Letter
Dear Ms. Gibson:
In its public meeting of 21 November conducted by videoconference, the Commission of Fine Arts reviewed design alternatives for coins and medals featuring Batman and Wonder Woman, the second and third sets in a series celebrating the art of American comic books. The Commission was pleased to consider the preferences of the Citizens Coinage Advisory Committee (CCAC) and provided the following comments and recommendations.
Batman. Consistent with the comments of the CCAC, the Commission members recommended obverse O-02 and reverse R-02 in the various permutations for the coin and medal formats. For the obverse, they requested adjusting the top line of the footwear on Batman’s right leg to avoid a distracting alignment with the outlined edge of his left leg.
Wonder Woman. Consistent with the CCAC, the Commission members recommended obverse O-01A; they agreed with the CCAC’s observation that the border of stars in obverse O-01 would not improve the design. For the reverse, they recommended alternative R-02, citing the dynamic pose of Wonder Woman airborne among doves in flight above the globe; they contrasted this to the more static composition of the standing figure in reverse R-03 as preferred by the CCAC.
The Commission members commented that the subject matter of this series on comic art is unusually commercial for the Mint’s work, which has a longstanding tradition of expressing high ideals with artistic dignity in producing the nation’s coins and medals.
As always, the staff is available to assist you with future submissions.
Sincerely,
/s/Thomas E. Luebke, FAIA
Secretary
Ventris C. Gibson, Director
United States Mint
801 9th Street, NW, 8th Floor
Washington, DC 20220