Empowered, Volume 3

Empowered #3

by Adam Warren, Various (Illustrator)

As if life as an often-struggling superheroine weren't already hard enough, now costumed crimefighter "Empowered" discovers that another female superhero is ripping off her distress-prone persona - and cashing in, big-time! Even worse, her relationship with live-in boyfriend (and semi-reformed Witless Minion) Thugboy has run afoul of an extremely literal set of "power issues"! Worse yet, a singularly bloodthirsty and ruthless ninja clan is gunning - no, make that shurikening - for Emp's best friend and karaoke partner, Ninjette! Can our unlucky but still plucky heroine prevail over all these obstacles as well as further threats posed by foreign fanfiction outrages, her own supersuit's attempts to manipulate her self-esteem, and the revelation of (gasp!) her real name?

Genres: Comics, Graphic Novels, Superheroes, Humor, Manga, Comic Book, Fiction

208 pages, Paperback

First published March 12, 2008

About the author

Adam Warren (born 1967) is an American comic book writer and artist who is most famous for his original graphic novel Empowered, for adapting the characters known as Dirty Pair into an American comic book, and for being one of the first American commercial illustrators to be influenced by the general manga style.

Reviews

[Jeffrey · Rating 3 out of 5]

Despite this volume being where it all really takes off, the first story is just so cringeworthy I can't possibly give it a higher rating than a three. It's all very sad considering how much more self-aware the author becomes in later volumes (including talking about negs and having a story about a misogynistic literal 'white knight').

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Spoiler/Trigger Warning (Sexual Assault)
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This first story is all about a villain who drugs women superheroes (and occasionally men) to masturbate to their unconscious bodies. The male superheroes never take the villain seriously, and the joke is that if this villain was drugging men they'd maybe take it seriously, except that he has drugged a few select men to experiment sexually (but they don't fess up because they're insecure guys). The punchline is something about guys getting sleepy after sex. Haha. Funny. HIGH-LARRY-US.

It's all deeply deeply disturbing in the #metoo era. So much so that I'm ashamed with myself for never noticing how disturbing it really is. So much for those in-universe much-vaunted "unspoken rules" we hear so much about. I want to be able to read this charitably as commentary about how in the real world sex crimes against men and women are both under-reported, but for slightly different reasons. But the way it seems to played for a joke.

No. I just can't.

[Megan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Another cute volume, but the overlong bondage chapter wore on my nerves. The final chapter with Ninjette and Thugboy's earlier retrospective likely would have kicked it up to a four-star rating, otherwise.

Not looking forward to the promised Sistah Spooky focus in the next volume, though. I just want more of the core four being adorable together! The relationship between Emp and Thugboy is refreshingly sweet and I get my daily dose of monster romance in Ninjette and the Caged Demonwolf, which is to say: more, please.

[#ReadAllTheBooks · Rating 5 out of 5]

I got this at the same time as I did volume 2, so I dove into this immediately after finishing the previous one. (Now I just have to wait for my other volumes to get here!)

The artwork in this is just as good in the previous volumes, so if you've been a fan of the artwork then you're going to love this volume.

Where this volume really shines is in the further character development. If you've been waiting for lots of great action scenes, this is the volume you'll definitely want to read. Emp has a lot of kick butt scenes and the volume ends on a pretty awesome one. I can't elaborate without getting too spoilery, but it's probably her coolest one so far and it emphasizes the mystery of the suit and what it's capable of doing. We get a little explanation towards the suit's tendency to short out on Emp as well as more background on Thug and Ninjette. It's a really great volume and it really makes me impatient for the next volume.

This is one that you definitely have to get, although unlike the previous volume it's not one that you could easily and instantly get into without having read anything prior. You could if you really wanted to, but you'd be missing out on quite a bit of story.

[Mike · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well this is a little embarrassing to admit. In the mission to choose the next comic to read, despite a couple of titles that definitely rate on my fun-O-meter - and in which I'm engrossed in great storylines - I found my hands instead pawing through my comics apps on my tablet, to turn up the next volume of Empowered.

I can't in any way justify this - it feels exploitative, I notice I'm lingering a little too long on the drawings of the curvy portions of our heroines. And it's in no way meaningful or "worthwhile". And yet here I sit, reading through this book with a sense I can most closely characterize as "glee".

