Ruse

1 Enter the Detective (1-6; w Mark Waid; a Paul Neary, Mike Perkins, Jeff Johnson, Butch Guice). [From CrossGen Comics: Yesterday's murder of a blind dock dweller, initially described by Partington police as "inconsequential," was, according to master detective Simon Archard, only the beginning of "a sequence of homicidal crimes that endanger even the children of the city." Sources close to Archard have linked the dockman's murder to the import of a large shipment of a narcotic powder imbued with mysterious properties, a shipment since destroyed in a harbor explosion that nearly claimed the lives of Archard and his staunch assistant. Moreover, Archard doggedly maintains a strong suspicion that said narcotic is somehow connected to Partington's newest resident of note, Miranda Cross, the Baroness of Kharibast. Archard asserts that society darling Cross may in fact be responsible for a great number of recent slayings throughout our streets, all stepping stones towards a plan to "conquer and control the entirety of Partington in her fiery grip." In the face of such peril, some local citizens take comfort in Archard's flawless record as their protector; others, however, are beginning to wonder if the great Archard has at last run afoul of an opponent even craftier than he.]

2 The Silent Partner (7-12; w Scott Beatty, Mark Waid; a Paul Ryan, Mike Perkins, Butch Guice). [From CrossGen Entertainment: Simon is the greatest detective his world has ever known, but he was previously apprentice to another detective - the cold and calculating Malcolm Lightbourne. Once thought dead, Lightbourne has returned with a vengeance of climactic proportions!]