Gene Luen Yang is one of the most entertaining comic book writers of recent years. Likely best known for his breakout coming-of-age graphic novel American Born Chinese, Yang has done great work across the comic industry. He’s worked at both Marvel and DC on miniseries and ongoings alike, quickly earning a reputation for being one of comics’ most consistently strong writers.
Yang’s body of work in a relatively short time is impressive and underrated. Not only has he become a signature writer of some characters and series, his style appeals to a range of fans. With his breakout comic set for a TV adaptation, it’s worth examining the writer’s projects and how his reliably great output has influenced numerous works across the industry.
10 Future State: Batman/Superman
In Future State, fans caught a glimpse of the DCU’s future, with storylines dedicated to new heroes, murder mysteries and alien warlords. In Batman/Superman (by Gene Luen Yang & Ben Oliver), the World’s Finest solved a case involving a drug that turned users into animalistic humans.
Batman/Superman followed the best friendship in comics as they solved the mystery of the serum, created by Professor Pyg. With Superman himself at risk, Batman fights the Magistrates and rescues his friend.
9 Avatar: The Last Airbender
For years, Dark Horse Comics have published the Avatar: The Last Airbender miniseries. Gene Yang penned five graphic novel trilogies for Avatar as one of their most consistent writers. Based on the original animated series, Yang’s work was true to the show.
Yang’s Avatar, which is a direct sequel to the show, included a story that sent the team of heroes in search of Zuko’s missing mother. This was one of the original show’s biggest mysteries, and delivered many more satisfactory explorations of plot threads from the main series.
8 Shang-Chi
Gene Luen Yang has been the mainstay Shang-Chi writer for several years, having worked on three volumes of the Chinese hero. The best of these was the 2020 series, which Yang wrote alongside artists Dike Ruan and Phillip Tan, and had the hero face a secret society of evil as well as his family.
Yang’s Shang-Chi stories have become the definitive modern take on the hero. Most notably, Yang’s series covered the arc “Shang Chi vs The Marvel Universe,” in which the hero and his family battled various heroes. The most recent series followed the hero as he gained power over the Ten Rings, making him a target.
7 Superman
Yang’s stint on the main Superman comic was brief but excellent. In the waning days of the New 52, Yang joined artists John Romita Jr, Klaus Janson and Howard Porter, and was best known for the “Truth” arc. Here, Superman found himself at odds with Lois Lane.
Yang’s Superman lasted from issue #41-50, and began by placing Lois Lane front and center after she exposed Superman’s secret identity. “Truth” was as much a tale of modern journalism in the Daily Planet as it was a Superman story.
6 New Super-Man
New Super-Man followed one of DC’s lesser known heroes, the Superman of China. Originally an ordinary man, Kong Kenan was turned into his nation’s Superman through a special technology. The series mostly revolved around the adventures of Chinese analogs of American heroes.
New Super-Man – later incorporated into the Justice League of China – followed its titular hero as he protected both China and the world from his own dynamic rogues gallery. One of the series’ best moments, however, sent Kong to Metropolis, where he faced down Lex Luthor.
5 American Born Chinese
American Born Chinese is the book that put Gene Luen Yang on the map of the comic book industry. Released in 2006 and both written and drawn by Yang, the story followed Jin Wang, a young boy who was the only Chinese-American student in his school.
The story juxtaposed the life of Jin Wang against two other stories, those of an ancient legend in the Monkey King and a character designed as a Chinese stereotype. American Born Chinese proved to be such a breakout comic that it recently earned a live-action TV adaptation.
4 Batman/Superman
The 2019 Batman/Superman series was started by Josh Williamson, but Gene Luen Yang penned the most memorable story in later issues. The “Archive of Worlds” saga set the Man of Steel and Dark Knight on alternate reality paths, exploring worlds trapped on film reels.
Yang’s Batman/Superman run should have taken up more of the series, and showcased the writer’s imaginative storytelling techniques. The duo’s battle with Auterio, an ancient god of stories, represented one of their most interesting cases together.
3 Monkey Prince
Monkey Prince was the breakout hero of the Future State era. Based on the Chinese legend of the Monkey King and adapted for comics by Yang and Bernard Chang, the hero is Marcus Sun, a clone of the original legendary hero. He can change between his human and monkey forms.
Monkey Prince later proved instrumental in the run up to DC’s Lazarus Planet, with his connection to the Devil Nezha. However, Yang’s solo series is by far the best treatment of the hero, which followed the hero and his friend, Pigsy, as he accepted his new responsibilities.
2 Superman Smashes The Klan
Superman Smashes the Klan adapted the classic radio serial in which the Man of Steel fought the Ku Klux Klan. In 2020, Gene Yang and artist Gurihiru adapted the story into a comic book. The series made for the perfect uplifting, family-oriented adventure that showed Superman at his best.
Superman Smashes the Klan tells the story of the Lee family, who move into downtown Metropolis, where they’re soon attacked by the Klan. When Superman springs into action to rescue one of the children, he befriends the Lees and takes the fight to the Klan.
1 The Terrifics
The Terrifics itself is an incredibly underrated comic. The series, first written by Jeff Lemire, brought the Marvel formula of the Fantastic Four to the DC Universe. After Lemire’s departure, Gene Luen Yang took over the series, and wound up being the title’s main writer.
Yang’s issues followed some of the series’ best moments, such as the formation of the Terrific Council and the team’s battle with Bizarro. The perfect combination of science fiction, action and adventure, The Terrifics under Yang became a home of DC’s most underrated heroes.
