Fernando Velez is the creator and visionary of Class6 and the entire Kraven Universe Anthology. Thirty-four years old and now living in Redmond, WA, from Yauco, Puerto Rico, Fernando grew up with a low-income family in a challenging environment. He was met with great hardships when he came out early. Yet these problematic circumstances became the catalyst for his creative visions of superhero narratives as he wandered the streets of his small town, being influenced by the artistic environment of the island of Puerto Rico.

 

Creating stories was his way out of his brutal reality of being LGBTQ on a conservative island, but he was determined to craft stories that would impact the world. When he was 14, he stole his Mother’s credit card to buy Magic Screenwriter software to write his first script.

 

He enrolled in art school with a minor in Television production. He then moved to San Juan, working in TV and Radio production. He finished high school at night to work during the day to support himself after leaving his parent’s home. He joined the Disney College Program in the US, working for the Disney Parades division enabling him to leave the island and pursue his dream, the entertainment industry. When only 20 years old, he landed a position as Production Assistant for Telemundo in Miami for the show Caso Cerrado and was quickly promoted to Producer. He began to explore his entrepreneurial spirit to create and publish his LGBTQ publication, Kraven Magazine. After five years, the magazine led to making his dream, his first comic book of what would then explode into Class6 and the Kraven Universe Anthology.

 

“ Class6 is more than a series of comic books; it represents gay life in comics and shows the hardship that many in the community go through. It’s a narrative of freedom; for that kid who was me, Fernando, and for the many like me who never knew of heroes who could lead to saving us. Heroes that could make our voice be heard to create a better world, to have equality for all and most important; to send a message that anyone can be a hero.”