Meghan Ziegler is Girl-Wonder’s newest blogger at 1000 Miles Outside Metropolis, where she brings a touch of sophistication to Girl-Wonder by talking about indie comics. Check out her first post, The Perils Of Reading In a Lousy Economy.

In mid February, Karen Ellis, the creator of popular diary webcomic Planet Karen, was made homeless and nearly possession-less by a fire in the apartment above hers, which resulted in the tragic death of the occupant.

The comics community rallied, and thanks to generous donations of money and equipment, Karen was able to replace some of her art supplies and find a new place to live. Her gratitude and determination are recorded on Planet Karen, but she is still unable to replace many of her possessions.

Girl-Wonder.org is delighted to announce a fundraising auction for Karen, thanks to the generous donations of the comics community. The auction runs until 30th March, and includes items as diverse as an “incredibly wordy” Wonderella giftset, handbags, jewellery, an original Phil Noto Black Widow Sketch, and the original artwork of this post-fire Planet Karen strip.

For more information, please contact Karen Healey at karen.healey@girl-wonder.org.

Karen Ellis, creator of diary comic Planet Karen, lost nearly everything in a fire this weekend.

The apartment above her own caught fire on Sunday night, and while firefighters fought the blaze for three hours, tragically, the occupant was killed. Karen is physically fine, but most of her possessions, including books, clothes and drawing supplies, are ruined beyond repair. The apartment itself has suffered so much structural damage that she’s also been made effectively homeless. (See this comic for an account in her own words.)

Karen is a valuable part of the webcomics community. If you can, please consider making a contribution to her Paypal account to help out. Just head to http://planetkaren.girl-wonder.org/ and hit the “Donation” button in the right-hand column. Every donation, whatever its size, really counts!

Girl-Wonder.org, the organization that hosts Planet Karen, is also planning a fundraising auction on Karen’s behalf. If you have items you think you’d like to donate, please contact Karen Healey at karen.healey@girl-wonder.org for details.

Girl-Wonder.org is pleased to announce the debut of Sequential Smarts, a new blog devoted to the use of comics in the classroom.

Sequential Smarts is intended as a resource for anyone interested in using comics in education. Sequential Smarts is an interactive blog. Readers, regardless of their formal education experience, are encouraged to submit reviews of comics they’ve used or are considering using for educational purposes.

Using these reviews, the blog will become a resource for educators looking for books which would engage struggling readers, clear up difficult concepts, or just get them reading.

“With the growing popularity and variety of graphic novels, more and more educators are turning to comics to engage their students,” said blog contributor Jessica Plummer. “But with this sudden flooding of the market, picking out the useful classroom tools can be a tricky proposition.”

Both blog contributors are themselves experienced educators. Elena Kamenetzky has tutored ESL and remedial reading students in Minnesota with AmeriCorps, and currently teaches English in Japan through the JET program. One of her lesson plans was named the August 2006 America Learns National Strategy of the Month.

Jessica Plummer has both taught and tutored at elementary, middle, and high school levels. She currently works in academic publishing, keeping her eye on what kids are reading.

The blog can be found at http://girl-wonder.org/sequentialsmarts. For additional information on Sequential Smarts or information on submitting a review, please contact the contributors at sequentialsmarts@girl-wonder.org.

When it comes to discussions of the lack of women in comics, both as fans and creators, inevitably the refrain arises for women to “be more involved” or to “make their own books.”

As such, we are proud to announce that Girl-Wonder.org blogger Rachel Edidin will be serving as editor for the upcoming graphic novel The Last Dragon, written by bestselling author Jane Yolen! As reported by Publisher’s Weekly:

“Yolen hopes the book will attract “fantasy lovers, romantics, graphic novel fans, and I hope my fans as well”—and says that while she’s uncomfortable breaking down reading skills and interests by gender, “I think girls read across the genres more than boys and will probably respond more quickly to The Last Dragon because of the romantic elements and because the main character, and the real hero, is a girl. But I hope that boys will also find a story of an uncomfortable male hero who learns to love something besides himself.”

The “action-fantasy” GN will be released by Dark Horse Comics in 2010.

As Girl-Wonder.org nears its two and a half year anniversary, it’s satisfying to look back and see how far the site has come. Since its creation, the site as morphed from a single site advocating for better treatment of female characters, specifically Stephanie Brown, to an organization that covers a broad range of comics, as well as providing hosting active forums and no less than four webcomics and five blogs.