Thankfully at least half of the stories are more than just thinly-veiled masturbation fodder. The A.R.R. (think A.I.M. but even more lame) story was pretty frikkin hilarious *and* metatextual. I almost felt proud to say I've read it. (Well, except for the 20 pages of skin-tight bondage images *ahem*)

[Ana · Rating 3 out of 5]

Tirando três ou quatro histórias, este volume foi bastante inignificante. A história do passado do Thugboy foi muito boa, e a da Ninjette também estava bem, assim como uma ou duas no início do volume. Mas a Emp foi a que menos desenvolviemnto teve neste volume e passou o tempo uqase todo em situações ridículas e repetitivas. imagino que este volume seja de transisção, porque até agora foi o mais fraco.

Mesmo assim a arte, como sempre, está absolutamente fabulosa. Linda! Tanto em cenas norais como, especialmente, mnas de acção. E até os capítulos arte-finalizados (coisa nova nesta BD, já que todos os desenhos são finalizados a graffite/lápis) estã muito bons.

[Zedsdead · Rating 3 out of 5]

I keep anticipating that Empowered will finish growing up, but it stubbornly insists on hovering at the cusp of very-good. It just never...quite...gets there. I maintain that Empowered is far better than it appears to be on its skin tight latex covered surface. But I'm tired of waiting for it to become. DNF.

I still love Warren's amazingly effective deep-perspective, almost three-dimensional, B&W drawing and his self-aware fourth-wall-breaking asides. Still don't care for the back- and ankle-breaking "sexy" poses, or the endless low-self-esteem jokes. Time to get a new bit.

[Robert Bussie · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book continues the adventures of EMP, Ninjette, and Thug-Boy. It reveals the real names of EMP and Ninjette along with the past histories of Ninjette and Thug-Boy.

There are lots of sexual innuendos and cheesy jokes. However, what separates this book from being just bondage art with rude humor is the affection, concern, and compassion that the three main characters feel for each other. They are superheroes that may kick ass in battle, but when the battle is over they support each other with their personal inadequacies and issues. But do not think that this makes them or the the stories sappy, pathetic, or have a poor-pitiful-me feeling. Instead it mixes well with the action and humor.

I would give the book 3.5 stars for the writing for two main reasons. First, the character, The Caged Demonwolf is ANNOYING! Seriously, it just rambles on and on and on.... It is like the author/artist Adam Warren is trying to show that he knows how to use a thesaurus. There are other times in the book when the characters ramble on and on to explain the joke and it goes from funny to tiresome.

The second reason is my copy of the book has black bars over the cuss words. Seriously? There are scenes of people having sex and several mentions of EMP's large breasts and full figure behind, but saying shit or fuck gets censored? WTF. :)

The black and white art work is top-notch. The pencil shading is amazing.

[Garrett Nicolai · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fetishistic as this is (and make no mistake - it is fetishistic), there is a story here trying to get out.

Imagine if Peter Parker were a woman with self-esteem and body issues... and powers that fail most of the time... and the tendency to be tied up in every issue...

One thing that I've really enjoyed so far is Emp's progression. She's learning to deal with her shortcomings (and there are hints that they might be psychosomatic, anyway...).

Should be fun to continue.

[Alex Sarll]

Still very much having its cake and eating it when it comes to having its curvy heroine tied up in various states of undress, but also raising an eyebrow about that and showing up (most of) the heels perving on that within the story as the real butt of the joke. Although it still has more heart than that summary might suggest, and this volume does begin to hint at a few ongoing mysteries.

[Shannon Peil · Rating 2 out of 5]

got bored

[Chris · Rating 4 out of 5]

Glad to return to the playboy like comic with an actual plot.

[Malone Silence]

en vrai je sais toujours pas quoi en penser et la sexualisation même parodique me met toujours mal à l'aise mais j'adore les persos alors je continue haha

[Batmark · Rating 4 out of 5]

http://morethansuperhumans.blogspot.c...

