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Empowered #2

Empowered, Volume 2

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Empowered returns for further misadventures, as a distress-prone girl wonder struggling with life on the superheroic C-list Clad - or unclad, as fate would too often have it - in her embarrassingly revealing and maddeningly unreliable supersuit, she fights a neverending battle against overly sensitive supervillains, irrationally envious superheroines, and her own body-image issues Meanwhile, her boyfriend, Thugboy, plays with fire when he foolhardily attempts to compliment his profoundly insecure sweetheart on the awe-inspiring power of her... well, booty. And her often-inebriated gal-pal, Ninjette, pursues a drunken and ultimately disastrous mission to acquire Empowered some respect - by force if necessary All this, plus crossword-obsessed goons, speech-impaired superbeasts, "Ninjas Gone Wild," and even a few self-help hints from nigh-omnipotent cosmic overlords You know, the usual.

208 pages, Paperback

First published September 26, 2007

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About the author

Adam Warren

189 books131 followers
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.

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5 stars
271 (32%)
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343 (41%)
3 stars
185 (22%)
2 stars
23 (2%)
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 42 reviews
Profile Image for Matthew.
1,223 reviews10.3k followers
January 30, 2017
Things about this volume of Empowered:

- Loose plot line composed of short stories
- Not for kids
- Gratuitous sexual innuendos and partial (nearly full) nudity
- Sarcastic humor
- Manga-ish artwork
- Black and white (cover might throw you off on this one)
- Surprisingly touching at points
- Hilarious demon trapped in a belt
- Better than Volume 1

If any of these things interest you or concern you, approach accordingly. This is a humorous, tongue-in-cheek take on female superheros that pushes the edges of tastefulness while being very amusing, actually making some good points, and pulling a heart-string or two.
Profile Image for Zedsdead.
1,369 reviews83 followers
May 30, 2016
I have mixed feelings about this series. It's sneakily smart and charming and funny, but it still makes me decidedly uncomfortable from time to time. Yet whenever I read a chapter that makes me think it's time to quit (I'm looking at you, "The Aryan Ideal of Shoulder Candy"), it's followed by two that make me want to keep going ("Fruity Flakes", "Schrödinger's Catgirl").

This just shouldn't be a good series (and yeah, sometimes it isn't). But its self-awareness and unexpected flashes of character development allow it to transcend its icky, goofy premise. There's potential here.
Profile Image for Megan.
688 reviews37 followers
June 22, 2019
Another cute installment, but I'm still waiting for the plot to begin. I'm intrigued by the promise of some Emp and Ninjette backstory in volume 3.

