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Gene Luen Yang Books in Order

Browse Gene Luen Yang books in order, with short summaries, major series guides, collaboration notes, and easy suggestions on where to start reading.

Last updated: July 7, 2026

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66 books

Rosary Comic Book

by Gene Luen Yang

2003

This comic retells the mysteries of the rosary through simple language and vivid pictures. It can be read as a straightforward story of Jesus and Mary, or used as a visual guide for prayer.

Gordon Yamamoto and the King of the Geeks

by Gene Luen Yang

2004

School bully Gordon Yamamoto gets a bizarre shock when alien technology leaves him with the memories of the geeky kid he targets. It is an odd, funny early comic about cruelty, empathy, and change.

Loyola Chin and the San Peligran Order

by Gene Luen Yang

2004

Loyola Chin, a smart fifteen-year-old Chinese American girl, discovers she can visit other worlds in her sleep. Her strange gift pulls her toward the San Peligran Order, where brainpower and virtue do not always point the same way.

American Born Chinese

by Gene Luen Yang

2006

Three seemingly separate stories, Jin Wang, the Monkey King, and the outrageous Chin-Kee, slowly move toward one shared truth. It is a sharp, inventive graphic novel about shame, race, and self-acceptance.

Animal Crackers

by Gene Luen Yang

2006

This collection gathers Yang's early Gordon Yamamoto and Loyola Chin comics into one volume. It is quirky, funny, and full of the themes that would later define his work, identity, faith, aliens, and growing up.

The Eternal Smile

by Gene Luen Yang

2009

Three smart, strange stories test the line between fantasy and ordinary life. A prince, a frog, and an online scam each open into questions about imagination, escape, and the worlds people build for themselves.

Prime Baby

by Gene Luen Yang

2010

Thaddeus already resents his new baby sister, then learns she is an interdimensional conduit for peaceful aliens. Math, sibling rivalry, and absurd cosmic trouble combine into a very funny family story.

Level Up

by Gene Luen Yang

2011

Dennis Ouyang wants to play video games, but his parents expect medical school. When four odd angels start steering his life, he has to figure out whether he is following destiny or running from himself.

The Promise, Part 1

by Gene Luen Yang

2012

Set right after the series finale, this story throws Aang and Zuko into a political crisis over the Fire Nation colonies. A promise between friends starts to look frighteningly hard to keep.

The Promise, Part 2

by Gene Luen Yang

2012

The colony dispute grows more dangerous as lines harden between nations and even between friends. Aang and Zuko both want peace, but their ideas of how to protect it begin to clash.

The Promise, Part 3

by Gene Luen Yang

2012

As war threatens again, Team Avatar has to face the reality that the old world cannot simply be restored. The final part asks whether different peoples can build something new without destroying each other.

Boxers

by Gene Luen Yang

2013

Little Bao watches foreigners and missionaries abuse his people, then joins a violent uprising fueled by anger and visions of the gods. It is a powerful look at how resistance can harden into war.

Boxers and Saints

by Gene Luen Yang

2013

This two-volume set tells the Boxer Rebellion from two sides, through Little Bao and Four-Girl. Together the books build a layered, deeply human portrait of faith, violence, and history.

Saints

by Gene Luen Yang

2013

An unwanted girl called Four-Girl finds belonging with Christian converts and takes the name Vibiana. Her story offers the other side of the Boxer Rebellion, intimate, painful, and deeply conflicted.

The Search, Part 1

by Gene Luen Yang

2013

Zuko asks Team Avatar to help him find Ursa, his missing mother, and even brings Azula along. The journey starts as a mystery and quickly turns into a volatile family reckoning.

The Search, Part 2

by Gene Luen Yang

2013

As clues about Ursa deepen, so do the emotional risks of keeping Azula close. The search becomes a tense mix of old memories, new revelations, and danger from inside the group itself.

The Search, Part 3

by Gene Luen Yang

2013

The truth about Ursa finally comes into view, but it does not arrive simply. Zuko and Azula are forced to confront the pain buried at the center of their family's history.

Enter the Green Turtle

by Gene Luen Yang

2014

Hank fully steps into the Green Turtle identity as the fight for Chinatown reaches its peak. Family duty, neighborhood survival, and superhero legend finally collide in a fast, pulpy finale.

Fathers and Sons

by Gene Luen Yang

2014

Family ties pull tight as Hank's life gets more dangerous and more public. The story digs into duty, inheritance, and the painful ways parents and children can misunderstand each other.

Fights You Cannot Win

by Gene Luen Yang

2014

Shaken by his father's death, Hank throws himself into revenge and tests the limits of his new powers. Anger drives him forward, but the cost of becoming a hero is getting harder to ignore.

