Empowered GN (2007-2024 Dark Horse) comic books

Add to cart Very Fine $24.00

Volume 1 - 1st printing.

Story and art by Adam Warren.

Not only is costumed crimefighter 'Empowered' saddled with a less-than-ideal superhero name, but she wears a skintight and cruelly revealing 'supersuit' that only magnifies her body-image insecurities. Worse yet, the suit's unreliable powers are prone to failure, repeatedly leaving her in appallingly distressing situations...and giving her a shameful reputation as the lamest 'cape' in the masks-and-tights business. Nonetheless, she pluckily braves the ordeals of her bottom-rung superheroic life with the help of her 'thugalicious' boyfriend (and former Witless Minion) and her hard-drinking ninja girlfriend, not to mention the supervillainous advice from the caged alien demonlord watching DVDs from atop her coffee table.

From Adam Warren-writer/artist of The Dirty Pair comics (the original 'Original English-Language Manga' before OEL was cool), and writer of Livewires, Gen13, and Iron Man: Hypervelocity-comes Empowered, a butt-kicking, bootylicious superhero lampoon that raises the bar for long-john lust and low-brow laughs. Remove all previous notions of superhero entertainment from your puny mind...and prepare to be Empowered!

Softcover, 6 1/2-in. x 9-in., 248 pages, B&W. Mature Readers

Cover price $14.95.

Add to cart Very Fine $15.50

Add to cart Fine $7.00

Add to cart Fine $13.00

Volume 1 - 2nd and later printings.

Story and art by Adam Warren.

Not only is costumed crimefighter 'Empowered' saddled with a less-than-ideal superhero name, but she wears a skintight and cruelly revealing 'supersuit' that only magnifies her body-image insecurities. Worse yet, the suit's unreliable powers are prone to failure, repeatedly leaving her in appallingly distressing situations...and giving her a shameful reputation as the lamest 'cape' in the masks-and-tights business. Nonetheless, she pluckily braves the ordeals of her bottom-rung superheroic life with the help of her 'thugalicious' boyfriend (and former Witless Minion) and her hard-drinking ninja girlfriend, not to mention the supervillainous advice from the caged alien demonlord watching DVDs from atop her coffee table.

From Adam Warren-writer/artist of The Dirty Pair comics (the original 'Original English-Language Manga' before OEL was cool), and writer of Livewires, Gen13, and Iron Man: Hypervelocity-comes Empowered, a butt-kicking, bootylicious superhero lampoon that raises the bar for long-john lust and low-brow laughs. Remove all previous notions of superhero entertainment from your puny mind...and prepare to be Empowered!

Softcover, 6 1/2-in. x 9-in., 248 pages, B&W. Mature Readers

Cover price $14.95.

Volume 2 - 1st printing.

Story and art by Adam Warren.

Empowered returns for further misadventures, as a distress-prone girl wonder struggles with life on the superheroic C-list! Clad-or unclad, as fate would too often have it-in her embarrassingly revealing and maddeningly unreliable supersuit, she fights a neverending battle against overly sensitive supervillains, irrationally envious superheroines, and her own body-image issues! Meanwhile, her boyfriend, Thugboy, plays with fire when he foolhardily attempts to compliment his profoundly insecure sweetheart on the awe-inspiring power of her . . . well, booty. And her often-inebriated gal-pal, Ninjette, pursues a drunken and ultimately disastrous mission to acquire Empowered some respect-by force if necessary!

All this, plus crossword-obsessed goons, speech-impaired superbeasts, 'Ninjas Gone Wild,' and even a few self-help hints from nigh-omnipotent cosmic overlords! You know, the usual.

Softcover, 6 1/2-in. x 9-in., 208 pages, B&W. Mature Readers

Cover price $14.95.

Add to cart Fine $9.49

Add to cart Fine $9.49

Volume 2 - 2nd and later printings.

Story and art by Adam Warren.

