"With my Freeze Ray I will...."
If you never heard of or watched The Dr. Horrible Sing-Along-Blog, Joss Whedon and Dark Horse has released an origin trade paperback that can be read before or after. Reading before watching will enhance the show and you would want to read it again since you would understand the characters more after watching the show.
If you seen the Blog and wanted more, this is it! An Origin history trade. Not just about the beloved Dr. Horrible, but also Captain Hammer, Penny, Moist and the Evil League of Evil (ELE). This trade is broken down to the three Dark Horse Presents webcomics (Captain Hammer: Be Like Me, Moist: Humidity Rising, Penny: Keep Your Head Up), the brand new story "The Evil League of Evil" and the 2009 One-Shot Dr Horrible. Fluidly collected that the webcomics flows from one to another, then flows to the ELE story and then builds up to the One-Shot. This is a very entertaining read, for old or new fans.
Captain Hammer: Be Like Me
Captain Hammer is the "Superman" the story. He is the strong man that the world adores. What I like about this story is that we get more background on why Captain Hammer is the way he is, the "dumb" strong man and why people see him as the hero. This is an almost less extreme version of how Brian Azzarello in Lex Luthor: Man of Steel tries to show us the powerful man is not who we should look up to, but the Human amongst us (Dr. Horrible) who we can be like.Moist: Humidity Rising
This story is a must read. Ever wonder how Moist became, well moist? All is told here.Penny: Keep Your Head Up
If you liked the Penny character, this story is for you. If you didn't, it should break your heart and be a fan of her after reading it. This comic as well sets up the epic love affair that Dr. Horrible and Penny have.The Evil League of Evil
This exclusive new story is the bridge story to the whole book. This trade doesn't work well without it. Sly guys at Dark Horse, they knew it would make guys like me pick up this trade.Part of the reason this story is so important is because we finally get the shroud of the ELE lifted and we get to see what they are really all about. Ultimately Good and Evil is written in history books by the victor and this story is an example of that. Poor old Johnny Snow, we get to see why he is even a laughing stock to Dr. Horrible.
Dr. Horrible (One-Shot)
This one-shot is for those who loved the Dr. Horrible Sing-Along-Blog. An origin story of how Dr. Horrible became Dr. Horrible. Sounds good, right? Right?... well if you haven't seen Dr. Horrible Sing-Along-Blog, this issue would be funny, but not as funny as it could be.For those who loved the Blog, this is a must read. The battle between Captain Hammer's Muscle and Dr. Horrible's Brain has always been lopsided to what we have known so far. This One-Shot examines Brains over Brawn and why there is a trade off.
Final Thoughts
I enjoyed this trade a lot. I am a big fan of Neil Patrick Harris, heck I want him to play John Constantine in something, that is how much I like him. So Dr. Horrible's blog for me was a no brainier. The Blog got me hooked to another of Joss Whedon's universes... darn you Joss! If you are hooked on Dr. Horrible like me, then pick this up. If you want to know what the fuss is about, then check out the Sing-Along Blog or pick up the trade, either are a great way to kill some time. Cheers
- Silkcuts