Sunday Spotlight - Buffy Season 8

Buffy the Vampire Slayer was one of the most popular shows when it was on. Seven years of chronicling the adventures of the Slayer and her friends were just not enough, so when it was announced in 2001 that Dark Horse would be continuing the series in comic form, with original creator Joss Whedon producing, fans were ecstatic.



Following the destruction of Sunnydale and the awakening of every potential Slayer on the planet, Buffy Summers has become a leader to the vast army of young women who have suddenly received superpowers. Travelling the world, the Slayer army does what they can to protect the rest of humanity from the demons and vampires that previously only inhabited the shadows. A new threat, known only as Twilight, has risen and is hunting the Slayers down. Buffy must rally her forces and overcome this new foe. She also has to deal with the feelings of her heart, the doubts of her allies and for some reason her little sister is now a giant.

As much as I love the writing from this series, the real highlight is Georges Jeanty's art. It manages to capture the spirit of the actor that originally played the character, as well as their image. While not exact images of the actors, there is enough of a resemblance that they're easily recognisable. The art really captures the mood of each story, sometimes brooding, sometimes light-hearted but always outstanding.

One of the benefits of the story continuing through comics rather than another medium is that there are no budget constraints. There have always been comic tie-in stories to the Buffy series but they were secondary stories. Having the main story now told through this format means that there is a massive scope to use. Entire worlds can be created, invasions and battles and astounding feats of acrobatics all shown that would have been incredibly difficult (and costly) to film. Another strength is the arc format that Buffy has always had – it is quite easy to transfer this format to comics. Each issue is an act, each book is an episode, each arc is a season. Season ten has just begun and is continuing the tradition of great story-telling.

Buffy: the Vampire Slayer Season 8 vol. 1 – The Long Way Home – 9781593078225 - $27.99 – 136 pages

Wednesday Weirdness - Formerly Known as the Justice League

Wednesday Weirdness is the day when we remember that sometimes, comics are just downright WEIRD! We take individual panels and present them out of context. If you’ve got a panel you’d like to submit, you can do so here.


Formerly Known as the Justice League #4, 2003, Keith Giffen & J.M. DeMatteis (writers), Kevin Maguire (artist)

Movie Monday: Superman/Batman: Public Enemies

Director: Sam Liu

Writer: Stan Berkowitz

Starring: Kevin Conroy, Tim Daly, Clancy Brown, Allison Mack, John C. McGinley, LeVar Burton, CCH Pounder

Release: 2009

Lex Luthor has (somehow) been elected President of the United States, building a government-sponsored group of superheroes. Batman and Superman remain distrustful and this is only reinforced when Luthor uses Metallo's death following a battle with Superman to frame the Man of Steel for Metallo's murder. Batman and Superman are forced to go on the run, hunted by both former allies and villains who are eager to collect the bounty offered.

Meanwhile, a kryptonite asteroid gets closer and closer to Earth. Refusing aid from superheroes, President Luthor attempts to use nuclear weapons to destroy it. When this fails, he decides that it will be easier to rebuild civilisation after the asteroid has destroyed it. When Batman and Superman learn of this, they must find a way to stop Luthor, the asteroid and clear their names. But with allies and enemies on their tails, they may not have enough time.

Adapted from the Jeph Loeb story of the same name, Superman/Batman: Public Enemies, the film features the voice actors that had become iconic for voicing the characters in the animated series, but the film isn't directly associated with those series beyond this. Conroy and Daly have really captured the spirit of both Batman and Superman over the years to the point where it seems almost unnatural to hear someone else playing either of them.

The story itself is just as convoluted as the comic it comes from, but it features some great action sequences. As an adaptation, it's superb – save for a few minor changes, it's basically the same story. This is great for people who loved the book and want to see it as a movie, but it's not a perfect jumping off point for newcomers. It does rely heavily on knowledge of the characters from other sources – which to be fair, if you're buying a direct-to-DVD animated movie about Superman and Batman on the run, you probably have an idea who they are.

