…Whedon still maintains a cult-like status on the Internet, however, and although no premier date has been set for Dr. Horrible, a fansite for the project has already popped up on the World Wide Web. “When I heard that Joss Whedon and Nathan Fillion would be working together again my reaction was immediate,” the site’s creator explains. “I knew a lot of people would be exited about the project and that meant there were going to be a lot of people looking for information. A quick search showed there wasn’t yet an official site and the best way to spread information when there’s no official site is through a fan site.”

… [Felicia] Day’s excitement goes beyond simply working with Whedon again, however, as she likewise believes the television producer will bring attention and legitimacy to the webseries medium. “I’m excited because, as a scripted web creator, we haven’t gotten any mainstream respect for our work, and having Joss do his thing on the internet will legitimize the media format,” she said.

In some ways, the project has already drawn attention to that format. “To be honest, before Dr. Horrible was announced, I’d always intended to check some (webseries) out but never got around to it,” the Dr. Horrible fansite creator revealed. “I have since watched, and very much enjoyed The Guild.” Whedon’s project has also given them a new appreciation for Internet video. “I think it’s the way of the future,” they added. “I don’t think anything will hold it back and I won’t be surprised if in five years time we’re all watching regular TV on the Internet. There’s so much more ability to provide for those whose tastes aren’t met through traditional media, for those who want something more intelligent than the ‘reality’ TV that’s being forced on us more and more frequently.”

…“I think that there’s something about Joss’ work that is meeting the needs of a large part of the community that isn’t necessarily met anywhere else,” the creator of the Dr. Horrible fansite says of Whedon. “There’s a level of intelligence about Joss Whedon’s work that I think attracts people who are looking for something that can be both thought provoking and funny without feeling preachy, and people are thankful for that. I know that in getting to know other fans of Firefly, over time we’ve noticed that we have more and more in common with each other than we first realized and that draws us together as a community. With shows being cancelled people united in a common purpose, and while that purpose is still important, the community that developed has grown beyond that. To be honest, I also think that the cast of shows like Firefly has a lot to do with it. Everyone knows that they’re a great group of people, not just great actors, and fans want to give them something back for what they gave to us.”

From the small screen to the large, from comic books to an extraordinary Internet fanbase presence, Joss Whedon has always been at the forefront of the cutting-edge. And although only time will truly tell, odds are that Dr. Horrible’s Sing-Along Blog will place Whedon at the forefront of the webseries revolution as well.

• External Link: Full Article at alterna-tv.com