Media Release -- Debuting in American comic books during World War II, super-heroic star Wonder Woman is one of the most recognizable female icons in the world, thanks to almost seventy years of published adventures and a popular television series in the 1970s that became an international phenomonon. Now, for the fourth year in a row, the fictional heroine brandishes her Amazon bracelets and golden lasso as a star-spangled symbol of a charity benefit for three of Portland's outstanding domestic violence prevention-intervention agencies – Raphael House of Portland, Bradley Angle and PWCL.
In recognition of Wonder Woman's legacy and the life-saving work done by these local non-profits, Excalibur Comics in SE Portland will host Wonder Woman Day on Sunday, October 25th from noon to 6pm. The free all-ages event will include local and national artists signing comics and special edition prints, as well as a silent auction of original art contributed by more than 150 of the world's top artists. There will be costumed super-heroes on-site, raffles and prizes, rare memorabilia, and more.
Additionally, a second Wonder Woman Day benefit will take place on Sunday, October 25th, in Flemington, NJ, at Comic Fusion, as part of their "Super-Hero Weekend." This East Coast event will benefit Safe in Hunterdon, a domestic violence shelter in New Jersey.
Some key points:
* Portland's Mayor, Sam Adams, has officially declared October 25th to be "Wonder Woman Day" in the City of Roses.
* Previous Wonder Woman Day events have raised a grand total of more than $69,000 to benefit survivors of domestic violence and their children.
* The first Wonder Woman Day event was filmed for a half-hour documentary series, FANatical, shown on Canadian and Australian national television.
* October is National Domestic Violence Awareness Month.
Producing the event for the fourth year is best-selling author and DVD documentary director Andy Mangels, who is also the curator of the online Wonder Woman Museum, and one of the world's top experts on the famed super-heroine.
"For over sixty years, Wonder Woman has been an iconic female symbol of peace, strength, equality, and honesty," Mangels says. "Her story has been told in the pages of comic books and books, and on television shows, and her visuals and ideals are known worldwide. For the Wonder Woman Day events, fans and the general public have an opportunity to celebrate the character and the people who create her adventures, and they have the opportunity to be heroic themselves! Incredible original artwork created by generous and talented comic book and animation artists all over the world will spotlight the 'Amazing Amazon,' all while raising money for four incredibly important charitable organizations."
Amy Williams, Director of Development for Raphael House of Portland, is thrilled to be involved in an event that appeals to such a diverse audience. "One of the most amazing things about Wonder Woman is the way that her appeal and message cross the traditional lines of generation, gender, race and class. Our vision at Raphael House is to engage this entire community in non-violent living, and being part of this event is an annual step toward realizing that vision. Wonder Woman Day is a phenomenal culmination to National Domestic Violence Awareness Month in Portland."
Ron Bannister, the Development Director at Bradley Angle, says, "Through the creativity and philanthropic efforts of Andy Mangels, Wonder Woman Day has turned into an International Event raising more than $69,000 for nonprofit charities who help women and children fleeing domestic violence, and we can't thank him enough for his overwhelming support and dedication."
Stacy Korn, co-owner of Comic Fusion, in Flemington, New Jersey, is co-producing the East Coast version of the event. She says that, "We at Comic Fusion are excited about this year's Wonder Woman Day. We are so grateful to the 'Wonderful' artists for their generousity in their donations. There are so many awesome sketches to choose from that it is hard to figure out where to start! And if you are in the area, there are plenty of great raffle items and costumed heroes to pose for pictures with!"
Full Event Details:
Wonder Woman Day IV (Portland)
Sunday, October 25, 2009 – noon-6pm, FREE
Excalibur Comics, 2444 SE Hawthorne Blvd, Portland, Oregon
An ALL AGES celebration and benefit for domestic violence prevention-intervention agencies! Proceeds of the event will benefit Raphael House of Portland, Bradley Angle and Portland Women's Crisis Line.
Wonder Woman Day IV (New Jersey)
Sunday, October 25, 2009 – noon-5pm, FREE
Comic Fusion, 42 Main St., Flemington, New Jersey
Proceeds of the event will benefit Safe In Hunterdon of Hunterdon County, New Jersey.
PORTLAND SPECIAL GUESTS SIGNING:
Guests will have special prints to sign, given away free!
Gilbert Hernandez (noon-6pm, Love & Rockets, Luba, Palomar)!
