Scarlet Traces

(Dark Horse, 2003)
™ and © Dark Horse Comics, Inc.

It doesn’t seem likely that a sequel to a story about an alien invasion would be much of a story without the aliens, but guess what? Edginton and D’Israeli’s sequel to H.G. Wells’ War of the Worlds might be relatively Martian-less, but it’s probably also the freshest take on the idea ever done in comics.

Disregarding the traditional Hollywood-style mentality that a second story has to feature a second invasion (à la Marvel’s ’70s Killraven stories), Edginton, instead, recognizes that a sequel can be just as fascinating when it’s a follow-up to the original, rather than a retelling. In his story, early 20th century England has become a world power in the aftermath of the devastating but failed Martian invasion, by way of the advanced alien technology left behind. The elite of a futuristic London basks in the warmth of heat-ray powered furnaces, while the working class, left jobless by the technological advances, are subject to starvation and martial law.

D’Israeli’s precise, clean lines and vivid colors paint a horrific picture of a Great Britain ironically crushed by extraterrestrial technology, despite its so-called victory over the invaders a decade earlier. And the bizarre customization of Victorian-era buildings and carriages with Martian enhancements is downright creepy, yet strangely beautiful.

Edginton’s poisoned world is one that’s more than enough to carry the story on its own; but, incredibly, he veers the story in a surprising and even more intriguing direction near its conclusion. While the resolution to the original story suffers ever so slightly, Edginton opens up a whole new world of possibilities that reinvigorates the very appeal of his story and has readers whispering those dreaded words once it’s over: When’s the sequel?

— Jim Johnson

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