Honestly, I think this film is better for younger audiences and truly devoted fans. While the acting is amazing and it's great to see well-made adaptations (and all of the DC animated films are amazing adaptations), this is one that it's probably best to just read the book.

Superman/Batman: Public Enemies – 9781401248185 - $32.99 – 336 pages

Sunday Spotlight - Dead Boy Detectives

Originally from the pages of Neil Gaiman's Sandman, the Dead Boy Detectives have previously had graphic novels written about them, and also appeared in the massive crossover Vertigo had, before they decided not to do those any more. Now, Edwin and Charles, the Dead Boy Detectives, have their own on-going series that has recently been released in trade paperback.



Edwin Paine and Charles Rowland are dead. They both died at the boarding school St. Hilarion's – Edwin in 1916 and Charles in 1990. However, Death was a little busy at the time, and so both boys lingered on, travelling the world as ghosts. To occupy their time, they formed a detective agency – the Dead Boy Detectives. Sometimes they find missing cats, sometimes lost objects. But now they've stumbled onto a much bigger case – they foiled a daring art theft and managed to save Crystal Palace, the teenaged daughter of two prominent celebrity artists. Unfortunately, Crystal saw them and realises that they must be ghosts (she's quite taken with the idea, in fact). She decides to head to St. Hilarion's to investigate further. Edwin and Charles follow, well aware of the horrors that lurk in St. Hilarion's halls, since those are what killed the boys so many years before. Now, they must try to protect Crystal – and possibly discover the truth about their own deaths along the way.

I'll admit to being a fan of the concept of the Dead Boy Detectives since I first saw them in Sandman. Two ghostly boys meandering through the afterlife and solving crimes? It's the Hardy Boys with ectoplasm! When I learned that the artist would be Mark Buckingham, I was sold on the new series. I love Buckingham work on Fables, and he brings the same level of quality to this book too. He melds the fantastic and the mundane superbly, making him a great choice to bring Toby Litt's story to life. Speaking of the story, it has a great mix of “boy's own adventure” coupled with some really dark horror themes that work well with the shared universe of Sandman. Edwin, Charles and Crystal don't bother disbelieving that the spirits, demons and magic they face is real – it's clearly real, so they better just get on with it. The adventures themselves follow the classic children's adventures; they're almost Enid Blyton, sometimes, but with a heavy dose of visceral horror.

This isn't a book for everyone. Sandman fans might find it too light, and younger fans could find the horror aspects a little too frightening – there's a couple of sequences of Edwin and Charles returning to their dead bodies that have been illustrated in beautiful detail by Buckingham, but that makes them incredibly confronting. It works wonderfully as a nostalgia-filled adventure, but I think the main appeal will be to those in their mid-teens, around the same age as the characters. The story develops nicely and introduces some good friendship drama along with the mysteries (ghostly and otherwise) that the characters must solve. It's definitely a series that I'm going to keep reading.

Dead Boy Detectives is available now.

Dead Boy Detectives vol. 1: Schoolboy Terrors – 9781401248895 - $16.99 – 160 pages

Wednesday Weirdness - Dead Boy Detectives

Wednesday Weirdness is the day when we remember that sometimes, comics are just downright WEIRD! We take individual panels and present them out of context. If you’ve got a panel you’d like to submit, you can do so here.


Dead Boy Detectives #5, 2014, Toby Litt (writer), Mark Buckingham (artist)

Movie Monday - Sin City

The new Sin City film, Sin City: A Dame to Kill For is being released this week, so I thought we'd look back at the original film from what seems so very long ago.



