San Jose cartoonist on ‘American Born Chinese,’ advice for aspiring graphic novelists

SAN FRANCISCO (KRON) — The largest pop culture convention in Northern California returned to San Francisco’s Moscone Center for a massive, three-day celebration of comics, anime, gaming and sci-fi.

The event ran from Nov. 24-26 and drew an estimated 35,000 people, including big names like Mark Hamill, Ewan McGregor, and Elijah Wood. KRON4’s Stephanie Lin reports on the action, interviewing fans and celebrities on the show floor.

We spoke with Gene Luen Yang, the mind behind “Avatar: The Last Airbender” and “American Born Chinese.”

To watch our complete recap of this year’s FAN EXPO, click here.

KRON4: How has FAN EXPO been going for you?

Yang: It’s been really fun. I’ve been going to comic book conventions since I was a little kid, and now to be on the other side of the table, it’s kind of what I dreamed of when I was, like, 12. You know, it’s been great.

KRON4: How does it feel to meet the fans and get real-time feedback?

Yang: Cartooning is a very lonely job. You know, you spend a lot of time by yourself in front of a laptop or a drawing table and in a graphic novel takes a long time to create. So ‘American Born Chinese,’ for example, it’s been five years from beginning to end. And all that time you don’t really get a lot of feedback just by yourself in a room slaving away at this thing. So one of the benefits of coming to a show like this is to actually meet people who read your work and you get to talk about it with them. So it’s amazing.

KRON4: What is the effect when you see the reaction the fans have to your work?

Yang: I mean, a lot of it is very touching. You know, I’ve heard a lot of folks tell me that even if they didn’t go through the exact same things that I talk about in the book, that they’ve experienced the same emotional reality as, you know, my book. It really is about the Asian American experience. And it seems like it connects with a lot of folks who are just immigrants, kids, regardless of where their parents are. You know, seems like the food might be different and the language might be different, but the emotions are the same.

KRON4:  Cartooning is a bit more of an unconventional career choice as an Asian-American. How did you kind of pull yourself through those challenging moments?

Yang: I was very lucky. I got connected with a community of cartoonists when I was pretty young. So in our early twenties, there are a bunch of us who are just starting off. You know, maybe half of us were Asian-American, and we would get together at some of these houses every week and we would look at each other’s work. We would give each other tips about what kind of tools to use. I never went to art school, so I kind of think of that period of my life as art school, and I don’t think I would be doing comics today if I hadn’t found that community. It really was about like connecting with other people who are on the same sort of journey.

KRON4: What would your advice be to those who really look up to you?

Yang:  I think anyone who wants to get into comics, you got to find a community. Like I said, I don’t think I could have done it without a group of friends that were doing the same sort of things, you know, and you could do this at conventions like this. That’s how I met these people. We were at a convention all in our twenties and at an afterparty. I connected with some of them, and we’ve been lifelong friends ever since. So find the community. That’s my biggest piece of advice.

KRON4: What’s the response been like to ‘American Born Chinese,’ which is something very top of mind your fans right now.

Yang: Yeah, it’s been it’s been kind of nutty. You know, I hear from people now who both read the book and have watched the show. And they are two very different things. We’re hoping that the emotions underneath are the same. It’s been very gratifying to hear, especially with the show. It seems like there are families who watch it together and it’s the beginning of a discussion for some of them, it’s just been great.

KRON4: What would you like to share with your Bay Area fans?

Yang: Right now it’s an exciting time to be in comics. I think we’re seeing something of a comics renaissance. You know, when I was growing up, all we ever had was superhero comics. And now there are all sorts of stories being told in comic format. So if you’re somebody who feels like you have a story inside of you, consider telling it as a comic book. Because right now we need as many different voices as we can get.

FAN EXPO is slated to return to Moscone Center during Thanksgiving weekend through 2026. To see our complete recap of this year’s FAN EXPO, go here.

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