Now the nightmare’s real – now Doctor Horrible is here! Or rather, Dr. Horrible is back, with a one-shot comic set after the events of the movie. While we may never get a Dr. Horrible’s Sing-Along Blog 2, it’s nice to still get some new content in comic form. So is it a heroic success, or more horrible than its namesake?
Written by Joss Whedon
Illustrated by Jose Maria Beroy and Sara Soler
Colored by Dan Jackson
Lettered by Nate Piekos of BlambotDr. Horrible is back, and he’s brought his best friend with him–Captain Hammer? The timestream has been breached, and whos to blame, but the missus of time herself, Hourglass. But things are a bit peculiar in this seemingly present day with arch nemeses Dr. Horrible and Captain Hammer teaming up! If that’spossible, what else is? Revisit the hilarity, wit, and charm of Dr. Horrible in this unbelievable story of preposterous possibilities featuring cameos from some of the series’ most horrible villains.
“Dr. Horrible: Best Friends Forever” is a one-shot comic set after the events of Dr. Horrible’s Sing-Along Blog, so those unfamiliar with the musical may not be entirely familiar with the characters or their history. In fact, part of the big question the comic presents requires readers to know how much the titular Doctor Horrible and “hero” Captain Hammer hate each other. But that is not a point against the comic – it’s clearly aimed at fans of the web musical and provides them with all the humor and witty dialogue they’d hoped for.
To be sure, the dialogue is one of the strongest parts about this comic, which is no surprise considering it came from Joss Whedon, who wrote the original Dr. Horrible. We get some amusing lines like “Don’t make me use this! It’s not finished and I don’t remember what it’s for,” or Captain Hammer talking about wormworms as opposed to timeworms. It’s easy to read their lines in the actors’ voices, even if there aren’t any musical numbers to accompany them.
Yet at the same time, we still get some good character moments and telling lines slipping in with the witty dialogue. When discussing time travel, Dr. Horrible immediately thinks of saving Penny, whereas Captain Hammer is more about saving Reign from cancellation. It’s a good gag, but at the same time it makes it clear that Dr. Horrible is still hurting over her loss, while Captain Hammer either doesn’t remember or care. In fact, another moment makes it clear just how much Dr. Horrible is hurting from his part in Penny’s death – it was a heartbreaking moment in the musical, after all.
Since the story starts some time after the musical, there are some questions readers will immediately have, but the answers are revealed organically. Readers can piece together why the two arch-rivals are suddenly best friends before the characters themselves do (although at the same time as Hourglass, another character who figures it out quickly), while another line of dialogue later on establishes how long after the musical the comic takes place. It helps catch readers up without having to rely on narration or long-winded exposition.
In addition to the return of Dr. Horrible and Captain Hammer, we’re also introduced to Hourglass, a character alluded to in a line of dialogue in the web musical. She’s appears to be a femme fatale type of character, with her name being a play on both her time-based powers and hourglass figure. While she does appear to ask the characters for help, her powers are clever (what uses can one get out of looking into the future without traveling through time?) and she’s clearly very competent, in spite of her time-based expertise being ignored by the other characters.
Joss Whedon structures the story well, and sets up all the twists and turns with proper foreshadowing. Even if it’s just a silly invention mentioned in passing, there’s a good payoff to it. Everything flows nicely, and nothing feels rushed or overly-long; it’s a very solid piece of storytelling any way you look at it.
There are two artists doing the illustrations, Jose Maria Beroy and Sara Soler, with Dan Jackson providing the color work for both. Their art styles don’t seamlessly blend, and it is clear where one stops and the other takes over, although both are perfectly skilled in their own rights.
Continued belowJose’s illustrations are slightly more detailed, with nice shading and little creases on the characters’ clothes and faces to add more motion to the scenes. While this does serve the characters well, adding more expressions to them, sometimes the looks on their faces seem just a little ill-fitting, particularly when their mouths are meant to be open. It’s a small nitpick, though, and does not detract from the comic at all.
Sara’s illustrations are a little more on the flat side, but not in a bad way. The designs are all very clear and clean, and the expressions she gives the characters still add nicely to their emotional moments. Since her work starts with a dream sequence, and comes back after a moment where things change in the characters’ minds, the shift works in a natural way. I also love the use of darkness in her shading near the end, where Hourglass looks back at Dr. Horrible in a gloating manner – her eyes and mouth are the only lit parts there, but the expression they make is very well-drawn and telling.
Dan Jackson’s color work is consistently strong throughout, and works with both the artists’ styles. The background colors often accentuate or complement Dr. Horrible’s red outfit while blending with Captain Hammer’s darker colors. Then when the ray guns and time gates get into play, he does a great job adding a glow to the scene from each of the light sources.
The action isn’t the main focus of “Dr. Horrible: Best Friends Forever,” but what we get is well-illustrated. There’s not an overabundance of action lines, but little details – like gears flying off a timeworm when Captain Hammer punches it – add to the impact. Small touches like that add a lot to the comic, making it visually entertaining as well.
While “Dr. Horrible: Best Friends Forever” may not be the grandest of adventures, it’s still a very enjoyable story that lets us catch up with the characters and get some good laughs. The writing is strong, artwork is solid, and overall it’s a comic fans of Dr. Horrible’s Sing-Along Blog will enjoy.
Final Verdict: 8.2 – A welcome return to the world of “Dr. Horrible.” Joss Whedon’s dialogue is on-point, there are good character moments, and the artists all do a fine job at bringing the world and characters to life. Fans of the musical will get a kick out of it, even without the singing.
