Two years ago, I was fortunate enough to stumble across a copy of Dylan Dog: Case Files, a 3-inch, black and white comic book compilation of Tiziano Sclavi's cult creation translated in English. Sclavi's Italian comic series which dates back as early as 1987, features a penniless nightmare investigator named Dylan Dog, a James Bond/Sherlock Holmes-ish protaganist who deals with paranormal characters Scooby-Doo style, except there is no unmasking, the undead are "real", and there are adult elements/themes presented in the stories. From the moment I started reading the first page, I knew I had to finish the book. I was nice, entertaining, campy at times, but very funny and fulfilling.
Movies, books and comics have recently been focused on vampires, werewolves, zombies and many undead beings, which is why I think this project got an ill-advised go-signal from the producers (a bandwagon move). The Twilight book and movie series, the Walking Dead comics and tv show, Being Human, True Blood, and many others have gained a solid and steadily increasing following over the past few years. I myself have found myself wanting more Walking Dead episodes and I-Zombie issues recently. I am not really into the whole vampire/lichen craze, but since Mike Allred is part of the I-Zombie book, I bought it anyway (silently asking him in my head, "why on earth would you sell-out like this?")
Personally though, I think moviemakers and writers should think of other creatures to rule fiction, like Troll Hunter which was kind of fun (and Blair Witch Project -- which was a nice change of pace when it first came out.)
There have been so many 'vampire and friends' monster movies out there that have been exhausting most movie-goers, and I hoped Dylan Dog would be a breath of fresh air but it turned out they smell like rotten garlic too.
First off, Brandon Routh, Mr.Superman Returns, is miscast. Dylan Dog should look a lot less jock-ish. The casting should have had a Daniel Craig treatment that James Bond had, making most of the guys in the audience relate to the character. Next, they added a guy named Marcus, who is supposed to be Dylan's partner, played by the Jimmy Olsen guy and he's trying very hard to be funny.
Dylan's partner is Groucho, a strange Groucho Marx doppleganger that lightens the mood in ways Jimmy Olsen can never do. Another important figure left-out of this adaptation was Inspector Bloch, Dylan's boss when he worked at the Scotland Yard. The writers probably thought he wasn't so important since they moved the setting from England to New Orleans anyway! Then there's Dylan's love interest, Elizabeth, who not only looks too old and uncomfortable playing the part of the client-turned-evil mastermind, but also appears to be playing different characters at some points in the movie. Kurt Angle as Wolfgang (talk about lousy Werewolf name) sucks. And Peter Stormare's talents were wasted on this one, he appeared in about five minutes, maybe seven tops, and he didn't even have some good lines. (The Coen brothers, for me, brought the best performances out of Stormare). 
Nothing could make this a must-watch. Even if they intended this to be a horror and a comedy, the mistakes are unforgivable. The movie's pace just wasn't good at all, there were scenes that should have been cut, like the zombie support group meeting, and there were some scenes that should have been extended, like the giant zombie fight sequence inside the warehouse. The effects and explosions at the end was terrible. They lacked a lot of focus, and failed to develop the characters. Worst of all, the Batman-type burial Largo did at the end that was supposed to finish off Dylan (and Marcus) was plain dumb.It's sad that a good book turns into a bad movie, but I guess this things happen more often than not. The movie is terrible and it makes me wish someone else like Jared Hess or Spike Jonze was at the helm. Dylan Dog is a good read if you're not looking for something too serious and superheroic. (If you're looking to watch a funny, but suprisingly watchable superhero movie, go watch Super (Rainn Wilson)). If you have money and time to waste, go ahead and watch the movie. *DT
