BUFFALO NEWS
(Buffalo, NY)
July 2, 2008, p. N6

Copyright © Buffalo News. July 2, 2008. All rights reserved. Reprinted with permission.

Talking to Gene Yang

'American Born Chinese' Creator Is Coming to Buffalo

By Heeseung Kim
NeXt Correspondent

     By day, a computer science high school teacher. By night, a comic book artist encountering growing success. Each profession requires dedication and much hard work.

     For Gene Yang, his hard work has paid off. Among his accolades includes being the first cartoonist to be nominated for the National Book Award and to win the Printz award for young adult literature, both for his graphic novel "American Born Chinese." Yang's stories, which draw in part from his own life, examine issues that teens everywhere can relate to easily in a visually compelling format.

     Yang, who lives in the San Francisco Bay area, will be visiting Buffalo next week as a part of "Get Graphic," a two-year initiative that seeks to introduce graphic novels to Western New York through author visits and workshops. NeXt was able to interview Yang beforehand. Here's what he had to say:

     NeXt: The imprint of "American Born Chinese" said you've been drawing comic books since fifth grade. However, I've heard you wanted to be an animator for a long time. When did you decide to be a cartoonist?

     Yang: I've been drawing all my life. When I was young I wanted to be a Disney animator. Then in fifth grade I purchased my first comic book and began a lifelong obsession with the comics medium. I still deeply respect animation, but comics is my first love.

     NeXt: What is your current source of inspiration for your stories?

     Yang: Most of my stories are rooted in my own life.

     NeXt: How did you first come up with your stories? To what extent do they directly reflect your life?

     Yang: "American Born Chinese" is fiction with bits of autobiography thrown in. For example, many of the words that the character Timmy says to Jin and Wei-chen are insults that were hurled at me and my Asian-American friends in junior high.

     NeXt: When you were growing up, did you ever have a difficult time (especially with dealing with your ethnic identity)? Did you have to deal with a lot of racism?

     Yang: I did deal with some racism, especially in junior high. And even then it was from a vocal minority. But this vocal minority managed to color all my interactions with white folks in general. I began to wonder, do they all think that way? Are they just too polite to say it? I also began to distance myself from my parents and my ethnicity as a way of trying to fit in. Of course, the racism I experienced was nothing compared to the institutionalized racism suffered by the African-American community over the last three centuries, or even the deep-rooted xenophobia that Chinese immigrants faced at the end of the 19th century. We have to keep things in perspective.

     NeXt: What was your time in middle and high school like? Do you think you've changed a lot since your time in school?

     Yang: Overall, I was a pretty happy kid. I was definitely nerdy, and I had a group of nerdy friends that I used to hang out with. All the way through, though, there was this underlying discomfort with my own ethnic identity. I hope I've matured since high school. I feel more at peace with my identity as a whole--and my ethnic heritage in particular--now.

     NeXt: What was the most memorable thing that happened to you in school?

      Yang: Like most teenagers, I enjoyed hanging out with my friends. We would talk about and do silly things, most of which I don't even remember now, but there's something special about people who knew you when you were young. There's a depth that's difficult to achieve when you're older.

     NeXt: Looking back, do you feel differently about school now? Do you have any advice for kids who might be struggling with the same issues?

     Yang: Things get easier.

     NeXt: Do you ever find it difficult balancing your careers as a teacher and a cartoonist?

     Yang: Yes! It's very hard! I'm planning on going part time at my school next year so I can spend more time on comics.

     NeXt: Do you see your students ever reading any of your comics?

     Yang: They do have a copy of my book in our school library, and my students bring me books to sign from time to time. It's nice. Normally all I get to sign at school are detention slips.

     NeXt: Do you ever think about supporting yourself with just creating comics? Is that a career that your average-Joe kid could realistically think about?

     Yang: I've thought about it. I think you should do comics for the love. Most comic book artists have other part- or full-time jobs to make ends meet. It's hard to make a living in comics. If you want to feed yourself through art, you should become a graphic designer or an animator.

     NeXt: What kinds of obstacles have you faced with becoming a cartoonist? What motivated you to continue to pursue making comics as a career?

     Yang: The discipline is the most difficult part. After coming home from a long day teaching, I usually feel like taking a nap or watching some TV. Sometimes I have to really push myself to do my comic (sometimes with the TV on).

     NeXt: Did you read a lot of comics as a kid? Which comics were your favorite?

     Yang: Yes. I really liked "The Incredible Hulk" when Peter David was writing it in the late '80s. I also enjoyed reprints of Will Eisner's "The Spirit" and the Carl Barks' Uncle Scrooge stories.

     NeXt: Do you read a lot of comics (or graphic novels) now?

     Yang: I do, though I get most of them from the library. I recently finished "Exit Wounds" by Rutu Modan. It was beautiful.

     NeXt: How do you feel about your growing success as a comic book creator? Did you ever expect that such success could be possible?

     Yang: I NEVER expected any of this. I am very, very blessed.

     NeXt: Art Spiegelman recently came to Buffalo and discussed the growing respectability of comics. Do you agree that comics have become more respectable?

     Yang: Definitely. And Art Spiegelman's "Maus," which won the Pulitzer in the early '90s, is a big reason why comics have become more respectable. We're seeing graphic novels now that would rival any movie or prose novel in depth and meaning.

     NeXt: Do you feel that if comics are used in education, the fun of reading them would be diminished once they are required reading?

     Yang: I worry about that a lot. I didn't read "To Kill A Mockingbird" when it was assigned in school. I read it years later and loved it. At the same time, the diversity of stories being told in comics is growing. There will always be comics that are beautiful, but not necessarily appropriate for the classroom.

     NeXt: There were many Christian-flavored themes in "American Born Chinese." Does your religion play an important part in your daily life?

     Yang: Yes. I'm a Roman Catholic, and my faith guides every aspect of my life, every decision that I make. Or maybe I should say, I TRY to let my faith guide every aspect and every decision. My faith helps me to prioritize. It reminds me of what's truly important.

     NeXt: What was the message you wanted to convey with "American Born Chinese"? Do you think you've successfully conveyed that message?

     Yang: I'm trying to say something about how we as people figure out who we are. Am I successful? I don't think it's my place to decide that. I think it's the reader's.

Heeseung Kim will attend Yale University in the fall.

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