In this volume, Emp battles the Chloroformaster, who likes to ambush superheroines, chloroform them, then post pictures of them, passed out, on his blog. As you can imagine, he's not much of a supervillain. Then Emp finds herself captive of Advanced Restraint Research (or ARR!), who use her as an unwilling participant in the demonstration videos for their high-tech bondage gear, which they sell to supervillains. Later, the pervy guys in the Superhomeys try to convince Emp to dress up as a sexy librarian again, and they can hardly believe their luck when she actually agrees, however reluctantly.

Meanwhile, on the "advancing the plot" side of things, we get more backstory on Thug Boy and the last supervillain he and his comrades ripped off: Willy Pete. And Willy Pete is one scary dude. Also, Ninjette is confronted by some bounty hunters who reveal exactly why her clan is so hellbent on getting her back--in any condition. (Plus, we learn Emp and Ninjette's real names; which is not that exciting to me, but after three volumes it's kind of a big deal, I guess.)

Empowered may just be the teenage boy's idea of the ultimate comic book, what with all the bare flesh, sexual innuendo, and violence. But I maintain that Adam Warren has created an interesting cast of characters with a lovable protagonist, a truly terrifying villain, and a handful of three-dimensional supporting characters. For every story that amounts to nothing more than Emp losing her clothes and getting tied up (which, for some reason, hasn't gotten old yet), there's a story that deals almost exclusively with character development. Empowered isn't just an excuse to draw fetish illustrations. Warren has created a world that he obviously cares about, and that fact shines through in the storytelling.

[Lexie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Raise a hand if you thought you could make money off videos detailing how to avoid being Bondage Bait for badguys. Anyone? Well you can be apparently--quite lucratively too. Emp's former kidnapper turned fangirl turned impersonator turned Capitalistic Moneyhound figured out a way and she wants to cut Emp in on the dough! As long as she's okay with being tied up and spanked that is.

Sista Spooky gets a taste of her own badgering when she's the helpless victim in Bondage and very unsettling things come out about Thugboy that make me question how okay I am with him being with Emp and the karmic bitchslap Willy Pete (who I still revile and cringe away from) dealt him and his friends. Also did you know Ninjette is a NEW JERSEY NINJA? Yep. Color me not surprised we are pretty violent.

And if that's not enough the Superhomey guys learn just how many of their fans think that things are occurring behind closed doors when they come across yaoi doujinshi (sadly I can attest that what is depicted is tamer then some yaoi I've readseen before).

Warren's ability to build an overarching storyline beyond Emp's self-image issues, Ninjette's drinking problems, Thugboy's anti-cape history and the Superhomey's lack of heroic-ness began slowly, but has really built steam. Many of the plot lines don't converge until later, and they're usually still full of the standard bag of gags the books are littered with, but the slow reveal about Emp's suit or the bits and pieces we hear/see about Thugboy's past are there and make completely sense in hindsight.

And truthfully by this point I was enamored of this series and kept on reading without stopping.

[M · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Empowered cast gets a chance to stretch its wings into a more well-rounded storyline from creator Adam Warren. Built on the damsel-in-distress theme, Empowered is still trying her damnedest to become a respected member of the superhero community. Her efforts, however, are continuously foiled by her knack for getting captured by the villains. The emergence of a violent ninja clan determined to take Empowered's best friend Ninjette back to Japan leads to a massive battle and some new revelations about Emp's mysterious supersuit. While chock-full of excuses to put the titular heroine into bondage predicaments, this third volume puts the pieces in place for a superhero epic. Warren himself also tries out dome darker inking styles, showing that both the artists and the character are looking to evolve. With the right amount of tenderness, action, and hilarity, Empowered is a must read for any purveyor of the super hero genre.

[Alan Castree · Rating 5 out of 5]

Jan 1st 2025

Story is picking up and a lot more is at stake. It’s has a good reminder that Adam Warren has a history of killing off characters in his other comics, which we’ll certainly see. Make me worry a bit about what’s to come in volume 12…


Story is definitely starting to evolve in this volume. Certainly a lot more violence and a lot more at stake. An amazingly illustrated ninja fight scene at the end too. Also, first big reveal of Emp's suit's sentience. If I recall correctly, there are hints in future volumes but still hasn't gone into much detail. Additionally, this is the first time (and I think only time) we see Emp's wings and power potential. She's illustrated with wings on the cover of vol.9 but I don't really recall much more information about it. There's still a lot to be revealed in future story and always a ton of detail leading up to it. Here's hoping vol.10 will pay off! Now onto vol.4 in my 3rd (maybe 4th) reread of Empowered by Adam Warren!!

