Broken Frontier

The totals are in, and America's most famous super-heroine helped raise over $26,600 at the annual "Wonder Woman Day" events. Following worldwide coverage of the first two years, the event was again concurrently held on October 26th at Excalibur Comics in Portland, Oregon and Comic Fusion in New Jersey. The free all-ages event was organized by best-selling author Andy Mangels in Portland, who also worked with Stacy Korn in New Jersey to produce their event. Both days included famous comic book creators signing comics and sketching, as well as a silent art auction with over 150 of the world's top artists contributing original art, plus raffles, costumes, rare memorabilia, and more. The Mayor of Portland, Oregon, even declared it "Wonder Woman Day" in the city!

The total amount raised was finally determined, with 100% of all monies going to the 501(c)3 non-profit charitable organizations: The Portland event raised $22,509 for two of Portland's most protective women and children's shelters and the local crisis line — Raphael House of Portland, Bradley-Angle House, and Portland Women’s Crisis Line. The New Jersey event raised $4,187 and benefitted Safe in Hunterdon, a domestic violence shelter in New Jersey. The totals for the two events added up to $26,696!

Cool Facts: The three Wonder Woman Day events are some of the most successful charity fundraisers in the history of the comic book medium. The three-year total is over $69,000! In 2007 and 2008, it was also the only times in her 67-year history that Wonder Woman had a governmentally-recognized "Wonder Woman Day," thanks to Tom Potter, the Mayor of Portland.

The producer of the "Wonder Woman Day" event was Andy Mangels, a best-selling author and DVD documentary director. "Each year, it’s overwhelming the support that the event had from creators and from fans," he says. "The event itself was quite fun, with two Wonder Women, Batman, and the Flash in attendance, as well as people who flew in from all over the country! There were many kids around who enjoyed seeing that comics could be fun for them, and not only was a tremendous amount of money raised, but so was the profile and message of the two shelters and the crisis line. Wonder Woman's message has always been about peace, honesty, and equality for everyone. It's spectacular that so many people heard that message!"

Jessica Elkan, Director of Development of Raphael House of Portland notes that, "Andy Mangels is a superhero for the cause of domestic violence. Wonder Woman Day has become a catalyst for social change and fundraising for life-saving programs in our community for victims of domestic violence.  We are so grateful for his efforts — and the artists, companies, and store staffers who contribute their time and talent — because they are making a difference and we see that difference at our shelter every day.  Awareness is critical to this issue and Mr. Mangels is building awareness throughout the United States and communities all over the World. We are fortunate that Mr. Mangels has brought together Portlanders to take a stand against domestic violence at Wonder Woman Day.”

Mangels credits a supportive comic community for the sensational auction. "With an awesome selection of over 150 pieces of original art, Excalibur Comics was turned into a literal museum of comic book stars. The creators signing – Adam Hughes, Gail Simone, Aaron Lopresti, Allison Sohn, and award-winning caricaturist Steve Dorris -- all had a great time, and sketched, autographed, and chatted with the fans. Our two Wonder Women – Daria Eliuk and Valerie Perez — were beautiful, strong, and fully embodied the heroine they represented. All the workers wore specially-designed bracers created by Don Hood, whose Wonder Woman work was recently seen in Vogue and at New York’s Metropolitan Museum of Art exhibit. And to be officially recognized for the event – a second time — by the Mayor, was exceptional!"

Cool Facts: At Wonder Woman Day III, 187 artists contributed art of Wonder Woman. Several artists contributed pieces to BOTH events. In total, 212 pieces of original Wonder Woman art were auctioned between the two events!

Speaking about the Flemington, New Jersey Wonder Woman Day celebration at Comic Fusion, store co-owner Stacy Korn says, "Wonder Woman Day III was a lot of fun this year! Wonder Woman was joined by Batman and Robin, Zatanna and even Spider-Man dropped by. Our talented artists — Neil Vokes,  James Fiorentino, Rob Kramer, and Chris Muller — produced sketches for the kids.  It was a beautiful day and everyone had fun participating in our silent auction and prize raffle! This year was bigger and better! We raised $4187 and I know that SAFE in Hunterdon will put the money to good use!" Additionally, Pete Marston, the son of Wonder Woman creator William Moulton Marston— and the oldest living contributor to Wonder Woman comics of the 1940s — stopped by the event to sign autographs and meet fans!

Representing the domestic violence shelter SAFE in Hunterdon, Melissa Decker says, "We would like to extend its deepest thanks to Comic Fusion for all of its recent efforts with the Wonder Woman Day auction to raise money for SAFE in Hunterdon, the lead Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault agency in Hunterdon County.  While 2007 was a huge success, this year’s event was even more successful… SAFE in Hunterdon is grateful for the selflessness and hard work of the Comic Fusion staff, all the companies and artists that donated items and sketches to the raffle and auction, and each of the individuals and families that came out to support the agency and participate in the weekend’s festivities."

Speaking of next year, a date has been chosen for Wonder Woman Day IV: October 25, 2009. Prior to that, Andy Mangels will maintain his historical website WonderWomanMuseum.com, at which fans can see pictures and art from past Wonder Woman Days, and learn more about the history of the character. "I want to thank everyone who contributed art or merchandise to the event this year, in Portland and New Jersey, to thank all the auction bidders and attendees, and to thank the store staff at Excalibur and Comic Fusion," says Mangels. "This Wonder Woman Day raised over $26,600 for the shelters and crisis line, and showed that everyone who contributed truly has a super-hero inside of them!"

The contributors to the Art Auction and raffles are included below. Scans of all art and photos of contributed items — and photos from the event — will remain on display at www.wonderwomanmuseum.com