EMPOWERED AND THE GIANT-SIZE ISSUES #1 thumbnails & script, pt.2

(You can check out part 1 of this serialization here.) 

Whoops, plumb forgot I was gonna revisit this unpublished project on a twice-per-month basis!

Wellp, we're continuing serialization of my page roughs and scripts for Empowered and the Giant-Size Issues, a never-published, two-issue miniseries intended to be drawn by a Special Guest Artist. 

As mentioned previously, I wrote the two-parter back in 2015 with the excellent artist Rob "Robaato" Porter in mind to draw the story; later on, I ran the proposal by the likewise excellent artist David Lafuente. Alas, the project proved unworkable for reasons addressed in detail earlier.

As you'll see, much of the material to follow was repurposed from the defunct, Twitter-format prose experiment I Am Empowered, and like that project, Giant-Size Issues leans heavily on a relentlessly self-doubting, low-self-esteem vision of Early Emp.

So, this project will never exist as a real comic; this is the only form in which it's ever likely to be seen.  Let's continue, shall we? Time to alternate my thumbnailed page roughs with script excerpts for each page!

EMPOWERED AND THE GIANT-SIZE ISSUES, issue #1 script

PAGE 6 

PANEL 1: Another VIGNETTE page, again with an insert head shot of GROWN-UP EMP popping up in the upper left corner, an "uh oh" expression on her face as she speaks. Beside her, a near full-figure shot of yet another EMP, this time an unhappy-looking AGE 16 EMP. Her body has filled out considerably, a fact that needs to be clearly shown by what she's wearing; might just be a sleepwear croptop or tank and a pair of bikini briefs. Blushing, she's frowning and looking down sourly at her rather pronounced rack, while her hands squeeze at her plump, soft thighs; TEEN EMP might, in fact, be even softer and chubbier than GROWN-UP EMP. I’d strongly recommend giving her an interesting hair design to make TEEN EMP stand out, okay?

EMP: SEVEN YEARS LATER, MY BODY WAS NONE OF THOSE THINGS. 

EMP: I HAD, UM, FILLED OUT. 

EMP: OVERFILLED OUT, REALLY.

EMP: I FELT HEAVY AND SOFT AND CLUMSY AND WEAK.

PANEL 2: Here, a recreation of page 4's bottom-half image of AGE 9 EMP climbing the BACKYARD TREE. This time, we see a frightened, trembling AGE 16 EMP struggling (and failing) to climb the branches with her bigger, heavier, awkward young woman's body. She's wearing a (teen's) superhero T-shirt and shorts like AGE 9 EMP did, but the look is not complimentary; the T-shirt, already stretched across her burgeoning chest, is riding up to expose her rather doughy belly, which is bulging a bit over the waistband of her shorts. Her face is sweaty and alarmed as, hesitantly, she realizes she has no business trying to climb this TREE. Foliage, blue sky as a BG. 

CAPTION: (at upper right) EMP, AGE 16

CAPTION: (small; with arrow, pointing to Emp's biceps) BRAWN: TOO LITTLE

CAPTION: (small; with arrow, pointing to Emp's behind) BOOTY: TOO MUCH

CAPTION:  (small) BODILY POWER-TO-WEIGHT RATIO: DRAMATICALLY WORSENED

PANEL 3: Somewhat similar to page 5's image of AGE 9 EMP handing from a tree branch, here we see a panting, sweaty, visibly frightened AGE 16 EMP with one soft arm hooked over a branch, trying to catch her breath as she hangs there, unable to climb any further. Foliage as BG.

CAPTION: I VIVIDLY RECALL THE HELPLESS, SICKENING TERROR I FELT, TRYING--AND FAILING-- TO CLIMB THE SAME STUPID BACKYARD TREE WITH MY FLABBY, FLESHY, USELESS NEW BODY.   