Jaime Hernandez (noon-6pm, Love & Rockets, Penny Century, Locas I & II)!
Paul Gulacy (noon-3pm, Batman, Catwoman, Star Wars, 007, Master of Kung Fu)
Anne Timmons (noon-3pm, Go Girl!, Graphic Classics, Star Trek)!
Steve Dorris (noon-3pm, onsite caricatures of attendees as a super-hero)!
Gail Simone (3-6pm, Wonder Woman, Birds of Prey, Welcome To Tranquility)!
Aaron Lopresti (3-6pm, Wonder Woman, Spider-Man, Excalibur, Ms Marvel)!
Ron Randall (3-6pm, Wonder Woman, Supergirl, Outsiders, Star Wars, Trekker)!
NEW JERSEY SPECIAL GUESTS SIGNING:
Appearing at various times on Saturday and Sunday!
* Joe Sinnott, Chris Muller, Ken Haeser, Rob Kramer, and Buz Hasson
SILENT ART AUCTION
Over 180 artists from the comic book, newspaper comic strip, animation, and fine art worlds have donated original art depicting Wonder Woman for this event. All original art will be on display at the Wonder Woman Museum website until the event. The Silent Auction will take place the day of the event. Bidders need not be present to win; however, their bid must be on the bid sheet. Details about PROXY bidding, to allow for off-site bids, will be on the website from October 17-24th.
The Portland event also includes "AMAZING AMAZON - A Wonder Woman Art Event," a special month-long Art Gallery showing from October 1st to October 24th at Lara Sydney Framing Gallery, 1230 NW Hoyt Street.
www.WonderWomanMuseum.com
In addition to the on-site guests, other artists contributing include such award-winning graphic art luminaries as Alex Ross (Kingdom Come), Adam Hughes (Wonder Woman), Gary Frank (Superman), Nicola Scott (Secret Six), Ramona Fradon (Super Friends), Jamal Igle (Supergirl), Al Milgrom (Secret Wars), and many others. A complete list is on the website.
Additional art contributions showcase the incredible talents of artists from America, Canada, South America, Japan, and Europe, including:
Aaron Felizmenio, Aaron McConnell, Al Rio, Alexandre Tso, Amy Pronovost, Andy Perez, Anthony Hochrein, Anthony Lee, Anthony Rizzo, Arie Monroe, Ariel Guzman, Arthur Reis, Beck Kramer, Ben Dunn, Bennett Pisek, Billy Tan, Bob Prodor, Braulio Gregorio, Britton Walters, Buz Hasson, Carrie Cartwright, Cat Staggs, Celina Hernandez, Charles Barnett III, Chris Giarrusso, Chris Jennison, Christian, Christian N. St. Pierre, Christopher Chamberlain, Claudio Pozas, Colleen Coover, Dan Schoening, Dan Thompson, Dane Ault, Daniel HDR, David Burton, David Davies, David Newbold, Denise Vasquez, Dennis Hart, Diane Carroll, DJ Jackson, Don Perlin, Duanne Barbour, Dylan Williams, Ed Bickford, Ed Hannigan, Elvis Moura, Emi Lenox, Erik Burnham, Ernest Jocson, Francisco Paronzini, Franco Aureliani, Fred Hembeck, Greg Moutafis, Guy Davis, Henrique Bittencourt, Heubert Khan Michael, Howard Bender, Ian Walker, Ibrahim Moustafa, J.A. Fludd, Jack Harris, James Fiorentino, James Rodriguez, Janet Hetherington, Jay Leisten, Jeremy Alva, Jeremy Treece, Jesse Hamm, Jessica Hickman, Jon Riggle, Jonathan Lau, Jonathan Racimo, Jose Weingartner Jr, Josh Heusinkveld, Juan Fontanez Jr, Judith Hunt, Karen Krajenbrink, Karl Waller, Karlton Hahn, Katie Cook, Keith Perkins, Keith Tucker, Kelly Everaert, Ken Haeser, Kevenn T Smith, Kevin Karstens, Khoi Pham, Knate Carter, Kristen McCabe, Lance Sawyer, Laura Martin, Linda Chartier, Lynne Anderson, Marc Lewis, Mark Bloodworth, Mark J. Tannacore, Mary Bellamy, Matt C. Ryan, Matt Grigsby, Maureen Gubia, Mauricio Dias, Max Bretschneider, Michael Dolce, Michael Duron, Michael T. Gilbert, Michael Troy, Mike Collins, Mike Murphy, Mike Pascale, Natalie Nourigat, Nathan Ohlendorf, Neil Vokes, Nick Mockoviak, Nicole Falk, Norman Katz, Orlando Pagan, Paige Braddock, Paul Gould, Paul Taylor, Peter Steigerwald, Phil Nibbelink, Ray Caspio, Rich Ellis, Richard Howell, Rob Jones, Rob Kramer, Rock Barcellos, Rodney Buchemi, Rogerio DeSouza, Ron Chan, Ryan Bodenheim, Ryan Kelly, Ryan Odagawa, Sarah Wilkinson, Scott Barnett, Scott Christian Sava, Scott Koblish, Sean Chen, Sina Grace, Stefano, Steve Howard, Ted Dastick, Terry Blas, Tim Fish, TL Collins, Todd Moniz of Thunder Road Laser Graphics, Tom Hodges, Tram Ngo, Tyler Richlen, Wattana, Wayne Moraghan, and Yuko Salvadori.