The Dawn of a Golden Age

by Gene Luen Yang

2014

Hank starts to see that hero fantasies get complicated fast in the real world. As danger closes in on Chinatown, the idea of the Green Turtle begins to take shape under pressure from family and crime alike.

The Green Turtle Chronicles

by Gene Luen Yang

2014

In 1930s Chinatown, Hank Chu would rather stay unnoticed, but his mother has bigger plans for him. Gangsters, neighborhood pressure, and the first stirrings of a strange destiny begin the Green Turtle's story.

The Rift, Part 1

by Gene Luen Yang

2014

Aang wants to honor an old Air Nomad festival, but the past refuses to stay peaceful. When Avatar Yangchen warns him about sacred land under threat, a spiritual crisis starts to take shape.

The Rift, Part 2

by Gene Luen Yang

2014

What began as a cultural dispute grows into something much more dangerous. Aang and his friends are caught between industrial progress, old loyalties, and a looming spirit threat tied to the land itself.

The Rift, Part 3

by Gene Luen Yang

2014

Aang, Toph, and the rest of Team Avatar race to stop a disaster born from grief, change, and spiritual imbalance. The ending pushes them to rethink what harmony should look like in a changing world.

The Shadow Hero

by Gene Luen Yang

2014

Hank Chu's mother wants him to become a superhero, whether he likes it or not. Set in 1930s Chinatown, this pulpy origin story turns the forgotten Green Turtle into a funny, heartfelt hero with real stakes.

True Colors

by Gene Luen Yang

2014

The Green Turtle pushes deeper into the criminal world and learns that appearances are not to be trusted. As masks slip, Hank finds himself facing danger that reaches all the way back to his own home.

Secret Coders

by Gene Luen Yang

2015

New student Hopper arrives at Stately Academy and quickly senses the school is hiding something. With two new friends and a trail of strange clues, she starts uncovering a mystery built on logic and code.

Smoke and Shadow Part One

by Gene Luen Yang

2015

Zuko returns to a Fire Nation still split by fear and loyalty to the old regime. When eerie Kemurikage figures appear and children vanish, rumor and politics become just as dangerous as any spirit.

Smoke and Shadow Part Two

by Gene Luen Yang

2015

With the Fire Nation in panic, Aang and Team Avatar try to untangle the truth behind the disappearances. Zuko is forced to fight both shadowy enemies and the collapsing trust around his rule.

Before Truth

by Gene Luen Yang

2016

A blackmailer called Hordr is ready to expose Clark Kent's biggest secret, and Superman is already weakened by a dangerous new power. The result is a tense story about vulnerability, identity, and pressure from every side.

North and South Part One

by Gene Luen Yang

2016

Katara and Sokka finally return to the Southern Water Tribe and find a home transformed by rapid rebuilding. New prosperity brings new conflict, and the future of the South suddenly feels up for debate.

Paths & Portals

by Gene Luen Yang

2016

Under Stately Academy lies the Bee School, a hidden place where coding and mystery go hand in hand. Hopper, Eni, and Josh dive deeper into the school's secrets while suspicious adults start paying closer attention.

Return to Glory

by Gene Luen Yang

2016

Superman has lost his secret identity, most of his power, and nearly all of his old footing. While hunting Hordr and crossing paths with Mythbrawl and Vandal Savage, he has to prove what still makes him Superman.

Savage Dawn

by Gene Luen Yang

2016

Vandal Savage is close to reclaiming the comet that made him immortal, and a depowered Superman may be the last thing standing in his way. The stakes are cosmic, but the tension comes from how human Clark has become.

Smoke and Shadow Part Three

by Gene Luen Yang

2016

Fear and politics crash together as Zuko faces the final stage of a crisis threatening the Fire Nation. Old wounds, missing children, and royal family chaos all come to a head in a tense finish.

New Super-Man, Vol. 1

by Gene Luen Yang

2017

Kong Kenan is an arrogant teenager in Shanghai until a burst of heroism lands him incredible powers. Suddenly he is China's New Super-Man, whether he is ready for that symbol or not.

New Super-Man, Vol. 2

by Gene Luen Yang

2017

Kenan's powers are unstable, his family history is getting messier, and the Justice League of China keeps pulling him into bigger fights. He wants to act like a hero, but the role gets more complicated by the minute.

North and South Part Three

by Gene Luen Yang

2017

The fight over the Southern Water Tribe's future reaches its breaking point. Katara, Sokka, and Team Avatar have to face hard truths about change, loyalty, and what it really means to defend a homeland.

North and South Part Two

by Gene Luen Yang

2017

Tensions in the Southern Water Tribe keep rising as politics, protest, and outside influence collide. Katara and Sokka are caught between rebuilding their home and protecting what made it home in the first place.

