Scarlet Traces on the 2000 AD Thrill-Cast

The latest 2000AD Thrill-Cast focuses on the new Scarlet Traces anthology. It consists of an hour-long discussion between Scarlet Traces co-creator and anthology editor Ian Edginton, writer Maura McHugh, Rebellion commissioning editor David Moore join, and 2000 AD publicity droid Molch-R, about the world of Scarlet Traces, the legacy of H G Wells' original novel, imperialism and speculative fiction, and moving from comics into prose.

It's an interesting listen, but when the spectre of steampunk rears its ugly, cog-adorned head, it's clear that people have a problem with steampunk, to the point where Pax Britannia, Rebellion's own steampunk novel series, doesn't even get a passing mention.

You can purchase Scarlet Traces: A War of the Worlds Anthology, which includes my story Wonderful Things, here.

Steampunk Thursday: Scarlet Traces - Out Now!

Scarlet Traces: An Anthology Based on H. G. Wells' War of the Worlds, edited by Ian Edginton, is available now!

It is the dawn of the twentieth century.

Following the Martians' failed invasion of Earth, the British Empire has seized their technology and unlocked its secrets for themselves. It is a Golden Age of discovery, adventure, culture, invention—and of domination, and rebellion.

Scarlet Traces reveals a world of ant-headed nightmares; vacuum salesmen; war machines; deadly secrets; clockwork marvels; and Sherlock Holmes, T. S. Eliot and Thomas Edison as you've never seen them before...

Including stories by Stephen Baxter, I. N. J. Culbard, Adam Roberts, Emma Beeby, James Lovegrove, Nathan Duck, Mark Morris, Dan Whitehead, Chris Roberson, Maura McHugh, Jonathan Green, and Andrew Lane.

Ian Edginton is a New York Times bestselling author and multiple Eisner Award nominee.

His recent titles include the green apocalypse saga The Hinterkind for DC/Vertigo; Steed and Mrs Peel for BOOM, the steam- and clock-punk series Stickleback, Ampney Crucis Investigates and Brass Sun for the legendary UK science fiction weekly, 2000 AD; game properties Dead Space: Liberation and The Evil Within for Titan Books, and the audio adventure Torchwood: Army of One for the BBC.

He has adapted the complete canon of Sherlock Holmes novels into a series of graphic novels for Self Made Hero, as well writing several volumes of Holmes apocrypha entitled The Victorian Undead. He has also adapted H.G. Wells’ The War of the Worlds as well as writing several highly acclaimed sequels, Scarlet Traces and Scarlet Traces: The Great Game.

He lives and works in England. He keeps a bee.

Ada Lovelace Day

Today is Ada Lovelace Day. Its intention, to raise the profile of women in science, technology, engineering and maths by encouraging people around the world to talk about the women whose work they admire.

Ada Lovelace (1815-1852) was an English writer and mathematician, widely held to have been the first computer programmer. And I have noted her influence within the world of Pax Britannia, having called computer programmes Lovelace algorithms.

She has inspired other steampunk authors as well, noticeably Ian Edginton in his Stickleback stories.

Click on the link to find out more about Ada Lovelace Day.

Sherlock Holmes vs the Undead

What more could any discerning fan of the Pax Britannia and Tomes of the Dead series from Abaddon Books ask for? Unfortunately it wasn't my idea, but kudos to ace comics scribe Ian Edginton who has scripted the strip for Wildstorm.


To find out what happens when the world's number one consulting detective comes up against the brain-munching hordes of the Zombiepocalypse, click here.


Have to say, I'm loving this cover by Simon Coleby. It is one of my dreams to one day write a comic strip that he then illustrates.

Ampney Crucis Investigates

Starting in 2000AD prog is a brand new Thrill, Ampney Crucis Investigates, created by the redoubtable Ian Edginton and Simon Davis. The two have previously worked together most notably on the Stone Island books, and it looks like we can expect more of the same gruesome goings on within a real world setting with the opening story Vile Bodies.

This is right up my street, with Davis' macabre and colourful art perfectly complimenting Edginton's unpleasant imaginings. After only five pages of strip and one teaser pic there's not much to go on, but I'm guessing Mr Crucis himself is going to be something of a Lord Peter Wimsey/Noel Coward-type character, and in some ways he already rather resembles Ulysses Quicksilver.

Anyway, I'm looking forward to more of this and am already (optimistically) hoping that there will be more to come after the conclusion of this opening adventure.

By the way, Ampney Crucis gets his name from an actual village in Gloucestershire.