Gene Luen Yang began making comics and graphic novels more than 15 years ago. In 2006 his book American Born Chinese was published by First Second Books. It became the first graphic novel to be nominated for a National Book Award and the first to win the American Library Association's Printz Award. It also won an Eisner Award for Best Graphic Album - New. In 2013, First Second Books released Boxers & Saints, his two-volume graphic novel about the Boxer Rebellion. It was nominated for a National Book Award and won the L.A. Times Book Prize. He made his mainstream comics debut on Superman, with artists John Romita Jr. and Klaus Janson.

His other works include the comics continuation of the popular Nickelodeon cartoon Avatar: The Last Airbender. Currently he writes New Super-Man for DC Comics.