An upcoming issue of Wonder Woman comics will feature the superhero officiating a same-sex wedding. Drawn by Australian illustrator Jason Badowerhe, Sensation Comics Featuring Wonder Woman (Issue #48) will be available online Friday, and the print edition will hit stands in November.
Inspired by the June Supreme Court ruling that established marriage equality in all 50 United States, Badowerhe, who lives in Hollywood now, says DC Comics was "fantastic" about his idea for the issue. In an interview with The Sydney Morning Herald, he said his editor "Was like 'great, I love it! Let's do it. It was almost anticlimactic."
"Wonder Woman is such a recognized icon, she's like an international diplomat. When she says 'This is what I do and it's no big deal to me,' she can pave the way to make [same-sex marriage] more normal for everybody. Popular culture reflects who we are now, but it can reflect who we want to be. I think DC superheros are who we want to be. Marvel are who we are, but DC is who we want to be."
In the comic, Wonder Woman is sent on a United Nations mission to Crimea with Superman. After averting a potential war, the two return just in time for Wonder Woman to perform a wedding for a friend she met while volunteering in Katrina-ravaged New Orleans.
When Superman, in the guise of his alter ego Clark Kent, says he didn't realize she supports same-sex marriage, Wonder Woman gives what may be the best retort in comic book history.
"Clark," she says, "my country is all women. To us, it’s not ‘gay’ marriage. It’s just marriage."
See pictures from the comic and watch an interview with Badowerhe conducted by the Australian newspaper, The Age.
