Two-time National Book Award finalist Gene Luen Yang (@geneluenyang) joins Hard N.O.C. Life for a special episode discussing his career as an award-winning graphic novelist and his involvement in the Avatar/Korra comic universe.

Joining Keith (@the_real_chow) on the panel as well are The N.O.C.’s resident Avatar experts Julie Kang (@JulieKang) and Rodrigo Sanchez-Chavarria (@rscspokenword). As always, Hard N.O.C. Life is directed by the indomitable Nelson Wong (@aarisings).

We’re also announcing a special giveaway of Avatar comics from FCBD 2013. Gene has three copies to give away, and we’re going to help him!

If we can reach 550 Facebook likes by Monday, we’ll send a copy to a lucky — and random– FB fan! Same is true if we get 150 YouTube subscribers and 500 twitter followers by Monday as well. So if we meet these benchmarks, one random FB fan, one random twitter follower, and one random YouTube subscriber will each get an Avatar comic!

Topics covered on the show include:

• Gene’s whirlwind schedule promoting the critically acclaimed Boxers & Saints
• Juggling life as a teacher and graphic novelist
• What led Gene to want to take on historical fiction and the Boxer Rebellion
• How Gene came to interpreting the legend of the Monkey King through a Judeo-Christian lens
• The Secret Identities origin of Gene’s partnership with Sonny Liew and their newest book Shadow Hero, including a sneak at some of the proofs from the book!
• Gene explains how complaining on the internet can lead to a comic book career
• Gene also shares some news on the upcoming Avatar comic “The Rift”

• All this and more on Hard NOC Life! Watch it on your screen, hit “play,” and check this.

Watch this space every Friday for new episodes of “Hard N.O.C. Life” and go to our YouTube channel to subscribe!

Related articles

• Wednesday Comics: Breaking Bats and Monkeys (thenerdsofcolor.org)
• Review: Gene Luen Yang’s Boxers & Saints (thenerdsofcolor.org)