PANEL 4: Shot of an underwear-clad (same as panel 1, if you like) AGE 16 EMP in front of a mirror (in either bedroom or bathroom, your call), turned around and staring in obvious despair and dismay at her big ol' behind in the reflection. Alternative: She could be naked, with a strategically placed word balloon covering what portion of her naked behind needs to be covered.

CAPTION: I'D LOOK IN THE MIRROR, AND I WOULDN'T SEE A POTENTIAL SUPERHEROINE ANYMORE.

 CAPTION: I'D JUST SEE A PLUMP, BLOATED, BIG-BOTTOMED JOKE. 

 EMP: (optional) ?!

PAGE 7 

PANEL 1: Another VIGNETTE page, again with an insert head shot of GROWN-UP EMP popping up in the upper left corner, rolling her eyes a bit as she speaks. The rest of the panel features a striking tableau: The FG features a head-and-shoulders shot of a sobbing AGE 16 EMP, tears rolling down her cheeks as she yells at the camera with a contorted expression. She's holding up a brightly colored/ labeled tube of RAW COOKIE DOUGH in one hand, with one end of the package opened up and dough partially extruded from it. The BG shows a dramatic image of a cemetery in the rain, with the HEADSTONE of EMP's father looming large in the shot. This gravestone has only been seen once before, and that time from a rear angle (see image). Roiling black storm clouds as a BG.

EMP: (at top left) DIDN'T, UM, HELP THAT I WAS SOOTHING MY FRUSTRATIONS WITH FOOD, EITHER.

on STONE: NICHOLAS IAN POWERS

(pixelized blur over XX, obscuring dates) 19XX- 20XX 

EMP: (at bottom left) OF COURSE, I HAD MELODRAMATIC RATIONALIZATIONS APLENTY FOR MY THERAPEUTIC NOMM-NOMMING. 

EMP: (wavy balloon; at top right) WH-WHAT ABOUT MY SNACKING?

EMP: (wavy balloon) DON'T YOU KNOW MY DADDY DIED IN FRONT OF ME WHEN I WAS TEN YEARS OLD?

CAPTION: (small; with arrow pointing to tube of cookie dough) THERAPY OF CHOICE: RAW COOKIE DOUGH (GOURMET CHOCOLATE CHUNK)

PANEL 2: An insert panel (or free-floating image) showing a close-up shot of a tearful, miserable-looking AGE16 EMP chomping on RAW COOKIE DOUGH extruded from its tube.

SFX: NOMM NOMM NOMM

 EMP: (wavy balloon) (h-b) >SOBB<

PANEL 3: Say, a metaphorical image, this time! We're seeing a miserable-looking AGE 16 EMP sitting at the center of a black, swirling vortex, representing the caption's "shame spiral." (See SHASME SPIRAL manga ref jpegs for a possible approach.) She's still clutching the brightly labeled tube of RAW COOKIE DOUGH, and is regarding it sorrowfully while sighing heavily.

CAPTION:  ALL MY SNIFFLING SNACKITUDE DROVE ME FURTHER AND FURTHER FROM THE IDEALIZED PHYSIQUE I THOUGHT I WAS SUPPOSED TO HAVE.

CAPTION: HELLO, SHAME SPIRAL! 

 EMP: (wavy balloon) (h-b) >SIGH<

PANEL 4: Big panel. In the FG sits plump young AGE 16 EMP either in her underwear or straight-up naked, her arms (and the pose) hiding her "naughty bits." Tears streaking her face, she's looking back over her shoulder at the slender, athletic form of IDEALIZED SUPERHERO EMP looming behind her at right. Cape swirling dramatically, SUPERHERO EMP strikes a bold pose with hands on hips, scowling contemptuously down at TEEN EMP. Meanwhile, another flurry of small CAPTIONS (arrow-)point out her body's superiority. BG: More of the swirling blackness of the previous panel's "shame spiral " vortex. At lower right, an EMP insert head shot pops in , addressing the camera with a "but, wait!" expression.