Director: Robert Rodriguez, Frank Miller, Quentin Tarantino

Writer: Frank Miller

Starring: Bruce Willis, Jessica Alba, Clive Owen, Devon Aoki, Rosario Dawson, Alexis Bledel, Benicio del Toro, Michael Clarke Duncan, Rutger Hauer, Mickey Rourke, Michael Madsen, Elijah Wood, Nick Stahl, Powers Boothe, Brittany Murphy, Jaime King

Release: 2005

Basin City – a wretched hive of scum and villainy, known to those that live there simply as Sin City. A place where everyone is on the take and only looking out for themselves. The darkness in every person is free to come out from the shadows. Only a few good souls exist, and even they are tarnished by the grim they must deal with daily. Three intersecting stories follow a variety of characters faced with impossible choices, up against the insurmountable odds arrayed against them, from mafia bosses, corrupt cops and politicians, as well as their own demons that haunt their every waking moment.

THE SQUEE

• Rodriguez created an amazing adaptation of Frank Miller's graphic novels – visually, it's completely accurate. Unlike Watchmen, this isn't just through re-creating the panels with actors, but capturing the same style as the comic. Using the stark contrasts of black and white (with occasional colours thrown in), Rodriguez has made an amazing film that captures the pulp noir atmosphere that made the books so popular.
• Ultraviolence does give the action movie lover in me a thrill, and the film delivers a LOT of that.
• Deadly little Miho. Devon Aoki is simply fantastic. Actually, the whole cast is outstanding; Elijah Wood delivers one of his creepiest roles ever, Bruce Willis was perfectly cast as the reluctant hero cop and Mickey Rourke's Marv dominates the movie.

THE SUCK

• That actually brings up one of the sucks of the film. Save one character, all the female characters in the film are either hookers, strippers or a combination of the two. While this is true of the comics, it's not particularly comfortable there either. It somewhat fits the pulp feel of the stories, drawing on the old tropes of the femme fatale and the fallen woman that tempts the gumshoe hero, but it might have been nice to buck that trend and have a female character that wasn't primarily defined by her connection with the male desire for her or how her pain affects him.

The three stories that appear in Sin City are available in these volumes.

Sin City 1: The Hard Goodbye – 9781593072933 - $34.99 – 280 pages

Sin City 3: The Big Fat Kill – 9781593072957 - $34.99 – 184 pages

Sin City 4: That Yellow Bastard – 9781593072964 - $34.99 – 240 Pages

Sunday Spotlight - August recommendations

Oops, I forgot to give my recommendations for August releases!

Avatar The Last Airbender: The Rift Part Two - Gene Luen Yuang & Michael Dante Dimartino – 9781616552961 – Paperback - $19.99

Following the characters of the amazing anime series Avatar: the Last Airbender, this series is great for fans of the television show of all ages. Written by the same team that helped create the previous volumes in the range The Search and The Promise, this continuation of the anime series is a good companion to the current anime series, Avatar: the Legend of Korra. Great for manga fans of all ages.

Spike: Into the Light - James Marsters - 9781616554217 - Hardcover - $29.99

Spike, the OTHER vampire with a soul from the hugely successful Buffy the Vampire Slayer franchise, has been a fan-favourite since his first appearance. This original graphic novel takes place during the events of the last season of Buffy and is written by the actor that portrayed Spike. Fans will absolutely love this book, as it gives insights into the character that only the actor can deliver. Much like the original show, the story is bittersweet and packed with action.


Justice League of America’s Vibe vol. 1 - Geoff Johns & Andy Kreisberg - 9781401243319 - Paperback - $24.99

After the accident his brother is sucked into another dimension, Cisco Ramone discovers that he has developed strange powers. Using his new found abilities, he fights crime. Light-hearted and aimed at a younger audience than most superhero comics, this book should appeal to fans of Blue Beetle and Spider-man.

Batman: A Celebration of 75 Years - Various - 9781401247584 – Hardcover - $75.99

Since 1939, Bruce Wayne has donned his cape and cowl before speeding out into the night, protecting the city of Gotham (and sometimes the citizens of Earth) from all the criminal threats thrown at them. 2014 marks the 75th anniversary of Batman’s debut. This is a beautiful collection of the best stories that describe the Dark Knight’s battles against his bizarre villains – Two-Face, Catwoman, Poison Ivy the Riddler, Bane, Hugo Strange and of course, the Joker. There are other tales as well, ones that introduce some of the more iconic elements of the Dark Knight, most notably Robin. Great for collectors and fans looking for that special gift.

