the Lottery Party: What a Wonderful World

July 2, 2009 by Richard Caldwell
Filed under Columns, Featured

Wonder Woman was created by William Moulton Marston in 1941, and has since become by far the most iconic female character in comic books. This in spite of an ongoing identity crisis that seems to stem from the problematics of exactly how such a legendary icon could/should be handled in the first place. Admittedly full of certain generally sublime kinks, the character has grown regardless to be part of the “holy trinity” of the DC universe, and rightly so. Today seen as a warrior princess type, willing to exact whatever violence necessary for the purpose of spreading the peace, more often than not many of the creators who have before handled the character have fallen short of reaching anything close to her potential.
One man with the right idea is Andy Mangels.
Andy, a longtime comics journalist and writer (and a nice sumbitch if ever there was one), founded and maintains the online Wonder Woman Museum. In 2006, he organized and launched Wonder Woman Day- a charity event that began in Portland, Oregon and has since found an incarnation in Flemington, New Jersey. Usually held in the last weekend of October, the idea is to auction off original comics art featuring the Woman of Wonders herself, with all proceeds going to charity. The aim is to generate awareness of Domestic Violence-related issues, and the funds necessary withwhich to find solutions to the universal problem.
You see, Andy loves the character enough to see that she is in fact a symbol of empowerment, for females in general as well as potentially for the many victims of domestic abuse. So the non-profit Wonder Woman Day is absolutely a valorous cause, like the virtues of Wonder Woman actualized, as well as being a means to help cast comic books especially in a more positive light, by way of supporting the good fight and opening some doors for new readers. Sounds great, right? Unfortunately, there have been battles since day one, a subject I will try to acknowledge in a future instalment.
But why would I bring up such a true venture here?
It was my hope to introduce Wonder Woman Day to Louisville, Kentucky- the place I live but for many many reasons do not call home- for this, what will be the fourth year of the event.
On September 18th of 2000, my elder sister Rebecca was strangled to death by her then ex-boyfriend, here in this city. The details are more gruesome than any reader would care to know. In the years since, we have had our share of rallies and demonstrations, numerous attempts at educating the public in matters of Domestic Violence, even to the point of litigation against the city itself concerning its one time backlog of over 70,000 unserved warrants. Many of those could be traced to somebody’s Rebecca. As of this writing, the city of Louisville does not yet have a valid system of prioritizing or even tracking warrants issued. And damn well it should be publicly embarrassed by that fact. It feels like even the best arguments fall on deaf ears.
Late last year I first learned of Andy’s efforts, just in time to run some press releases for the 2008 Wonder Woman Day. Interestingly, we at ComicNews.Info are among the few sites on the intrawebz to have given the charity any acknowledgment whatsoever since its birthing. Months ago, I tracked him down to begin discussions of my plans, of how I wanted Louisville to help represent the cause, as of course Domestic Violence exists everywhere, in every city. But for my personal reasons I knew that such a voice needed to be heard in Louisville. He kindly consented to my aims, and has stood by for whatever council I’ve needed since. In learning of the history of the event, I layed out specific battle plans for how to go about this impossible endeavor.
Wonder Woman Day is of a three-pronged foundation. First, a charity is needed- in Louisville’s case the best candidate is the Center For Women And Families, whom I and my family have worked with in the past. Their sponsorship is warranted, as they will be the receiver of all auction proceeds. On the day in question, there would be speakers on hand presented through their network, to better inform the public of the problem and of solutions. Second, a comic book store is needed for location of said event. For their involvement they would have a weekend full of new customers. And finally, the creative talent- artists kind enough to donate the original art needed, as well as some to come out in person for an appearance and signings. All parties get something out of the arrangement, so such a thing would be an easy sell. In any other city, maybe.
A representative of the Center, upon hearing my initial pitch, proved her complete ignorance of the medium, voicing her stern belief that all comic books are nothing but promotions of violence. Granted she is not the lone person to speak to there about this, but it does make my chances look all the more grim. The store I had my sights on is the oldest existing and best-known store in the region, and has not shyed away from special promotions in the past. A representative from their chain of command informed me that for their involvement, they would insist upon receiving 50% of the CHARITY proceeds. In hopes of talking sense into them, I am not naming the chain outlet whom I speak of here. The third leg is solid, having already garnered a few pieces of art, as well as many more verbal commitments. Off the top of my head, I know four well-published creators who have all expressed great interest in donating works as well as meeting the fans in person. Obviously, one would be hard-pressed to find someone without some manner of connection to the sad examples of domestic abuse, through whatever channels.
With a few months to go, and only one of three legs in place, the situation does not look well. Worst case scenario, I will still at least assist with promoting the events in the other cities, as well as procuring more art donations for their silent auctions. But I want Wonder Woman Day here. I wanted to combine my love of funny books and my growing list of contacts with the burning need that my city still has for additional support in fighting Domestic Violence. The local police force are woefully undertrained in dealing with the psychology of such incidents. The local media is quicker to embarrass themselves with spotty reporting and releasing sensitive information to the public for the cause of sensationalism. Nobody ever knows enough of the hard facts. And the statistics rise, and the people who need the help, who need the resources, continue to drown in the insanity of local politics and ennui.
This is where I stand now. I will be hitting this topic much more myself as Wonder Woman Day draws near, and I sincerely hope to be reporting of a local incarnation.
But right now it feels as hopeless as misplaced love, and the ugly consequences that can arise from such a thing.