Empowered
Not only is costumed crimefighter “Empowered” saddled with a less-than-ideal superhero name, but she wears a skintight and cruelly revealing “supersuit” that only magnifies her body-image insecurities. Worse yet, the suit’s unreliable powers are prone to failure, repeatedly leaving her in appallingly distressing situations… and giving her a shameful reputation as the lamest “cape” in the masks-and-tights business. Nonetheless, she pluckily braves the ordeals of her bottom-rung superheroic life with the help of her “thugalicious” boyfriend (and former Witless Minion) and her hard-drinking ninja girlfriend, not to mention the supervillainous advice from the caged alien demonlord watching DVDs from atop her coffee table… From Adam Warren - writer/artist of the English-language Dirty Pair comics (the original “Original English-Language Manga” before OEL was cool), and writer of Livewires, Gen13 and Iron Man: Hypervelocity - comes Empowered, a butt-kicking, bootylicious superhero lampoon that raises the bar for long-john lust and low-brow laughs. Remove all previous notions of superhero entertainment from your puny mind… and prepare to be Empowered!
User Ratings and Reviews
5 Stars Super-satire, eye-candy with introspective, intelligent writing
“Empowered” is the name which a fledgling superheroine has chosen for herself. Her real name is not specifically given, although it may be a variant of “Ashley”, as suggested on one episode. She is a twenty-something, beautiful, blonde, and very insecure about how others perceive her.
She has superpowers, not inborn and not inherent, but only as a result of her costume, a high-tech hypermembrane which can stop bullets, give her super-strength, and the ability to cast energy blasts, but which also deteriorates as it provides protection, somewhat like the “shields” on the starship Enterprise.
In almost every battle which lasts more than a few moments, the suit eventually deteriorates to the point where the suit itself is in tatters and her powers are gone, The suit will spontaneously regenerate itself, in 8 to 12 hours, but in the meantime, Empowered is rather a liability than an asset to the team.
To “Emp’s” chagrin, the suit provides no more support or concealment than a layer of body paint, so she is acutely aware of people staring at various jiggling body parts when, for example, she runs. She cannot wear any article of clothing either under or over the suit, or it simply doesn’t work at all. If she fails to shave her bikini area (or presumeably, her legs or under her arms), the growth is visible through the suit, described as “latex over steel wool”, leading to further embarrassment.
She works with a group of heroes who call themselves the “Superhomeys”, and they hang out at the “Homeycrib” (if this sounds satirical, it is intended to be). Some of her companions include Sister Spooky (a former classmate who can cast powerful spells), Ninjette (a enemy who eventually becomes one of her closest friends), Proteus (a human who became a sort of anthropomorphic ameoba as a result of a “close encounter” of a very personal kind), Major Havoc (kind of an arrogant jerk with super-strength), and a number of others. Each character has a distinctive personality, some with considerable depth.
The villians who fight the Superhomeys are no less satirical, and every bit as imaginitive. These include giant Ammonites (shelled squids similar to the creature in “It Came From Beneath The Sea”), giant killer robots, supervillians such as “DeathSloth”, teams of armored “Stormtrooper” types, as well as simple gangs of armed human thugs. One villian in particular, introduced as “He Whose Name Is Too Scarey To Be Spoken”, but also known as the “Blazing Eyed Demonwolf”, the “Cataclysmic Snuffer of Civilizations” and the “Eldritch 12 Cylinder Engine of Destruction” is a sort of bodiless galactic entitiy who possesses humans, and who has a recurring role AFTER being defeated to the point where he is no longer a threat, but continues to provide a great deal of comic relief and sage wisdom.
What makes “Empowered” so enjoyable is that it works on so many levels:
The drawings are gorgeous. “Emp” may be insecure with her body image, but she is actually a knockout, as are Sister Spooky and Ninjette (is there such thing as an UGLY superheroine?). Other characters are drawn in such a manner as to emphasize their particular best quality, or superpower, as the case may be.
“Empowered” might be a comic book, but it is not for kids. There are many, many scenes in which she and/or another character is almost completely nude. There are many, many sexual situations. Its all in good fun, but it ALL isn’t simply gratuitious, but is often part of the natural development of relationship between characters.