I also lowkey ship Ninjette and the Caged Demonwolf. Whoops. 🙊
Profile Image for Christina Nightengale.
72 reviews1 follower
February 24, 2015
This was such a fun read! Many of the chapters are hilarious, but some can be really serious and heartfelt. It ends out balancing nicely. Emp is so sweet and cares so much about helping people even if she constantly gets embarrassed in the process, that doesn't stop her. You can't help but love her. Her best friend, Ninjette is an awesome ninja who kicks butt, but has a habit of drinking a bit. She's a great friend and flawed just enough to not be a mary-sue. She's a friend you wish you had. Thug Boy is the ultimate sexy bad boy with a heart of gold. This half Japanese, half Italian guy is the kind of boyfriend many girls would day dream about. Some of the serious stories show stuff from these three characters past that seem like a good set up for future stories. I looks like Ninjette and Thug Boy got some skeletons in their closets. Sistah Spooky is a good example my the mean girl in many girl's lives are mean to them. It's not you, it's their issues and insecurities. Adam Warren does a good job of showing this with what he shows Sistah Spooky to think and feel about Emp. Adam Warren's art is also AMAZING! It is a great mix of classic american comics and Japanese Manga. I also love how he well he draws clothing! Leather jackets, jeans and shirts actually look like those articles of clothing on the characters and very different than a skintight membrane like suit does. This is not a story for kids, more M for Mature level. There are a ton of sex jokes and such. I love how Emp's a really good girl, but still loves sex. That's really empowering actually, since it is such a rare thing for good girl characters. It's a good series more people should read it. You'll have some good laughs from it.
Profile Image for Herdis Jakobsen.
73 reviews6 followers
January 9, 2015
I'm not sure how to feel about this series. It's very silly which I wont fault it for because it's clearly not trying to be serious. I picked up the second volume mostly because I was left a little unsatisfied with the first. It was very clear that this was a comic that wasn't made from a clear concept and planned storyline but instead a comic that was developing as it was being written. In some ways I guess reading something like that could be frustrating and honestly it was at first, but there's something endearing about the creation of Empowered as a character. As far as I can understand she was originally made to please a clients bondage fantasy but it looks like the more the author went along with the story the more the character developed until she was actually someone he cared about. So when by the end of the first volume I was promised longer and better chapters I was interested to see what I was going to get. Sadly I found there was still a lot of the same. Like with the first one it was mostly entertaining but pretty repetitive. That is with the exception of a few chapters which are genuinely good and one that actually made me tear up a bit. Ultimately I just feel very conflicted about this series. Part of me really wants to carry on reading for those moments where more gets revealed about the characters and for those moments with genuine emotion but another part of me is wondering if I'm wasting my money on silly bondage fantasies. It's definitely not a conflict I'd ever expect to have with a series so I guess that's something.
81 reviews1 follower
August 5, 2011
This series was recommended to me by a graphic novel-loving friend (who is male...) after I ranted that there are NO superhero books where the heroines aren't scantily clad, porn star-esque, unrealistic women, because that sort of character would be completely unappealing to the majority of comic book readers who are men. Or at least not as appealing as a book featuring a scantily clad, porn star-esque, unrealistic woman. He said to give this series a try as it features a chubby, insecure superheroine who loses her powers a lot and ends up in trouble. One look at the cover shows that's not quite a true assessment, although there is no doubting that the main character is totally insecure. Anyway, despite falling squarely into the typical-super-heroine category, it is rather cute. And I will continue to read the series. But, seriously, are there really NO superhero, action-adventure graphic novels where women aren't meant to be rescued or eye candy while they kick ass??? Seriously???
Profile Image for Emily.
1,070 reviews8 followers
August 18, 2015
Still completely inappropriate, but really entertaining. I really shouldn't like this, but I do.
Profile Image for Mike.
1,586 reviews149 followers
August 30, 2015
Still feeling conflicted about this comic. It's a bit embarrassing to read next to my wife, for one. She hasn't caught me reading a spank book yet, but it's only a matter of time before she notices a page with the hot, curvy, mostly-naked, tied-up heroine and loudly asks what exactly I'm reading.

It'll be almost as unnerving to read this on the bus to work.

And I can't exactly claim I *don't* like looking at the pictures.

And yet the author redeems himself quite often by (a) passing the Bechdel test, (b) regularly and self-referentially acknowledging the ridiculous premise, and (c) creating some adorably human and normal moments between the heroes.

Yet, the author also behaves as one who enjoys drawing the curvaceous female form in various states of peril. Should I despise him, for creating what he loves so? When creators create the things they'd like to read, that makes for better comics. And these are certainly entertaining enough to drag my attention away from all the more admired comics among my piles of paper and electrons.

Still enjoying the hell out of the Demonspawn - Doomspeak and Doom levels of arrogance make for hilarious dialogue.



And enjoyed some depth of character origin in our little Emp. Almost made me cry it was so sad.

Also like the back-of-the-envelope theory on the variable fallibility of Emp's costume - correlates solely on her self-esteem eh? Well that's pretty...believable, for a titillating silly book like this at least.
Profile Image for Batmark.
169 reviews4 followers
February 6, 2016
http://morethansuperhumans.blogspot.c...

In this volume, Emp goes undercover as a "sexy librarian" in an effort to draw out Idea Man, a supervillain with a particularly obvious fetish. Later, Ninjette dresses up in Emp's costume and beats up some henchmen who humiliated Emp earlier, but Ninjette's plan backfires when, as Thug Boy points out, now the bad guys will consider Emp to be a bigger threat than she actually is. Meanwhile, Thug Boy's past as a backstabbing henchman is coming back to haunt him, and we learn that Ninjette is actually the Ninja Princess, and the circumstances under which she left her clan are mysterious, to say the least.

