By Cat Wyatt

It’s likely that at some point during the last nine issues of Scales + Scoundrels you found yourself wondering about Luv, her history, and how she ended up being a dragon without a hoard. Issue #10 of Scales + Scoundrels deviates from the storytelling style of the last few issues just long enough to give us some long-awaited answers.

This issue starts out in a small village – there’s a kindly old beggar asking for assistance, which is brutally ignored by a woman dressed in finery. What is notable about this woman are the markings on her face – they’re remarkably similar to Luv’s. Does this mean that this stingy woman is also a dragon? It seems likely.

The next couple of pages pretty much confirm this theory of the noblewoman. She’s headed towards a lovely and large castle, clearly intent on getting there in time for a summit of sorts. The king – an assumption being made on the basis of the crown atop his head – is already there and looking mighty impatient.

Having a dragon king impatient for the start of a dragon summit is probably not the best way to start things, but that’s life. Most likely he was irritated by the tardiness of all the other dragons, and the implications that come with them. For example, apparently it was agreed upon that all of them would arrive there in human form, yet naturally one of them refuses to follow that policy. After all, he can’t bring his hoard of gold with him if he’s to travel as a human would.

The gold hoarding dragon is interesting and also the most unique of the lot, which is saying something. He’s the largest by far, at least in human form, but also likely in dragon form as well. Where every other dragon we’ve seen in human form has either had brown or white hair he has flaming red hair. What is most striking however is the fact that his word bubbles are of a different color. Everyone else gets the standard white bubbles, even Luv, but this guy has a gold yellow bubble with red font. Previously in this series we’ve seen speech bubbles in different colors used as a way of indicating a different species talking or a unique language being used. In this case it’s likely that he’s speaking a language native to the dragons, as occasionally the others are seen drifting into this perceived dialect.

During this man’s boasting more dragons arrive and with them we’re finally given the names of some of them. The burly man with the gold speech bubbles is Gmarash; the newcomers are Lord Dorian, Lord Marux, Lord Nefrakis, and Lady Sarla. That just leaves the first noblewoman and the king unnamed. For the moment.

If this summit is to represent all of the dragons currently awake then we have a decent understanding of just how small their numbers really are. While we truly have no idea how many slumber, we can probably assume that it wouldn’t be more than twice as many as those that are awake. Additionally we know that Luv is absent, which leaves us to wonder how many dragons like her were left uninvited or unwelcome.

While we don’t know the dragons true numbers, we do know that they did not gather here just for fun. They’re very concerned about the rate at which humans are traveling to other worlds. Mostly because this has them encroaching on their territory. These dragons are clearly more concerned about their wealth and property than they are of the leaving beings around them. Not terribly surprising, all things considered.

Before you settle in expecting to get a boring meeting full of dragon debates - okay that actually doesn’t sound terribly boring – know that Luv never had any intention of staying away from this summit. Naturally that means she arrived fashionably late, after all that would cause the highest level of chaos.

It turns out that Luv has been banished, thus explaining both why she wasn’t welcome to this meeting and likely why she isn’t as wealthy as the rest of the lot. Apparently acting outside of normal expectations is enough to get one banished from dragon society. Okay, it’s actually a bit more complicated than that.

It would seem that Luv isn’t a money hungry and selfish person, though the same can’t be said of the rest of the members at the summit. Because she didn’t selfishly guard her hoard, because she let a child live, and thus let the following humans live…well…that was all enough to get her banished. Again, this is an oversimplification of what actually happened, but you get the gist.

Actually, what the other dragons did to her was worse than banishment. You know how Luv is trapped in human form, with the rare exceptions of when an outer force takes influence over her form? Well that’s their fault. They literally bound her in that form. The emotional pain and trauma that would come from being cut off from part of yourself…it would be unimaginable. The others add insult to injury by undoing the good Luv tried so hard to accomplish. The whole scene is heart wrenching.

There’s one big reveal left that follows this conversation…but you can probably guess what it might entail. Despite the heavy tone of Luv’s past this issue does end on a happy note. While it may have been a rough road for her, it’s clear the Luv is perfectly content with who and what she is.

This was another fantastic issue from the creators behind Scales + Scoundrels. It was a good idea to withhold Luv’s backstory until we had a better understanding of her character. Additionally knowing this information earlier would have overshadowed some of the revelations that occurred earlier.

If you’re only going to read part of this issue, then please make sure it is the part that reveals Luv’s backstory. Not only is it beautifully told but the artwork for this scene was particularly striking. The color palette alone was stunning. Luv is beautiful deep red while her gold hoard is a brilliant yellow, setting up the perfect contrast right from the get go. From there the colors shift to complement the tale being told in perfect harmony.

Score: 4/5

Scales and Scoundrels #10
Image Comics