Empowered returns for further misadventures, as a distress-prone girl wonder struggles with life on the superheroic C-list! Clad-or unclad, as fate would too often have it-in her embarrassingly revealing and maddeningly unreliable supersuit, she fights a neverending battle against overly sensitive supervillains, irrationally envious superheroines, and her own body-image issues! Meanwhile, her boyfriend, Thugboy, plays with fire when he foolhardily attempts to compliment his profoundly insecure sweetheart on the awe-inspiring power of her . . . well, booty. And her often-inebriated gal-pal, Ninjette, pursues a drunken and ultimately disastrous mission to acquire Empowered some respect-by force if necessary!

All this, plus crossword-obsessed goons, speech-impaired superbeasts, 'Ninjas Gone Wild,' and even a few self-help hints from nigh-omnipotent cosmic overlords! You know, the usual.

Softcover, 6 1/2-in. x 9-in., 208 pages, B&W. Mature Readers

Cover price $15.95.

Add to cart Near Mint $12.00

Add to cart Very Fine $11.00

Volume 3 - 1st printing.

Story and art by Adam Warren.

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 the 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? Softcover, 6 1/2-in. x 9-in., 208 pages, B&W. Mature Readers NOTE: "Empowered just may be the best graphic novel I've read all year." - Devon Sanders, Rack Raids Cover price $14.95.

Add to cart Good $3.10

Volume 3 - 1st printing.

Story and art by Adam Warren.

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 the 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? Softcover, 6 1/2-in. x 9-in., 208 pages, B&W. Mature Readers NOTE: "Empowered just may be the best graphic novel I've read all year." - Devon Sanders, Rack Raids Cover price $15.95.

Add to cart Very Fine $3.50

Add to cart Very Fine $3.50

Volume 4 - 1st printing.

Story and art by Adam Warren.

Costumed crimefighter Empowered is briefly overjoyed to find herself in the running for one of the superhero community's annual Caped Justice Awards (or "Capeys")-only to discover that her nomination was merely a cruel joke by her obnoxious superpeers. But when the masked masses face a cataclysmic reckoning for previous heartless hoaxes, can our perpetually struggling heroine overcome her resentment and save the day? And can she cope with the further problems posed by cross-dressing vigilantes, dying wishes from preteen wannabe supervillains, telepathic "booty calls," a deeply depressed ninja, bedroom "cosplay" conflicts with her boyfriend, and even . . . Hummer fu?

From Adam Warren-writer/artist of the English-language Dirty Pair comics (the original "Original English-Language Manga")-comes Empowered, a gut-busting gag-fest of life in the superhero slow lane. Dump your boxes of prefab power-fantasy pamphlets and load up on Empowered! This volume includes a color Empowered story, available previously only on MySpace!

Softcover, 6 1/2-in. x 9-in., 208 pages, PC/PB&W. Mature Readers

Cover price $14.95.

Add to cart Near Mint $4.00

Add to cart Near Mint $4.00

Volume 4 - 2nd and later printings.

Story and art by Adam Warren.

Costumed crimefighter Empowered is briefly overjoyed to find herself in the running for one of the superhero community's annual Caped Justice Awards (or "Capeys")-only to discover that her nomination was merely a cruel joke by her obnoxious superpeers. But when the masked masses face a cataclysmic reckoning for previous heartless hoaxes, can our perpetually struggling heroine overcome her resentment and save the day? And can she cope with the further problems posed by cross-dressing vigilantes, dying wishes from preteen wannabe supervillains, telepathic "booty calls," a deeply depressed ninja, bedroom "cosplay" conflicts with her boyfriend, and even . . . Hummer fu?

From Adam Warren-writer/artist of the English-language Dirty Pair comics (the original "Original English-Language Manga")-comes Empowered, a gut-busting gag-fest of life in the superhero slow lane. Dump your boxes of prefab power-fantasy pamphlets and load up on Empowered! This volume includes a color Empowered story, available previously only on MySpace!

Softcover, 6 1/2-in. x 9-in., 208 pages, PC/PB&W. Mature Readers

Cover price $14.95.

Volume 5 - 1st printing.

