Panel 1: A vocabulary screw-up in this caption, though the fault lies not with the nigh-omniscient Caged Demonwolf who’s narrating, but the dumbass writing his dialogue. See, at some point decades ago, I inexplicably became convinced that the word “erstwhile” meant “in name only,” rather than its true definition of “former.” So, the idea was that Havoc and Protean are Emp’s teammates in name only, and aren’t fit to be considered true team players in this context. Oops!

UPDATE: I'm writing these commentaries based on a first-printing copy of Empowered vol. 3, in which the incorrect "erstwhile" does actually appear. We corrected this error in subsequent editions, including the one from which today's page was taken. Sorry for the commentary confusion, folks!

Notably strong shots of Sexy Librarian Lingerie Emp on this page, gotta say. And the inking’s pretty solid, considering it was done with Extra Fine Sharpies on relatively teeny 8.5” X 11” originals, which isn’t a combo that makes for ideal line quality. Well done, Past Me!

-Adam Warren