A Young Boy Dreams of Fantastical Loves in This Gorgeous Look InsideThe Magic Fish

You might best know Trung Le Nguyen asTrungles , their societal medium pseudonym for postinggorgeous , charming artistry — but now the artist is making their graphical novel debut with the likewise entrance The Magic Fish — and io9 has a sneak peek inside .

The Magic Fish , published by Penguin Random House , follows a young Vietnamese male child named Tien , who ’s struggling to fit in after his kinsfolk emigrated to the West . Still stress to learn English and fit in at schooltime , Tien also finds himself unable to be open with his parents about his sexuality . That is , untilthe fantastical fairy tale worldshe bonds over with his female parent provides a windowpane to both escape his hardship and squeeze his true self as he navigate those feelings .

Let Witch Duels and Potential Romance Whisk You off in This Gorgeous Witchlight Preview

Princess Alera arrives at the ball in young Tien’s story.

Princess Alera arrives at the ball in young Tien’s story.Illustration: Trung Le Nguyen (Penguin Random House

“ The Magic Fish was originally conceived as a few unlike projects . I was concerned in explore the style a fairy tale could change depend on where it ’s found , and I especially wanted to take a stuffy look at Tam Cám , a Vietnamese story that has a lot of similarities to Cinderella , ” Nguyen say in a statement provide over email to io9 . “ I eventually found that I had a special involvement in fairy stories about transition , about characters impress into a new biography and leaving an old one behind . I ’m so nervous and mad about my first graphic novel ! I did n’t suppose it was something I ’d ever be capable to do . It ’s such a new process to me that I really do n’t even do it how to manage my expected value around it . I hope The Magic Fish strikes a chord with someone out there ! ”

As well as share a tale about fellowship and the magnate stories have to connect us , The Magic Fish founder Nguyen a chance to evidence a queer story about immigrant in a clock time when these narratives are still both incredibly important , but also thankfully normalized , with their own work the latest ina foresightful lineof LGBTQ - themed fable for YA readers .

“ I feel fantastically fortunate that I have the freedom of not doing anything groundbreaking in my new graphic novel , ” Nguyen notice of the al-Qur’an ’s diverse storytelling . “ There have already been so many wonderful comics by and about people of colouring , immigrants , and queer the great unwashed . Over a decennium ago now , Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie utter about the risk of a single story , that a dearth of taradiddle creates stereotypes . For people creating study from the margins who are breaking ground , there seems to be this unfair extra encumbrance foisted upon them to be an authorization on experiences beyond the scope of their personal experience . ”

Image: Trung Le Nguyen (Penguin Random House

Image: Trung Le Nguyen (Penguin Random House

“ They ’re gestate to represent broad swaths of hoi polloi like them , and to edify the world about themselves , ” they continue . “ They have to explain themselves . Now that ground has been break down before me , I am grateful to be able to just tell my queer , immigrant stories . I can make volume that justify a lector ’s empathy instead of just their curiosity . And once the burden of train a readership is lifted , I can have fun . I can indulge in faery narrative , stories that never feel the motive to excuse themselves . ”

Check out a passage from The wizardly Pisces the Fishes that sees Tien do just that — encompass the phantasy of a princess saltation with her reliable dear at a magical ball , as he tries to reconcile his own privy impression for a boy in his family at schooling — in this exclusive selection .

The wizardly Fish is n’t just Nguyen trample new basis in their graphic novel entry , but also incorporating more longform digital artistic production into their repertoire . “ I started out draw the al-Qur’an traditionally , which was my comfort geographical zone . I substantiate about a third of the way through the book that my traditional process was better pitch toward short comics . It turns out draught , cleanup , scanning , and then formatting every single page really adds up after a twosome hundred of them , ” Nguyen said of the process . “ I ask to figure out how to well set my outgrowth to fulfill my deadline . My editor were implausibly patient with me , but I still felt some guilt that my traditional process was so slow . ”

“ I was always super unfamiliar with draw digitally ! I ’m still very new to it . I never went to art school , and did n’t get a tablet until long after I ’d already graduated from college . I had to teach myself how to use Photoshop and Clip Studio Paint from the earth up . Thankfully , there are so many artists who ’ve made incredibly thorough tutorial all over the internet these sidereal day . It actually felt really doable to cobble together some new acquirement by hunting and amass dissimilar art tutorial online . I wanted people to know that this book was a work in progress the entire means through , and I hope including that helps dissipate any roadblock of quality or perfectionism a novel cartoonist or comic creative person might have . In comic , it does n’t matter so much that it ’s done perfectly so long as it gets done ! ”

The witching Pisces hits shelves tomorrow , October 13 .

Apropos of Nothing , Check Out These Fantasy Novels by LGBT Creators