Empowered and the Soldier of Love
by Adam Warren and Karla Diaz
You gotta love an underdog. And if you love comics, that means you gotta love Adam Warren. I’m surprised someone of his talent isn’t more of a household name, but at the same time, I kinda like that about him. Have the best bands in history ever been the most popular? The Ramones? The Clash? Nope. The Beatles? Well, maybe. But someone like Adam Warren has been making highly original and edgy comics for almost 40 years, and if the public can’t recognize that, it’s their own loss.
I don’t know at this point if Warren is best known for the Dirty Pair, Gen13, or Empowered. The latter has certainly been his longest-lasting project: a thoroughly punk rock Sexy Superhero story written and drawn by the man himself, and edited in high contrast black and white to give it a shiny yet raw look. In fact, if you ever looked at inked and colored Empowered artwork, you might think it seems out of place with the dynamic black and white look of the series. Throughout it’s run, Empowered has taken on both short and long-form storytelling style, explored and developed its protagonists, and introduced meaningful characters. It’s an unstoppable juggernaut and a testament to good writing, excellent dialogue, and full-on determination.
But Warren has more ideas than he can draw: enter Empowered and the Soldier of Love.
Soldier of Love is a 3-issue run, written by Warren and drawn by Karla Diaz, and it’s perfect Empowered canon. This time, the superhero community suddenly becomes hyper-love-struck, and the contracted Soldier of Love is to blame. The only one aware enough of her surroundings is Emp, who, you guessed it, has to save the day. Soldier of Love is full of the trademark dialogue, witticism, originality, and heart we expect from Warren this time with shiny polished artwork provided by Diaz. It’s a story that helps to enrich the Empowered universe. Not to mention the “Pew! Pew! Pew!” one-shot at the end (written and drawn by Warren) which might be one of the greatest Empowered stories ever released.
Empowered and the Soldier of Love is another fantastic entry in the Adam Warren catalog. Check it out if you know what’s good for you. Let’s make this man rich!
