The DYCD Heroes Project

The DYCD Heroes Project is a literacy-focused comic book initiative that challenges youth across NYC to develop stories about heroes—real or imagined—in their own communities. Through the project, which began in 2016, more than 500 young people develop their own original comic books each year: imagining character ideas and story plots, learning how to translate their creativity into comic art, and building literacy skills as they finalize their work into a finished book.

In 2020, to continue to offer resources to youth and families during the COVID-19 pandemic, DYCD and our partners at the Office for the Prevention of Hate Crimes and The Comic Book Project brought the Heroes Project online through the virtual “DYCD at Home” platform. As the City faces the challenge of ensuring that fear about COVID-19 does not manifest as an excuse for harassment and discrimination, the DYCD Heroes Project challenged young New Yorkers to work together with professional artist Michael O’Shea to create an original citywide comic book about heroes fighting hate.

Click here to download the “History In Action” comic book!

Check out last year's comic book, “Heroes Against Hate”

2019 edition "The Heroines and Villains of X1515" in English or Spanish.