We continue serialization of Empowered vol. 12, which proved to be the final volume of the series in this specific graphic-novel format, though I was unaware of that unfortunate reality when I started work on the book.

Panel 1: Ah, yes, the tragic tale of Ninjette's lost cowboy hat. Y'see, I had entirely forgotten that she was wearing the g-d thing on the previous page when I drew this page; my guess is that I must've stopped work on this scene and returned to work on it days (or even weeks) later, only to forget about that part of her costume. I'm pretty sure that the falling hat in this panel was an art patch added only after I belatedly remembered that it had mysteriously disappeared between pages. Too bad, TBH, as I thought Kozue looked quite cute with a cowboy hat; this might have been an unconscious reference to Jessica Biel fetchingly rocking such headwear in the otherwise forgettable mid-2000s remake of The Texas Chainsaw Massacre.