DC Comics revealed the new young adult graphic novel collection Wonder Women of History. The book honors real-life heroes from Beyoncé to Ruth Bader Ginsburg.
17 stories will be told by female, non-binary writers and artists of the people who take up the Wonder Woman’s “iconic mantle”. It can be of any field like science, sports, entertainment, politics, social justice, and more, according to the DC Comics blog.
After writing the primary graphic novel Wonder Woman: Tempest Tossed, Laurie Halse Anderson, New York Times bestselling author, updated the collection.
The book shares its name with iconic spy, Nazi-fighter, and DC editor Alice Marble’s column that used to run in Golden Age Women Woman comics. “Wonder Woman has been an iconic symbol for girls and women around the world for generations,” Anderson told Nerdist.
Laurie said the character gave her the example of a woman who combined justice, compassion, athleticism, and power that she was looking for. The editor further revealed that she was instantly on board when the good people at DC brought up the idea of an anthology of real-life Wonder Women.
The author’s passion is clear and she has a vision for what she hopes readers will take away from the beautiful tome. She explained how kids are hungry for examples of women and girls who have fought against oppressive systems to make the world a better place.
Laurie said, “The incredible writers and artists in this anthology have created a masterpiece filled with those examples. Our book will inspire and strengthen every reader who picks it up!”
“It was both incredibly easy and very complicated”
One of the writers behind the excellent book is Marieke Nijkamp. They’re the first disabled author to ever write Barbara Gordon in the recent Oracle Code graphic novel for DC. Nijkamp immediately knew where to start when it came time to pick who they would highlight in the book. “It was both incredibly easy and very complicated,” the writer told Nerdist.
The writer explained that she knew she wanted to focus on a disabled activist. She added how “there are so many amazing disabled women (and disabled people of all genders) out there fighting for disability rights and justice that at times it felt impossible to narrow that scope.”
The spotlights for Wonder Women of History include singer-actress Janelle Monáe, Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Sen. Elizabeth Warren, Rep. Rashida Tlaib. It also includes Iskwew Air CEO and Founder Teara Fraser, LGBTQ+ rights activist Edith Windsor. Transgender activist and Stonewall revolution figure Marsha P. Johnson; Parkland shooting survivor and gun control advocate Emma Gonzalez will also be a part of the collection.
Other than that, disability rights activist Judith Heumann, NASA’s first Hispanic female astronaut Ellen Ochoa; deputy director of Wuhan Institute of Virology and China’s “Bat Woman” Dr. Shi Zhengli, would be the spotlights. 23-time Grand Slam winning tennis player Serena Williams, stand-up comic Tig Notaro; actress Keiko Agena, and the first African American gymnast to win an individual Olympic medal; Dominique Dawes would be a part of Wonder Women.
The young adult graphic novel will hit the shelves everywhere on December 1. It will also include illustrators of portraits Weshoyot Alvitre, Colleen Doran, Agnes Garbowska, Bex Glendining, Ashley A. Woods, and Safiya Zerrougui.
“I hope it challenges them to keep fighting for a better world”
Just like Anderson, Nijkamp also has a wish for what readers will take away when they read their story. “I hope it challenges readers to ask questions of the world around them and their own position in it, I hope it challenges them to continue to demand access and inclusiveness for all, and I hope it challenges them to keep fighting for a better world.”
You’ll be able to learn more about the book at the DC FanDome panel “New Voices of Wonder Woman,” directed by Rosie Knight. The panel will take place on Saturday, September 12.
The illustrations of Wonder Women of History was published on Twitter for the sneak peek. However, the novel is available for pre-order.
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