Previews of Image Comics that will be published in September 2006, by Ralf Haring.

TRUE STORY, SWEAR TO GOD #1
Written, art and cover by Tom Beland.
"If This Be Payday." Tom Beland is a California cartoonist who is now
living on the island of Puerto Rico, with the woman of his dreams he
met at a bus stop a year ago in Disneyworld. It hasn't been easy,
since his freelance clients haven't paid him in months, while
demanding more work from him. But all that is going to change as
Beland demands restitution... or else! Join the romance/comedy
nominated for two Eisner Awars at its new home at Image Comics.
24 pages, black and white, $2.99.

THE CROSS BRONX #1
Written by Michael Avon Oeming and Ivan Brandon, art and cover by
Oeming, variant cover by Esad Ribic.
Mike Oeming, co-creator of Powers, returns to full art duties in
violent noir fashion with a twist of the paranormal as The Cross Bronx
shows you NY at its highs and lows. When an assassin targets dozens of
low-level gangbangers all over the city, Detective Ortiz must look to
a comatose girl for the answers.
32 pages, $2.99, in stores on Sept. 6.

SAM NOIR: SAMURAI DETECTIVE #1
Written by Eric A. Anderson and Manny Trembley, art and cover by
Trembly.
"Payback is a Niche." On the third floor of a cluttered low-rent
office, Sam Noir met his destiny. Destiny wore a dress, and she was
the best thing to walk into Sam's life -- right up until they snuffed
her out, that is. They nixed his Betty, and now he's gonna nix them.
Once he finds out who "they" are.
24 pages, black and white, $2.99, in stores on Sept. 13.

TABULA RASA
Written by Keith Giffen and Shannon Denton, art and cover by Matt
Jacobs.
A dying cop has his soul transported into the body of a near
unstoppable clay version of himself and must now enact vengeance on
those that killed him within seven days or lose his soul forever. But
first he has to figure out who killed him.
48 pages, black and white, $4.99, in stores on Sept. 6.

BATTLE POPE VOL. 2: MAYHEM TP
Written by Robert Kirkman, art and cover by Matthew Roberts, Tony
Moore and Val Staples.
Picking up right where volume one left off, this collection paves the
way for all future Battle Pope stories. Featuring the downfall of
HellCorp and Pope's rise to local celebrity status, plus as many
fights, guns, jokes, chicks and violence as you can fit in a 120-page
trade paperback. Now presented in full color. Collects Battle Pope
#5-8.
120 pages, $12.99, in stores on Sept. 27.

[The first one was decently funny and this is cheap enough. I'll
probably order it.]

CAPTAIN AMAZING TP
Written, art and cover by Scott Kurtz.
Before PvP, before Truth, Justin And The American WayŠ there was
Captain Amazing. Follow the debut adventure of this determined little
hero as he fights for the right to be sole protector of Metro City.
Collects some of Scott Kurtz's earliest work from his 1995 mini-comic
as well as comic strips from his college newspaper days. A must for
PvP fans interested in the origins of Scott's work.
80 pages, black and white, $8.99, in stores on Sept. 6.

DEADWORLD: DEAD-KILLER TP
Written by Gary Reed, art and cover by Ron McCain.
A mysterious man rose from the ashes of a Deadworld. He was a killer,
a hunter... and his prey is the undead's leader, the intelligent
zombie known as King Zombie. Only one will survive. A collection of
the Dead-Killer's appearances from the original Deadworld series.
Collects Deadworld: The Killer and The King 1-3 and The Dead-Killer
one-shot.
120 pages, black and white, $14.99, in stores on Sept. 20.

DOLL AND CREATURE, VOL. 1: EVERYTHING TURNS GRAY TP
Written by Rick Remender, art by John Heebink and Mike Manley, cover
by Kieron Dwyer and Kevin Nowlan.
Religion is outlawed and blasé hedonism is the norm, in the skewed
future of Doll and Creature. Unleashed into this godless society is a
horrible new drug, Gray Matter, which physically transforms its users
into monsters, called "Hydes." As the cities rot a mysterious creature
emerges with only one instinct: hunt down the Hydes to rid society of
them. Presenting for the first time in trade form: the re-mastered
full color version of the cult classic series.
104 pages, $12.99, in stores on Sept. 13.

INVINCIBLE, VOL 7: THREE'S COMPANY
Written by Robert Kirkman, art and cover by Ryan Ottley and Bill
Crabtree.
On a trip to Africa Mark finds himself torn between two lives; his
normal life with his girlfriend Amber and his superhero life with good
friend Atom Eve. Decisions, decisions... Also in this volume: Angstrom
Levy makes his move and the truth about Robot is revealed! Collects
Invincible #31-35.
144 pages, $14.99, in stores on Sept. 7.

[The sixth collection was solicited for January. It comes out
tomorrow. I have no confidence that this will be out in September.]

