Panel 1: Yyyyyyyeah, the indentation on Emp's behind from the tranquilizer dart is definitely the ol' artistic license at play, as such an effect obviously would've lasted for only a few fractions of a second—and on the previous page, of course, when the dart actually hit her. For the record, this visual riff isn't something I'd do nowadays, as that's pushing said ol' artistic license a bit too far for my contemporary taste. (And IIRC, I was kinda dubious about leaving that gluteal indentation in place when I drew this page back in 2014.)

Panel 4: That detail-intensive backdrop behind the as-yet unnamed supervill is based on visual riffs cribed from a Japanese photography book of "kojo moe," or "factory infatuation," which is a thing that really exists, folks. (And the book in question was excellent ref for my purposes, too!)

UPDATE: The new(er) hotness for kojo moe enthusiasts is, it seems, kojo yakei, or "nighttime factory viewing."

Today’s Patreon update: In an attempt to scratch out more worktime to complete the long-gestating Empowered vol. 12, I've switched over to a Monday/ Wednesday/ Friday Patreon posting schedule that won't feature the fixed content format I previously used. However, my vast archive of years of Patreon posts—extensive Empowered previews, vintage con sketches, work stages on covers, "damsel in distress" commissions, life drawings & much, much more—remains available for Patrons' perusal.

-Adam Warren