Dr. Horrible One-Shot

Hello blog-readers! Today is a joyous day! A Dr. Horrible comic has come out! And, if you couldn't tell, I am a very big Dr. Horrible fan. I got hooked when it was just three acts on a website. Before all this DVD and spin off business! I liked it before it was coo-- Uh, anyway. Comic, yeah.

Comic Review: Dr. Horrible



Now then, for those unfamiliar with Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog, I would suggest watching it on Hulu, here. Being that it's only 45 minutes, I don't think I need to reiterate the plot. This comic serves as a prequel, much as Dark Horse's Myspace Comics are. This one, however, focuses entirely upon Dr. Horrible, rather than one of the side characters.

It begins in 1986, and we see young Billy, 8 years old yet in 6th grade, playing with Justice Joe and Mister Maniacal action figures. He's accosted by a bully, who also wants his lunch money.



Rather than give in to the bully's demands, he explains who Einstein was, earning a punch in the face. After school, Billy, now with a black eye, hears about a fight about to occur between the real Justice Joe and Mister Maniacal. Billy roots for Joe, until:



At which point his allegiance seems to change. Maniacal zaps Joe with a ray gun, while laughing maniacally, as we fast forward 20 years later. (Making the date of the Sing-Along Blog about 2006, and making Dr. Horrible 28.)



Billy, now Dr. Horrible, has formed a brilliant plan to put tiny explosives, disguised as quarters, into the cities' parking meters. Truely diabolical. A police officer points out his remote no longer seems to be glowing, so he runs into an alley, right into:



After the evil Doctor introduces himself and makes it known he's a villain, Hammer punts him across the alley. As he's about to deliver another blow to Horrible's face, we hear a sort of whinny.



Hammer runs off, and Dr. Horrible marvels at Bad Horse. Back at the laundromat, Billy tries to think of a way to defeat Captain Hammer, until he sees the Cute Laundromat Girl. (Penny.)



He hears a news report commemorating the 20th anniversary of the death of Justice Joe, wherein Mister Maniacal shot him with a ray gun and proceeded to beat him to death with a pipe. Given that inspiration, Dr. Horrible comes up with a plan. He decides to go to the park where Captain Hammer is signing autographs, to get a DNA sample. After being punched the length of a football field:



Six weeks later, he explains the plan to Moist. Moist, however, doesn't really get it, since after Mister Maniacal killed Justice Joe, he was set on fire by an angry mob. Horrible explains that Maniacal weakened Joe, while Horrible is going to strengthen himself using Hammer's DNA to defeat him. After finishing the formula, Horrible and Moist set off to find Captain Hammer.



After some arguably "witty" banter, (consisting partly of Horrible's line: "Well this won't go over your head. It'll go into your head. It's my fist! I'm going to punch you!") Horrible gets in a good shot on Captain Hammer with his new-found superstrength, but is distracted when Captain Hammer tells him to look behind him at an "interesting bird." At this point, Moist figures out the problem.



He quickly gives Dr. Horrible the antidote to his serum, along with a bag filled with Dr. Horrible's at various rays. He manages to pull out his Transmatter ray just in time to transport a girder that Hammer had thrown at him into his lab. After searching frantically through his Bag o' Rays, he finds a little remote.





The story ends in Dr. Horrible's lab as he hangs up a newspaper detailing his first real fight with Captain Hammer.

I really enjoyed this comic. It was well written, well drawn, the story was entertaining and gave us a little insight into Billy's past. It's interwoven with the three online comics I mentioned (and linked to) above, which gives it an extra little something. Also it seems a big longer than a usual comic, so you get a little more bang for your buck. Now, this might not be the most impartial of opinions, seeing as how I'm a Dr. Horrible fanboy, but if you enjoyed the Sing-Along Blog, I can recommend all of these comics. Well, except for the Moist one. That was weird.

While writing this review, I got distracted, and this is one of the things I found on Youtube:



So uh, yeah. I think that said all that needs to be said. For next time: it's Amazing Spider-Man 612: THE GAUNTLET. And remember, dude, you're not my nemesis.