It’s been 6 years since Boxers and Saints was released, but it’s still an underrated set of graphic novels. Gene Luen Yang created an ambitious work, writing and drawing two separate graphic novels that tells both the Conservative Chinese and Christian/foreigner sides of the Boxer Rebellion.
Boxers and Saints acts as an excellent entry point for a time in history mostly unknown to non-Chinese Americans. Instead of picking up a doorstop tome on Chinese history, Gene Luen Yang shares the horrors and sadness of a story in a memorable form, leaving a kernel of curiosity for readers to explore further.
I’m only forty pages in and Gene Luen Yang isn’t bullshitting around. This is a brutal tale, and one that deserves more attention.
Floodlights and Goalposts 