Is it a bird? Is it a plane? No, it’s a Chinese-American graphic novelist with his take on an icon of world culture

Gene Luen Yang ended his 10-issue run writing the Man of Steel last week, as Superman’s 50th issue hits news stands virtual and physical.

The writer and two-time National Book Award finalist (American Born Chinese, Boxers & Saints) says the experience of writing a monthly superhero book was demanding, particularly because he comes from the world of graphic novels, yet fulfilled a long-standing professional dream.

“It was really a challenge, but also a learning experience,” says Yang, who was born in California to a mother from Hong Kong and a father from Taiwan. “I didn’t go in on my own. I was a part of a team with editors and writers who are much more experienced with (Superman) than I was. That was huge. That was an incredible help.”

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Creatively, Yang inherited a Superman who was disempowered to a degree. There was no secret identity that let Clark Kent take a break from the superman “S” and cape. There wasn’t even a cape. Even the S-curl had been buzzed off.

Despite that, Yang says the situations that his Superman/Kal-El/Clark Kent faced during this run were nothing that the hero hadn’t faced before.

“Superman is such an old character that he’s gone through these different eras,” Yang says. “He’s gone through eras when he was a lot less powerful than we think of him today. He’s gone through eras where he’s practically like God.

“Power-wise, we weren’t really doing anything new, but what we really did want to show is that regardless of what happens to him, the core of the character stays the same,” he continues. “He’s always somebody that doesn’t give up, and he’s always somebody that puts others before himself.”