Yeahp, shockingly enough, the third volume of EMPOWERED, my "sexy superhero comedy" published by Dark Horse Comics, actually managed to ship on time... as opposed to the first two volumes, which were delayed by unfortunate printing problems.



So, as of today (March 12), you can find EMPOWERED 3 on the shelves of your local comics retailer or bookstore... in theory, at least. If they don't carry the book, just ask said retailer to order it for you; I have to do this all the time with me local Barnes & Noble. Believe me, they'd be happy to take your money.

Alternatively, you can order it from Dark Horse's online site: [link]
...or from Amazon at: [link]



Anyhoo, I posted a very, very lengthy journal exhaustively detailing the "EMPOWERED 3 production experience" last time: [link]

Today, I just thought I'd blither a few more words about it, and give youse folks a place to comment about the book, if you care to do so.

EMP 3, as mentioned in the previous journal entry, delivers a statistically lower degree of "the funny" this time around, due mainly to the 50-odd pages devoted to bloody and violent ninja fighting... What can I say, my long-suppressed love of long, vicious fight scenes temporarily overcame my commitment to pure comedy. That being said, in the future I might rather elect to spin Ninjette off into her own book than to have her dominate QUITE as much of a volume as she does here... (Or maybe not.)



But wait! "The funny" does indeed spring forth in a fashion most fulsome within the pages of EMPOWERED vol. 3, never fear! As in: Choloroform fetishism, ahoy! Hilariously male-hero-degrading yaoi doijinshi drawn by guest artists Tomoko Saito and Jo Chen! Emp outwits pirate-themed high-tech bondage enthusiasts... and REALLY riles up Sistah Spooky in the process! The Caged Demonwolf tells a tale of Sexy Librarians in Distress to a most unusual (and reluctant) audience! The disparate topics of Michael Dudikoff, New Jersey, otaku-baiting "moe", and what Ninjette wears under her halter top are all addressed within the space of only a few pages! All this and more, more more!

Anyhoo, I'm back to the drawing board to grind away at EMPOWERED vol. 4 (see the cover image below); hope you enjoy the EMPOWERED vol. 3 experience!



On a substantially grimmer note: Yesterday, the death of one of my artistic idols, Dave Stevens, was announced. Dave's intimidatingly skillful work was a heeYUGE influence on many artists of my generation (including myself, of course), particularly during those artistically formative years in the 80s. Like everyone else, I selfishly wish that he had produced more artwork for us all to enjoy... but I'll nonetheless treasure what lively, good-natured, playfully sexy and beautifully rendered work he did wind up giving to us. He was a great artist, and a great guy as well.

-AW