The writing is also very good. There are several themes being developed simultaneously, including “Emp’s” strong desire to fit in with and be accepted by the rest of the Superhomeys, their varying individual views of her (in one case including a back story showing WHY one ‘homey carries a deep grudge against her), her meeting and gradual development of a relationship with a “special someone” (and the problems associated with this “forbidden fruit”), and her gradual increase of confidence and competence as she continues to take punishment and come back for more. As the stories progress, “Emp” slowly earns the grudging respect of some, the friendship of others, and the heartfelt love of at least one. The dialog between characters is alternately funny and touching.
I happened on “Empowered” browsing in a bookstore in San Francisco, and after reading the first couple of pages, looked for a chair in which to sit down and read further. I laughed out loud so many times reading this, because I had read so many superhero comics over the years, and seen so many superhero movies which take themselves a bit too seriously. This is satire done RIGHT, and what comics like “Inferior Five” and films like “Mystery Men” were trying to be (I liked Mystery Men, although I felt it could have been even better).
“Empowered” is superhero satire which does more than simply mock the genre, but rather, affectionately uses the cliches we’ve all come to expect to illustrate the human side of the various superheroes, specifically that, minus their various super-abilities, under the skin-tight costumes and bulging muscles, they are people very similar to ourselves.
4 Stars Hilarious Superhero Romp for Adults
There’re just so many ‘Adams’ in comics today - Adam Kubert, Adam Hughes, Adam Strange, Adam Antium (sorry…couldn’t resist), but surely among the best of them must be numbered Adam Warren, he of the manga-esque art and audaciously worldly sense of humor. I first became aware of him through his Dirty Pair work, and then through his clever writing on Gen 13 (collected in Gen 13: Superhuman Like You (Gen 13) and Gen 13: Meanwhile. So, thus armed, when this little book popped up in my recommendations, I decided to take a chance. I wasn’t expecting much.
Boy, was I surprised. “Empowered” is a light-hearted, laugh-out-loud superhero yarn with a postmodern twist and more wackiness than you cna shake a stick at.
“Empowered” is the story of, well, Empowered (Emp for short), a clumsy superheroine (or, as Warren terms it, “superchica”) and associate member of the superteam “The Superhomeys.” Emp’s powers stem from her skintight supersuit, which is always ripping and disintegrating during the team’s violent missions, almost always robbing her of her powers. Emp has a number of issues: she’s horribly inept, her teammates don’t like her, she has no confidence, she has to take on awful part-time jobs to make ends meet, and she’s constantly worried if she looks fat in the suit. Her salvation comes in the form of a new boyfriend (a former villain’s helper) and a group of quirky pals who help her see that the superhuman life is worthwhile.
The real pleasure of this book is Warren’s especially apt sense of humor. There were numerous times during this book that I actually laughed out loud. His sense of timing is impeccable. However, readers beware - there are a number of very explicit scenes in this book. Despite its kid-friendly appearance, this is definitely NOT for children.
4 Stars Fun style
I really enjoyed this book. It gave me more than a few laughs as well as some interesting vocabulary. I would recommend this to anyone who enjoys the humor side of crime fighting comics. That being said it seems the most serious plots are the relationship between Thugboy and Emp. Not very deep, but very fun. And of course the art is truly inspiring. I don’t think anyone can create a more promiscuous playful look on a chick than Warren. Very sexy indeed…
5 Stars “Empowered” entertains and endears, even as it titillates…
One of the first of the American manga-imitators, Warren’s work stands out from the pack because of his writing, his own, personal knack for simultaneously celebrating, parodying and exploiting multiple elements of pop culture (superhero genre tropes, cyberpunk sci-fi techno-babble, good girl art, hong kong action films, etc.) often on the same page, and even in the same panel. (In this his work recalls’ Harvey Kurthzman and Will Elder’s gag-filled work for the early Mad Magazine and their “Little Annie Fanny” strip for Playboy Magazine). So long as you can tolerate (or better, enjoy) good-natured cheesecake and copious amounts of fan service without getting enraged, you’re almost guaranteed a rollicking good time reading one of his books (Recommended titles include “Titans: Rock Paper Scissors,” for DC Comics and “Grunge: the Movie” for Wildstorm Entertainment).
