The awkwardly titled webcomic Captain Hammer: Be Like Me! The Nemesis of Dr. Horrible! sheds light on the psyche of Captain Hammer, the beefcake rival to Dr. Horrible, the supervillian at the heart of Joss Whedon's upcoming internet musical, Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog.
Written by Zack Whedon and released Wednesday on MySpace in conjunction with Dark Horse, the comic (right) shows narcissistic Hammer cautioning children to be wary of their nerdier peers.
Hammer even urges kids to report suspicious behavior (like excelling at math and science) to police before they can turn into mad scientists.
The hint of an Orwellian-themed totalitarian attitude toward "divergent thinkers" puts a darker, intriguing spin on age-old definitions of hero and villain. So far, from what we've seen, Dr. Horrible looks to be little more than a campy comedy romp.* *
We'll find out soon enough -- the first chapter of Whedon's internet miniseries debuts July 15.
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