We’re especially proud of our most recent projects, the Female Friendly Comic Book Store Map and the Convention Anti-Harassment Project. Both are great resources for fans and comics professionals to combine their love of comics with activism, education, and promotion. CAHP in particular is a great resource to help con directors make their cons safer for attendees.

But we’re not resting on our laurels. In the future, we hope to:

· Establish an independent store with Girl-Wonder.org exclusive merchandise

· Publish a Girl-Wonder.org calendar

· Establish a scholarship fund for aspiring female comic creators

However, none of this could be achieved without the dedication of our board and forum moderation team. While they’ve done their best to maintain the site, all of the board members have had to balance both their real life duties and their Girl-Wonder.org duties.

And speaking frankly, it’s been hard. All of us are working full-time either as students, seeking higher degrees, or in professional fields. Balancing Board duties and other concerns leaves many of us exhausted and overtaxed. And we’re all volunteers; not one cent of our funds goes to pay the Board. Girl-Wonder.org is a labor of passion and love.

So though we want to reach these future goals as soon as possible, we can’t do it without help from other dedicated passionate individuals. We want to keep these goals alive, and every little bit helps. Currently, we are taking volunteers for the moderation team and our different committees: incorporation, promotion, and merchandising. Even if all you can commit is to moderating a forum or helping out with a forum redesign, that puts us a little bit closer to our goals. We can use you. For more information, please contact Karen Healey at karen.healey@girl-wonder.org

If you want to voluneer and you’re not sure for what, email me anyway! There is something you can do to help.

-Karen Healey, Girl-Wonder.org Board President

Girl-Wonder.org is proud to announce the launch of its newest hosted comic, “Astonishing Tales of Girly Suspense,” co-created by writer A.Piffer and artist Laura Ellyn.

Ellyn described the comic as being focused on “self-discovery, and also with punching monsters.” Piffer, on the other hand, frequently describes the work as, “The Dark Crystal meets Dazed and Confused.”

“The main character, Sophie, is charismatic and charming, but tends to be self-absorbed, and has a gift for getting herself into situations that are completely over her head,” Ellyn said.

Piffer and Ellyn met at a community arts center about a year and a half ago, Ellyn said. After discovering they shared a mutual love of comics, Piffer suggested the two collaborate on a work.

Ellyn studied animation at the British Columbia Institute of Technology, and now focuses on illustration and freelance comics work; several of her pieces have been published in the Vancouver Review. Her website can be found at http://laura.purplethistle.ca/. “Tales” is Piffer’s first published work.

In keeping with our expressed mission of promoting and supporting women in comics, Girl-Wonder.org is proud to host “Astonishing Tales” alongside our other webcomics, such as “Planet Karen” by Karen Ellis, “The Tower” by Saki Miyamoto and Brendon Bennetts, and Andrea M. Bell’s “Mistress.”

In awesome news, Girl-Wonder.org would like to offer a huge thank you to Zombie Apparel donating a part of their proceeds from their recent fashion show “Superpowered! The Fashions of Comic Book’s Most Valiant and Villainous” to the organization!

Thank you for your generosity!

Drawn by Mariah Huehner

Girl-Wonder.org is proud to announce that the second Art Et Cetera Auction is now open for bidding!

Items offered this year include signed pages from B.P.R.D., Ross Campbell original art, a Birds of Prey page from the Nicola Scott/Gail Simone run, original art from webcomics Pride High, Sorcery 101 and Dead Winter, and many other pieces displaying the talent and generosity of this year’s donors.

All items currently available are listed at http://shop.ebay.com/merchant/girlwonderorg_W0QQ_nkwZQQ_armrsZ1QQ_fromZQQ_mdoZ.  Auctions will run from Oct. 7-14.

Art Et Cetera is the major fundraising event for Girl-Wonder.org. All proceeds will be used to cover organizational costs like website fees and expenses for the ongoing incorporation process, as well as
merchandise development and the development of a scholarship fund. Girl-Wonder.org is currently registering for non-profit status. All staffers and board members are unpaid volunteers.

Today’s first donor to be featured is Tommy Roddy! He is best known in the comics world as author of Prism Comics hit Pride High, about a group of queer and queer-allied students at superhero high school.

Roddy donated to last year’s auction, and has donated the original pencils for Page 24 of Pride High #5, drawn by Shaun Piela.

Bidding for this item will begin at $50.

Colored final page:

Looking for other donor posts? Check the Auction page for the latest updates!