CAPTION: (at top left) CLEARLY, I WOULD NEVER LOOK LIKE MY IDEA OF A REAL SUPERHEROINE, LET ALONE ACTUALLY BECOME ONE.

TEEN EMP: (wavy balloon) I'M SORRY… 

TEEN EMP: (wavy balloon) …I'M SORRY… >SOBB<

IDEAL EMP: YOU'RE PATHETIC.

CAPTION: (small; arrow points to TEEN EMP's chest) UPSTAIRS: EXCESSIVE

CAPTION: (small; arrow points to TEEN EMP's hips/ behind) DOWNSTAIRS: GROSSLY EXCESSIVE

CAPTION: (small; arrow points to IDEAL EMP's eyes) GAZE: STERNLY JUDGEMENTAL

CAPTION: (small; arrow points to IDEAL EMP's deltoid) MUSCLE TONE: YOGA-ISH, IF NOT JUNGLE CATTY

CAPTION: (small; arrow points to IDEAL EMP's chest) CUP SIZE: REASONABLE

CAPTION:  (small; arrow points to IDEAL EMP's belly) WEIGHT: AT LEAST 30 lbs LESS THAN YOURS, DEAR 

CAPTION: (small, between IDEAL EMP thighs; arrows point to either thigh) THIGH GAP: ENVIABLE 

EMP: (at lower right) TURNS OUT, HOWEVA, THAT I WAS WRONG.

PAGE 8 

PANEL 1: Another VIGNETTE page, once again with a GROWN-UP EMP head-shot popping in at upper left, addressing the camera with a mixed expression. Next to that, we see a very big figure of SUPERSUITED EMP running down about half the page (and bleeding off-page at mid-calf or so, for maximized figure size on the page), showing us a bold, clear image of what her rather zaftig body looks like when clad in the clingy, glittering, body-paint-resembling (and fully intact) SUPERSUIT. Her mask rolled up to expose her eyes, she speaking into the camera with a crooked, rueful smile. Note that this is present-day EMP, who's less self-conscious about her supersuited appearance; so, here, her posture isn't all that embarrassed, as opposed to past-tense images soon to follow. With one hand, she's idly gesturing towards her own supersuited body with a "get a load of this" hand motion, while her other hand plucks the suit's ultrathin membrane away from her thigh. 

EMP: (at upper left) I DID, IN FACT, BECOME A LEGITIMATE GIRLCAPE AFTER ALL.

EMP: YAY, ME! 

EMP: (at right) BUT I WAS ALSO RIGHT, WHEN I THOUGHT I WOULD NEVER LOOK LIKE MY IDEA OF A REAL SUPERHEROINE. 

EMP: (small) NON-YAY, ME.

SUITED EMP: (at left) THAT'S BECAUSE I GET MY UNEARTHLY SUPERPOWERS FROM WEARING A FULL-BODY ALIENWARE HYPERMEMBRANE OF EXOTIC MATTER THAT'S, LIKE, MAYBE A FEW MOLECULES THICK. 

CAPTION: (at left; arrow points to EMP's suit) RESEMBLANCE TO A HEAD-TO-TOE DIPPING OF GLITTERY BODY PAINT: UNCANNY

CAPTION: (at lower left; arrow points to EMP's suit) POWERS GRANTED: SUPERSTRENGTH, ENERGY BLASTS, EXTREME MORTIFICATION

CAPTION: (at bottom left; small) TWO-TIME WINNER, "MOST 'DO-ME'-RIFFIC SUPERHEROINE COSTUME" (VOTE CONDUCTED ON BY OFFICIAL SUPERHOMEYS MESSAGE BOARD)

SUITED EMP: (at upper right) THIS IS, OF COURSE, THE WORST IMAGINABLE SUPERHERO OUTFIT FOR A YOUNG WOMAN WITH BODY-IMAGE ISSUES. 

