Wild cards: Busted flush - Edited by George R.R. Martin

In the six decades since the alien plague known as the 'Wild Card' virus spread a wave of mutations around the globe, humanity has begun to come to terms with its consequences.

Grotesque half-human creatures known as 'Jokers' habits inhabit an underworld of their own, while the legendary prodigies known as 'Aces' have become real-world superheroes, complete with colourful names and costumes.

Now a new generation of Aces has taken its place on the world stage, crucial players in international events. At the United Nations, John Fortune has assembled a team of young heroes, known as The Committee, to assist at trouble spots around the world - including zombies in hurricane-ravaged New Orleans, a freak nuclear explosion in Texas, and a showdown with the forces of the oil-rich Islamic caliphate in the Middle East.

But the Committee's opponents have their own Aces and Jokers ready to do battle, including a Marxist revolutionary, a brutal mercenary, a boy with apocalyptic powers and - most terrifying of all - a sinister arm of the FBI known as SCARE.