Bringing back into vogue an iconic character of Italian comics, capable of impacting the collective imagination much more than we are led to believe today. Bringing it closer to the original audience, who loved it since the 1980s, while at the same time making it discoverable to new readers. Barbara Baraldi’s mission was clear since spring 2023, when she was appointed editor of Dylan Dog – the anti-hero created by the genius of Tiziano Sclavi and published by Sergio Bonelli -, thus succeeding Roberto Recchioni.
The Emilian writer is one of the most popular thriller authors in Italy: she created the series Aurora Scalvati, profiler of the dark and published dozens of novels, the latest titled The doll with the crystal eyes for Giunti Editore. Dylan Dog’s debut as a screenwriter came in 2012. Then, a decade later, the big leap.
These days her first real year as curator ends and the opportunity to take stock is a tempting one. Baraldi didn’t hold back, willingly responding to our curiosities as reporters and especially old Old Boy fans. First of all: is what we read in recent months already the Dylan Dog you have in mind?
“We follow a direction, not an exact formula”
“From a purely technical point of view, I am satisfied both with the revision work on the stories already present in the archive, and with how we worked on those conceived during my curatorship – explains Baraldi – My first concern is to strengthen each subject, amplifying the ‘subversive’ aspects in the way of telling, and in general the incisiveness of the story. The objectives are in progress, and I try to proceed one step at a time. I believe that some have been achieved, first of all the recognizability of the character Dylan Dog and the tone of the stories, fusing different genres under the aegis of horror, in all its forms, and without ever forgetting the irony. The stories you are reading were entirely conceived during this management which I identify with is a magazine capable of subverting expectations, one issue after another, of exciting and frightening; and then, among emotions, fear is the oldest. Dylan is a character who is never the same as if himself, always remains true to himself. An essential element is unpredictability: Dylan Dog is in constant revolution. We follow a ‘direction’, but not a ‘formula’.”
“Nightmares? In today’s society we are spoiled for choice”
In the latest published stories there is great attention to sensitive and relevant themes within current society: problems related to ageing, bullying, hikikomori. What can be the role of fictional characters like Dylan in raising awareness?
“I don’t think the role of a series like Dylan Dog is to raise awareness about something – he specifies – It’s not a form of ‘edutainment’, it’s not a moral story and, in any case, it would be presumptuous. There are stories of pure entertainment and stories which revolve around current or universal themes. Investigating sensitive themes is part of his DNA, but the subtext cannot overpower the story. Dylan investigates nightmares and in the contemporary world he is spoiled for choice of our anxieties and reworks them in the form of a horror story. I encourage every author to leave their comfort zone, to tap into the depths of their own unconscious, of their own fears, and to only propose stories that Dylan has the urge to tell philosophical and psychoanalytic, but not rigid or academic. With my letter to the authors, after taking office, I asked them to think as if every story were the last. I am very demanding, in this sense, also because I have a low attention span and low tolerance for boredom. The important thing, for me, is that it is an exciting read and that, after closing the issue, the reader finds more questions than answers in his head.”
Many different authors: “Plurality of voices is fundamental”
One of the distinctive features of Barbara Baraldi’s mandate is undoubtedly the accentuated turnover between authors, texts and drawings, including numerous debutants. A targeted choice that can give readers a “choral” and nuanced Dylan Dog.
“The plurality of voices on Dylan is fundamental for me – confirms the curator – Only Tiziano (Sclavi, ed) possesses that pluralism of internal voices capable of making each of his stories memorable. Alongside the ‘veterans’ of the series, I have chosen to place absolute newcomers alongside them. I opened the selections by exclusively evaluating the strength of the story itself. It was a demanding challenge, because the time dedicated to evaluations grew exponentially. But I am determined to intercept stories that are just waiting to be told and which would risk remaining in the drawer of someone who is not part of the circuit of ‘sector professionals’. I look for new and unexpected looks, unexplored perspectives. After approval, already during the subject discussion phase, the story is calibrated so that it is consistent with the character and the line of the publication. There is then further refinement work in the revision phase of the drawn story. For the drawings, the same goes: there are artists ‘Dylaniated’ to the bone who were just waiting for an opportunity to test themselves and make their contribution.”
“As a girl I was the odd one out: Dylan made me feel less alone”
Baraldi herself, at a young age, was an avid reader of Dylan Dog. How has your relationship with the Old Boy changed over time? “It was the first comic I bought with my own money and the first I collected – she replies – As a girl I was very shy and in the village I was considered ‘strange’. With Dylan I felt less alone. I considered him an older brother, and I still consider him that way… even if his age has remained frozen in time and mine hasn’t.”
Baraldi is very active and available on social media: how important is it for an author, and a curator in particular, to maintain a constant relationship with the fan base of a character like Dylan Dog? And how much does it take? “In terms of time it is very demanding, but for me it is important both as a communication tool and to deal with readers, who are extremely varied, both in terms of education and tastes, but are united by the love for the nightmare and the his one and only investigator. In this sense, I like to think that we are a bit of a ‘Dylanian’ family.”
“Tiziano discreet but constant presence”
All readers (and us too) ask themselves this: how much is Tiziano Sclavi still present today in the choices on the direction to give to the character and in the evaluation of the stories? Is it legitimate to hope to read a new story of yours, sooner or later?
“Tiziano is a discreet but constant presence – explains Baraldi – He was the first to evaluate the editorial plan that I submitted to the publishing house and, if I ask him for advice, he doesn’t hold back. He has prepared a document (internally we call it ‘bible’ ), which he asked to provide to all collaborators, and which contains the characteristics of the magazine as he conceived it, as a rough outline to better understand his character and as a guide for experimentation. He is a person who does not have stopped being surprised and of wanting to be surprised. He reads all the proposals approved by me and, sometimes, has some observations on how to improve some aspects. It is a privilege for me to be able to interact with the creator of the character I look after, moreover such a relevant character in the story of comics (not only Italian) and of literature. I for one cultivate the hope of being able to publish a new story of hers. If she is the last to die, she will probably be the first to be resurrected.”
The world of comics is evolving very rapidly, also due to the progressive closure of newsstands. Most publishers are moving towards unexplored terrain for a long time, such as subscriptions and hardcover books. Barbara Baraldi doesn’t have a recipe for dealing with change, or maybe she does. The most authentic. “As far as I’m concerned, I focus on what I’m responsible for – he comments – Delivering readers a story every month that is relevant in its own way and, above all, exciting”.