PANEL 2: Mirroring—ha ha!—page 6's bottom panel, here we see SUPERSUITED EMP (mask down) looking back at herself in the mirror, freaking out at her mercilessly revealed behind just as AGE 16 EMP did on that page. Here, she seems more annoyed and exasperated than despairing, as she's actually yelling at her own reflection. At lower right, an EMP insert head shot pops in, addressing the camera with a "Yikes!" expression.

MIRROR EMP: (burst balloon) OH, COME ON--!

MIRROR EMP: (burst balloon; black, "censored" block over indicated letters) YOU'VE GOTTA BE F**KING KIDDING ME--!

EMP: (at bottom right) NO BODY-PROUD SUPERHEROINE OR LOOK-AT-ME-RIFFIC VILLAINESS WEARS A COSTUME EVEN REMOTELY AS REVEALING AS MINE. 

EMP: OUCH, AM I RIGHT…?

PAGE 9 

PANEL 1: An EMP head pokes in from off-panel (center) left, addressing the camera with a "whattaya gonna do?" expression. Another EMP head pokes in from off-panel right, continuing to address the camera with an exasperated expression. In between, the rest of the panel is taken up by two identically posed images of EMP, both seen from about mid-thigh up. At left is an entirely naked EMP, blushing and embarrassing, covering herself up with arms and hands (and convenient posing). Beside her at right is an identically posed EMP wearing the fully intact supersuit, mask down, likewise blushing and covering herself with her hands and arms. The point, as the captions will show, is that the sensations of being naked and wearing the suit are, for EMP, pretty much identical. They're framed against a color BG intended to express EMP's embarrassment, in whatever manner you think might work.

EMP: (at upper left) MY SUPERSUIT IS SO UNLIKE ANY FORM OF HUMAN CLOTHING THAT, WELL…

EMP: (at lower left) …I CAN'T FEEL ANY SENSE OF ITS MATERIAL STRETCHING, TUGGING OR SHIFTING. 

CAPTION: (at top; over NAKED EMP) BUTT: NEKKID

CAPTION: (at top; over SUITED EMP) BUTT: SUPERSUITED 

CAPTION: (at bottom, under both EMP figures; large) PERCEIVED SENSATION: IDENTICAL

EMP: (at upper right) SO, WHEN I’M WEARING THE STUPID THING, NOT ONLY DO I LOOK ESSENTIALLY NAKED…

EMP: (at lower right) …BUT I FEEL EVEN MORE NAKED, IF THAT'S POSSIBLE.

EMP: (at lower right; small) WHICH IT TOTALLY IS, TRUST ME.

PANEL 2: Half-page panel. In the FG stands (or slumps) EMP, wearing the (fully intact) glittering, painted-on and remorselessly revealing SUPERSUIT, her posture and expression conveying extreme embarrassment. In the BG, on either side of her, an image of the practically costumed, slender form of IDEALIZED SUPERHERO EMP looks her over, apparently moving back and forth to get a better view of the sight; she looks dismayed and disgusted, if not outright horrified, as she gazes down at the spectacle of EMP's super-clingy SUPERSUIT. Color BG emphasizes her reaction, possibly with emphasis speed lines or the like. Finally, at lower right a big(ger than usual) insert head-shot of GROWN-UP EMP pops in, shaking her head with pronounced chagrin.

IDEAL EMP: (burst balloon; at upper left) OHMIGAWD!

IDEAL EMP: (burst balloon; at upper left) YOU CANNOT POSSIBLY BE SERIOUS ABOUT THIS!

CAPTION: (at lower left) TOOK ME WEEKS-- OKAY, FINE, MONTHS, TECHNICALLY-- TO WORK UP THE COURAGE TO WEAR THE RIDICULOUS THING IN PUBLIC. 

IDEAL EMP: (burst balloon; at upper right) WHAT HAPPENED TO "PRACTICAL"--?

