Level Up

High School Graphic Novel

G/A Yang, Gene Luen. Level Up. First Second, 2011. 160p. 978-1-59643-714-2. 19.99.

Luen’s latest graphic novel is a coming-of-age story of an Asian American boy. Dennis Ouyang was never allowed to play video games as a child. His dad made him study all the time so that he could go to medical school and become a gastroenterologist. When Dennis’ dad dies, the first thing Dennis does is buy a video game console. It turns out that he is an amazing video game player. As he gets older though he follows his father’s wishes (along with the help of 4 angels) and attends medical school. Whether or not he remains a med student is the question. The artwork (by newcomer Thien Pham) is great and the story is an accurate portrayal of growing up in an Asian American family. Loren Spector, LAPL, Felipe de Neve