SDCC 2023: Gene Luen Yang Discusses The Books of Clash Series, Bridging the Gap Between Readers and Gamers, and More

Gene Luen Yang is an award-winning writer and cartoonist who was named a National Ambassador for Young People’s Literature by the Library of Congress in 2016. His work includes American Born Chinese, which is a National Book Award finalist and Printz Award winner, Boxers & Saints, Dragon Hoops, and Superman Smashes the Klan.

His latest project, Books of Clash, finds Gene adapting everyone’s favorite mobile gaming sensations, Clash of Clans and Clash Royale, into a graphic novel series.

Pop Culturalist was lucky enough to speak with Gene at this year’s San Diego Comic-Con about Books of Clash, how he’s been able to bridge the gap between readers and gamers, and more.

PC: You and Mark [Siegel] wanted to create The Books of Clash series to bridge the gap between gamers and readers. What has the reaction been like to Volume 1 from both communities?
Gene: The responses that I’ve gotten both ways have been great. I’ve actually heard from readers who did not know about the game that they have read the book and then started playing it. I’ve also heard from people who were fans of the game already and are now discovering the books. It’s been a lot of fun. The support that we’re getting from Supercell is out of this world. They’ve put a lot of in-game items that are tie-ins with the book into the game. It’s great to see.

PC: One of the benefits of transforming these beloved characters into a new medium is the opportunity to flesh them out and make them three-dimensional. Which has been your favorite character and storyline to write for?
Gene: That’s a tough one. I really love Terry, the Hog Rider, who’s the main character. Both he and his hog and that relationship are so fun to write. Writing-wise, I’m actually in the middle of Book 7 right now, so I’m pretty far along. I had a lot of fun writing Jane, the Archer, who shows up in Volume 2. We do an almost all goblins volume in 5. That one is fun because it’s not about a single character. It’s about the goblin culture and how they see themselves as different from others.

PC: What you’ve done so brilliantly with this series is you’ve been able to individualize these characters that gamers are more familiar with as a collective. How early on did you realize you wanted to create individuality within this universe, and how challenging was it to find that balance of familiarity while also bringing something new?
Gene: That was at the very beginning. I don’t think you can tell an effective story where all the barbarians are the same or all of the archers are the same. That first volume is really about bringing people from this player’s god’s eye view down to a reader’s view where they can get to know these characters individually. We had conversations very early on with Supercell about that. If we hadn’t figured that out, I don’t think we could have done this.

PC: I also thought it was so smart to start with the hog riders as the first volume because you’re able to establish the early complexities of that dynamic. How early on did you realize you wanted to introduce this series with these characters in particular?
Gene: The hog rider almost presented himself as the first main character because if you look at the shorts and commercials they’re often the most complex out of all of them. They’ll have a commercial with the barbarian and all he does is grunt. The wizards have some complexity to them as well, but they’re more one-note. But the hog rider’s relationship with his hog is almost like our relationship with our consciences. It’s an externalization of his internal life. I don’t know if we ever considered starting with anyone but the hog rider.

PC: You’ve said in previous interviews that you get nervous any time you’re approaching a new project. How have your experiences working on DC and Avatar: The Last Airbender prepared you for this moment?
Gene: I’ve been lucky enough to do some IP work in my career, but every single one is different and presents its own challenges. For Avatar, it was about staying true to the voice of the show. For Superman, because it’s been around for so long, there isn’t one single voice. There are so many different eras. It was about finding the era that had the most overlap with my own concerns. For this one, Supercell and the game do an amazing job with world-building. It’s a fun world. But if you play the game, there’s not a ton of narrative. So it was about finding the places in this world that they built that lend themselves to a narrative.

PC: You’ve also said that one of the most surprising things about this process has been the sibling relationships that have continued to reappear. Is there any correlation between how you were introduced to this world and the bond it’s created with your own kids?
Gene: Yeah, it was really rooted in that. My son and daughter get along really well now. One is nineteen and one is sixteen, but they did go through a period of time when they fought constantly. But being in the same clan together was one of the few ways that they bonded. That idea and the link between clans and siblings has always been in my head.

PC: The next volume comes out in November. What can you tell us about the archers’ storyline?
Gene: The hog riders’ storyline is about someone going from an environment where everyone is the same as him. They don’t all look the same, but they are all the same type of troop. You go from an all hog rider environment into this more diverse environment populated by lots of different groups.

For the second volume, we wanted it to be the exact opposite. So the archer goes from this environment where she’s around a bunch of different kinds of troops to one where she’s only with other archers. We wanted the first two volumes to be mirrors of each other.

PC: The last time we spoke, American Born Chinese was just about to premiere, and it’s been incredibly well received. Have there been any conversations about Season 2?
Gene: We’re hoping for a second season. We’ve had talks about it. We’ll see how it goes. It’s a weird time in TV with the strikes, but we’ll see where that goes. The whole experience has been amazing. It’s been among the most meaningful experiences in my life. I got to see how a team of storytellers working in another medium approaches the discipline of telling stories. That’s one of my favorite things.

To keep up with Gene, follow him on Twitter and Instagram. Pick up your copy of Books of Clash today!