Eisner and Printz Award winner Gene Luen Yang’s next comic, Dragon Hoops, was announced exclusively by Entertainment Weekly on Tuesday. Though Yang has worked with Big Two publishers, even creating the New Super-Man at DC, he’s known best for his creator-owned work such as American Born Chinese, Level Up and Secret Coders. His upcoming work will follow in that vein – but Yang still manages to tread uncharted territory.
Dragon Hoops is the author’s first non-fiction work, drawing on events from Yang’s life as a teacher. From the synopsis and Entertainment Weekly’s preview, his latest graphic novel looks to connect Yang to his students in unexpected ways. In this case, through basketball.
He’s established himself not only as a writer but also as an artist, which is part of what makes this announcement so exciting. Though Yang never stopped writing, he hasn’t published a comic he drew since 2013. That changes with Dragon Hoops, published through First Second, which he’s writing and drawing.
Look for this New York Times best-seller’s latest on March 17, 2020. It’s available for pre-order now and if you’re not already following that link, you can check out EW’s exclusive preview and synopsis below.
“Gene understands stories — comic book stories, in particular. Big action. Bigger thrills. And the hero always wins. But Gene doesn’t get sports. As a kid, his friends called him “Stick” and every basketball game he played ended in pain. He lost interest in basketball long ago, but at the high school where he now teaches, it’s all anyone can talk about. The men’s varsity team, the Dragons, is having a phenomenal season that’s been decades in the making. Each victory brings them closer to their ultimate goal: the California State Championships. Once Gene gets to know these young all-stars, he realizes that their story is just as thrilling as anything he’s seen on a comic book page. He knows he has to follow this epic to its end. What he doesn’t know yet is that this season is not only going to change the Dragons’ lives, but his own life as well.”
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