Few people could turn recurring sinus problems and a love of baked goods into an enterprise that earns them a prestigious award and critical acclaim. But that's exactly what Gene Yang did when he created his comic book
Gordon Yamamoto and the King of the Geeks, for which he was awarded a Xeric Foundation grant in 1997. Now SLG Publishing is collecting the three-issue miniseries, originally published by Yang's Humble Comics, into a single volume to be released in May 2004 under SLG's all-ages imprint, AmazeInk.
Gordon Yamamoto and the King of the Geeks tells the story of an unlikely friendship, bizarre alien technology and possessed cookies. But it all begins with a nose problem. Gordon Yamamoto, a life-long bully out of habit more than mean-spiritedness, has been waking up from strange dreams about his nose for a week. His easy life, marked by bully traditions like crowning a new King of the Geeks every school year with a ripe pair of tighty-whities, makes a turn for the weird when alien technology leaves him with all the memories and knowledge of the reigning King Geek, Miles. A misguided attempt to get Miles’s memories out of Gordon’s head causes Miles’s hate to be manifested in an unexpectedly sweet and crunchy form, and Gordon has to help Miles face his demons or be consumed by them himself – literally!
"You wouldn't imagine that a story that hinges on a bully finding an alien in his nose would be so affecting and human, but that's exactly what Gordon Yamamoto is," said Jennifer de Guzman, SLG's editor-in-chief. "It's a book with a lot of sincerity and heart."
Gordon Yamamoto is a black-and-white, 96-page graphic novel, scheduled for release in May 2004. A preview is available at SLG Publishing's website,
www.slavelabor.com.
Yang is also the creator of
The Rosary Comic Book, which tells the story of the Virgin Mary and Jesus and can also be used in prayer in place of traditional rosary beads. The book was on the National Catholic Booksellers' Top Ten Bestsellers List for Children and Young People. Yang also wrote the two-issue Image miniseries
Duncan's Kingdom, which was illustrated by Derek Kirk Kim. Yang's follow-up to
Gordon Yamamoto and the King of the Geeks, the three-issue mini-series
Loyola Chin and the San Peligran Order, will be collected and published by SLG Publishing later in 2004.
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