Venerdì 12

Venerdì 12 (Friday 12) is a comic strip series created by Italian author Leo Ortolani first published in 1996 as a series of the comic magazine L'isola che non c'è and continued on the Rat-Man Collection, where it was also completed. It tells the story of Aldo, a man who becomes an hideous monster after being dumped by his girlfriend Bedelia, and his evil servant Giuda (Judas).

Aldo's history

Everything starts at school where Aldo meets and falls in love with Bedelia, a schoolmate of his who has had an affair with almost every boy at school, but him. He tries many approaches, failing miserably, til Bedelia accepts his court in order to win a bet. So Aldo, full of joy, decides to buy her, as a present for her birthday, a carillon with a dancing puppet. The salesman offers him, for free, a cursed carillon warning him: if he will give it to a woman who doesn't love him he will turn into a monster; the curse will be broken only if he will find a woman who really loves him or if he will sacrifice a virgin. Aldo doesn't care about the curse and, on a Friday 12, gives the carillon to Bedelia who, short after, breaks up with him and throws the carillon out of the window of her car, breaking its puppet. Aldo, left alone in the middle of the street, painfully turns into a monster. It's here that he meets Giuda, an extravagant runt who is searching for a master and accepts to become Aldo's evil servant.

From that moment, Aldo first tries to take back Bedelia; then, helped but more often hindered by Giuda, tries to find, despite his appearance, someone who really loves him to break the curse, as it is easier than finding a virgin. In his misadventures will meet various strange women like Ciurga and Isolda and finally meets Dulcistella, his neighbour, who finally breaks the curse, on Saturday 13, making Aldo to fall in love with her. Moreover, in that moment it's also revealed that Giuda is carillon's puppet, so he turns back into the carillon ready to serve next lover who will bw cursed.