Wonder Woman Day

Superman: My wife isn’t very happy with you.

Innocent Dilemma: And why’s that?

S: I don’t know if you remember it, but a while back, you chided me about my lack of charity work.

ID: So that’s why you cancelled our usual session?

S: No… though I suppose the two are related. I’ve been working a lot on promoting Wonder Woman Day. It was founded in part by Diana and some charitable minded folks to promote awareness of women’s issues and raise money for domestic violence centers and hotlines. My wife says I’ve been overworking myself. I cancelled our usual taping because I… I couldn’t get out of bed. I think- I’ve told Lois- it’s just fatigue flitting between Portland, Oregon and Flemington, New Jersey- which is at least close to home here in Metropolis.

ID: Okay, so you’ve told your wife it’s fatigue, but is it- do you honestly believe that’s what it is?

S: I don’t know. It’s all… experimental, really. Kryptonians on my planet were actually analogous to humans on this one- so there’s nothing on record like this. Maybe I had a bad day. Maybe I was just, depressive isn’t really the right word but there’s a, a weight to mortality- and I mean imminent, inescapable mortality. There’s an animal thing squirming inside you that does not want to go yet. And it can be exhausting. So, I think fatigue is probably right, though I think my wife had the cause, and more specifically the culprit, wrong.

But I’d sort of like to hijack the conversation. You know, I’ve only got so many words left, and I’d, I’d like them not to all be expended on navel-gazing; I’d like them to matter as much as they can.

So Wonder Woman Day. It hasn’t, uh, taken on the following yet that I might have liked, or that I think befits a person of Diana’s stature, frankly, but it does a lot of good. One of the main fundraisers is an art auction. The pieces are being shown at the Lara Sydney Framing Gallery, 1230 NW Hoyt St., Portland, Oregon until the 24th, and they’re being auctioned online at wonderwomanmuseum.com. If you want to help a good cause and get some original artwork, go there.

ID: Hmm… even though it’s for a good cause, I can’t help but feel like a shill.

S: You started this.

ID: Fair enough. But physically there isn’t a Wonder Woman museum, right?

S: Not yet.

ID: But that reminds me of something I’d wanted to talk about: the Super Museum. In Metropolis, Illinois. Located in Superman Square.

S: Yes.

ID: And I assume you’ve met the curator.

S: Yep.

ID: And how did he strike you?

S: As an ardent and particularly devoted fan.

ID: To be clear, you didn’t mean peculiarly devoted fan?

S: He’s a fan. Perhaps sometimes bordering on fanatical, but that’s where the word comes from. Honestly, to me he’s never been anything but kind, humble and genuine.

ID: So you’re saying you’ve had worse fans, then. Care to talk bad about them behind their backs?

S: I swear sometimes you’re a five year old scientifically aged by Lex Luthor to make me hate humanity.

ID: That might be the nicest thing you’ve ever said about me. Ooh, they’ve got a George Reeves dummy dressed as you- but it looks like Richard Nixon out trick-or-treating.

S: Just had to get in the holiday reference?

ID: Hey, if you can shill for a good cause, I can shill for hits- which consequently gets your good cause more word-of-mouth.

S: Fair enough.

ID: So, for the record, do you think you’re going to be able to keep up with our regular taping schedules?

S: I don’t know. I- I hope so. I know I’m going to try.

We’ll be trying to bring you a new section of the interview every Tuesday. Some of the questions have already been prepared by the interviewer, but to ask Superman a question, leave a comment or send an email to DeathofSuperman@gmail.com.