Scarlet Traces: The Great Game. Ian Edginton (Writer), D'Israeli (Artist) Dark Horse Books (2007)

Decades of war are consuming the British Empire made strong by Martian technology. The endless conflict is draining the resources of the Empire and its guiding force, Prime Minister Spry is struggling to retain control. Photo journalist Charlotte Hemming finds herself pulled into the secret struggles to retain order and meets Robert Autumn, a man with an astonishing piece of information and a more astonishing proposal to make. Charlotte Hemming is given the chance to travel to the far off front lines of the conflict to see what is really going on. When she does so she finds a greater and mote dangerous conflict that she could have imagined. The reveals are superbly staged and the plot moves with force and precision as the secret plans of all concerned collide in unexpected ways.
Ian Edginton takes the story of the Martian invasion from H.G. Well's War of the Worlds and pushes it into unexpected and superbly thought out directions. The plot mechanics are deeply satisfying, the stakes are satisfying high and the action smart and sharp. The greatest pleasure of the book is Charlotte Hemming, a woman with the astonishing super power of not being stupid, instead she is inquisitive and capable of thinking and acting in a credible fashion. As a photojournalist in an increasingly oppressive society, she is tough enough to recognise trouble and willing to take a risk for a story. At the same time she is not a professional agent or soldier, she has a strong preference for using her mind rather than a gun and that serves the story really well.
Ian Edgintion delivers a familiar context, a society slowly being crushed under the weight of a war that cannot allow any room for dissent. The reasons for the war are long past any relevance, the story is about the spillover and the slowly emerging fact that there may be a genuine threat beyond the simple facts of a conflict that appears to have no point and no end. Ian Edgintion respects the readers enough to give all of the cast enough intelligence to be convincing and convinced about their actions, the conflict of agendas is substantial not simply brave individuals against a faceless bureaucracy with no interest beyond its own preservation. One of the wonderful aspects of the book is that Ian Edgintion knows how to end a story as adroitly as he starts one.
The art by D'Israeli is an object lesson in how science fiction comics can utilise the limitless budget they have and still anchor a story in crisp relevant detail. The cast move in a natural way through the context, they body language is as eloquent as the dialogue. The technology is never obtrusive, it is clearly different while part and parcel of the ordinary working and living lives of the cast. The colouring is fantastic, it supports and extends the mood of the story, subtle where needed and vibrant at just the right times. Brilliant science fiction from confident and hugely talented creators.

Scarlet Traces. Ian Edginton (Writer), D'Israeli (Art). Dark Horse Comics ( 2003)

A brilliant follow on from H.G.Wells, "War of the World's" showing the impact of the Martian invasion of Earth on a massively invigorated British Empire. The invaders from Mars were defeated by microbes, their technology has transformed the world, in particular the British Empire which has used it ruthlessly to establish its global dominance. When a relative of his man servant, Archie Currie, goes missing Robert Autumn starts to investigate the case. Autumn used to work for the secret service of the British government until he was effectively made redundant by the new technology. He takes on the case as a chance to be doing something, and quickly finds that there are very unpleasant forces at work just below the polite surface of the Empire. The plot unwinds in expected and unexpected ways as the full legacy of the invasion is revealed for the winners and the losers.
Ian Edginton has taken a stunning leap forward from the original story as the implications of the technology used to travel across space an invade Earth is taken over and used by the survivors of the invasion. Being able to make a gigantic leap forward on the back of Martian technology would give those in control of it a fantastically dominant position. If that group was already a rapidly industralising and stratified society, they they would be quick to grasp the technology and equally quick to retain the stratification. Ian Edginton does very nicely with this aspect of the story, how the impact of the technology is used to entrench existing social structures even further as the gap between those who benefit from technology and those excluded by it grows ever wider. He does even better with the very nasty secret at the heart of the story, it rings true to the possibilities arsing from the original context mixed carefully and skillfully with a bleaker modern sensibility. Matching a meaty plot with a clever way to bring readers into the story context Ian Edginton never betrays the original while delivering a sharp update.
The art by D'Israeli is stunning. Science fiction relies strongly on a clearly realised physical context that establishes the shape of the unknown world. The seamless mixing of Edwardian England with alien technology so that they look natural is an impressive task, adding a cast that move within that context with weight and force is  jaw dropping. D'Israeli has delivered the feel of a James Bond film, with huge sets and global plots driven by shadowy figures and opposed by lone agents and cast it in a new way. Instead of being an unholy mess, an interesting mess all the same, it all logically coheres with the story and acts to deliver it with an unexpected heartbeat.
That is the most surprising and engaging aspect to the story, the way that the human element, the motives of the cast, from the most personal to the most grandiose all spring from credible characters and never feels forced. This gives the story a powerful emotional context that frames the action and gives it a real grip on the reader. A great comic from astounding talented creators.