Supergirl vol. 4: Out of the Past - Michael Alan Nelson - 9781401247003 - Paperback - $26.99

Following the betrayal of H’El, Kara Zor-El must re-evaluate her place in this human world she has found herself in. Leaving Earth, she searches the galaxy for some hint as to her destiny – but instead finds a deadly enemy in the form of the Cyborg Superman. Collecting parts from the ongoing Supergirl series as well as the one-shot comic Cyborg Superman written for “Villain’s Month”, this book continues the adventures of Supergirl trying to find some form of certainty in a hostile world.

Action Comics vol. 3: At the End of Days - Grant Morrison - 9781401246068 - Paperback - $29.99

Set five years before the present Superman series, Action Comics details the initial adventures of the Man of Steel as he attempts to protect a world that fears and mistrusts him. When the universe keeps throwing deadly threats at Metropolis, Superman has no choice save standing between them and the people he cares about. Grant Morrison returns to Superman’s roots in this volume, reintroducing classic foes to the New 52 universe.

The Unwritten vol. 9: The Unwritten Fables - Mike Carey - 9781401246945 - Paperback - $26.99



The Unwritten is known for delving into the worlds of literature, from Moby Dick to Gilgamesh to Enid Blyton and now it features the first crossover into the world of fairy tales – with the assistance of the characters of Fables. Tom Taylor steps into the world where the Fables of Fabletown are locked in a struggle against the dark powers that made them flee their homelands. Both Unwritten and Fables have had massive critical success and Unwritten in particular is a story that should appeal to anyone with a love of good literature.

Batman Li’l Gotham vol. 2 - Dustin Nguyen & Derek Fridolfs - 9781401247232 - Paperback - $22.99




Perfect for all ages, Dustin Nguyen and Derek Fridolfs deliver another fantastic volume of short adventures involving Batman and Damian Wayne, the latest Robin. In each story, the Dynamic Duo are faced with crime on different holidays, whether it’s the Fourth of July or Father’s Day. With lots of heart and a strong focus on family, the Li’l Gotham series was a huge success when it was originally published digitally.

Wednesday Weirdness - Saucer Country

Wednesday Weirdness is the day when we remember that sometimes, comics are just downright WEIRD! We take individual panels and present them out of context. If you’ve got a panel you’d like to submit, you can do so here.


Saucer Country #4, 2012, Paul Cornell (writer), Ryan Kelly (artist)

Movie Monday - Dr. Horrible's Sing-a-long Blog

Not quite a movie today for Movie Monday, but I'm still on a kick from Guardians of the Galaxy, so I wanted to review something slightly different. It still ties in to comics as it has very 'comic' sensibility and spawned a tie-in that helped explain some of the (many) unanswered questions fans wanted to know. Welcome to the review of Dr. Horrible's Sing-a-long Blog!



Director: Joss Whedon

Writer: Maurissa Tancharoen, Jed Whedon, Joss Whedon, Zack Whedon

Starring: Felicia Day, Nathan Fillion, Neil Patrick Harris

Release: 2008

Dr. Horrible is a low-key supervillain, keeping the world updated on his goal of world domination by means of his video blog. He is constantly thwarted in his attempts to make the world a better place (under his iron-fisted rule) by the heroic Captain Hammer. Despite all of this, Dr. Horrible has a sensitive soul, as all he really wants is to be able to talk to the girl of his dreams. His opportunity comes when he befriends her in his civilian life only to watch as she begins dating Captain Hammer. He also learns that his application to the Evil League of Evil has been rejected unless he commits an act of pure evil (like murder). This seems like an opportunity to kill two birds with one stone...

