bryankonietzko: This is my fan art for the 10th anniversary of Gene Luen Yang’s incredible gra
bryankonietzko: This is my fan art for the 10th anniversary of Gene Luen Yang’s incredible graphic novel “American Born Chinese.” I started working with Gene on the Avatar books before I read this work of his. Its reputation preceded it (it deservedly won just about ALL the awards), and I had already gotten to know Gene and his writing by the time I picked it up—or so I thought. ABC’s structure threw me off at first. It was really challenging. Abrasive. Discordant. This wasn’t the story I had imagined and built up in my head from all of my friends’ and colleagues’ rave reviews. Halfway through I wasn’t sure I liked it. I wondered, “How is he going to tie all of this together?” And then BAM. He did. And the story and message were all the more powerful for taking me somewhere I wasn’t expecting to go. For challenging my expectations. How could I have presumed to know Gene’s story? And why would I have wanted him to tell it to me in a way that was comfortable and familiar to me? Powerful art and storytelling SHOULD challenge the audience. They should come from a specific point of view. Bravo, Gene! -- source link
#gene yang#bryan konietzko