Sunday, October 17, 2010

My Top 5 Things that Helped Survive my Teen Years

My day trip to my hometown really got to me. As I was driving down the same old streets and walking through certain neighborhoods, it hit me how rough my teen years were.

I mean, there were plenty of good times and I hung around the right people, but it was still rough. I was teased for my style and "oddness" (a.k.a GAYNESS). I was in love with my best friend and I was so conflicted about my true feelings, God and what my future would be. With all of the good times I had with my other friends, I was constantly carrying 200 pounds of despair on my shoulders.

But no matter what was happening, I knew things would change once I would finally leave that town. And thankfully, there were several things that kept me on the up and up. So here are my 5 main things that kept me sane in my teenage nightmare.

My secret comic book, Amaron-  I wrote and drew my own comic about super powered Amazons from a universe made by the Greek Gods. For many years, I created many characters and stories about this team of women. It was great to escape into my little world I made. I really got into it and I wrote over 200 stories about them. Maybe one day, I will try to make this a legit comic.

Deee-Lite- When I saw this group on MTV, I was convinced that NYC was the place for me. Their music and style spoke to me and I knew I had to make to New York in order to live. Later, I did in 1995.


A Different World- This show made college to be another world of fun and second chances. The characters were innovative and so wonderful. I was convinced that I would meet better people in college and hopefully, find a guy that would like me.


Uncanny X-Men 198- This comic changed my life. It was all about Storm and her road to finding herself again. This story made me realized that I had to be my own hero and if I wanted happiness, I had to start from within.


Comic Books- They were the best distraction the ho hum of Union City. The stories, the art and the characters were all I needed to get by. Although they were fiction, they more alive than most people around me. I would spends hours reading comics, finding solace in the colorful pages.

Funny, these things are still enjoyable parts in my life today

3 comments:

Cubby said...

V, which character in "A Different World" did you most want to be like and/or most want to be with?

Wonder Man said...

I wanted to be like a little bit of Denise and Whitley.

Ken Riches said...

Amazing how easy it was in high school and college to lose oneself in books/comics/and such.

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Viktor is a small town southern boy living in Los Angeles. You can find him on Twitter, writing about pop culture, politics, and comics. He’s the creator of the graphic novel StrangeLore and currently getting back into screenwriting.