NEW INTERVIEW: The Story Behind Yan - Interview With Chang Sheng
Our newest interview with Yan creator Chang Sheng is now available on our website! Originally released in Mandarin by Taiwanese publisher Dala in 2020, Yan is now available in English from Titan Manga!
You can read an excerpt of the interview down below:
Yan by Chang Sheng is now available from Titan Manga! The series centers on Yan Tieh-Hua, a Peking Opera performer on a path for revenge after being wrongfully sent to prison. Originally published in Taiwan in 2020, the manga is an action-packed read, mixing in the perfect amount of wild twists and turns to keep you invested from start to finish.
Manga Mavericks had the opportunity to interview creator Chang Sheng about his work on Yan and his creative process. You can find the full discussion down below:
What made you want to become an artist?
When I was little, I read a lot of Japanese and American comics and loved drawing in their style. I became obsessed with comics and dreamed of becoming a comic artist one day, just like many others in this field.
After graduating and entering the workforce, I landed a job at an ad agency, where creativity plays a key role. This wonderful experience taught me the value of creativity. But over time, caught up in work and pressure, I gradually forgot my childhood dream and even stopped reading comics for a while.
Fifteen years passed. Then one morning, out of nowhere, that long-forgotten dream resurfaced: Right, comics. I loved comics more than anything! But I didn’t become a comic artist as I dreamed when I was a child. I hadn’t even tried. I was 35 that year.
That’s a pretty awkward age to start chasing the dream of becoming a comic artist. If I didn’t do it then, I probably never would. So, I quit my job and worked hard to pursue this dream. I kept releasing works, and fortunately, people were willing to read them. I’m grateful that they still are.
How did you come up with the concept for Yan?
When I was a kid, my grandfather loved watching Peking opera, so I ended up watching some too, even though I didn’t really understand it. What’s fascinating is, even after all these years, some of the images kept popping up in my head: the makeup of the actresses and their performances, which blend elegance and playfulness with striking strength when wielding weapons. To me, that contrast is incredibly beautiful.
After I became a comic artist, I often thought about turning those memories into a story, but I could never quite figure out how to present it until a few years ago, when I suddenly had a wonderful idea. Many superheroes wear masks to hide their identities, but a Peking opera performer wouldn’t need one because the makeup is enough to disguise them.
That idea really hit me, and I began building the story around it.
I always like to distill a story into one core line, something I can say to readers in a sentence. For Yan, it was this: When a Peking opera actress becomes a superhero.
What was the most challenging aspect of creating Yan?
Peking opera is an old art form, and the challenge was figuring out how to make something old feel fresh in a modern setting.
Since Peking opera isn’t exactly in the public spotlight these days, I had to find a way to incorporate it into the story without making it feel forced or out of place. That’s why I decided to stretch the narrative across three decades (actually fifty years, though that’s only revealed later in Volume 2).
I started the story during a time when opera still had some visibility and moved it into the present day. I wanted to see whether this combination of tradition and modernity could spark something new.
Did you use any reference material for the fight sequences in the series?
Usually, I play out the fight scenes in my head first, imagining how each move would go. Then I research what I need, like martial arts techniques or the equipment worn by mercenaries. Once I’ve confirmed that the moves make sense based on the references, I incorporate the mercenary’s designs into the comic scenes.
Read the rest of this interview on Manga Mavericks News!