Panel 2: IT’S A TRAP alert! Excessive trapezius mass on ol’ Thugboy in this shot; needless to say, this is a stylistic flourish that no longer appeals to me, especially after the last year of drawing muscular dudes—and midriffy ladies, too—for my life drawing sketches.

Also, Thugboy wasn’t kidding about Emp’s Capitan Rivet underpants, as you might or might not remember from way back in Empowered vol.1.

Panel 3: Once again, my beloved potstickers make another appearance in the series. Note that, if I were a serious food artist—as many mangaka are nowadays—you’d be able to tell if those dumplings were boiled or fried. (I assume the former, here, due to the potsticker’s doughiness, but that’s not an absolute certainty.) 

Believe it or not, potstickers become a bit of a key plot point in this volume’s climactic story. No, really!

-Adam Warren