This weekend, Wonder Woman fans from coast to coast will team up to help raise money for programs that help support the victims of domestic violence.
The fifth annual Wonder Woman Day, coming on October 24, will feature live events and art auctions at comic-book stores in Oregon and New Jersey. More than 300 artists have turned in drawings of the famous, iconic character, which are being auctioned off for charity. All proceeds from the events will benefit Bradley Angle, a domestic violence support organization on the West Coast, and Safe in Hunterdon, a shelter in New Jersey.
The previous four Wonder Woman Days have already raised more than $89,000 for domestic violence charities.
“Whether they are fans or casual purveyors of entertainment, people worldwide recognize Wonder Woman as an iconic female symbol of peace, strength, equality, and honesty,” said Wonder Woman Day founder Andy Mangels in a prepared statement.
Mengals says he hopes this year’s auction will help them break the $100,000 barrier.
The Artists: Drawn to the Cause
This year’s contributing artists represent a who’s who of illustrators, cartoonists, painters, famous comic-book artists and even a sculptor or two.
“I knew I had to participate,” says Chris Giarrusso, artist of kid’s comics like G-Man. Giarrusso has contributed two art pieces this year, one for each coast. “I’m known for drawing ‘cute kid versions’ of superheroes,” he says. “This year, the organizers asked me if could increase the cute quotient and add some cute animals. So one of my pieces involves Wonder Woman frolicking along with a bunch of cute animals, and the other piece is an homage to Charles Schulz’s famous ‘Happiness is a Warm Puppy’,” with Wonder Woman hugging a bunny rabbit.
“Wonder Woman is the best of the best,” says Giarrusso. “She is one of a handful of superheroes that really qualifies as an icon.”
Artist Neil Vokes (The Wicked West) has also contributed artwork for auction on each coast, something he’s been doing since 2007. “She’s such an iconic character from my youth,” he says. “I get a kick out of drawing these characters.”
Cartoonist Roberta Gregory is, herself, a feminist icon, best known for her groundbreaking series Bitchy Bitch. While she never read Wonder Woman comics as a kid, Gregory says “she has inspired women for so long.
“In the 1970s I had a copy of the book which collected her earliest stories, and enjoyed the television series — it was about the same time I was first drawing my own feminist comics stories, so it seems that she came along on the journey with me!”
Gregory’s illustration this year takes on her other love, cats, in an homage to a Wonder Woman cover from the 1940s. It’s “a satire of the cover of #35, showing WW surrounded by 9 angry cats. I changed it to showing her surrounded by 9 cats hoarking up hairballs.” ‘Hairballs of horror’, she calls it.
Getting involved with Wonder Woman Day was easy for Gregory. “It was tempting from the beginning to help with crisis shelters for women with artwork,” she says. “Like most comics artists, I often have had more drawing time than money to spare. I used to work on a crisis line for women back in the 1970s, and if anything, the problem has gotten worse with stressful times.”
A number of this year’s contributions spin Wonder Woman in a new light, but few stand out like illustrator David Chelsea’s drawing of the character as another feminist icon, the Venus of Willendorf figurine. “This sculpture has long been a favorite of mine,” says Chelsea, “I had a lot of fun this year stretching her bright red yellow and blue costume over the pudgy form of the Venus.”
You can see all of this year’s artwork on the Wonder Woman Day Facebook page.
Be a Hero: Get Involved
You don’t have to be in New Jersey or Oregon to take part in Wonder Woman Day. Both comic shops are running silent auctions for the artwork, so you can call up and place a bid. And for the first time, some of the artwork is being auctioned on eBay, allowing anyone in the world to bid easily.
There are also a few events and offerings in support of Wonder Woman Day. For example, the website Geek Girl on the Street is offering “What Would Wonder Woman Do?” buttons for $5 each, with proceeds benefiting Chicago Connections for Abused Women and their Children.
Rebecca Norman, director of development at Bradley Angle, says she is thrilled to be a part of Wonder Woman Day this year. “At Bradley Angle, we walk side by side with survivors through some of their toughest moments to offer them options for safety, empowerment, healing, and hope. Wonder Woman is the perfect symbol of the strength, courage, and resiliency we witness every day.”
Images courtesy of Wonder Woman Day, Chris Giarrusso, and Geek Girl on the Street. Wonder Woman is copyright and trademarked by DC Entertainment.