THE SQUEE

• The format is something that was incredibly ground-breaking at the time – three fifteen minute acts, many of them delivered directly to a webcamera and it was a musical. The songs are catchy - I dare you to listen to the soundtrack without finding yourself humming at least one song later. It's a proper musical too, with the blurring of reality that comes when people suddenly burst into a five-minute song about their feelings and everyone acts like it didn't happen. Couple that with snappy direction and editing and you end up with something that feels epic at a 42 minute running time.
• This cast. This really cemented Felicia Day as a geek icon. Neil Patrick Harris already had established his awesomeness over the years, as had Nathan Fillion, thanks to Firefly, but here we learned they could sing too! The three stars manage to make every line memorable, which is important in something with a limited timeframe like this.
• The concepts suggested. This is a world with a supervillain on pair with the Green Goblin or the Red Skull called... Bad Horse. And is an actual horse. (His terrifying death-whinny...) This is a world where superheroes are an everyday occurrence, where you have to apply in writing to join the Evil League of Evil and where being exceptionally sweaty can be considered a superpower. It's no wonder that the tie-in comics were a success – the whole world is crying out for a massive story.
• All of these are secondary to the writing. As is common in the Whedon style, it is immensely quotable but gives every character their moment of heart.

THE SUCK

• After saying such glowing things about the writing, there are some parts that are letdowns. Plot-wise, the story is nothing new. The focus on the “villain” is good but Dr. Horrible is still a standard protagonist – he doesn't want to kill anyone and his primary motivation is love. Of course, this is to make him likeable – it is his story, after all. This means that everything is shown through his eyes and other characters are there to further his story rather than existing with their own motivations.
• While part of the appeal is the low-budget nature of the blog, it does make the world feel like it consists solely of film studio backlots and stages. There's an empty quality to the world that a slightly more expensive production wouldn't have. It's not a drawback per se (like I said, part of the appeal of Dr. Horrible is the DIY aspect of its production) but it does give the mini-series a different quality.

If you loved Dr. Horrible, you really should check out the graphic novel tie-in from Dark Horse that expands back stories for some of the characters and fleshes out the world more.

Dr. Horrible and Other Horrible Stories – 9781595825773 - $17.99 – 80 pages

Sunday Spotlight - Superman: Earth One

The 'Earth One' series has been a great idea to bring in new readers – take a classic character such as Batman or Superman and give them a modern day origin. Couple that with an outstanding team up of artist and writer and you've got a guaranteed good read.



Clark Kent is trying to find his place in the world. Sent to our world from a dying planet, raised by two simple folk, he now wants to give something back to the world. His first step is to provide for his mother – consequently he applies for a number of jobs where his abilities and above-human intelligence would warrant a sizeable income, but he cannot decide on one that would make him happy, as his mother wants. His search is interrupted by the arrival of another alien, one called Tyrell who has been searching for the Last Son of Krypton for decades. Tyrell threatens to annihilate thousands of people unless the Kryptonian steps forward and reveals himself. But can Clark trust Tyrell to keep his word? And can he risk revealing himself to a world not yet ready to face its place in the universe?

J. Michael Straczynski delivers a solid story about Clark Kent making his first attempt to protect Earth from an outside force. He couples heavy action sequences with much slower flashbacks to Clark talking with his parents about the responsibilities and risks of revealing his superpowers. It's a style that would be used again in Man of Steel (which draws a significant amount of inspiration from this story). The story itself is pretty straightforward and follows the same sort of format Superman origin stories tend to follow. Clark has doubts, there's a threat, Clark reveals himself as Superman to stop the threat. The introduction of Tyrell was an interesting twist, as it changes what had been previously established about the destruction of Krypton, and it's elements like this that really show what the 'Earth One' range can do.

Where the story falls down is the more human elements of the story. It's great seeing Superman realise something no one else does, or even for him to be outsmarted, but it consistently sets him more apart from humanity than he already is. Usually the role of keeping him in touch with the human race is up to Lois Lane and Jimmy Olsen, and that's true here. Unfortunately, it seems like their roles have been reversed for some reason, and it makes them less interesting. Jimmy is constantly putting himself in danger for a better photograph (much like Lois normally does) but it feels more like a thrill-seeking action than quest for a story. This is a major point of the plot, which is why it feels like there's a heavy emphasis on it. Traditionally, Superman's strongest link with humanity has been his relationship with Lois (not counting his parents). Earth One only gives him the beginning of this relationship, and makes it about Lois and Jimmy, but more one-sided; Clark feels like he has a connection with them, but they don't really know him at all.

