In 1996, Top Cow briefly departed from Image . At the same time, Top Cow was abandoning superheroes and moving into a darker subsegment, the fantasy genre. New properties were Witchblade (where Turner had his first big success) and The Darkness . Thanks to the success of Witchblade Top Cow was able to expand, adding to its line with titles that included The Darkness, Magdalena, Aphrodite IX, and others.
In addition to company owned properties Top Cow has from time to time worked with creators to develop creator generated properties. These properties have included Turner's Fathom which eventually ended up at Aspen Comics; Joe's Comics, created exclusively for J. Michael Straczynski, which included Rising Stars, Midnight Nation, The Agency, and Obergeist.
Top Cow is also known for bringing Tomb Raider's Lara Croft to comics. The cartoon Battle of the Planets is another licensed property in which Top Cow has invested, collaborating with cover artist Alex Ross.