Robots & Repeats

by Gene Luen Yang

2017

A creepy new chemistry class is really a front for making Green Pop, and the Coders know it. While their classmates churn out danger, Hopper and her friends uncover a clue that could lead to her missing father.

Secrets & Sequences

by Gene Luen Yang

2017

Hopper, Eni, and Josh dig deeper into Stately Academy's hidden past while Principal Dean closes in on them. The mystery widens, and a far more dangerous mind than Dean's starts to emerge behind the scenes.

Monsters & Modules

by Gene Luen Yang

2018

To save humanity, Hopper, Eni, and Josh must travel to Flatland, a dangerous two-dimensional world ruled by polygons. It is a wild final mission that turns coding know-how into a full-on rescue adventure.

New Super-Man, Vol. 3

by Gene Luen Yang

2018

Shanghai is under siege, Emperor Super-Man is on the rise, and Kenan is running out of options. Even the Suicide Squad gets dragged in as the series turns stranger, darker, and more ambitious.

Potions & Parameters

by Gene Luen Yang

2018

Dr. One-Zero's poisonous Green Pop is spreading, and now he has the Turtle of Light to back him up. Hopper and the Coders need every bit of skill they have to stop a disaster that could reach far beyond school.

New Super-Man and the Justice League of China, Vol. 4

by Gene Luen Yang

2019

Kong Kenan now stands beside the full Justice League of China, but hero work only gets more tangled from there. The book expands the cast, the politics, and the pressure on everyone trying to protect China's future.

Team Avatar Tales

by Gene Luen Yang

2019

This anthology gathers short *Avatar* stories set during and after the original series. It fills in small moments, side adventures, and character beats that make the world feel even more lived in.

Dragon Hoops

by Gene Luen Yang

2020

Gene Luen Yang follows the Bishop O'Dowd Dragons through a remarkable basketball season and finds a story far bigger than wins and losses. The book mixes sports, memoir, and history with real warmth and momentum.

Superman Smashes the Klan

by Gene Luen Yang

2020

In 1946 Metropolis, the Lee family moves into a new neighborhood and becomes the target of the Klan. Roberta and Tommy look to Superman for help, but this story is just as much about finding courage at home.

The Tomorrow War

by Gene Luen Yang

2020

Bizarro gets hold of a time machine and decides to improve the world in his own disastrous way. The Terrifics are dragged through past and future in a big, chaotic superhero adventure with real heart.

Batman: Dark Detective

by Gene Luen Yang

2021

In a bleak future Gotham ruled by the Magistrate, Batman is believed dead and the city is under relentless surveillance. This collection leans into resistance, paranoia, and the cost of trying to fight back from the shadows.

Batman/Superman: The Archive of Worlds

by Gene Luen Yang

2021

Batman and Superman are pulled into strange new worlds after the DC Universe is shaken apart. New villains, alternate realities, and a transdimensional threat make this a fast, idea-heavy team-up.

Brothers & Sisters

by Gene Luen Yang

2021

After the death of Zheng Zu, Shang-Chi is pulled back into the secret world he wanted to leave behind. A tense family reunion introduces siblings he never knew, and not all of them want him alive.

Family Of Origin

by Gene Luen Yang

2022

Shang-Chi digs into the secret history of his mother while a hidden enemy moves against his whole bloodline. The book mixes family revelation, martial arts action, and a growing sense that the past is catching up fast.

Marvel Voices: Identity

by Gene Luen Yang

2022

This Marvel anthology spotlights Asian and Asian American heroes through a range of creators and tones. Gene Luen Yang's contribution adds more Shang-Chi to a collection built around identity, family, and belonging.

Shang-Chi vs. the Marvel Universe

by Gene Luen Yang

2022

Leading the Five Weapons Society was never going to make Shang-Chi popular with other heroes. As Spider-Man, Captain America, Wolverine, and others start to see him as a threat, family secrets and bigger enemies crowd in fast.

Monkey Prince

by Gene Luen Yang

2023

Marcus Sun is the new kid at Gotham City High, but a strange guide with pig features reveals he is tied to the Monkey King. Suddenly Marcus is juggling school, superhero chaos, and mythic powers he barely understands.

Shang-Chi and the Ten Rings

by Gene Luen Yang

2023

Shang-Chi now holds the Ten Rings, and that much power draws every rival in the Marvel Universe. As the rings' history comes into focus, he has to decide whether he can wield them without becoming part of their violent legacy.

The Books of Clash, Volume 1

by Gene Luen Yang

2023

A young Hog Rider and his loyal companion stumble into danger when trouble hits the village of JazzyPickles. Their goofy adventure turns into a warm, funny quest about friendship, courage, and becoming more than battlefield punchlines.

