Comic Book Review: The Scale Trade #1

April 17, 2024

by Joe Schickman, Reporter

Dragons have been a mainstay of our collective imaginations for so long that their ancient existence has permeated out across myriad cultures and mediums. We find tales of dragons going back through the centuries, infusing into our mythology, and interwoven into our fantasy. They command awe, reverence, respect, fear, and above all, a sense of magic and wonder. But what happens to these majestic creatures when they become commonplace, used as chattel, disregarded as trivial, and reduced to tools of production, sources of meat, or worse? That is the world in which we find ourselves with The Scale Trade #1 from Magma Comics, a chilling view of the savagery humanity can inflict when we exploit other beings without regard for how that dehumanizes ourselves.

Official Synopsis:
In a modern-day world one step removed from our own, dragons are a highly respected—and highly endangered—species, but poaching is an existential threat. When a young idealist joins the federal agency tasked with managing dragon populations, he quickly discovers that the entire system is corrupt. After seeing firsthand the cruelty of the system, our newly radicalized dragon savior takes matters into his own hands! Eisner Award nominated writer Steve Orlando (Wonder Woman, Spider-Man 2099) teams with Megan Huang (Star Wars, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles) for a fantasy-meets-reality story that’s sure to make your heart race and warm it as well.

Creative Team:
Writer: Steve Orlando
Artist: Megan Huang
Letterer: Shawn Lee
Editor: Bobby Curnow
Cover A: Megan Huang
Cover B: Max Dunbar
Cover C: Walter Simonson & Laura Martin

In this first issue of The Scale Trade we are introduced to a world where these resplendent animals have been robbed of their magnificence because of the versatility of their potential, coupled with the shortsightedness of human greed, and compounded by uncaring ignorance. In this world, dragons have the unique ability to cross breed with any species, creating new hybrids with incredible distinctive attributes, but at a great cost to their natural roots, as pure dragons are nearing extinction. But their oil is highly valuable, dracomeat lasts a very long time, dracoleather is a status symbol, dracobone is an aphrodisiac, and regulations are sorely lacking. As such, dragons are subject to the worst treatment of poachers and opportunistic leeches, and succumb to the harsh realities of unchecked capitalistic cruelty as a black market makes them the hottest of commodities. And the world cannot shake off its apathy enough to do anything about it.

That’s where the Dragon Conservation Agency (DCA) comes in, charged with the protection of dragons and bringing justice to those who would abuse them within the gray areas of the law. And that is all Tritas ever wanted, to protect dragons, ever since he was a kid and saw them for the marvels of the world that they are. Now DCA Agent Tritas, he is a zealous rookie newly assigned to DCA veteran Agent Cutter. Agent Tritus has spent years studying dragons and the scale trade and he is ready to get into the action and make a difference. But Agent Cutter warns him that this line of work is not for the faint of heart, and we see immediately just how low public regard is for their mission, with public sentiment wishing the government would prioritize saving the roads over saving the dragons. Yet that is not the harshest reality Agent Tritus will have to learn as he begins to combat those who would harm dragons for their selfish purposes. What follows is an immediate launch into action-packed excitement, as our protagonists dabble with questions of morality in an immoral world, while we watch with intrigue and root for justice, and perhaps vengeance, to be done.

For anyone who loved Pokemon but worried that their world was centered around animal cruelty as the cornerstone of its infrastructure, this comic is an engaging conversation about how that might play out in real life. Steve Orlondo begins with an interesting thought experiment that quickly evolves into a revenge fantasy, captivatingly exposing what happens when the bountiful beauty of our world is confronted by the dark truth of humanity’s capacity for exploitation. Megan Huang’s artistic style adds tension to this question as its almost innocent appearance belies the depth of the narrative’s more disturbing elements. We are excited to see if Agent Tritas and Agent Cutter will be able to make a difference, what obstacles lay ahead for them, and if they will be able to hold on to their humanity as they wade through such inhuman barbarism.

Rating:
ComicsOnline gives The Scale Trade #1 from Magma Comics – 3.5 out of 5 Fireballs.