Pulse inspires comic book honored at MegaCon

Love is Love curator says artwork honors heroes

ORLANDO, Fla. – A comic book designed to honor the memory of those who lost their lives in the Pulse Nightclub shooting took center stage at MegaCon Friday night.

MegaCon is an annual convention that draws thousands of fans of comic books, science fiction and gaming. It's taking place at the Orange County Convention Center.


The comic book that took the spotlight on Friday is called Love is Love.

It was curated by Marc Andreyko, who told News 6 he knew he had to do something when he saw what had happened in Orlando.

"Five hours later, 70 people said they were in," he said. "Then, I called DC Comics, and Diane Nelson, the president of DC Entertainment, said, 'Whatever you need. You can use our characters.'"

The result was a comic book that shared short stories of love, family and strength.

One of the pages included the artwork of Christopher "Dru" Leinonen, who was one of the 49 people killed in the attack. His mother, Christine, attended a reception for the comic book on Friday night.

"Christopher used to put the 'selfie doodles' on his whiteboard at work," she said.

His selfie doodles are small pictures Leinonen used to draw of himself.

"This is him. This is what he thinks of himself -- smiling, riding a bike, lounging and chilling," she said. "So this is what Christopher thinks of himself."

Many original pieces from the book were on display at the reception with plans to auction them off on Saturday night.

Andreyko said even though Wonder Woman and Superman are featured in the book, he doesn't think they are the heroes that need to be honored.


"These families are my heroes," she said. "To be able to see people that this helps ease their pain? It's the biggest honor that you could ever hope for." 


About the Author:

Erik Sandoval joined the News 6 team as a reporter in May 2013 and became an Investigator in 2020. During his time at News 6, Erik has covered several major stories, including the 2016 Presidential campaign. He was also one of the first reporters live on the air at the Pulse Nightclub shooting.