Interviews - Gene Luen Yang

Andy and Derek are proud to have Gene Luen Yang on the podcast. With the upcoming release of his new book from First Second, The Shadow Hero (illustrated by Sonny Lieu), the Two Guys thought this would be the perfect opportunity to talk with one of their contemporary creator heroes. In this engaging conversation, Gene talks with the guys about the genesis of his Green Turtle, and how the original – an obscure ethnically ambiguous crime fighter from the pages of 1940s’ Blazing Comics — inspired him to delve into the superhero genre. Demonstrating a keen sense of pacing, along with a healthy dose of humor, Yang shows himself adept in action-packed comics, something that the guys comment on throughout the interview. But as Derek and Andy both observe, The Shadow Hero nonetheless bears that unique Gene Yang stamp in wrestling with ethnoracial issues in the U.S., and doing so through the meshing of Chinese folklore and American pop culture. In this way, the book can be read as a thematic companion of such earlier books as Level Up, The Eternal Smile, Boxers and Saints, and of course American Born Chinese (all published by First Second). The Two Guys ask Gene about these earlier books, as well, discussing along the way his views on writing for a young adult audience, his 1997 Xeric Grant for Gordon Yamamoto and the King of the Geeks, and his contributions to the New York Times Magazine‘s “Funny Pages” feature (later collected as Prime Baby). All in all, it’s a super fun conversation…and on top of that, Andy and Derek can now say that they’ve had a National Book Award nominee on The Comics Alternative!