Dylan Dog is kind of like a cross between movie Constantine and Hellblazer Constantine, with a little bit of Marx Brothers thrown in to spice things up. It’s quirky, at times horrifying and the artwork will confuse and amaze you.

The Cover for Dylan Dog Case Files

The first thing that stood out to me about the book was the size of it. A mammoth 680 pages of comics! Mike Mignola’s cover art (and inserts!!!!) drew me in, and the quick witted dialogue sold me on the whole idea. To be honest, it didn’t hurt that the price was only $25.

The stories inside are strange and may not make sense the first read through. These are dense narratives built on existing characters, so doing a Wikipedia look up will definitely be useful before after and during reading. There, you might find that Dylan Dog has been around for quite a while, since ‘86.

This review isn’t about dissecting any particular story, they are all so distinct from one another. They range from freak occurrences to just plain freaks. Dylan has many sides, sometimes his alcoholism recovery is easily suppressed, other times the urges over come him. There are certain traits that stick out about him and Felix, things that make them distinct from the other characters.

Dylan and his Groucho-esque sidekick Felix, go around solving nightmares. Not crimes, nightmares. How does that work? It involves schmoozing with foxy ladies and playing the clarinet. It also involves the occasional slice of pizza (the real stuff, not the crap from Pizza Hut)and the ever descriptive “bang” of a gun. Sometimes it involves zombies, other times Satan himself makes an appearance.

Occasionally it’s just plain weird, like something out of an x-Files episode. It’s quirky and well written, though the references may be a bit dated. If you have ever seen a Marx Brother’s movie, you will find sweet reward in some of the more obscure jokes.

Panels from the first story in Dylan Dog Case Files

Oh, did I mention the doorbell isn’t a doorbell it’s a scream?

Dylan plays his clarinet when he wants to think. Felix is always telling jokes, each one cheesier and more hilarious than the last one, and the cigar and glasses accentuate the look. Turns out Felix was originally named Groucho, but due to copyright concerns his name was changed in the US reprint.

Identifiable characters and intriguing plots make the stories that much better. I was absorbed, and took my time with it. I still refer to it, to read a story or to remember a scene. Plus, it’s only $25!

The art is love it or leave it and may deter some of you. There were a few scenes where I had trouble discerning what was happening. Thinking back, it could have been the intention of the artist to create a confusing atmosphere where objects blend together, but it is still rough at points.

For such a low price you really do get great storytelling. It’s not over the top, it doesn’t take itself too seriously, it’s good reading that can be viewed from many different perspectives. Here’s one more kick in the pants, it’s a lot of reading. But hey, if you didn’t like reading, what are you doing with comic books? Buy this before the movie drops and it gets a bad name.

Rich Bashara
Rich@comicimpact.com

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