* Door Prizes and raffles include Autographed materials, Merchandise and Promotional items from Diamond Distributing, Tonner Dolls, Creations By Pooh, Hallmark Cards, and more.
Note: "WONDER WOMAN" and all related names, characters, and elements are TM and copyright 1942-2009 by DC Comics. Wonder Woman Day is not endorsed or sponsored by DC Comics, Warner Bros., or any parent or affiliate company. The community-based event, from which 100% of proceeds go to registered 501(c)3 charities is meant as a celebration of the character and the heroic values shown throughout her history, and of upholding those same values within the greater community.
About Raphael House of Portland - www.raphaelhouse.com
Raphael House of Portland is a multi-faceted domestic violence prevention and intervention agency dedicated to fighting the causes and effects of intimate partner violence in a variety of ways. We offer emergency shelter in a confidential location, safety planning and advocacy on a 24-hour in-house crisis line, non-residential advocacy in cooperation with the Portland Police Bureau, and housing assistance, and advocacy through our Transitional Housing Program. The vision of Raphael House is to engage our entire community in non-violent living, and we work toward this goal through our survivor-centered direct advocacy programs and through educational outreach with teens and adults.
About Bradley Angle - www.bradleyangle.org
Founded in 1975 as the first domestic violence shelter on the West Coast, Bradley-Angle continues to develop innovative programs for women and children of all backgrounds experiencing domestic violence. Besides bilingual Spanish and English Emergency and Transition Services, Bradley-Angle offers culturally specific support services for women battered by women.
About Portland Women's Crisis Line - www.pwcl.org
Founded in 1972, the Portland Women's Crisis Line provides services to survivors (both female and male) of domestic violence and sexual assault, including rape, incest, and sexual harassment. The Portland Women's Crisis Line was the first crisis line of its kind in the state of Oregon, and one of the first five crisis lines of its kind in the United States. The Crisis Line provides services via the toll free statewide hotline number.
About Andy Mangels - www.andymangels.com
Andy Mangels is the USA Today best-selling author and co-author of over 20 fiction and non-fiction books — including Star Trek, Roswell, and Star Wars tomes — and is a comic book writer. He has produced Special Features and directed documentaries for over major 40 DVD sets. Andy is a national award-winning activist in the Gay community, and has raised thousands of dollars for charities over the years. He curates the online Wonder Woman Museum.
About Excalibur Comics
Founded in 1976 by Peter Fagnant and Kathy Putnam, Excalibur Books & Comics is the oldest comic book store in the State of Oregon. Currently managed by Debbie Fagnant — a Wonder Woman fan — Excalibur has an extensive line of comic books and graphic novels. Excalibur regularly donates books to schools and libraries, and welcomes fans of all ages for this spectacular event.
About Wonder Woman
Debuting in All-Star Comics #8 (December 1941-January 1942) as the creation of psychologist and lie-detector inventor William Moulton Marston, Wonder Woman soon graduated into two series of her own: Wonder Woman and Sensation Comics. In the 66 years since, over a thousand Wonder Woman comics have been published by DC Comics. Wonder Woman has appeared in animated cartoons such as Justice League Unlimited and Super Friends, but most famously was portrayed by statuesque actress Lynda Cater in the live-action series from 1975-1979.
