A Spotlight on ‘Puerto Rico Strong’: A Comics Anthology Supporting Puerto Rico Disaster Relief and Recovery

Edited by: Marco Lopez, Desiree Rodriguez, Hazel Newlevant, Derek Ruiz, Neil Schwartz / Lion Forge Comics I only did what I knew was right and what I knew was needed. Comics have power, and with this anthology, we’ve shown that. Always proud to be Boricua. Marco Lopez, Co-Editor

This is not a review. A review insinuates critique and comes with a metric, typically out of ten, and that is indicative of a reviewer’s thoughts on the quality of the work. This is a reflection of someone who purchased the anthology because his morality was grounded in comics and supporting Puerto Rico by purchasing an anthology full of Puerto Rican comics made way too much sense. This is the reflection of the nature of finding time in an overwhelming world to try and see beyond the bubble we naturally exist in. This is a remembering of what makes up American and the cross-cultural similarities that bond us and the unique differences that ultimately define. You can not judge an anthology like this one. You can only really stand in awe of the honesty and courage of all these creators to share their stories. You can only turn off all distractions and find your engulfed in history, mythology, tradition, politics, and culture that feels familiar.

The closest connection I have to Puerto Rico is a near and dear friend of mine who I met during my undergrad. As I read through the book, memories of conversations with them started flooding back: the mass sterilization of Puerto Rican women, the coqui tree fr…