Rider University Professor Is Author Of New Wonder Woman Comic

LAWRENCEVILLE, NJ — A Rider University professor is the author of a new Wonder Woman comic.

Sheena Howard, professor at the University’s Department of Communication, Journalism and Media, has written a story that appears in "Wonder Woman Black & Gold #6." This is the final installation of a new anthology series that marks the 80th anniversary of Wonder Woman. The comic was released on Nov. 23.

"Every year something even more crazy happens to me," Howard said. "I wouldn’t have thought I would ever write Wonder Woman, but now I really want to do more."

• Be the first to know what's happening in your town and area. Sign up to get Patch emails: patch.com/subscribe

A Philadelphia resident, Howard set the story in her city, against the backdrop of an environmental disaster. It features Wonder Woman relying on her sister, Nubia, to rescue her from Poseidon and Athena.

For this project, Howard knew she wanted to feature Nubia — recognized as among DC Comic’s first Black women superheroes.

“Growing up in Philly there's always been this old saying that you have to leave Philly in order to make it big. I'm trying to remind people that you don't. You can realize your dreams without leaving Philly,” Howard said.

“So, when it was time to write my story, I knew I wanted it to include Nubia, I knew I wanted Diana and Nubia working together and I knew I wanted to represent my city. Philly actually has a major historical role in Black comics, as the first Black comic book was created here.”

Before writing the story, Howard brushed up on her Greek mythology.

“There’s still a lot to do with Wonder Woman because her story is very flexible,” Howard said. “All of the gender dynamics she stands for, there’s a lot to play with there — and you can especially play with those dynamics as they change in society.”

So how did she end up writing for Wonder Woman? Well, this isn’t Howard’s first brush with comic book writing. Her credits also include co-writing "Superb," one of the first comics to feature a superhero with Down syndrome.

“I've been working in comics for a while now. I co-wrote my first published comic back in 2016-2017 on a series called Superb. Before that I had been studying comics since 2008,” she said.

“I actually wrote my dissertation on “The Boondocks” comic strip. I had made a name for myself in the comics space, so when I was ready, I reached out to the editors over at DC and made a pitch.”

A professor at the Lawrenceville-based University since 2011, Howard became the first Black woman to win an Eisner Award, the comic industry’s highest award, when she received the prize for her first book, "Black Comics: Politics of Race and Representation."

Now that the Wonder Woman comic has been released, Howard has a busy 2022 ahead of her. She is currently working on a few projects. “I'd rather not say until I get the green light to talk about them,” she said.

Howard is also working on a self-help book based on her TEDx Talk, and an untitled novel.

“The novel is about a young man who gets framed, sentenced to 20 years in prison at the age of 18 right before going off to an Ivy League college on an academic scholarship. He then goes on a journey of self-discovery and forgiveness.”

Thank you for reading. Have a correction or news tip? Email sarah.salvadore@patch.com

Get breaking news alerts on your phone with our app. Download here.