Dustin Gebel
Magma Comix announced the upcoming release of The Scale Trade from writer Steve Orlando and artist Megan Huang. The series, which is described as a blend of dragon intrigue and procedural investigation, follows as a young man joins the agency dedicated to stopping the illegal dragon trading.
Writer Steve Orlando described the inspiration for the series, stating:
“The Scale Trade was absolutely influenced by the depravity of the illegal exotic meat trade, poaching, and specifically the street-level vigilance against the abuse of horses and sale of horse meat in a variety of parts of the country. We wanted to talk about these things, but also thrill and excite on an elevated scale (no pun intended). So we built a world where dragons were part of the animal kingdom, where THEY, these creatures that awe us, were also some of the most valuable commodities in the world. It’s a modern fantasy—not high fantasy or low sword and sorcery. At the end of the day it’s about the way we as a species interact with nature—concepts bigger and older than us—and how we tend to commodify life on this planet. At the core, The Scale Trade is about heroic animal rescue. A man and his dog… if his dog was a majestic flying lizard.”
Along with the interiors, Huang is also set to illustrate the main cover to the series. Artist Max Dunbar will provide variants for each issue, alongside other artists.
Series artist Megan Huang spoke about the influences of the book, stating:
“When Steve asked if I’d like to be a part of the project and said ‘Dragons’ I was in immediately. Anything to draw a dragon story… and not just any dragon story, one with a modern twist! I think the How to Train your Dragon films specifically influenced me on this one, because to me, The Scale Trade feels like a mature, modern version of that.”
The Scale Trade #1 will be in comic stores and on digital platforms on May 1, 2024.