For fans of Man of Steel, this book will feel very familiar, but if you're after more, there is a sequel. For new readers, it's a good way of introducing the main concepts of Superman without being caught up in the continuity of the main series. The book works well as a stand alone story (much like the film did) and makes an easy read for newcomers to the superhero style.

Superman: Earth One – 9781401224691 - $17.99 – 136 pages

Wednesday Weirdness - All-Star Superman

Wednesday Weirdness is the day when we remember that sometimes, comics are just downright WEIRD! We take individual panels and present them out of context. If you’ve got a panel you’d like to submit, you can do so here.


All-Star Superman #4, 2006, Grant Morrison (writer), Frank Quitely (artist)

Jimmy, you really don't.

Movie Monday - Guardians of the Galaxy

OOGA-CHUCKA OOGA-CHUCKA OOGA-OOGA-CHUCKA



Director: James Gunn

Writer: James Gunn

Starring: Chris Pratt, Zoe Saldana, Bradley Cooper, Dave Bautista, Vin Diesel, Lee Pace, Karen Gillan, Michael Rooker, Glenn Close, Djimon Honsou, Sean Gunn

Release: 2014

Peter Quill (occasionally known as Star-Lord,) is your typical abducted Earthling – he's brash, loud, arrogant and steals things for money. When he double-crosses his boss and tracks down an artefact on the abandoned world of Morag, he finds that the forces of the Kree renegade Ronan the Accuser are also after the item. All Quill wants is a payday, but he'll have to deal with murderous assassins and dangerous raccoon-like bounty hunters first. Thrown into prison with the people trying to hunt him, Quill manages to form them into a band that may have a hope of stopping Ronan's plans to destroy the fragile peace that currently hangs between the stellar empires. And behind it all, a darker, more sinister power awaits to be woken...

THE SQUEE

• Everything. All the things. OK, most of the things. Let's start with the cast. This was an amazing cast, from Chris Pratt and the other leads right down to the extras.
• The directing was top notch. I'm now of the opinion that the Gunn family are the new Raimi family. Think about the similarities between James Gunn and Sam Raimi – both got started directing at a young age, focussed on horror with a side of wacky comedy, moved into superheroes with an independent film and then landed massive Marvel movies. They both have actor brothers (Sean and Ted respectively), who know how to ham it up perfectly. They also have writer brothers (Brian and Ivan, respectively) who have a few films under their belts, but aren't as well known. The parallels are definitely there. (In this scenario, Nathan Fillion is Bruce Campbell.)
• This leads me to the cameos. These were a real treat. You kind of expect to see Easter Eggs in Marvel movies nowadays, and they're a great way of making the universe feel real and lived in. Mentioning too many would be spoileriffic, but there are some to look out for. The dog in the spacesuit at the Collector's is a great reference to the Guardians comics series. Thanos is basically there as a cameo, but he brought a huge amount of menace to his scenes. The stinger at the very end of the credits has a cameo I never thought I'd see in the Marvel films, but hey, there it was.
• The character design was outstanding. Two that really stood out were Ronan the Accuser and Nebula. Lee Pace and Karen Gillan nailed those characters so well. Ronan wasn't particularly memorable (to me, anyway) until about midway through the film, upon which he became AWESOME. Nebula looked amazing throughout, a great counterpart to Gamora's awesome, and Gillan infused Nebula with the perfect amount of attitude that you really got a sense of who this person was from just a few lines.
• Rocket! I want to pet him! I might lose a hand, but he was adorable! Much soft! So fur! Wow!
• I am Groot.
• One of the major promotion aspects of the film was the soundtrack. The classic 1980s tunes were a nice contrast to the typically epic score that most sci-fi action films would go for.
• The humour of the film was fantastic – it wasn't the somewhat ad libbed feel of Iron Man or the funny dissonance of Thor. It was never afraid to throw something completely ridiculous at a serious moment, and was always clever enough not to underplay a touching moment with anything too zany. The best humour always builds on emotion, rather than detracting from it, and the writing managed to use humour to build scenes to satisfying conclusions.

