Phil Jimenez

[on why his character Trevor Barnes from the Wonder Woman comic was poorly received by readers] I think race was a huge issue and I also think that advanced press was an issue because prior to his appearance it had been circulated that Trevor would deflower her. Readers were outraged that it wasn't Steve Trevor, let alone that it was a tall, Black man, which was horrifying enough to them ... Someone said to me, "Well, she's probably met Brad Pitt and Colin Farrell, so why would he be so hot to her?" I thought that comment was so telling; that the two examples he cited were icons of White, beautiful maleness. It's as if to say, after seeing "this" beauty, how could she possibly think "that" is attractive? That, to me, said a lot about why some people couldn't respond to him. Because "they" couldn't imagine finding someone like him attractive, how on Earth could Wonder Woman? Show less «

I had this debate over whether Wonder Woman should beat up or kill her foes. I had this gay guy come up and tell me he couldn't wait to see Wonder Woman beat the shit out of people because he was this poor bullied kid in his school and he was bullied for being gay, and comic books, particularly Wonder Woman, was the one place where he could see heroes actually beat the bad guys - and that he always stuck with me, that he needed to see his female heroes, especially Wonder Woman, beat up people. My needs and what I got out of her as a young gay person were obviously different from the needs of this gay person who needed a much more revenge-filled comic to sort of invest in. Show less «

Lynda Carter was and remains the living embodiment of Wonder Woman. It's cliché' to say at this point, but it's true. But [by] inhabiting this character and bringing her to life in such an honorable way, Lynda helped chart the course of my life. I wanted to be a human being who lived up to the ideals Lynda preached through the Wonder Woman character, and I wanted to draw the adventures of someone as wise and beautiful as Lynda herself. Lynda's influence on my life cannot be underestimated; indeed, my brief meeting with her that left me stuttering and literally brought me to tears. Thank you, Lynda, for everything! Show less «