Stone Island. Ian Edginton (Writer), Simon Davis (Artist). Rebellion (2008)

Excellent horror comic with a great cast, sharp writing, stunning art and lots of gore being splattered about. Longbarrow Maximum Security Prison, set in a isolated and desolate moorland is where David Sorrell has been sent for the murder of his wife and her lover. Harry Rivers is his cellmate and somewhat mentor in the prison. When one of the inmates mutates into a hideous creature and starts to murder and devour other inmates and guards, Harry reveals his escape plan and he and David flee. They meet up with a few other survivors and find that they are trapped and under siege. The first part comes to an explosive conclusion, the second part takes the survivors and pitches them headlong into a plan to deal with the creatures at source. The action is fast, the cast determined and the story is willing to take a Ian Edginton has written a straightforward horror story with care and craft, the details are sharp and the threats are explicit and forceful. The central element of an isolated group facing an overwhelming threat is nicely managed in both parts, the different context in each case is superbly developed. There is a seam of black humour running through the story that gives the action an additional force and the cast a twist of life as they face their situations. With Sara McCandless, Ian Edginton has created a star, someone you would want at you back when flesh eating creatures are coming in through the window.
Simon Davis' art is stunning, it captures both the gore and the humour, the terrible transformations that some of the cast undergo with great verve, they are both realistic and impossible, just as they should be. The panel layout is dynamic and varied, it gives the story a great pace and allows the lurid colouring space to breathe and exert its influence.
This is a great fun comic, Ian Edginton refers to it a a "gore soaked guilty pleasure", any comic created with this level of care, craft and talent leaves no one with anything to be guilty about the abundant pleasure it provides.

The Hound of the Baskervilles. A.Conan Doyle (Author), adapted by Ian Edginton, I.N.J.Culbard (Art) SelfMadeHero (2009)

This a superb adaptation of one of the best of the Sherlock Holmes long stories, Ian Edginton and I.N.J. Culbard have created a suitably faithful version that translates the story very effectively into a different medium. The story opens with one of the great Holmes and Watson set pieces, the deduction from an object of information regarding its owner. In this case the object is a walking stick left behind by a potential client. The scene nicely sets up the relationship between Holmes and Watson as well as highlighting Holmes ability to observe details and make deductions. The client proves to be Dr. James Mortimer and he has an extraordinary story to tell. It is about a family legend that appears to assumed a deadly reality for Sir Charles Baskerville, a friend of the doctor and which may have consequences for his heir Henry Baskerville. Sherlock Holmes sees that the story could have a cause that is much more mundane and dangerous than any supernatural event and he takes on the case. The story develops from there is a very enjoyable fashion, the atmosphere is suitably foggy and sinister, there are twists and tuns, the reveals are nicely staged and the climax is satisfying and effective.

The greatest danger in any adaptation of a Sherlock Holmes story is that it will loose the essential element provided by the first person narration by Dr.Watson in the original. Ian Edginton manages transpose the story so well that no one who has read the original nor someone who has not would feel shortchanged. The art is also superb, it is rather cartoony and this works far better that trying to capture the feel of the Strand Magazine illustrations. I.N.J. Culbard has gone for his own versions of the characters and they are excellent, they are clear and expressive. This book sets a very high standard for Sherlock Holmes adaptions.