How you can lasso some fun as DC Comics celebrates Wonder Woman Day

Amazon Princess Diana gets to be queen for a day. And the world is her court.

To wrap up the character’s 75th anniversary year, and to celebrate her first solo big-screen movie, DC Comics has declared Saturday to be Wonder Woman Day. Her comic-book colleague Batman got the same treatment in 2014, his 75th year, and Batman Day has been held annually since.

According to the dccomics.com Wonder Woman Day international event map, the only observance at a Modesto-area comic-book shop is at Bonanza Books & Comics, 2308 McHenry Ave.

The celebration will include costumed superheroes, appearances by locally based comic artists and special Wonder Woman Day giveaways with purchase.

Superheroes (and a few foes) scheduled to appear from 10 to noon include Batman, Superman, Batgirl, Supergirl, Green Lantern, Joker, Harley Quinn, Catwoman, Zatanna, Huntress, Nightwing and Deathstroke.

And, of course, the guest of honor – Wonder Woman.

“One is confirmed and two more are probable, so we could have three Wonder Women representing different eras,” Bonanza owner Jeff Allen said Friday. Showing that superheroes are only human – or metahuman – after all, he added, “It’s always a matter of whose car doesn’t start or who gets called into work. We’re hoping for about 20” costumed characters.

Also at Bonanza on Saturday, anyone who makes a purchase will receive a special edition reprint of Wonder Woman No. 1 and a cardboard tiara and wristbands. “This is the first time – and we give out fliers and advertise all special events like Batman Day and Free Comic Book Day – that the female customers, whether little girls or moms, they’re all excited,” Allen said. “I’m hearing women say, ‘I want the tiara!’ and “I can’t wait.’”

According to a Hollywood Reporter article, “Wonder Woman Day concludes DC’s yearlong celebration of the 75th anniversary of Wonder Woman’s first appearance. The hero debuted in 1941’s All-Star Comics No. 8. In addition to the release of her first solo movie, June 2017 also marks the 75th anniversary of the first solo Wonder Woman comic book.”

Other aspects of DC’s Wonder Woman day include discounts at various online and brick-and-mortar retailers including Amazon and Barnes & Noble.

Also to celebrate, DC and its publishing partners – HarperCollins, DK, Scholastic, Random House Children’s, Capstone and Warner Bros. – created a free online Wonder Woman activity kit. It includes coloring pages, word searches, word scrambles, a superhero name creator and a how-to for making your very own Wonder Woman shield and bracelets.

And if you take stock in reviews, there’s no better way to celebrate Wonder Woman Day than to hit the theater (it’s supposed to hit 92 degrees in Modesto, after all) for “Wonder Woman,” starring Gal Gadot.

Helmed by Patty Jenkins, the first woman to direct a major superhero movie, “Wonder Woman” has an 8.4 out of 10 on IMDb.com (based on 21,000 user ratings) and a 93 percent rating on the Rotten Tomatoes website.

This story was originally published June 2, 2017 at 3:49 PM with the headline "How you can lasso some fun as DC Comics celebrates Wonder Woman Day."