Story and art by Adam Warren.

After saving much of the superhero community from certain doom, costumed crime fighter Empowered is dismayed to find that, in the suspicious eyes of her caped colleagues, she's gone from being merely a "pair of training wheels for supervillains" to possibly being a closeted supervillain herself! Worse yet, she's wrestling with envy and resentment that her roommate Ninjette and boyfriend Thugboy are now more popular in masks-and-tights circles than she is! Meanwhile, our stressed-out superheroine must also unravel an alien-spawned body-image conspiracy, overcome "cosplay" dress-up disasters at work and in bed, and try to survive a potentially lethal confrontation with her teammate Sistah Spooky!

Adam Warren's work on The Dirty Pair is well known to U.S. comics readers.

Softcover, 6 1/2-in. x 9-in., 208 pages, PC/PB&W. Mature Readers

Cover price $14.95.

Volume 5 - 2nd and later printings.

Story and art by Adam Warren.

After saving much of the superhero community from certain doom, costumed crime fighter Empowered is dismayed to find that, in the suspicious eyes of her caped colleagues, she's gone from being merely a "pair of training wheels for supervillains" to possibly being a closeted supervillain herself! Worse yet, she's wrestling with envy and resentment that her roommate Ninjette and boyfriend Thugboy are now more popular in masks-and-tights circles than she is! Meanwhile, our stressed-out superheroine must also unravel an alien-spawned body-image conspiracy, overcome "cosplay" dress-up disasters at work and in bed, and try to survive a potentially lethal confrontation with her teammate Sistah Spooky!

Adam Warren's work on The Dirty Pair is well known to U.S. comics readers.

Softcover, 6 1/2-in. x 9-in., 208 pages, PC/PB&W. Mature Readers

Cover price $14.95.

Add to cart Near Mint $12.00

Volume 6 - 1st printing.

Story and art by Adam Warren.

After a fiery disaster claims the lives of several teammates, costumed crimefighter Empowered stumbles upon an ugly little secret of the masks-and-tights business: a growing number of ill-fated superheroes have found out the hard way that, while their bodies are still mortal, their superpowers are not . . .

Now, only our downtrodden but doggedly determined heroine can save the (semi)living superdead from a very genuine "fate worse than death," while simultaneously grappling with the challenges of vengefully vacationing ninja clans, car-trunk carpet burn, superhero-fantasy-league drafts, excessive bedroom chatter, and deals with the devil both figurative and literal! All this, plus Emp's not-so-secret origin is revealed at last! Adam Warren's work on The Dirty Pair is well known to U.S. comics readers.

Softcover, 6 1/2-in. x 9-in., 208 pages, PC/PB&W. Mature Readers

NOTE: "A sort of R-rated sitcom exploring geek culture from the inside out, Empowered has its cake and eats it too-it's full of exploitative, titillating imagery, but it also features the healthiest and the most realistic romantic relationship in any comic book featuring capes and masks." - J. Caleb Mozzocco, Las Vegas Weekly

Cover price $15.99.

Volume 6 - 2nd and later printings.

Story and art by Adam Warren.

After a fiery disaster claims the lives of several teammates, costumed crimefighter Empowered stumbles upon an ugly little secret of the masks-and-tights business: a growing number of ill-fated superheroes have found out the hard way that, while their bodies are still mortal, their superpowers are not . . . Now, only our downtrodden but doggedly determined heroine can save the (semi)living superdead from a very genuine "fate worse than death," while simultaneously grappling with the challenges of vengefully vacationing ninja clans, car-trunk carpet burn, superhero-fantasy-league drafts, excessive bedroom chatter, and deals with the devil both figurative and literal! All this, plus Emp's not-so-secret origin is revealed at last!

Adam Warren's work on The Dirty Pair is well known to U.S. comics readers.

Softcover, 6 1/2-in. x 9-in., 208 pages, PC/PB&W. Mature Readers

NOTE: "A sort of R-rated sitcom exploring geek culture from the inside out, Empowered has its cake and eats it too-it's full of exploitative, titillating imagery, but it also features the healthiest and the most realistic romantic relationship in any comic book featuring capes and masks." - J. Caleb Mozzocco, Las Vegas Weekly

Cover price $15.99.

