Panel 1: Hope you appreciate those little lines and diagrams drawn on the readouts and displays of the Caged Demonwolf’s “xenoprison,” as soon they will vanish forever from future depictions of that equipment.

Panel 2: A weirdly important panel, here, as this is the first time that I drew the Caged Demonwolf’s prison—of power-draining alien bondage gear—folded over on itself to take up less space on Emp’s coffee table. Previously, as seen in Empowered vol. 2’s earlier story “Way of the Ninjette,” the Demonwolf’s cage was always depicted as spread out over the table. Ah, but here was the point where I belatedly realized that a more compact “footprint” for the xenotech gear was possible—and, in fact, it would always be depicted in such a manner through the rest of the series, if I recall correctly.

And, yeahp, as old-school gamers might’ve guessed, Thugboy and Ninjette are playing one of the Katamari Damacy games for the Playstation 2—though, conceivably, it might be running on a Playstation 3. Note that Thugboy was previously seen rocking a “King of the Cosmos” T-shirt in the previous volume as a reference to the game, so apparently he’s an anomalously enthusiastic fan of the franchise. That might be a bit of a stretch, character-wise, but you may rest assured that I did—and still do—enjoy the old Katamari games quite a bit, which is why I worked in these references.

Like Ninjette, I too often enjoy combining videogames with beer-drinking after my workday is done, but to attempt both simultaneously—as seen with her right hand, gripping both the PS controller and a beer bottle at the same time—is far beyond my abilities as both a non-ninja and a nonfictional entity.

Finally, enjoy a rather rare camera angle for this page, looking across Emp’s living room to the apartment’s front door. Not a shot choice I’ve often used since, as I normally prefer camera angles perpendicular to her abode’s long axis, not parallel like this one.

Panel 3: Thugboy’s flinch-worthy line about “Katamari Damage, si,” is a frankly horrific videogame pun that I should never have included in the published volume, let alone put in the mouth of a character unlikely to attempt such a groaningly awful and skin-crawling “play on words.” Sorry ’bout that, Thugboy, and sorry ’bout that, readers. 

-Adam Warren