To be able to write 'Superman,' to be able to work with the legendary artist who is John Romita Jr., I signed on as soon as I could. Gene Luen Yang artistjohnlegendary Change image and share on social
For 'American Born Chinese,' my first graphic novel with First Second Books, I did mostly 'memory' research. It's fiction, but I pulled heavily from my own childhood. Gene Luen Yang americanbearbook Change image and share on social
'Shadow Hero' was a dream to work on. Gene Luen Yang dreamheroshadow Change image and share on social
Going from idea to production is a huge hurdle. It took me a while to overcome it. It's basically all about self discipline, right? Gene Luen Yang basicallydisciplinehuge Change image and share on social
Any superhero, regardless of how different they are from Superman, recalls Superman in some way. They're either pushing against Superman or reflecting Superman; there's something about them that comes from Superman. Gene Luen Yang pushrecallreflect share on social
I kind of just write what I like to write. I'm thankful that readers of different ages seem to connect to my stories. I don't consciously think about age demographics when I'm working on my comics. Gene Luen Yang agecomicconnect Change image and share on social
I think the 'Boxers' book was easier for me to envision as a comic, because they were on this epic journey. These teenagers basically gathered into this army and marched to the capital city where they had a showdown with the Europeans and Japanese. On the 'Saints' side, it was a lot trickier. Gene Luen Yang armybasicallybook share on social
We have to allow ourselves the freedom to make mistakes, including cultural mistakes, in our first drafts. I believe it's okay to get cultural details wrong in your first draft. It's okay if stereotypes emerge. It just means that your experience is limited, that you're human. Gene Luen Yang culturaldetaildraft share on social
A lot of Asians and Asian-Americans have liver problems. If you basically ask anybody who is Asian, they or one of their relatives will have some sort of a liver issue, and the liver actually falls into the jurisdiction of the gastroenterologist. Gene Luen Yang americanasianbasically share on social
I talk about religion because it's one of the ways human beings find power and belonging. Religion is more than just that - I think faith traditions give us ways to talk about experiences of the numinous, too - but power and belonging are a big part of it. Gene Luen Yang beingbelongbig share on social