READ THIS! Empowered volume 1 by Adam Warren

Elissa has a problem. Well, she thinks she has many; weak willed, misproportioned, etc. But, chief among her problems is that she's a associate member of The Super Homeys. Ellisa is a super hero. And not a very good one.

Plagued with personal image issues, unreliable super powers granted by a flimsy, and extremely revealing, super suit, and her perpetual defeat - and subsequent capture, Elissa - better known as "Empowered" - is definitely not what you'd call a successful superhero; unless, by success, you mean continuously getting caught and tied up in provocative ways.

Adam Warren by Adam Warren

Empowered is written and penciled by American Comic Artist Adam Warren; best known for his English Language rendition of The Dirty Pair, and guest spots on hits like Gen 13. Here he takes an unlikely source, and creates the epic tale of a tragically challenged super hero.

You see, as he tells it, Empowered started as a commision piece for a client with... unique tastes. From there he ran with it; creating little blurps in the life of an up and coming, while still managing to spoof the super hero world. (In a very meta moment, Empowered lamintes to the reader about being in a manga style comic that most super hero readers don't like because it's manga, and that most manga readers don't like super heroes.)

I hate when that happens!

Volume one is presented as a series of shorts, usually starting with Empowered captured and helplessly bound. We also get to see her at home, in civllian cover, and in love with a very unconventional boyfriend (and close friends) for a super hero. Each story is done in "layout"; penciled with no inks or screening. But, with Warren's clean style, this give, in my opinion, a much better feeling to the over all narrative.

Ding-dong! It ain't Avon callin'.

When I first picked up the book, I admit I had my doubts. A quick glance will leave you the impression it's just a big manga fanboy tease service. However, once I get into the chracters, what makes them tick, and the dynamics of the cast, I was utterly hooked. For a fetish piece, the actual work is pretty solid. I found myself caring about Empowered, rooting for her successes (She does have a few.), and sympathising with her failures. (Not that I could relate. But, well, you get the idea.)

Empowered volume 1, b&w 247 pages, is available as a "graphic novel" by Dark Horse Comics for $14.95 at finer comic retailers. It does boast a Parental Advisory for explicit and suggestive content.