NFL’s Arik Armstead debuts comic book to inspire kids on literacy journey

When it comes to the challenges of childhood reading, most kids and acclaimed NFL defensive end Arik Armstead tend to be on the same page.

However, he decided to illustrate his challenges within the bounds of a comic book.

“I know how hard school can be for a lot of youth,” Armstead explained. “So, I just wanted to give them a book to inspire them to keep going and have inspiration on their education journey.”

The Jacksonville Jaguar generated a line of fans inside Impound Comics in downtown Sacramento Friday afternoon at the launch of his new comic book, “Discovering My Superpower.” Patient attendees snagged a picture with the 6-foot-7 Sacramento native and a glance at his nearby bronze Walter Payton Man of the Year trophy.

Armstead attended Pleasant Grove High School in Elk Grove before being drafted in 2015 by the San Francisco 49ers, who he played for through 2023. Proceeds from the sales of the comic will be put toward the Armstead Academic Project, Armstead’s nonprofit initiative launched in 2019 to promote student success.

“We support disadvantaged youth in their educational pursuits,” Armstead said. “We believe in providing the economic resources and whatever they need to thrive and be successful in life, and we do that in a multitude of ways.”

A pinnacle aspect of the nonprofit’s mission is promoting literacy, and the publishing of this comic book hopes to lay the foundation to do that.

Brent Trayce Sands, creator of Impound Comics, helped write the book and said that the final product has been long in the making. Both raised in Sacramento, Sands and Armstead found the time to create the book after talking about working together for years.

“It was just perfect timing,” Sands said. “This book is a perfect middle ground for students to learn how to read and build up kids’ self-esteem, and it’s called ‘Discovering My Superpower’ because confidence is a superpower.”

He said that the effort is just one of the many ways both he and Armstead are trying to give back to the community and do something positive.

Lani Bailey brought her two sons to the book release event in hopes that they can find inspiration in the comic and explore the limitless bounds of one’s imagination.

“I think that this is very powerful, especially for young men,” Bailey said. “They need something to be motivated nowadays other than social media, and the book is about dreaming because you never stop dreaming, no matter how old you are.”

Armstead hopes that the book will resonate with youth and convince them that success lies in self-belief and repetition.

“It doesn’t matter where you’re from,” Armstead. “It matters where you finish. If you work hard and are willing to practice, you can get better and better. And that’s what I did, and that’s my story.”