Wonder Woman has been an icon for female empowerment since the first time she graced comic book pages with her debut in All-Star Comics #8. The Amazon warrior has been a huge influence on popular culture since. It’s not unexpected to see a character of this longevity and popularity take on current events.
Award-winning artist Yanick Paquette took to Instagram to show off a recent piece he’s been working on for the upcoming Wonder Woman: Earth One Vol. 2. As you can see below it depicts the Women’s March. It’s unclear how Wonder Woman is associated with it.
Paquette described the artwork, “As my work seems to mirror reality, I’ve been drawing Woman March in WW Earth one vol 2 for the past few days!
Pretty cast intensive stuff. I see Jolie Aimee and Victoria Pagac made it to the Protest! #wonderWoman #earthone #womanmarch”
Check out the post below:
Wonder Woman: Earth One Volume 2 will be the follow-up to Grant Morrison and Yanick Paquette’s Wonder Woman: Earth One.
An Amazon description reveals significant plot details:
For years, Diana of Paradise Island yearned to leave the only home she knew behind for adventures that laid beyond its shores. Now, after a fateful meeting with Air Force pilot Steve Trevor, the Amazon Warrior finds herself in Man’s World. And she is ready for anything that it may throw at her.
But is the world ready for Wonder Woman? An American Government, fraught with dissession (sp) and conflicts foreign to Diana, have deemed her a danger to society. How will Wonder Woman carry out her mission of peace and love in a world that can’t get out of its own way? That is, unless there are more insidious forces at play…
It’s unclear how this protest will play out in the comic book, but it does appear to go against the idea the world isn’t ready for Wonder Woman. As you can see, there’s even a sign held by one woman in a wheel chair saying “Wonder Woman for President.”
It’s unlikely Wonder Woman would be elected President because I bet even on Earth One, the constitution of the United States only allows American born citizens to become President.
But the fact Paquette mentions he is mirroring reality with the Women’s March is what I find especially interesting. Over the last few years, fans have grown louder in their dissatisfaction of seeing one political point of view/agenda being displayed in comics. Many fans believe this is one of the main reasons the comic book industry saw unit sales decline by around 10 million.
One commenter on Paquette’s post even told him he would not be buying the upcoming book, “I’m (sp) won’t be buying. Love your work but I don’t want an agenda in my story. I know that is a hanging offense these days but it’s how I feel. Keep up the good work, my friend. I mean that sincerely. ??”
It’s unclear what Paquette thinks about the Women’s March, but since he mentions the art mirrors reality, it’s not too difficult to see how it could be interpreted as something more. It could be seen as an attempt to appropriate Wonder Woman for a specific group of the comic book fandom. Just to be clear, in the image it’s really hard to tell what Wonder Woman’s reaction to the Women’s March will be. You can only barely make her out in the bottom left of the image.
Wonder Woman has been and will continue to inspire people from all walks of life. Some will assume her message and status directly speaks to them. But I do not believe that is the case. Like with almost any mythos; the story talks to each of us. These stories give us a lens in how we see our current situation and lives. To claim Wonder Woman for one side or philosophy, to me as a fan, is incorrect.
Tell me what do you think. Is the post just good fun, or is DC wandering down the same rough road Marvel did in courting SJWs? Tell me in the comments below!