Long before The Queen's Heroes became a reality, there was Fernandito, a 16-year-old queer kid growing up in a small town in Puerto Rico who dreamed of creating a universe where people like him could finally see themselves represented, not as side characters, not as stereotypes, and not as people whose stories mattered less, but as heroes with the same strength, complexity, and importance as the straight superheroes so many of us grew up admiring.

Fernandito believed in something that continues to guide this universe today: that when people see themselves represented as heroes, as powerful, courageous, complicated, and capable of changing the world, something can begin to change within them, too. Because representation is not simply about seeing a familiar face or identity on a page. It is about the power of imagination, the thoughts we begin to form about ourselves, and the possibilities we allow ourselves to believe in when we realize that someone like us can be at the center of an extraordinary story.

What Fernandito could never have imagined was how long that dream would take to become a reality, or how many sacrifices, setbacks, and moments of uncertainty he would have to endure along the way. Over the decades, the journey tested his strength, his resources, and sometimes even his belief that the universe he imagined would ever exist beyond his own mind. But those sacrifices were never made simply to create something that could be sold. They were made because he believed there was a message worth sharing with the world, a message that had been missing from too many of the stories he grew up with: This time, we are the heroes.

And yet, there is something important about Fernandito that has never changed. If that same 16-year-old boy were standing in front of us today, he probably wouldn't have the money to purchase the very book he spent so many years dreaming of creating. He would know what it feels like to want something meaningful and simply not have the financial means to access it. And he would never want another person to be excluded from this universe for that reason.

That is why we created The Fernandito Initiative, a commitment to making The Queen's Heroes accessible to people who, at this moment in their lives, may not have the means to purchase a copy.

Through this initiative, anyone facing financial barriers can request a free digital edition of The Queen's Heroes. We are also working to place physical copies in libraries, LGBTQ+ community centers, and other accessible public spaces where readers can discover the universe without having to purchase the book. As these partnerships grow, we will publish a directory of participating locations so that more people can find a place near them to sit down, open the book, and discover a story that might speak to something within themselves.

This initiative will continue to grow alongside Kraven. Every new library, community organization, and public reading location will bring us closer to a future where access to these stories is not determined by someone's financial circumstances or where they happen to live. We may not be able to reach everyone immediately, but we can continue expanding, one reader and one community at a time.

Because Fernandito didn't spend decades building this universe just for the people who could afford to buy it. He built it for the people who needed to know that their stories mattered, that their lives held extraordinary possibilities, and that they, too, deserved to imagine themselves as heroes.