Volume 7 - 1st printing.

Story and art by Adam Warren.

While costumed crime fighter Empowered makes a startling discovery regarding her status as an all-too-frequent "damsel in distress," Ninjette confronts her own sordid past and frighteningly uncertain future as she battles alone against an entire clan of supernaturally durable ninja. What's more, can our hard-luck heroines withstand the challenges of supervillainous minivans, dueling "daddy issues," doomed-but-still-hot boyfriends, undead karaoke-party crashers, and spoiler alerts from hell itself?

Softcover, 6 1/2-in. x 9-in., 208 pages, PC/PB&W. Mature Readers

Cover price $16.99.

Volume 8 - 1st printing.

Story and art by Adam Warren.

Costumed crime fighter Empowered, already reeling from "The Worst Book Proposal Ever," finds herself roped into a desperate scheme by her grief-stricken teammate, Sistah Spooky. Journeying from a terrifying alien arsenal to the even-more-terrifying depths of hell itself, can the mismatched superheroines free the soul of Spooky's lover from eternal damnation?

Softcover, 6 1/2-in. x 9-in., 208 pages, PC/PB&W. Mature Readers

Cover price $16.99.

Volume 9 - 1st printing.

Story and art by Adam Warren.

Already under suspicion and suspended from her superteam, costumed crime fighter Empowered finds herself the bewildered target of every major supervillain in the cape-and-tights field for her supposed access to alien technology. Underestimated as she is, can our long-suffering but plucky heroine outwit her tormentors-and escape the sinister Fleshmaster's revenge?

Softcover, 6 1/2-in. x 9-in., 208 pages, PC/PB&W. Mature Readers

Cover price $17.99.

Volume 10 - 1st printing.

Story and art by Adam Warren.

Costumed crimefighter Empowered, delighted by her long-delayed promotion to full-time membership in the Superhomeys, enjoys a suprasocial-media "victory lap." But will her newfound satisfaction survive the challenges of obnoxious "white knights," disturbing cryoprison visits, alarming alien medical scans and-worst of all-the revelation of a lover's dark secret?

Softcover, 6 1/2-in. x 9-in., 208 pages, PC/PB&W. Mature Readers

Cover price $19.99.

Volume 10 - 2nd and later printings.

Story and art by Adam Warren.

Costumed crimefighter Empowered, delighted by her long-delayed promotion to full-time membership in the Superhomeys, enjoys a suprasocial-media "victory lap." But will her newfound satisfaction survive the challenges of obnoxious "white knights," disturbing cryoprison visits, alarming alien medical scans and-worst of all-the revelation of a lover's dark secret?

Softcover, 6 1/2-in. x 9-in., 208 pages, PC/PB&W. Mature Readers

Cover price $19.99.

Volume 11 - 1st printing.

Story and art by Adam Warren.

Costumed crime fighter Empowered finds herself the desperate prey of a maniacal supervillain whose godlike powers have turned an entire city of suprahumans against her. Outnumbered and under siege, aided only by a hero's ghost, can Emp survive the relentless onslaught long enough to free her enslaved teammates and loved ones?

Softcover, 6 1/2-in. x 9-in., 216 pages, PC/PB&W. Mature Readers

Cover price $19.99.

Volume 12 - 1st printing. Story and art by Adam Warren. Costumed crimefighter Empowered is trapped in a surreal nightmare scenario as her universe begins spontaneously rebooting again and again, with each variation more twisted and bizarre than the last! Can our befuddled superheroine somehow undo this inexplicable Never-ending Reboot-while simultaneously steering her love life in a boldly polyamorous new direction with Thugboy and Ninjette!-or is this the End for Emp and her chaotically convulsing cosmos? Softcover, 6 1/2-in. x 9-in., 216 pages, PC/PB&W. Mature Readers Cover price $19.99.