This volume contains longer stories than the first one, and they tend to focus more on plot and less on bondage situations (though don't get me wrong--Emp spends many, many pages of this volume half-naked and trussed up). At this point, Warren has also started dropping hints that Thug Boy's past is soon going to cause serious problems for him (not to mention for Emp), and that Ninjette's old clan has been looking for her--and not just so they can reminisce about old times. All this serves to add some depth to the series, which I appreciate.
Profile Image for Alex Sarll.
7,060 reviews363 followers
Read
October 16, 2020
Still oddly sweet for a series about a superheroine who keeps getting her costume torn, losing her powers and being tied up. Yes, any satire risks looking like the thing it's taking the piss out of, and I often get annoyed at people missing that in criticism, but dear heavens this one is walking a wobbly tightrope sometimes. And yet...the way her boyfriend and best friend pick her up after her frequent mishaps and the shit she gets from her teammates, the occasional wins she pulls despite it all, and especially the last story here, in which we get a little more of her backstory, ensure that it's tugging heartstrings at least as often as anywhere further south. A classic example of something which in theory really shouldn't work and yet somehow does.
Profile Image for Fugo Feedback.
5,084 reviews172 followers
September 1, 2016
Llevo más de medio tomo leído y la gran mayoría de los capítulos me siguen pareciendo buenísimos. Espero no colgar... Otro año y medio :S
UPDATE: Colgué unos días nomás. Ahora sí, espero no colgar mucho hasta el tomo que viene...
Profile Image for Robert Bussie.
867 reviews3 followers
September 11, 2017
Empowered, Emp for short, is a female superhero whose superhero powers comes from her outfit. However, the super suit usually gets torn up in battle resulting in her getting tied up and gagged. This is a running joke throughout the series of this American manga.

However, this book is more than just a single bondage joke. It covers adult topics like self esteem, friendship, masturbation, pubic hair length, and how women view their bodies versus how men see it. Obviously, this book is not aimed for children.

The art work is nicely done in a black and white pencil style. There is some brief nudity done in a non-detail outline fashion. A problem I have with this book is that even with the adult topics the cuss words are marked out with black bars. The cussing does happen a lot and the black bars seem highly out of place in an adult graphic novel. I am not sure if it is my copy of the book or if all editions have the black bars.

So, will this book appeal to everyone? No. However, if you like your comic book to be funny with adult topics then give this a try.
Profile Image for Joel.
56 reviews
February 7, 2025
This comic/manga continues to be endearing and funny. It feels like kind of a guilty pleasure, I'll admit I got interested in this because the characters looked hot, but it feels very personal and human even if the characters are very one-note at the beginning. I love how Thug Boy treats Empowered, I love how supportive Ninjette is with both of them, and I also love Caged Demonwolf (he's genuinely funny to read). I'm very involved with the characters and am very interested in seeing how they and the story evolve. It's certainly episodic but it has some overarching plots that, unlike many other episodic series, maintain their importance between chapters, like Emp making Thug Boy sleep on the couch for several episodes.
And yeah, the comic is just hot. That also has to give it some points (I'm dying to see if Ninjette ever becomes an occasional or permanent part of Emp and TB's relationship).
Profile Image for Zec.
415 reviews17 followers
May 29, 2019
While the stories are slightly longer, the 2nd volume of Empowered is pretty much the same as the first. Being a collection of short stories with a slight overall arc, the quality of stories varies greatly. Some are fun and inventive while others are forgettable. It does feel like this volume is building up to something bigger but that’s exactly what the first volume felt like. I went into this volume expecting better things but this is a little lukewarm.
2,934 reviews261 followers
August 11, 2019
This book has me more torn about the series than the previous one.

