This year past year, 2020 was the worst year in modern history, that is the truth we do not need to hover over that point again.

However, I feel what is never truly understood is the sheer difference in the handling of that year on a personal level. Scrolling on TikTok night after night I would get a peek into so many individual's lives. Some videos had the user asking for prayers as their grandfather laid dying in the hospital due to covid, others would see young entrepreneurs working their butts off with the free time they now possessed.

And then there were people like me, just hunkering down and braving the pandemic.

I felt my days waste away throughout 2020, and it really did put a mental toll on me. So when 2021 rolled around I made sure to not feel that low ever again and with that I decided it was time to develop something, a product I can hold up and simply say: "yeah I made this."

Right now I am producing my very first comic book.

I've been interested in comics for years so it's about time I made one. I worked on indie comics in the past with my friend Thomas, we've been internet friends for years. I helped him produce the second and third issues of his comic run "Stryde." Watching him go through the process of scriptwriting, working with artists, and printing inspired me to go out of my way and focus on my creations. Near the tail end of 2019, I started to get to work, truly redesigning my existing lore and characters. I wanted to focus on a more grounded and realistic tale that doesn't necessarily pertain to strictly being superheroes. The trope of a stoic man putting on a mask to fight crime while protecting his identity is a cliché at this point so with this comic, I wanted to be different.

I went through dozens of artists and ordered a number of commissions.

All throughout 2020, I was trying to figure out the story I wanted to tell, narrowing it down to an obvious answer: college.

I think for a lot of current university students, College is something that was stripped away from us due to the pandemic. The lack of planning and action from the federal government will forever be remembered in my mind. A college is a place of development, a steppingstone before adulthood and responsibilities. A lot of time in media, college isn't really depicted in a realistic form. It is used as a backdrop in a story rather than a character in itself. So that's where my comic focuses on.

Titled "The Outrider" it follows the story of Marcel Lozada, a 19-year-old college student attending the fictitious Alden State University.

Marcel is the first superhuman in existence, and with that, he is continuously faced at a crossroads deciding what type of person he wants to be? This series aims to show the reality of being a student in a university setting, tackling themes and situations many college students face. Alongside Marcel is his best friend, Andrea "Andi" Negrón. A fellow undergrad at ASU, she carries her own baggage as the granddaughter of an ex-assassin. Years of training and situations have left Andi physically and mentally scarred, leading to her new aspiration to make college memories, sometimes being an opposing force to Marcel's enthusiasm for super-heroics.

Launching this comic campaign last Friday was truly a wonderful experience. So many of my friends, family, and strangers all reached out to order their copy. Hitting my goal in three days was such a great feeling and I cannot wait to deliver the results. I think overall, I feel like I wouldn't be here today without feeling that darkness 2020 possessed.

Life is not easy, and it throws curveballs.

It's what you do with those curveballs that matter.