Panel 1: In a future commentary from later on in this volume, I’ll discuss the as-yet-unspoken implications underlying HeroNet; this riff addresses certain assumptions inherent to most superhero universes that have always annoyed me a fair bit, as we’ll see.

Panel 2: Yeahp, in case you forgot the fateful revelation at a party scene near the end of Empowered vol 1, Thugboy did indeed sleep with Spooky before he met Emp.

Panel 4: Long-time Empowered print (or digital-format) readers will note that Spooky’s divination spells loom large in future volumes.

However, must admit that I’m highly dubious about this after-the-fact retconning of the Thugboy incident, which is a rather off-the-wall flourish that I worked up just for this particular story. This retcon paints Spooky as not just hostile to Emp, but actively venomous and weirdly spiteful to a degree that seems just too dang extreme. Bad call on Decade-Ago Me’s part as a writer, gotta say. (In fact, this dubiousness might be why I’ve never once referred to this retconned take on the incident again.) Long-time print-and-digital readers might also note another incongruous element to Spooky electing to hook up with Thugboy, but let's avoid discussing SPOILERS, shall we?

-Adam Warren