Scarlet Traces

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Scarlet Traces is a steampunk comic series written by Ian Edginton and drawn by D'Israeli. It began online and was serialized in 2002 in Judge Dredd Megazine, with a sequel, The Great Game, in 2006. A Dark Horse adaptation of H.G. Wells’s The War of the Worlds (also 2006) acts as a prequel, and additional stories appeared in 2000 AD between 2016 and 2025. The story imagines Britain reverse‑engineering alien technology from the Martians to become a global power.

In this alternate history, Britain uses Martian tech to dominate the world after a failed Martian invasion. The first arc is set in 1908 London, where horses are replaced by mechanical transport and homes are heated and lit by Martian tech. In the late 1930s, Britain is more tech‑savvy but faces new dangers. The main tale follows Major Robert Autumn and his loyal servant Arthur Currie as they investigate a string of murders in which young women are drained of blood. They discover a surviving Martian, nicknamed Humpty, who helps British scientists in exchange for life and blood. A ruthless government official, Dr. Davenport Spry, pushes a hardline agenda. The investigation uncovers a plan to invade Mars and bring Martian power to Earth. In the ensuing conflict, Currie dies, Autumn loses an arm, and Spry is killed. Earth is saved when a Commonwealth fleet arrives, but the government collapses and Autumn, now a controversial figure, faces a changed world.

Scarlet Traces expanded with The Great Game, set later and revealing more about Martian origins and humanity’s place in the solar system. A later volume, Scarlet Traces Volume 03, was published in 2022 and is set in 1968.