Hosford-Abernethy | October 21st, 2009 By Jamie S. Rich

Wonder Woman Day: A Silent Auction to Speak Out Against Domestic Violence

On October 25, Excalibur Books & Comics (2444 SE Hawthorne Blvd.) will be hosting the Fourth Annual Wonder Woman Day charity auction. Organized by Portland-based author Andy Mangels, this event brings together artists from all around the world to help promote Domestic Violence Awareness Month. Drawings and multi-media renderings of DC Comics' most famous heroine are donated by their creators and the money raised by their sale is divvied up amongst a trio of worthwhile charities devoted to curbing domestic violence: Raphael House of Portland, Bradley Angle, and the Portland Women's Crisis Line.

The official day at Excalibur will be a combination signing event and silent auction. Appearing for the day will be many comic creators, including Gail Simone and Aaron Lopresti, the current creative team on the monthly Wonder Woman comic. Simone hails from Southern Oregon, and Lopresti is a Portland-native who still calls the Rose City home. They will be joined by other Portland comics luminaries, including Paul Gulacy, Ron Randall, and Ann Timmons. Special out-of-town guests include the legendary Hernandez Bros., Jaime and Gilbert, the creators of Love and Rockets. (Gilbert's latest comic, Citizen Rex, is published by Milwaukie's own Dark Horse Comics.) Attendees will receive free prints, have the chance to enter a contest for door prizes, and can have themselves drawn as a superhero by caricature artist Steve Dorris. The day will run from noon to 6:00 p.m., and those unable to attend in person can participate via an online component at the Wonder Woman Day web site. The online bidding is already underway, and interested parties can send in their proxy bids until 5 p.m. on October 24 (details here).

Wonder Woman by Karlton Hahn

In the last three years, Wonder Woman Day raised $69,000 for the chosen charities. Mangels was a veteran fundraiser prior to starting this endeavor, but notes that "Rarely have I been able to bring a confluence between my comic book roots and my charity work." The idea for Wonder Woman Day came to him in 2006 after a busy year of charitable work. "A Canadian television group approached me about my Wonder Woman collecting. They were doing a show called FANatical, showcasing fans that used their fandom to make a difference in the community. I had already been mulling over ways to do something with Wonder Woman in a charitable way. I put more thought into it, and decided to call upon my industry contacts. The art auction at the San Diego Comic-Con had always been very cool and an inspiration in comic fundraising, so I thought, 'Why not apply similar elements for a Wonder Woman Day.'" (That same show profiled the debut Wonder Day, and you can still see the episode on YouTube.)

Contributors this year include over 180 artists, a mix of repeat performers and newcomers, as well as from various levels of the professional field. Two first-timers are hometown cartoonists Emi Lenox and Natalie Nourigat, who have a sketch group together and both have their own online cartoon journals. Lenox is the proprietor of EmiTown, while Nourigat is chronicling college life in Between Gears. For both artists, the question of why they got involved in this event seems like an obvious one. "It's not often that making an illustration can directly help anyone," Nourigat says. "I thought, if I can draw attention to a serious issue, raise a little money for the people who are already helping, and do it all with something I love as much as art, there's really nothing that can compete with that for best use of my time."

Emi Lenox with her Wonder Woman

Lenox agrees, and she sees the use of Wonder Woman as natural in relation to the end goal. "I just thought it was a marvelous idea to use a feminine icon like Wonder Woman to bring attention to battered women and the help that they need. It brings awareness and creativity all at once."

Aaron Lopresti sees the appeal of the character, particularly for women, as one that endures for a reason. "Being the first strong female superhero character in comics I think really helped her catch on and last. It seemed like all the other female characters during the Golden Age were 'slinky' and 'vampy,' more geared toward attracting teenage boys. Wonder Woman was portrayed as a superhero rather than just a sex symbol with a mask or gun. I think DC's editorial vision to try and make the character a prominent fixture in their universe way back in the Golden Age made a huge difference, as well." To borrow a different comic book cliché, Lopresti joined Wonder Woman Day because great power brings with it great responsibility. "It's for a good charitable cause and since I am the current Wonder Woman artist I felt it was something that I should be involved in."

Wonder Woman by Aaron Lopresti

One need not be a huge Wonder Woman devotee to participate either. Lenox explains, "I would not call myself a die-hard Wonder Woman fan but she is a character to look up to. She can kick serious butt and I support that! In my piece I was aiming to paint her in a different light then what is commonly portrayed of her." Lenox's version of the Amazon warrior is more personal and intimate, showing a thoughtful, pensive heroine in close-up, tangled in her own lasso. Women who are masked or tangled by their hair or other personal objects is a visual theme in many of the artist's drawings, giving this particular piece a personal touch. Wonder Woman is also flanked by the moon, a source of feminine power.

Like Lenox, Nourigat found herself digging deeper into the character to find a strong image. "While I was preparing to make my piece for Wonder Woman Day, I researched frantically to try to get the essence of the character so I could represent her properly. The main traits of hers that I picked up on and wanted to express were confidence, pacifism, femininity, strength, independence, and a deep connection with the natural world." Hence the cartoonist's image of the superhero standing on the Earth, peacefully watching over it. Additionally, Nourigat sees a benefit in being associated with veteran industry talent. "It's exciting! To see staggeringly good artists like Alex Ross working towards this cause, and then to be told that I am allowed to participate as well? It's motivating! You want to do your best, because you've seen how well it can be done. It also extends this sense of inclusion and collaboration—like, 'Everyone can do something to help'—that I think is really essential for a cause like this to gain inertia."

Wonder Woman by Natalie Nourigat

"One could argue that Wonder Woman is one of the most recognizable female icons in the modern world," Mangels explains. "Visually, if you showed her picture worldwide, the recognition factor would be extremely high. Marge Simpson and perhaps Minnie Mouse and Betty Boop might be close, but I'd bet that Wonder Woman has them lapped by miles."

This makes her an ideal charity mascot. "As an icon and a character, Wonder Woman has always stood for things that other superheroes did not. She was not a hero born of tragedy, nor was her mission inherently violent. Especially in her early days, she most often tried to reform her villains, and show people a more loving and helpful way to interact. She was dressed somewhat sexually—although I'd argue that the original costume was rarely sexually suggestive—but really, she was a mother figure, or a protective older sister."

Though the auction items are mainly comic book drawings, the donations are not limited to artwork. One of the more unique items in the auction is a wine bottle sand etched and hand painted by artist Karlton Hahn of Xena Etched Graphics. Hahn is based in Maupin, OR, and the bottle contains a 2008 Cabernet Sauvignon. There are also dolls, ornaments, and jewelry, all featuring Wonder Woman.

In addition to the Portland-based signing event, Wonder Woman Day has an East Coast offshoot, organized by Stacy Korn at Comic Fusion. The day was further expanded this year by a pre-auction gallery show that kicked off on First Thursday at the Lara Sydney Framing Gallery. Showcasing the locally based artists, the opening reception was well attended by the public, and many of the contributors stopped by, as well. According to Lenox, who made a humorous reference to the opening in EmiTown, the First Thursday reception "had quite a number of folks in attendance." She adds, "It was pretty chill and it was a lot of fun to hang out with other creators and supporters of the cause alike. I would definitely do it again next year!"

Mangles feels that Lara Sydney's participation "added a public element of 'class' to an event that outsiders might have thought was too insular or 'not for them,'" and that it's only brought more attention to everyone's good work. The gallery show will be on display at Lara Sydney until October 24, the day before the silent auction.

Wonder Woman Day 4 on the web: