‘Scarlet Traces’ – Ian Edginton & D’Israeli (Dark Horse Books)

Having felt like death warmed up (micro waved at full power in fact) for a large chunk of last week it was kind of understandable that focussing on pages of text really wasn’t going to happen. Seriously, it’s only in the last couple of days that words have stopped trying to jump the pages. When I’m feeling rough though... all I want to do is curl up with something to read and that’s where comic books (once again) come in! :o) I’ve found that my comic book reading has taken me away from traditional superheroes and towards stuff that perhaps doesn’t enjoy the same kind of focus that a comic book with superheroes would (I’m obviously not counting ‘The Walking Dead’ here). Each to their own, and all that, but it’s turning out to be not for me.

When I saw ‘Scarlet Traces’ in the library I really thought my luck was in as it seemed to tick all the boxes that I like to be ticked. Steampunk, death rays and the after-effects of the failed Martian invasion of Earth... and a story as well! I couldn’t go wrong, could I?

Ten years after the failed Martian invasion of Earth, Victorian Britain has eagerly embraced the remnants of Martian technology, using it to thoroughly establish the dominance of the British Empire across the planet. However, there is something rotten at the heart of the empire...

Women are disappearing, only to reappear on the banks of the Thames completely drained of blood. Has the Dulwich Vampire returned or is something else entirely going on? It’s the job of former army Captain Robert Autumn and his manservant Archie Currie to find out and they will soon find themselves on a path that takes them from the Gin Palaces of the East End to the empire’s own hidden corridors of power...

The first thing that strikes you about this book is the very distinctive artwork of the man D’Israeli. I’m talking quite literally here with a book where the artwork chooses to go ‘brash and bright’; a book where you might want to consider investing in some sunglasses maybe? I’m wondering if this approach was perhaps a result of the book’s original incarnation as a semi-animated piece online? Who knows...

D’Israeli’s bright artwork had mixed success in terms of what it seeks to achieve on the page. It highlights the garish alien qualities of what the Martians left behind but it also highlights the seamy underbelly of London and in doing so makes that seamy underbelly a little less dark and dangerous. You can see exactly what’s going on and there’s no real mystery as a result. You’ve got to love the level of detail that D’Israeli has put into this ‘alternate London’ and it’s all too easy to spend a few minutes happily looking when you could be reading.

Edginton’s story also enjoys mixed levels of success, at least as far as I was concerned. I loved the exploration of what the assimilation of Martian technology meant for the Empire; what they gained but consequently what they lost at the same time. This exploration is far reaching and covers a Scotland effectively under martial law as there is no longer any need for their workers and the populace are beginning to starve. There is clearly a lot of thought gone into this piece and all credit to Edginton for taking this idea and running with it the way he has.

The actual plot itself didn’t do an awful lot for me though. Things weren’t signposted as such but the ending (when I got to it) felt like something that had been done before and I missed the impact as a result. It looks like there are more books to come so maybe there’s time yet for something fresher; that wasn’t something I found here though. Events leading up to the finale were rendered efficiently but not in a way that had me hooked. By that point I was reading for the art and a look at this alternate British Empire, not the plot...

‘Scarlet Traces’ is a lovely look at what H.G. Wells’ classic could have led onto but falls short when it tries to tell it’s own story within it. There was enough there though to hold my interest so while I won’t be going out of my way to find future books, I’ll grab them if I see them and you’ll see the results here.

Seven and a Half out of Ten