Much as we love Joss Whedon’s Dr Horrible , the fact that the web musical runs to just 45 minutes limits how much you can say about it. Even so, this tie-in book isn’t as comprehensive as it could be. Sure, it comes with a shooting script, sheet music for every song and even a transcript of the DVD commentary (that may sound unnecessary, but then it was a musical number in itself), but in terms of new material, it’s pretty sparse.
A companion book should be crammed with star interviews, and everything you could ever want to know about the genesis, production and distribution of an opus. Instead we’re limited to glorified soundbites that tease without ever going into depth.
Where the book does score is in its on-set photography, glimpses at Joss’s script notes, and trivia. The music and lyrics will be a treat for fans, but otherwise this book doesn’t go far beyond transferring the region one DVD release to paper.
Richard Edwards
