Panel 1: Huh. I’d forgotten that Manny opened multiple Lotus Node portals to send in his mecha, not just one. 

I quite like the designs of these mecha, gotta say, though I can’t tell if they’re callbacks to specific previous robobeasties. Most likely, as with many such designs of mine, they’re a hodgepodge of elements borrowed from a bajillion other Japanese mecha. Note that these mecha were glimpsed briefly in the background of a screen shot at the end of the story “Of Wishes and Mayflies,” the earlier Empowered vol. 4 story that introduced Manny.

Finally, Excessively Long Hair Alert on Emp in this shot, as a stylistic flair I occasionally use just for the hell of it. As I’ve often noted before, heaven forfend that her flowing mane ever should grow long enough to obscure her “toothsome rump,” per the Caged Demonwolf.

Panel 3: Only just now noticed the wee detail of the rope appearing in the lower right corner of the holographic image, which calls back to the earlier scene of Emp letting herself get tied up by Manny.

-Adam Warren