EMPOWERED 3's LingeLibrarian

Another chapter-break/ title-page dealie from EMPOWERED vol. 3, the latest installment of my "sexy superhero comedy" published by Dark Horse Comics.*

This illo introduces one of the more problematic stories in the volume... Originally, I'd planned to do a 16-pager titled "When Titans Fornicate" (as previously mentioned here: [link]), featuring Emp and Thugboy boldly going into a new erotic cosplay frontier by wearing their respective, partner-pleasing "Sexy Librarian" and "Spartan 3000" outfits at the same time (a heretofore unseen, if obvious, innovation)... while the Caged Demonwolf narrated the wholly epic bedroom saga in stentorian yet pervy tones.

Alas, I just plain ran outta time after blowing several weeks too many on the surprisingly time-consuming EMPOWERED MySpace story (in issue #5 of Dark Horse Presents, here: [link]), and thus ran into some very serious deadline problems.

Subsequently, in a desperate bid to both get back on schedule and deliver a strong dose of Caged Demonwolf goodness unto the volume, I devised a offbeat, almost A-TEAM-like improvisatory scheme. I grabbed a bunch of pages from an unfinished story, "Mysterious Dumbass," that I'd not planned to use in vol. 3, and juryrigged them into a story being narrated (and commented upon, in obnoxious detail) by the Caged Demonwolf. Yes, kids, the "meta" is definitely back with a VENGEANCE in EMP vol. 3!

I'm still not entirely sure whether the fever-dream product of this gambit represents a clever feat of improvisation or an incredibly ****ing stupid blunder, but hey, the deadline-meeting results speak for themselves, yo.

To be honest, the ensuing, "meta"-heavy story adds rather more "damsel-in-distress" content to the volume than I'd initially planned, as Emp once more goes undercover as "Sexy Librarian" bait for a possibly supervillainous poltergeist that-- this may not entirely surprise you-- knows how to tie a knot. I'd rather have ladled on the sex with "When Titans Fornicate" than added another bondageriffic story, but what the hell, deadline-challenged beggars can't be choosers.

At least the Caged Demonwolf gets in some decent lines, and contributes one of the book's major-league "WTF?!!" moments when he reveals just who (or "what," perhaps more accurately) he talks to when the main characters aren't around... Plus, of course, we behold Emp as "Sexy Librarian in Lingerie" at one point in the story (rendered in fine, high-contrast Sharpie ink, no less), if you care about such things.

Have to say, though, that I'm quite pleased with the "Caged Demonwolf narrates a story" concept (previously used at the end of EMPOWERED vol. 1, but I'd apparently forgotten that), as this represents a fine way to work his mellifluous voice into a narrative while not requiring the other characters to just sit around the apartment and listen to him, sitcom-style. Expect to see more examples of this approach in future volumes, needless to say.

In retrospect, the deadline debacles of EMPOWERED vol. 3 have taught me a goodly number of valuable lessons, both in terms of scheduling and otherwise... Rest assured, I'll make sure ahead of time that both "Sex and the Caged Demonwolf" (if you will) are generously represented in future volumes. And expect to see "When Titans Fornicate" in EMPOWERED vol. 4, of course!

As for EMPOWERED vol. 3:

For some chapter-break illos, you can check: [link] and [link]

For an actual page, take a look-see at: [link]

You can preorder EMPOWERED 3 from Dark Horse's online retail site at: [link] ... or you can try Amazon.com: [link]

Note that both sites have links for ordering EMPOWERED vols. 1 and 2, as well; or, you can quite possibly find these volumes on the shelves of of your friendly neighborhood comics retailer or bookstore, though not at MY local Barnes & Noble, annoyingly enough... (I should note that they DO carry the trade paperback for IRON MAN: HYPERVELOCITY, however. Go figure.)


*The book's due out March 12, but be warned that, given EMPOWERED's highly problematic grayscale reproduction (the book is shot from my pencils, as opposed to more easily managed inks), printing-related delays are not inconceivable; after all, the first two volumes ran into such problems, alas. I'm hoping for the best, however...