Dampyr #172 (2014) pages 67-68: Spying on spies

This issue is a great example of the unusual storytelling philosophy found in Dampyr in particular, and Bonelli books in general. Here we are on page 67 out of 98, and the heroes are just now starting to "do something heroic," canvassing a neighborhood to locate Olimpia's vampire den.

Rather than Harlan, we've spent more time with secondary protagonist Sergio Fusco, the hood with his loyalties divided between his family and his boss. In fact, Sergio is engaging in counter-espionage on Harlan and Kurjak right now:

“So... all day we act like tourists... my legs are begging for mercy.”

“Mmmm... The Celio is a very large district full of small streets. The best way to get around is on foot.”

“In that case we could have saved ourselves the rental car.”

“I think that's the point.”

“The point of what?”

“Anyway, as I was saying... It is said that under the Celio is a huge network of underground passages, never fully explored, which has also given rise to several legends. One was the story of two kids who passed through the catacombs of San Sebastiano, crossing the entire city until they found themselves on the Roman coast. According to Palmieri's map, one of the main entrances to the underground would be found at that point... right where that old building is.”

“Let me guess... that building was owned by Olimpia Maidalchini.”

“Good guess, bro. That's right. And I think Doc Palmieri had excellent intuition, to delve into the minutiae of the history of the Maidalchini family, starting from the study of its real estate properties.”

“Now what do we do?”

“Let's wait until it gets dark, and then we'll go take a look inside the building.”

(Two men watch Harlan and Kurjak from an outdoor table at a cafe.) “What are you doing, Sergio?”

“Keeping my eyes open, and taking some pictures of the weirdos hanging around.”

“With all these tourists, you must have already filled up the camera's memory.”

“Look at those two, for example. They don't look like tourists. They spent the afternoon walking around here. I took several pictures of them, and I also wrote down the license of the car they arrived in.”

“Aren't you getting a little paranoid?”

“Like I said, I'm just trying to keep my eyes wide open.”

American readers may find the story's lack of focus on the titular hero off-putting. I take it as an example of how different cultures have different expectations of how to balance the different elements of a story: World-building, characterization, and plot. Think about how heavily "Lord of the Rings" skews toward world-building, spending many pages on old songs and detailed descriptions of the wilderness through which his heroes trudge. Dampyr puts its primary efforts into world-building as well, taking us to unfamiliar times and places. This is why I have said that it overlaps conceptually with Doctor Who.