The episode Epitaphs was my favorite of season one of Dollhouse. It was an exclusive episode available only on the DVD collection, and it was scary and excellent. The comic illustrates how the story told in that episode came to be.

Rossum’s Dollhouse technology has gone viral. To say that the system that can upload instant personalities into human brains is dangerous is an understatement. Someone has decided to use that to their advantage. A wave of phone calls transformed much of the human population into mindless killing machines. Some survived, and the comic shows how a few of them come together (yes, this makes me glad that I often let phone calls go directly to voicemail). The group of survivors features the characters we saw in the Epitaphs episode.

While watching Dollhouse is not a requirement to enjoy the story, it feels like a special treat for those who watched the show. Jed Whedon and Maurissa Tancharoen penned the comic, and I’m glad it didn’t go into any other hands. They really show the strength and reach of the morally questionable technology. So much can go wrong, and I’m glad they are exploring the consequences of what happens when it does. Cliff Richards does a fantastic job at showing the differences in character between before and after the phone calls. You can see the changes in their eyes – whether it’s fear or craziness or for better or worse. The survivors have many hurdles ahead of them.

The story will continue with Dollhouse #1 in July.