IDEAL EMP: (burst balloon; at upper right) WHAT HAPPENED TO "CUTE-SEXY, NOT OOH-LA-LA SEXY"--?

EMP: (at lower right) ALL THE, UM, VOICES IN MY HEAD DIDN'T HELP, EITHER.

PAGE 10 

PANEL 1: Four panels (or separate VIGNETTES) feature an embarrassed-looking SUPERSUITED EMP (suit fully intact, mask down) being confronted by younger incarnations of herself. Expressionistic colors as BGs here, I'd say. First off, she's being yelled at by the wee form of AGE 4 (LI'L) EMP from page 4, who's very upset and wearing the same superhero onesie and blanket-for-a-cape (and facial bandaids, perhaps). 

LI'L EMP: (burst balloon) GWOWN-UP ME HAS TO DWESS LIKE THAT? 

LI'L EMP: (burst balloon) AND YOU CAN'T EVEN FWY?

PANEL 2: FG right: Anxious, embarrassed, flushing SUPERSUITED EMP looks back over her shoulder to see AGE 9 EMP (in superhero T-shirt and shorts, as on pp 4-5) swinging from a BACKYARD TREE branch in the BG at left. AGE 9 EMP wears a grossed-out expression as she looks over FG EMP's mercilessly revealed body. Sun-dappled foliage as a BG, perhaps fading out to white around the edges, watercolor-style.

YOUNG EMP: UM, YIKES--!

YOUNG EMP: PRETTY SURE I WASN'T SUPPOSED TO RUN AROUND IN A TOTAL BOOBY-GIRL COSTUME, REMEMBER?

YOUNG EMP: I WASN'T SUPPOSED TO END UP BIG, FAT, DUMPY AND DORKY, EITHER. 

PANEL 3: FG left: Embarrassed, flushing SUPERSUITED EMP turns again, as she's berated by yet another younger incarnation of herself. This time, it's ANGRY COLLEGE HOODIE EMP, as seen in the pages I drew for the Animal Style one-shot. Wavy hair spilling out from a hoodie (perhaps with the winged "AG" logo, but you can leave that off), baggy jeans, Vans or sandals on her feet. Sitting cross-legged, she's glaring moodily at EMP from the BG, speaking sharply as she frowns in disapproval. Two BG possibilities: A) a vague, watercolor-ish indication that she's seated on a dorm-room bed; or B) a "brooding" color BG, indicating that she is always angry and sour and aggrieved.

HOODIE EMP: REALLY.

HOODIE EMP: (black, "censored" block over indicated letters) SO I SPENT FOUR F**KING YEARS IN SUPRAHUMAN STUDIES, ENDLESSLY STRUGGLING AGAINST OBJECTIFYING, TITILLATING, MALE-GAZE-Y DEPICTIONS OF FEMALE SUPERHEROISM…

HOODIE EMP: …ONLY TO WIND UP PRANCING AROUND IN WILDLY DEGRADING, PAINTED-ON JIGGLEWEAR ONCE I GOT OUT OF COLLEGE?

CAPTION: (at upper right) EMP, AGE 19

PANEL 4: Close-up on HOODIE EMP, wavy, bedraggled hair framing her face, sneering with obvious contempt as she addresses off-panel SUPERSUITED EMP. She might have a color (bluish?) indication of bags under her eyes, as HOODIE EMP always looks morose and worn-out by The Struggle that is college life. 

HOODIE EMP: NICE JOB OF ROLE-MODELING FOR YOUNG WOMEN, FUTURE SELL-OUT ME.

CAPTION: (at bottom) ANGRY HOODIE COLLEGE EMP  

<And that's it for pt. 2 of Empowered and the Giant-Size Issues, folks! I'll likely post the next two installments in February, , looks like.>

TOMORROW: Patrons of the $5+ tiers can look forward to an excerpt of a commissioned "damsel in distress" story featuring a familiar lass in an unfamiliar outfit—and in peril, of course.