As readers of this blog probably noticed, I liked mixes, hybrids between genres and cultures, mélanges. Adam Warren is a comic author that I really like because of this, he draws in a style somewhere between manga and US comics, while the stories are usually a well established genre (say super-heroes) and often based on someone else’s character, they always contain a mix of weird cultural references, satire, funny character devellopement sprinkled with some cyberpunk influence.

Empowered is at first glance a super-hero comic, but is really either a blantant excuses to draw underdressed damsels in distress or commentary about self esteem problems, or a satire of today’s society, or all of the above. The story is not so much an epic quest than a soap opera about a super-heroine with flacky super-power and low self-esteem, her boyfriend who happens to be a goon for the super-villains, and her best-friend who happens to be a ninja. There is no cat, but an evil alien overlord trapped inside a magical belt.

In short, a very funny book, that I recommend if you like super-hero satire…