Boxers & Saints

Boxers & Saints by Gene Luen Yang, color by Lark Pien, 498 pages (2 volumes)

I’m a big fan of both Gene Luen Yang and the comics publisher First Second. I don’t know much about the publishing industry, but I really can’t imagine many publishers who hear a pitch along the lines of, “I want to create an epic, two volume, dual perspective graphic novel about the Boxer Rebellion for young adults,” would respond with, “YEAH!! Go for it!”

Boxers & Saints follows the events of the Boxer Rebellion from both sides of the conflict. In Boxers, Little Bao leads a grass-roots rebellion (the titular Boxers, aka Society of the Righteous and Harmonious Fist) in an effort to force foreigners from China. In Saints, Vibiana, a Chinese Christian finds herself labeled a traitor by the Boxers and is forced to choose between her country and her faith. The intertwining of the two stories is carried out masterfully between the two volumes. I particularly appreciate the books’ cover designs because even before the reader opens a volume, the interconnected stories are indicated by the character’s split and matched faces on the front covers and spine art.

Magical realism abounds in both volumes – the warriors in Boxers are possessed by the gods of the Chinese opera before entering battle and in Saints Vibiana is visited frequently by visions of Joan of Arc. I highly recommend both volumes for all readers (young adult and adult alike), just make sure you check out both books; despite being published as two volumes, the story really should be read as a single entity.