I grew up in a religious community, and like everyone, I went through a period of doubt and later made a conscious choice to embrace the faith of my childhood. Gene Luen Yang childhoodchoicecommunity Change image and share on social
Writing for myself and writing for another artist are two very different experiences. When I handle both the story and the art, I have full control. I can endlessly tweak every word and every line. Gene Luen Yang artartistcontrol Change image and share on social
In the early '90s, I was finishing up my adolescence. I visited my local comic-book store on a weekly basis, and one week I found a book on the stands called 'Xombi,' published by Milestone Media. Gene Luen Yang 90sadolescencebasis Change image and share on social
My experience of Chinese culture is indirect, through echoes. When I approach the cashier at my local Chinese supermarket, they switch to English before I've even said a word. They somehow know that I'm not quite Chinese enough. Gene Luen Yang approachcashierchinese share on social
My brain subconsciously limits itself to panel compositions that my hand can actually draw. Gene Luen Yang braincompositiondraw Change image and share on social
With my own comics, I try hard to get the vision in my head onto paper, to have one match the other as closely as possible. With the 'Airbender' comics, I'm working with someone else's vision, an already-established vision. I want to stay true to what's come before. Gene Luen Yang airbendercloselycomic share on social
I think every time you work with another collaborator, there's an adjustment process where you figure out the other person's strengths, and that has definitely happened for me. Gene Luen Yang adjustmentcollaboratorfigure Change image and share on social
I grew up on monthly comics. My closet is full of monthly comics. I've always wanted to do a monthly comic, and while I've had a couple of offers, the timing has never worked out. Most superhero comics come into the world as monthly series, so we wanted the same for 'The Shadow Hero.' Gene Luen Yang closetcomiccouple share on social
Dichotomies are an inherent part of comics, aren't they? Comics are both pictures and words. They blend time and space. Many feature characters with dual identities like Bruce Wayne/Batman. Cartoonists also tend to live dichotomous lives because many of us have day jobs. Gene Luen Yang batmanblendbruce share on social
'Avatar: The Last Airbender' is, to my mind, the greatest American animated series ever produced. The characters lived and breathed. Gene Luen Yang airbenderamericananimate Change image and share on social