Behold, the front and back cover of EMPOWERED vol. 4, the latest installment of my "sexy superhero comedy" published by Dark Horse Comics. It's slated to hit the shelves on Oct. 29, 2008, and indeed seems to be on track to do so, as the advance copies have already shown up at DH's offices... Wheeee!

I should note that this particular volume's rather more tightly plotted than the first three, as almost all of the book's individual short stories bring up plot points that are later addressed in the action-packed 50-page story that wraps up the volume's narrative... (Some future volumes will also be like this, while others will be more loosely structured.) That, and rather less "damsel in distress" imagery is featured this time around, though there's more than enough of it to still get me plenty o' negative feedback, never fear!

Gasp as our heroine Emp bathes a ninja, conducts megascale organ transplants, kicks a fair degree of ass and winds up exclaiming "GAMBATTE ****ING KUDASAI!" Witness exciting new revelations about Sistah Spooky and (more gruesomely) Willy Pete! Meet thrilling new characters such as Maidman, Mindf**k, Wet Blanket, Fleshmaster and Weirdbeard, not to mention Dr. Big McLarge Huge and the Ubernurses! Become queasily titillated as the Caged Demonwolf explores a new frontier by narrating Hot Scenes That Aren't Actually Happening But Totally Should Be! Raise an eyebrow as Thugboy "draws the line HEAH" in the bedroom! Keep an eye judiciously peeled for a brief but unpleasant cameo by Ninjette's father! (Etc., etc.)

You can see some of the volume's chapter-break illos here: [link] [link] [link] and a brief story preview here: [link] I'll prolly also post s'more interior pages as we approach e'er nearer the book's release date.

As just mentioned, EMPOWERED vol. 4 finally arrives on Oct. 29th, after being delayed considerably by the fact that I had to simultaneously labor on a gargantuan and Sisphyean task that what might be (somewhat inadequately) termed "home repair". Here's the solicitation copy for the book:

Costumed crimefighter “Empowered” is briefly overjoyed to find herself in the running for one of the superhero community’s annual Caped Justice Awards (or “Capeys” )—only to discover that her nomination was merely a cruel joke by her obnoxious superpeers. But when the masked masses face a cataclysmic reckoning on the night of the awards presentation, can our perpetually struggling heroine overcome her resentment and save the day? And can she cope with the further problems posed by crossdressing vigilantes, dying wishes from preteen wannabe supervillains, telepathic “booty calls,” a deeply depressed ninja, bedroom conflicts with her boyfriend, and even... Hummer® fu?

You can preorder EMP 4 online at Dark Horse's retail website at: [link] or at Amazon.com: [link]

Note that both sites have links for ordering previous EMPOWERED volumes, 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... And if they don't carry the books, just ask said retailer to order 'em for you; believe me, they'd be happy to take your money. I'm happy to report that all three of the previous volumes should be in stock and available, as I just received a copy of the fourth(!) printing of the temporarily out-of-stock EMPOWERED vol. 1... Wheee!

Finally, hidden in my "scraps" section is the cover rough for the NEXT volume of EMPOWERED: [link] At present, I'm about 6 or 7 pages into the first story from the book... Wheeee, yet again!