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
The rumor is Chu Hing really wanted the 'Green Turtle' to be Chinese American, but the publisher didn't think that would sell. If you read those books, the hero almost always has his back facing the camera so you can't see his face. When he turns around, his face is obscured. Gene Luen Yang americanbackbook 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
Comics are such a powerful educational tool. Simply put, there are certain kinds of information that are best communicated through sequential visuals. Gene Luen Yang comiccommunicateeducational Change image and 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 wanted to make an explicitly educational comic that taught readers the concepts I covered in my introductory programming class. That's what 'Secret Coders' is. It's both a fun story about a group of tweens who discover a secret coding school, and an explanation of some foundational ideas in computer science. Gene Luen Yang classcodecoder share on social
Figuring out a way to balance the Boxer story with the Chinese Christians was difficult. Gene Luen Yang balanceboxerchinese Change image and share on social
'Shadow Hero' was my first superhero story. I don't know why it took so long. Gene Luen Yang herolongshadow Change image and share on social
When you work on a pre-existing character, when you end up getting invited to be part of a legacy character like Superman, I don't feel like it would be true to the character if all I did was go in looking to express my own voice. Gene Luen Yang characterendexist share on social
The Boxer Rebellion is a war that was fought on Chinese soil in the year 1900. The Europeans, the Japanese and their Chinese Christian allies were on one side. On the other were poor, starving, illiterate Chinese teenagers whom the Europeans referred to as the Boxers. Gene Luen Yang allyboxerchinese share on social