Empowered Vol. 11
by Adam Warren
Reckon with the man Adam Warren and his works! Especially Empowered. I gotta say the only thing that’s gotten worse about the Empowered series is that they don’t come out as often as they used to. Is it a superhero comic? A parody of superheroes? A manga? A sci-fi story? It’s really all of those things. Adam Warren has been able to grow and mature his little baby which started out as short “sketches” of a damsel in distress into a full grown mature “woman” of a comic. One that has something to say. But then again, Warren has always been criminally underrated.
Empowered 11 is the first time we’re dealing with a single sequence instead of the back and forth snippets that have been the style since the beginning. Yes, hot off the events of Empowered 10, this volume deals with the aftermath in one long shot. Gone are the lead-in briefings catching us up on what we need to know, as most of the exposition is seamlessly blended into the story. In Warren’s style of comic wit and fast-paced action, we are dealt with a story powered by struggles, power vacuums, insane character designs, pop-culture references, a nice mixing of brains and brawn, and a clever ol’ button at the end the way only Warren can deliver. Unfortunately, like the previous few volumes, it’s kind of hard to reconcile a superhero who’s on the one hand so capable and focused on the task at hand, and at the same time such a sad sack that needs to be propped up by everyone around her. I don’t know if any of us really want a friend like that. Then again, she has saved everyone’s lives on multiple occasions. That aside, there is absolutely no doubt, now more than ever, Warren’s artwork is an absolute mammoth to behold: his story vividly coming off the page in such a dynamic way, all due to the mastery of a single pencil. Since it’s been so long since the previous Empowered volume and my memory ain’t what it used to be, I struggled a bit following exactly what the backstory is these characters, which is a great excuse to reread the series.
Empowered 11 tries something new and succeeds at it: it ups the ante and uncovers a lot more along the way. Whether this volume has left its creator completely decimated is another story. The Empowered series doesn’t seem to be slowing down, and when it’s this good, why should it?