However skilled Adam Warren is as a comic writer, he rarely gets the accolades he deserves for his talent for creating endearing characters, and writing engaging adult-orientated romantic comedy. The first time I noticed these strengths was when I (belatedly) read his tragically truncated run scripting Wildstorm’s “Gen13″ (with Rick Mays providing pencils). Here Warren managed to make even the most uninteresting secondary characters, Burnout and Rainmaker interesting, and in the latter case, even compelling. It’s true that the careful reader can find hints of these talents in his early work (even the utterly mindless delirium of his “Dirty Pair” adaptations) however the sheer amount of fan service, techno-babble and high-speed action he crams into his layouts usually obscures those strengths. Ultimately the problem was that comic book editors rarely gave him writing stints that were long enough for him to display this side of his talent as a writer….
… Until now, with the advent of Warren’s presumably creator-owned “Empowered,” published by Dark Horse Comics, home of mainstream writer/artists gone independent, like Mike “Hellboy” Mignola and Frank “Sin City” Miller. (May Warren reach similar levels of success: now that audiences are used to comic book movie adaptations, they might just be ready for a movie version of “Empowered,” a faithful adaptation of which would go a long way to make up for the lackluster, “My Super Ex-Girlfriend,” a well-meant dud if I ever saw one.)
Though once again, the book is primarily a genre satire, and, as usual, Warren piles on the manga-esque fan service (primarily parodies of bondage art), the heart and soul of “Empowered,” and the real reason (other than the assurance of irreverent comedy) I think readers come back for more, is his appealing characterization of his spectacularly inept, yet unreasonably enduring and good-natured heroine, Empowered (Emp to her close friends), and Warren’s ability to convey a convincing of warmth and affection between the members of her primary supporting cast, which includes: the her ever-supportive boyfriend, Thugboy, a former professional Witless Minion-for Hire (by supervillains) who also hides a violent past as a killer of both superheroes and their adversaries, Ninjette, a usually upbeat runaway ninja princess (and borderline alcoholic) with a bounty on her head, and the dangerous, conquest-bent outer-space demon lord, who lies trapped inside a power-draining piece of space-alien bondage gear (a leftover from one of Emp’s more embarrassing misadventures) that rests on the coffee table in front of the roommates TV set.
Here Warren’s really at the top of his game, infusing the more recent volumes with a surprising and refreshing warmth (so long as you don’t mind good girl art - something that declines in emphasis as the story goes on… sort of) as the relations between those near and dear to our plucky heroine take center stage in the third and fourth volumes. For those who can tolerate a lot of good girl-style imagery (which serves instead of stops the story) “Empowered”’s definitely worth a try. (For those doubting Thomas out there, who want to settle the issue quickly, I suggest starting with the third volume.) Happy Reading Folks,….
5 Stars Sweetly Funny And Smart in Surprising Ways
Adam Warren’s comic “Empowered” is gathered together in this generous first volume of what I hope is a long series in graphic novel form. Warren tells the story of Empowered, his endearing costumed super heroine. If, while playing Buffy The Vampire Slayer - Collector’s Set (40 discs) steely little Sarah Michelle Gellar made you know she would always triumph, then conversely Emp bumbles through her adventures. She could be played in a movie version by Sarah Chalke, the sexy but painfully insecure Dr. Elliot Reid of Scrubs - The Complete Sixth Season. It appears that Warren has spent a lot of time talking to the opposite sex because he shows a fine understanding of the issues that bedevil the self-images of many young women. (And he also shows a tender respect for Emp. Despite her many failures she keeps on fighting with great bravery.)
Of course this is a very funny book. Every page contains clever satirical jabs at superhero cliches, fanboy obsessions, manga rules, and man/woman strife. I suppose some could consider “Empowered” to be misogynist because of the many “damsel in distress” situations which she gets into, but that would be mistaken. Every one of those particular pages contain funny jibes at male voyeurism (while admittedly at the same time exploiting that tendency.) Warren’s accomplishment is that he has smuggled a certain feminist sensibility into a series seemingly aimed right for the male libido. Hilarious and smart, “Empowered” has become a favorite of mine.
Filed under: Comic Book Reviews