Dylan craze" of the early nineties. Created by Tiziano Sclavi and published by Sergio Bonelli, ''Dylan Dog'' is a series focusing on a former Scotland Yard detective now known as the "Nightmares Investigator", who lives in Craven Road 7, London and fights monsters, demons and many more otherworldly creatures [[CatchPhrase for £100 a day plus expenses]], or solves cases about horrifying sociopathic criminals. The series (at least during its first years) managed to [[DeconstructorFleet deconstruct horror clichés]] and to create an intriguing, flawed and sympathetic AntiHero in a [[BlackAndGrayMorality morally complex world]]. ''Dylan Dog'' was also known for the surreal, poetic quality of its writing and its black humour.