While Empowered seems self aware at times, this issue lacked the character growth, humor, and fun feeling the previous issue had. There was a lot more focus on her insecurity and her ass, which wasn't as interesting and somewhat concerning.
Profile Image for Nicholas Ahlhelm.
Author 98 books19 followers
May 28, 2017
Empowered keeps getting better

Volume 1 of the series featured some stellar shorts, but as his time with the hero and her supporting cast grow, he really starts firing on all cylinders. Of course, his art is as stellar as ever.
Profile Image for Lexie.
2,066 reviews356 followers
June 3, 2021
Welcome to the second volume of our favorite bound and gagged heroine! Empowered keeps on trucking even as things manage to get even...dicier. With the addition of a Best Friend (Ninjette), a Devoted Boyfriend (Thugboy) a pet...kind of (the Caged Demonwolf) and hey maybe a bit of recognition for all her hardwork...well okay that last part is a lie. But everything else is totally true!

I find it interesting that the villains give her way more props than her fellow 'capes'. I mean, they're still willing to kidnap her and hold her for ransom, but along the way she manages to gain a fangirl (who makes her life...less than better, but hey she's genuine in her respect!I think) and is genuinely well liked outside of Superhomey teammates.

Warren takes the time to flesh out the other characters a bit more as well. We learn more about Ninjette's history as well as some less than savory aspects to Thugboy's history (in which Willy Pete still remains the creepiest mo-fo ever. End of story.) and we even get to learn more about Sista Spooky, who is a bit of a puzzle wrapped in a bitchy outercasing. I truly think there were moments when she kind of felt bad about how she treated by Emp, but they quickly got overshadowed by her petrifying hatred of pretty blondes.

Ninjette also attempts to help pump up Emp's image, but only manages to make everyone assume that Emp's rack isn't what it appears to be and the Caged Demonwolf makes veiled allusions to the true power of the suit Emp wears. Fun!
Profile Image for #ReadAllTheBooks.
1,219 reviews93 followers
January 17, 2012
I've really come to adore this series, having bought and re-read the first volume over and over again. (I'll never forgive myself for not buying the entire set from Borders when I had the chance!)

The artwork in this really is my favorite part of the volume and I really enjoyed that this was done in pencil and wasn't as slick and all inked up as the Marvel and DC issues tend to be. There's nothing wrong with that, mind you, but the pencil work in this volume really pushes home that this is done by one guy and it emphasizes the differences between the superheroine Empowered and the bigger super heroes. (One of which is that she's considered to be a D-lister, so the lack of glitzy color pages helps to emphasize this.)

The stories in this are decent and I admit that not all of them dragged me in like the first volume did, but they're still pretty good. There's hints of future plots as well as further development with the Willy Pete plot element, which will end up exploding into a huge scenario in a future volume.

This really is a fun volume overall and if you're a fan of the previous volume you'll want to check this one out. In good news, if you haven't read the first volume, you should be able to check this one out. You'll feel like you've missed out on a little story, but overall this is a pretty user-friendly series that is easy to catch up with.
Profile Image for Alan Castree.
451 reviews
December 30, 2024
December 12th 2024
Just reread my thoughts below from the last reread and feel pretty much the same. But definitely way more emotionally attached to the characters. Jeez, last few chapters of volume 2 hit hard. This part had me in tears… well timed mix of humor and emotional heavy hits.

I know things are just going to get heavier, and the only place I can share my feelings are here since no one I know seems to give to licks about this series (though I guess they put up with my raving a bit). Regardless, looking forward to 2025s reread journey to volume 12.

—————————

Probably my 3rd or 4th read of this volume. We're still setting things up here but there's a lot more emotional impact. That bit at the end was a lot more emotional since it's father's day. Also, there still seems to be 2 unresolved plot threads in this issue... not quite sure, but one of them I'm dreading.

Looking forward to continuing my readthrough of the entire series and the upcoming volume 10!! (especially since v9 was mostly all recappy stuff).
Profile Image for M.
1,681 reviews17 followers
April 1, 2016
Adam Warren returns to the world of Empowered with a second volume and a growing mythology. Still dealing with her body image issues, an unreliable supersuit, and a penchant for being the damsel in distress, Empowered relies on her pluck and determination to win over heroes and villains alike. The book begin to add some serious undertones amid all the drunken revelry and tomfoolery of the main cast, exploring the murderous past of Ninjette's ninja clan and the deaths of Thug Boy's fellow henchmen. Warren continues to use his manga pencils and street slang to privide this series with its own voice, one that sends up the superhero genre with both humor and heart. Putting heroes under the microscope of insecurity continues to generate a winning formula, as Empowered powers up for a lengthy run.
Profile Image for Vanessa.
378 reviews10 followers
May 14, 2012
With this volume, Empowered really starts to be a very good series. The Caged Demonwolf remains a consistently funny character. Ninjette and Thugboy's characterizations are deepened, and it establishes mysteries about their past for future volumes. I also really enjoy the joke villains that make appearances. I still like the look of Warren's pencil drawings.

