Dylan Dog #125
Dylan Dog #125, 'Tre per zero,' stands as one of the most celebrated examples of Tiziano Sclavi's absurdist-comic mode — a story in which conventional horror recedes entirely to make room for philosophical nonsense and social satire, demonstrating that the series could operate as theatre of the absurd as confidently as it could frighten. Fan reading guides and collector blogs consistently single it out among the essential post-issue-100 entries, evidence that Sclavi's creative voice remained sharp well into the series' middle period. The issue is also notable for weaving together two independent, darkly comic plot threads — a global economic collapse triggered by a single unsold refrigerator and a village where death itself has gone on strike — into a unified meditation on chaos theory and human futility. Its sustained reputation among Italian comics readers, and its repeated selection for prestige reprint editions, confirms its place as a touchstone of the Bonelli absurdist tradition.
In "Tre per zero," Tiziano Sclavi and Bruno Brindisi spin a tale of absurd logic gone catastrophically right, as a professor’s wild claim that three times zero equals three ignites a chain reaction of surreal chaos—starting with a single unsold refrigerator and spiraling into economic collapse. Meanwhile, Dylan Dog investigates the eerie town of Bellybutton, where death has mysteriously stopped, leaving its residents trapped in an unnatural stillness. The story unfolds with Brindisi’s sharp, expressive art and Angelo Stano’s striking cover, capturing the unsettling blend of the ridiculous and the uncanny.
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Script and story are both credited to Tiziano Sclavi, the series' creator, who handled interior art duties for this issue through the pencils and inks of Bruno Brindisi — one of the artist's recurring collaborations with Sclavi during the mid-to-late 1990s. The cover, as was standard for the monthly run during this era, was painted by Angelo Stano. The economic-collapse subplot is an acknowledged homage to American science-fiction writer Mack Reynolds and his novel 'Effetto valanga' ('Avalanche Effect'), a nod consistent with Sclavi's practice of weaving literary intertexts into otherwise genre-coded comics. The issue was published in February 1997 as part of Bonelli's standard monthly newsstand format.
Trivia · 8 facts
- Title: 'Tre per zero' (Three Times Zero); Dylan Dog #125, Sergio Bonelli Editore, cover-dated February 1997.
- Script and story by Tiziano Sclavi; interior art by Bruno Brindisi; cover by Angelo Stano.
- The story runs two interlocking comic-absurdist plots: Professor Knock (visually inspired by Albert Einstein) attempts to prove that 3×0=3, while Dylan investigates the fictional town of Bellybutton, where people have simply stopped dying — bringing the character La Morte (Death) into that storyline.
- The economic-crisis subplot — set off by a single customer's decision not to buy a refrigerator — is an explicit literary homage to Mack Reynolds' science-fiction novel 'Effetto valanga,' a butterfly-effect story about cascading economic collapse.
- Recurring cast members Dylan Dog, Groucho, and Bree Daniels all appear; Bree Daniels, Dylan's most significant romantic figure, had been introduced much earlier in the series and is here in a supporting role.
- The issue has been reprinted multiple times across different Bonelli and Mondadori formats, including: the Prima ristampa (December 1999), Oscar Bestsellers #1102 'Dylan Dog: Apocalisse' (Mondadori, November 2000), the Seconda Ristampa (October 2001), Dylan Dog Collezione Book #124–125 (2006), a Mondadori stand-alone trade 'Tre per zero uguale a tre' (October 2009), the Collezione storica a colori #42 (November 2013), and 'Il Dylan Dog di Tiziano Sclavi' #10 (February 2018), among others.
- Multiple Italian fan reading guides — including the comprehensive list at DC Leaguers — list #125 alongside acknowledged series highlights such as 'Oltre la morte' (#88) and 'Phoenix' (#123), placing it in the critical canon of essential Sclavi-era issues.
- The issue is approximately 94–98 pages in its original format, consistent with the standard Bonelli monthly digest.
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Reprinted in Dylan Dog #47
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