In the '80s, a teenage nerd notices sinister parallels between the story of his favorite comic book and the real life horrors befalling the small town where he lives. He and a few friends seek to investigate.

Italian police inspector Coliandro — an ignorant, boorish, but fundamentally kind-hearted oaf, whose entire worldview is informed by American cop movies — protects the good citizens of Bologna, routinely saving the day and foiling the plans of evildoers of all sorts by a combination of dumb luck and genuine bravery, while always falling hopelessly in love with the woman at the center of the case.