Review: Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog - The Book

I can hardly believe that Dr. Horrible’s Sing-Along Blog came out it 2008. I remember the excitement about the series that swept over the internet. It felt like it was just last year. Maybe that’s because I watch the web series and listen to the soundtrack on a regular basis. It doesn’t get old. I was happy to hear that Titan was publishing a book to accompany the story. Really. Insert nerd squees here.

This book isn’t just a visual companion with the script. Don’t write it off as fluff that just rehashes the story (some movie books do that). Dr. Horrible: The Book has the script but also plenty of new and shiny facts to make it worth picking up. You’ll be laughing from the foreword on the first page by Captain Hammer. As you go through the pages, you’ll find letters from all the main cast members with memories about filming, exactly how Dr. Horrible’s remote control in Act I was designed, behind the scenes photos, handwritten lyrics from Joss, insight on the costume designs, and more. One of the neatest things is the inclusion of sheet music for the songs. I can’t play instruments, but I know people who can. And I will bribe them with cupcakes to learn “My Eyes” and play it over and over.

This book is also special because it's an anomaly.  There aren't many (or any) published visual companions for a web-only project.  The team behind Dr. Horrible created something special in a time when the writers of Hollywood were being stepped on.  Fans took down internet serves with an outpouring of support for Dr. Horrible.  Fans helped this book be made.

Dr. Horrible’s Sing-Along Blog: The Book is oversized and pretty. The layout makes you flip through the 160 pages in a happy, give-me-more-now fashion. I went through once to read the extras and a few times just to make sure I looked at every photo. There are lots of them. I really can’t think of anything they left out in this book. It has the same fun spirit and quality that the web series did. If you want to make a Dr. Horrible fan in your life happy, buy them this book.