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Type of bind: Paperback
Dewey Decimal Number: 741
EAN num: 9781593078706
ISBN number: 1593078706
Label: Dark Horse
Manufacturer: Dark Horse
Quantity: 1
Page Count: 208
Printing Date: March 19, 2008
Publishing house: Dark Horse
Sale Popularity Level: 24445
Studio: Dark Horse
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Product Description:
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?
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Rated by buyers -
One of the very first of the American manga-imitators, Warren's work stands out from the pack because of his writing, his own, personal knack for simultaneously celebrating, parodying and exploiting multiple elements of pop culture (superhero genre tropes, cyberpunk sci-fi techno-babble, good girl art, hong kong action films, etc.) often on the same page, and even in the same panel. (In this his work recalls' Harvey Kurthzman and Will Elder's gag-filled work for the early Mad Magazine and their "Little Annie Fanny" strip for Playboy Magazine). So long as you can tolerate (or better, enjoy) good-natured cheesecake and copious amounts of fan service without getting enraged, you're almost guaranteed a rollicking good time reading one of his books (Recommended titles include "Titans: Rock Paper Scissors," for DC Comics and "Grunge: the Movie" for Wildstorm Entertainment).
However skilled Adam Warren is as a comic writer, he rarely gets the accolades he deserves for his talent for creating endearing characters, and writing engaging adult-orientated romantic comedy. The very first time I noticed these strengths was when I (belatedly) read his tragically truncated run scripting Wildstorm's "Gen13" (with Rick Mays providing pencils). Here Warren managed to make even the most uninteresting secondary characters, Burnout and Rainmaker interesting, and in the latter case, even compelling. It's true that the careful reader can find hints of these talents in his early work (even the utterly mindless delirium of his "Dirty Pair" adaptations) however the sheer amount of fan service, techno-babble and high-speed action he crams into his layouts usually obscures those strengths. Ultimately the problem was that comic book editors rarely gave him writing stints that were long enough for him to display this side of his talent as a writer....
... Until now, with the advent of Warren's presumably creator-owned "Empowered," published by Dark Horse Comics, home of mainstream writer/artists gone independent, like Mike "Hellboy" Mignola and Frank "Sin City" Miller. (May Warren reach similar levels of success: now that audiences are used to comic book movie adaptations, they might just be ready for a movie version of "Empowered," a faithful adaptation of which would go a long way to make up for the lackluster, "My Super Ex-Girlfriend," a well-meant dud if I ever saw one.) Though once again, the book is primarily a genre satire, and, as usual, Warren piles on the manga-esque fan service (primarily parodies of bondage art), the heart and soul of "Empowered," and the real reason (other than the assurance of irreverent comedy) I think readers come back for more, is his appealing characterization of his spectacularly inept, yet unreasonably enduring and good-natured heroine, Empowered (Emp to her close friends), and Warren's ability to convey a convincing of warmth and affection between the members of her primary supporting cast, which includes: the her ever-supportive boyfriend, Thugboy, a former professional Witless Minion-for Hire (by supervillains) who also hides a violent past as a killer of both superheroes and their adversaries, Ninjette, a usually upbeat runaway ninja princess (and borderline alcoholic) with a bounty on her head, and the dangerous, conquest-bent outer-space demon lord, who lies trapped inside a power-draining piece of space-alien bondage gear (a leftover from one of Emp's more embarrassing misadventures) that rests on the coffee table in front of the roommates TV set.
To sum, in "Empowered," Adam Warren's really at the top of his game, infusing the more recent volumes with a surprising and refreshing warmth (so long as you don't mind good girl art - something that declines in emphasis as the story goes on... sort of) as the relations between those near and dear to our plucky heroine take center stage in the third and fourth volumes. For those who can tolerate a lot of good girl-style imagery (which serves instead of stops the story) "Empowered"'s definitely worth a try. (For those doubting Thomas out there, who want to settle the issue quickly, I suggest starting with the third volume.)
Happy Reading Folks,....
Rated by buyers -
Yes it's a T&A book. Yes the lead heroine has a bad habit of getting tied up.
But it's also got a real story, powerful characters and laugh out loud humor.
Warren is also not afraid to make fun of himself and the inherent silliness of this book.
Get it. It's good.
Rated by buyers -
There is nothing so enjoyable as a book written by someone who is simply...writing what they want. Warren has a long career of taking well-know characters and imparting them with his own spin, and yet remaining true to the original (Iron Man--read Hypervelocity and tell me the writers of the recent Iron Man movie never read it), Gen 13, Dirty Pair...the list goes on. He has a knack for clever dialog and memorable scenes but never forgets a overarching plot that ties it all together. As you read you'll realize who clever he is at putting in foreshadowing. He's a dab hand at characterization and has the guts to show the good and bad of everyone. Empowered can be hilarious...and moving...and dead serious. His deep knowledge of...well, just about everything is not as obvious in Empowered as most of his other works, but he's one smart and well-read dude.
Empowered is the product of a creator having the time of his life. Relax, ride along the Warren and have fun. I can't wait for the subsequent volume.
(Kudos to Dark Horse Comics and his editor, Chris Warner, for stepping aside and setting him free to do what he wants.)
Rated by buyers -
I got this for a reasonable price including shipping. If you're a fan of Adam Warren you're going to get this anyway. As always he delivers the goods. Enjoyable.
Rated by buyers 
-
I was originally a little skeptical about buying this volume simply because I was uncertain as to the direction of which the story was going, however I am happy to say its doing rather well and the storyline is developing nicely, a tad bit slowly than desired but very nicely none the less. I look forward to the subsequent exciting volume.
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