Dollhouse

Over the course of two seasons on FOX, Dollhouse went through more changes than Eliza Dushku’s character Echo. But by the end of the final episodes, fans were hooked. The entire premise of the show-programmable human beings can be made to order for the rich-had been turned on its end, leaving us in a post-apocalyptic future where most of the human race had their minds wiped, leading to the end of civilization as we know it.

This March, series writers Maurissa Tancharoen and Jed Whedon return, once more, to this vision of the future with a one-shot from Dark Horse that’s a continuation of the series, as well as a great introduction for new readers. We chatted with them about the book, whether they’ll be making cameos, and what’s next for Dollhouse. Oh, in case you’re wondering: the pair are a hive mind, and answered all of their questions together.

MTV Geek: Way back before the show premiered, I talked to Joss Whedon and asked whether he’d ever consider doing, or letting someone do a comic version of Dollhouse. He said pretty definitively, "no." What changed?

MT & JW: Time passed, Joss grew older and a little wiser. Initially he didn’t think that the Dollhouse premise would translate well into comic book form, but when we were deeper into Season One and developed the future timeline of the Epitaph episodes, his feelings changed. The apocalyptic future of Dollhouse was a comic book story worth telling.

Geek: You had a pretty nice, clean button on the show-or at least Echo’s story...Why continue it now? And why in comic book form?

MT & JW: The "Epitaphs" series begins the day of the phone call that sparks the Apocalypse. There’s a lot of time to explore between that moment and when we ended the TV series. And Echo, during all that, is still buttonless. So there.

Geek: Which characters will we see returning in this one-shot? Any new characters?

MT & JW: Some of the main characters on the show will appear in the comic series and we’ll introduce some new ones. Total party.

Geek: Maurissa, you played Kilo in a few Dollhouse episodes, and tend to cameo in a lot of the web videos you guys make. Do you get a cameo in this comic?

MT: We all know that Kilo was the real star of Dollhouse and that her story will live on in everyone’s hearts. That being said, if I appear in one more thing I’m writing I think I’ll be fired forever. So no, no Kilo in this comic...yet. Don’t cry. And for the record, Kilo was Andrew Chambliss’s idea.

Geek: What keeps drawing you two back to the world of Epitaph, in particular?

MT & JW: It’s the apocalypse! Stakes are high, people are sweaty-dirty with guns and struggling to survive. It’s addictive.

Geek: And what’s different for you in scripting a comic "episode" of Dollhouse, versus a TV episode?

MT & JW: We get to do all the things the TV people said "no" to.

Geek: Assuming the Dollhouse comic goes well, do you think we’ll see the show come back in another medium?

MT & JW: Chances of that are slim. This comic is our opportunity to make the show last a little while longer.

Geek: You two are clearly musically-and web-inclined. Any chance we’ll see a Dollhouse music video to promote the comic (hint, hint)?

MT & JW: We did a music video to promote the Season Two DVD/Blu-ray release. Watch in 1080p, it’s purtier that way.

Geek: Because I have to ask: will we see more Dr. Horrible, either in web or in comic book form?

MT & JW: Yes.

Geek: Great! And is there any property you’ve worked on that’s currently not in comic book form that you’d like to tackle at some point?

MT & JW: Three words-Drop Dead Diva.

Geek: Nice. So what’s next for you two?

MT & JW: Conquering the world. Of Television?