The Long Run takes place outside of our normal continuity of episodes, and features table discussion of an entire work or long selection of a series. In the second episode of this bonus series, we talk about Volumes 1-7 of Adam Warren’s Empowered.
First published in 2007, Empowered is a refreshing take on the superhero genre. While at first glance it seems to be yet another cheesecake comic book, Empowered lampoons, deconstructs, and reconstructs the many genre conventions that compose superhero fiction with a level of wit and savvy that few “serious” comics manage. It features the adventures of the titular Empowered as she struggles with self-confidence, body image issues, and a universe that seems at times designed to get her down, all while trying to live up to her own ideals of what a superhero should be.
It is an incredibly human work that manages to talk about serious issues and still be a hell of a lot of fun, while telling an engaging story at the same time. Empowered stands as one of the great modern superhero comics, which ironically seems to struggle with being taken seriously in much the same way as its own protagonist.
Our hosts on this episode are Andrew Chard, Joe Preti, “Kirby” Green, Tobiah Panshin, and Cade Reynolds