THE SUCK

• Actually, I felt that Gamora was underused. This may not be a popular opinion with everyone (I haven't read any other reviews yet, so I don't know what other people are saying, but Zoe Saldana is a goddess, so I suspect people are going to be pro-Gamora). Gamora is incredibly kick-ass, and I felt that in this film she was simply 'action movie girl' – sure, the movie was going for an 80's action movie vibe, but Gamora is better than that. She doesn't get taken prisoner by three goons and dragged off unless she wants to go somewhere else so she doesn't scare the rest of the populace with blood-splattering violence.
• I already mentioned what I thought of Ronan until about halfway through the film, but since he was the villain, him not leaving an impression on me wasn't particularly great. Fortunately, Nebula was there to make up for it.

So there you have it. It's a big silly blockbuster that has some fun action sequences, some great lines and a lot of heart. Now if you'll excuse me, I'm going to go dig out some mix tapes.

Sunday Spotlight - Empowered

We generally deal with titles that can be enjoyed by everyone, but today we're looking at something that isn't really always appropriate for younger readers. Don't worry, it says NSFW right there on the cover so you have been warned. That being said, Empowered is an AMAZING book and if you're eighteen or older, you'll love reading it.



Empowered is a superheroine, but she's not exactly top tier. Her powers come from a fantastic suit and can give her flight and super-strength, but only when she wears only the suit. Unfortunately, the suit only works if it is one piece, and since it's extremely fragile, she ends up losing her powers at the most inopportune moments. This means she ends up captive to a lot of supervillains. A LOT. In fact, she's something of a joke in the superhero community (although she has become an expert on knot-tying). She has to deal with mockery from her peers, rope-chafing, low self-esteem and no respect on either side of the law. Things start to change when she meets Thug-Boy, a former henchman of a supervillain and there's an instant attraction. As they start a relationship, Empowered also meets Ninjette, a hard-drinking warrior from a ninja clan in New Jersey. With these two friends at her side, things are starting to look up for Empowered's life (although she still has to take a job as a bad impersonator of herself).

Adam Warren began Empowered as commissions for bondage fetishists, which is part of why Empowered ends tied up so often. Before too long, the character started to form as a parody of those commissions – what would a superhero be like if they continually got captured by villains? Surprisingly, Warren makes Empowered a well-rounded character, with flaws, hopes, and dreams. She has a strong motivation for what she does and the comic has grown into something much more than the sex gags it started out with. There's still a lot of sex in there (and including it makes Empowered and Thug-boy's relationship one of the more realistic couples in superhero comics) but it's more about the character dynamics and overall plots. There's very few comics that can be both hilarious and heartbreaking at the same time, but Empowered manages it.

This is definitely not a comic for everybody. The art style draws heavily on manga and leans hard towards fanservice (especially for bondage fetishists). However, it does have one of the most realistically human superheroines currently being written. She has concerns about her body - understandable, since she has to run around the city fighting crime wearing nothing but skin-tight latex. She loves her friends and will do anything for them. She hates her job and has to put up with idiot co-workers. Sometimes, she has fights with her boyfriend. She saves the world, but doesn't get the credit she deserves. For a genre rooted in power fantasies, Empowered is refreshingly down-to-earth, which is amazing since it's a series that has a man with a cinder block for a head as recurring character.

If you like superhero parodies, as well as heroines who overcome their own insecurities despite everyone telling them they're useless (and you're not bothered by too much sex-comedy), I strongly recommend Empowered. She may not be the usual 'strong female protagonist' but she is definitely one of the most relatable.

Empowered vol. 1 – 9781593076276 - $27.99 – 248 pages