THE YEAR'S FIRST MUST-OWN COMIC: EMPOWERED DELUXE EDITION-VOLUME 1

My love for Adam Warren's EMPOWERED series is well documented. I've written on it a number of times on this blog and I will not hesitate to continue doing so for as long as Warren graces us with its myriad charms, so I would be remiss in my duties (and appreciation) if I didn't alert you to the just-released and rather hefty EMPOWERED DELUXE EDITION-VOLUME 1.

This hardcover brick of an edition contains the entirety of the first three EMPOWERED books — the series is released in meaty square-bound editions that average around 200 pages or more — and I covered those in detail, so click on that highlighted link to read all the particulars. The shorthand version can be boiled down to this: the series is a knowing, beautifully written and illustrated ongoing adult lampoon of comic book superheroics featuring a neurotic female hero as its protagonist, aided and abetted by a large cast of loony characters that never fail to entertain. (Regarding its adult material, there is salty dialogue and sex, but the sexual content and nudity are framed in such a way that we get exactly what's going on but never actually see any exposed naughty bits, and that's quite an accomplishment because the material can get very steamy and frank. If I had to give the series an MPAA-style rating, I'd give it a definite "R.") It's funny as hell, features more depth and human, moving development to its characters than most of the last thirty years of DC and Marvel Comics continuity combined, and I rank it as the flat-out best and most entertaining comics series I've read in the past quarter-century, and I cannot praise its every aspect enough. I strongly urge you to pick this up from Amazon immediately.

Lastly, I already own all of the previous EMPOWERED comics and yet I plan on buying this edition as soon as possible. I'm currently unemployed and money is very tight but this goes straight to the top of my "to buy" list, even displacing that gorgeous Bruce Timm art book from the top of my wish list, so let that tell you all you need to know. HIGHEST RECOMMENDATION.