The Books of Clash, Volume 2

by Gene Luen Yang

2023

Archers Jane and Angie used to do everything together, until Jane finds a mysterious scroll in a strange cave. Their friendship is tested as secrets, fantasy mayhem, and old loyalties start pulling them apart.

Hell and Back

by Gene Luen Yang

2024

Darkness spreads through the Super-Family as nightmares, anti-alien fear, and public panic grip Metropolis. Superman tries to hold hope together while every relationship around him starts to fray.

Lunar New Year Love Story

by Gene Luen Yang

2024

Val is ready to give up on love, convinced her family is cursed when it comes to romance. Then two lion dancers enter her life, and a sweet, funny story about fate, heartbreak, and hope begins.

The Books of Clash, Volume 3

by Gene Luen Yang

2024

Sonny the golem is tired of being literally stepped on by his teammates, and things get even stranger when he is split into two. It is a funny, heartfelt story about friendship and feeling taken for granted.

The Books of Clash, Volume 4

by Gene Luen Yang

2024

A wandering Valkyrie with no memory of her past runs into an old friend who remembers everything. Together they chase answers about their lost village and the teammates they still might be able to save.

Revenge of the Demon

by Gene Luen Yang

2025

Norah Stone's anti-Kryptonian vision pushes Metropolis into fresh danger just as the Super-Family begins losing its powers. Superman's answer sends him into the Multiverse with unlikely allies and very strange odds.

The Books of Clash, Volume 5

by Gene Luen Yang

2025

CJ the goblin wants a night off and a karaoke party, but his father insists a lava monster is sleeping beneath their village. What starts as a family disagreement becomes a noisy, dangerous trip underground.

Where should I start?

If you want his signature coming-of-age story: American Born Chinese
If you want nonfiction with momentum and heart: Dragon Hoops
If you want a smart middle grade mystery: Secret CodersPaths & PortalsSecrets & Sequences
If you want superhero comics: Superman Smashes the KlanNew Super-Man, Vol. 1Shang-Chi and the Ten Rings
If you want to continue Avatar after the show: The Promise, Part 1The Search, Part 1The Rift, Part 1

Author bio

Gene Luen Yang was born in Fremont, California, and grew up in the San Francisco Bay Area. He has said that everything changed for him in fifth grade, when his mother bought him his first comic book, an issue of DC Comics Presents starring Superman and the Atomic Knights. Soon after, he started making comics of his own.

That early obsession stuck.

Yang studied computer science at the University of California, Berkeley, with a minor in creative writing. After college he worked briefly as an engineer, but he eventually moved toward teaching, and for many years he taught computer science at Bishop O'Dowd High School in Oakland. For a long stretch, his life was split between the classroom by day and comics by night.

His first big step into publishing came with Gordon Yamamoto and the King of the Geeks, an early comic that won a Xeric Grant and helped him self-publish his work as a young adult. Those early books already show the mix that would become familiar in his later career, humor, awkwardness, questions of faith, and kids trying to figure out who they are when the world keeps pushing labels onto them.

The book that changed his career was American Born Chinese in 2006. It became the first graphic novel ever nominated for a National Book Award, and it also won the Printz Award and an Eisner Award. Readers still come to it for the sharp way it handles identity, embarrassment, belonging, and the strange pressure of wanting to fit in while also wanting to be yourself.

He kept widening the lane.

With Boxers & Saints, Yang turned to the Boxer Rebellion and told one historical conflict from two very different points of view. With Dragon Hoops, he followed a high school basketball season and turned it into a lively nonfiction story about ambition, teamwork, race, and the long history around the game. In Secret Coders, created with Mike Holmes, he brought coding lessons into a middle grade mystery without making it feel like homework.

Superhero readers know him for a different set of books. He wrote Superman Smashes the Klan, a 1940s-set Superman story about a Chinese American family facing racist terror in Metropolis. He also worked on New Super-Man, Shang-Chi, and Monkey Prince, bringing his interest in identity, migration, family, and cultural inheritance into big shared comic universes without losing the human scale that makes his work easy to connect with.

A lot of Yang's stories return to the same questions. What do you do with the history your family hands you. How do kids grow into themselves when school, friends, religion, race, and pop culture are all talking at once. How do humor and fantasy help people face something hard.

He served as the Library of Congress's National Ambassador for Young People's Literature, and in 2016 he was named a MacArthur Fellow. He has also taught in Hamline University's MFA program in writing for children and young adults. These days he continues to write, speak, and teach, and he still works from the Bay Area, where the comics habit that started in childhood turned into a full life.

Edited by

Richard Reis

Software engineer whose passion for tracking book recommendations from podcasts inspired the creation of MRB.

Anurag Ramdasan

Lead investor at 3one4 Capital whose startup expertise and love for books helped shaped MRB and its growth.

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