The biggest improvement in this volume is that Empowered begins to experience some success, and we get to see how she is improving with a bigger support system. She is still a joke in the superhero community, but her every attempt at crime-fighting does not end in failure in this volume. As Emp's self-esteem improves, so does the series.
Profile Image for Joseph.
6 reviews
March 31, 2014
After the first volume, I'd hoped that this one would offer a little more character development to balance out the gratuitous bondage, but it's basically more of the same. It starts out with some generally unrelated mini-stories and only starts to pick up about half way through, where it deals mostly with Emp's insecurities. After that it gives us a little more background, but nothing terribly interesting or revealing. I was a little disappointed, but I can't say it was bad. It has some decent art, and just left me wishing it had more plot as well. I'm not sure if I'll bother reading the next volume.
Profile Image for Jay Daze.
666 reviews19 followers
July 18, 2010
Ummm, busty, bootylicious, self-aware/self-conscious and all tied up in sexy funny situations. Move over Anny Fanny, there is a new girl in town. Really like that it is in black and white, where you can see the artist's lines. Warren gives good 'good girl in peril' fun. Very much a guilty pleasure. Yes, I am going to hell.

Oh, and Volume 2 has a splash page where Empowered goes undercover as a 'sexy librarian' to flush out a science-villain with that particular fetish. See? Reading is sexy!
Profile Image for Korynn.
517 reviews9 followers
September 2, 2008
Empowered is about the worst superheroine in the world and her struggle to maintain her self-esteem, and features her amazingly supportive boyfriend, her drunken self-hating ninja best friend and a wide array of villains and heroes who consistently tie her up and/or humiliate her. This volume features more heat between Emp's boyfriend and her BFF Ninjette, the Demon Lord unexpectedly giving Emp a pep talk, and some minor successes balanced by utter shame.
Profile Image for Darkblob.
21 reviews2 followers
April 29, 2011
Toujours très joli, toujours drôle, toujours sexy. Une suite logique du premier tome, sans trop de surprises, mais avec une augmentation de ces moments ou l'auteur laisse à penser qu'il a plus de choses à raconter que le simple fait de faire attacher constamment son héroïne dans des positions scabreuses.
Profile Image for Robert Wright.
218 reviews35 followers
January 5, 2013
Empowered is a humor book that occasionally tries to have a storyline. It's a send-up of a genre where females tend to be curvaceous and scantily clad, while letting you indulge in looking at said curvaceous/scantily clad females.

So appreciate it for what it is. If that's not your cup of tea, there are plenty of other serious books.
Profile Image for Nikki.
41 reviews4 followers
July 25, 2015
ok this series it turning into a guilty pleasure 4 me, Emp despite her insecurities is shaping 2 b a likable badass superheroine. She's a good girl but no mary sue & loves sex, which is nice. The bondage is nicely satirical too especially when she goes undercover to draw out a supervillian that chapter's funny as hell too. The artwork is gorgeous. A definite read for superhero graphic novel fans.
Profile Image for Holden Attradies.
642 reviews19 followers
July 16, 2013
I still feel the art could be much improved on, but everything is is amazing! the story's are getting longer and the characters and their world much more flushed out. The humor stays top notch and I found my self laughing during almost every page.
Profile Image for Will.
204 reviews11 followers
December 10, 2015
I picked these up based on a review, and based on that review I expected them to be more satirical than they are. I like it enough to give it another volume, but I really hope it picks up in that department
Profile Image for Jason.
3,956 reviews25 followers
December 17, 2015
It'd be really easy to judge this series on appearances, but there's a lot more complex stuff going on here. I'm especially interested to see if Empowered develops as a character or if her insecure personality remains static to keep the punchline going. working on volume 3 right now...
Displaying 1 - 30 of 42 reviews

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