"Mercy"In the hit series, Rising Stars, it is mentioned that at one time, Matthew Bright ran away from Pederson and, under an assumed name, became a member of normal society and a police officer. Join us as Matthew tells this story in his memoirs and learn how a Special can shine brightest when they're just being human.

Journalist Shan Beaumont has always relied on her almost eerie sense of intuition. It's a power her father says comes from an Egyptian curse--the same curse that drove him insane. When a ritualistically mutilated body is found, he gives Shan a fragment of the Osiris Amulet and warns her of a coming darkness. With friend and photographer Winston MacGregor, Shan confronts suspect Victor Hahn in Germany. He's planning more than murder and Shan is hit by a horrifying vision of the future: Mummified men walk again with their hearts removed. Even Cleopatra shows up to see if it's true.

Zerb and Rising Stars haunt Top Cow! Lionel Zerb can see dead people. Always considered the freak in the Rising Stars universe, Zerb's story has largely gone overlooked...until now. As a direct conduit to the dead, Zerb opens an agency as a Ghost Interpreter, helping people deal with hauntings and other "spirit" cases. But one day, Zerb stumbles upon a force greater than he ever imagined. Lionel must confront an ancient spiritual power that brings him near death, but closer to an understanding about the mysteries of the universe.

There is also a back-up story titled "The Bandit, The Samurai, The Tea Master And Aesthetics." It is a short prose story with illustrations by Peter Steigerwald.

Lara Croft uncovers an ancient crypt from Persia and discovers that the Legendary One Thousand and One Tales have not yet been completed. Sucked into a genie's bottle, the curvaceous Tomb Raider soon finds herself flirting with rogue bandits, belly dancing, and flying on magical carpets -- all while attempting to save a certain gal named Scheherezade from imminent death. This is no ordinary issue as Billy Tan fills each page with a unique watercolor technique that brings Ancient Persia and sexy Lara Croft a touch of the dramatic you won't find anywhere else.

Chase the Dog Star with Lara Croft on the ultimate adventure atop the high seas. She'll rope the western wind and harness the moon in order to capture the most glorious, amassed treasure in the world. Join in the privateering as Lara Croft chases after the most notorious fleet in the history of the world: the Spanish Armada. Yes, the Spanish Armada of 1550, and it's going to be a rollicking good time. Gentleman, prepare to be boarded.

The X-Men's Southern star soars solo!  When Rogue joined the X-Men, they said they could help her, could make her a better person by understanding her powers.  She's faced a fatal, brutal, mutant power, which must be controlled at all costs.  The unanswered questions are: how do the X-Men actually help her?  How does she cope with being a mutant with a terrible, potentially fatal power... does she view herself as a hero or a menace or a fraud?  How does she cope with her fears of abandonment from her past experiences as an orphaned child?  These questions, and others, will be addressed in the course of this series, which will see Rogue thrust into wildly different situations -- crises that will demand she learn how to trust herself, as well as others.  Unencumbered by monthly continuity, this all-new adventure will give readers an in-depth portrait of one of Marvel's most popular characters!

What seems like a routine collar turns out to be anything but when the corrupt judge Anya captured reveals a deadly new threat to the Spider Society. While Miguel tangles with an old enemy, a new nemesis arrives on the scene to challenge Anya, in the most unlikely of places! La Voz del Norte calls Araña a "modern, Latina role-model!"

The second volume of Amazing Fantasty. WIll lightning strike twice? This series has a variety of new characters that first appeared in these pages, such as Arana (now Spider-Girl), the female Scorpion Carmilla Black and her friend Derek Khanata, the lucky Vegas, Hulk and Hercules' side-kick Amadeus Cho, Damage Control's Monstro and Death's Head 3.0