[Vanessa · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is really the point where the series gains a lot of depth. It is pretty much necessary to have read the previous volume to understand some of the plot, which is not the case with the second volume. Thugboy and Ninjette have most of the development in this volume.

I do not like this volume quite as much as the previous one. There were a few jokes that went on a little too long that I just did not find funny. The marker-inked art that is used in a chapter isn't as good as the art in the rest of the book. Also, the volume starts out a little slow, as several of the stand-alone chapters are gathered at the front of the book.

[Jason · Rating 3 out of 5]

The end of this volume gets included in my soon-to-post four star review of volume 4, in that it's the beginning of the arc when ninjette loses her spirit. This volume was a bit too bondage-y for me. I think I get what Warren's trying to do here, but this series rides the line often between being socially conscious and titillating (which, admittedly, is part of what makes it so brilliant) that I vacillate in my opinion about it. There's definitely nothing else like it out there, I'll say that much.

[Jay Daze · Rating 4 out of 5]

More naughty bondage fun with a sweet story of a girl with an easily torn costume, her hunky thug boy friend, and a ninjette girlfriend who has a crush on said boyfriend....but that doesn't come up in this volume. There is a re-occurrence of 'sexy librarian' but I liked the art for it in volume 2 better. Still, lots of drool worthy art for this knuckle dragger and funny stories. Also enjoyed the elaboration on thug-boy's anti-villain/anti-superhero past.

[Korynn · Rating 2 out of 5]

I wish the volumes tried to evolve Empowered's character more...instead she continues to be manipulated into ridiculous sexual situations, put down by more thugs and villains, and finally sent up by a new rival. Still, there is more story about Thugboy's mysterious past and at the end we learn her and Ninjette's real names.

[Darkblob · Rating 4 out of 5]

Et voilà, Warren, quoique restant toujours dans la comédie sexy, par le biais de flashback montre que son histoire n'est pas aussi rose que ça, et qu'il y a des choses à attendre de la suite. Et ce n'est pas Emp qui me contredira lorsqu’elle se permet de rappeler le sort qui a attendu les héros des précédentes séries de l'auteur : des morts violentes.

[Will · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed it as much as the first two. I keep wanting it to be more satirical, but toward the end of this volume it seemed like it might be heading that way. Still a ton of cheesecake, so hard to tell if it's making fun of that or if it's just presenting it. I'll probably check out another volume, but if it's more of the same, I'm not sure if I'll continue.

[Stacey · Rating 4 out of 5]

I can't believe I read these books. I can't believe I enjoy these books.

Volume 3 is more of the same superhero comedy of a girl who wants to be a better superhero but a fragil super suit, and a fragile self esteen, keep her to the D-list.

[Caleb · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is probably the weakest of the four volumes that have been released thus far, but it's still my favorite, on account of the fact that its the only one that blurbed me (name AND publication...woo hoo!)

[Mollie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another hilarious addition to the series. Emp is amazing as always and I love her real name, if only we knew how to correctly pronounce it. A fun-filled romp into her life and I can't wait to start the new book.

[Nikki · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm really getting into this series. The scenarios Emp get's involved in are amusing, & we get more backstory on Ninjette & Thugboy. Plus Empowered has a epic moment at the end of this volume. Will read the next volume.

[Brillosaurusrex · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wieder sehr lustig, süß, sexy, blutig und kurzweilig.
In dieser Volume kommerzialisiert eine andere Superchica Emps hilflosigkeit und Ninjettes ehemaliger Ninjaklan will sie zurückholen um ihren Uterus in eine "Babymaschine" zu verwandeln. Klingt strange? OH JA xD

[Michael · Rating 1 out of 5]

sick of this series

[Sally Kilpatrick]

This series amuses me--especially the Caged Demon Wolf. It's definitely rated R so consider yourself forewarned.

[Robert Wright · Rating 3 out of 5]

Empowered is what it is: a funny, sexy, manga inspired bit of light entertainment.

Pass your time with it, if that's your thing. If not, there's plenty of Alan Moore wannabes on the shelf ...