LIONS, TIGERS AND BEARS , VOL. 1 TP NEW PRINTING
Written by Mike Bullock, art and cover by Jack Lawrence.
"Fear and Pride." Follow Joey Price on the adventure of a lifetime
through the Stuffed Animal Kingdom is this epic all-ages odyssey! When
Joey's worst fears, The Beasties, come crawling out of his closet in
the middle of the night, he finds out his new stuffed animals, the
Night Pride, are more real and more needed than he ever could have
imagined.
128 pages, $12.99, in stores on Sept. 7.

THE SPAWN MANGA COLLECTION TP
Written and art by Juzo Tokoro, cover by Brian Haberlin and Tokoro.
Ken Kurosawa was the bodyguard for a L.A. gang leader. In the midst of
a gang war, Ken was murdered by a car bomb. That was when he made his
fateful deal with Malebogia, not knowing that from then on he'd be
part of his hellish hordes as a Spawn! Opposed by numerous enemies,
constantly manipulated, he is brought to fight his best friend without
knowing it. 100 percent authentic manga!
600 pages, black and white, $17.99, in storese on Sept. 20.

THE UNTOUCHABLES TP
Written by Joe Pruett, art by John Kissee, cover by Galen Showman.
Twenty years after the fall of Capone and the rise to fame of Ness
comes a new group of Treasury agents code-named Untouchables.
Prohibition now includes not only liquor, but tobacco and firearms.
Gun fights, car chases, gangsters, nightclubs and sexy dames galore
can be found throughout this hard-boiled, alternate take on the days
of the mob and the officers who hunted them. Collects Untouchables
#1-4 and the Crimewave one-shot.
160 pages, black and white, $16.99, in stores on Sept. 13.

ANT #9
Written, art and cover by Mario Gully.
"Moving On," conclusion. Ant and her new friends Caliente and Rundown
join forces to take on the Mind Drainer. Cold Burn rises again as the
serious opposition. Can Hannah's memories be recovered or are they
lost forever? Will Gadget man find a way to retrieve and attach Ant's
arm? So many questions, so little time!
32 pages, $2.99, in stores on Sept. 20.

CASANOVA #4
Written by Matt Fraction, art and cover by Gabriel Ba.
Fourteen years ago, a man began to meditate. His goal: reincarnate as
the Supersammasambuddha for fun and profit. Now, on the eve of his
great awakening and reincarnation as a god, Casanova Quinn is
preparing to steal him. And how do you steal a god? Trust us. It's
totally awesome.
24 pages, $1.99, in stores on Sept. 13.

DEATH, JR., VOL. II #2
Written by Gary Whitta, art by Ted Naifeh, cover by Chad Pfarr.
The summer is off to a less-than-savory start for DJ and his friends.
DJ discovered that working with his dad is definitely not all he
thought it would be, and the rest of the gang is miserable at summer
camp. But DJ finds an easy way to zoom to the top (or so he thinks).
When Pandora gets word of DJ's new ambitions she decides to break out
of camp and come to the rescue, but will she be in time?
48 pages, $4.99, in stores on Sept. 13

ELEPHANTMEN #3
Written by Richard Starkings, art by Moritat and Tom Scioli, cover by
Ladronn, variant cover by Brian Bolland.
27 pages of story! As Hip Flask recovers from his battle with Elijah
Delaney, Miki gets a good look at him as they wait for medical help...
Meanwhile, Ebony Hide may need help himself after a run-in with gang
baron Serengheti in "The Elephant in the Room," a special story drawn
by Godland's Tom Scioli.
32 pages, $2.99, in stores on Sept. 20.

[Definitely getting this.]

EMISSARY #5
Writen by Christopher E. Long, co-plotted by Jim Valentino, art and
cover by Juan E. Ferreyra.
"Revelations 2:1." A new story arc begins here! Emissary spans the
globe in an effort to gain deeper insight into humanity, both its
achievements and its atrocities. Meanwhile, a secret think-tank in the
U.S. Capitol convenes to devise a strategy to bring him down...by any
means possible!
32 pages, $3.50, in stores on Sept. 27.

FEAR AGENT #9
Written by Rick Remender, art by Jerome Opena, cover by Tony Moore.
On the far side of the universe there is a light and it never goes
out...
32 pages, $2.99, in stores on Sept. 20.

FELL #8
Written by Warren Ellis, art and cover by Ben Templesmith.
A dead body outside Idiots Bar brings the personal and professional
together very awkwardly for Detective Richard Fell, Snowtown PD;
because his friend, bar owner Mayko, is being blamed by the dead man's
friends for his death...
24 pages, $1.99, in stores on Sept. 27.

[This as well.]

GIRLS #17
Written by Joshua Luna, art and cover by Jonathan Luna.
Castrated.
32 pages, $2.99, in stores on Sept. 20.

INVINCIBLE #36
Written by Robert Kirkman, art by Ryan Ottley and Bill Crabtree.
The Re-animen strike! After months of careful planning and preparation
D.A. Sinclair unleashes his undead automatons on Upstate University.
Luckily, a young man named Mark Grayson just happens to be attending
classes there. He'll be able to do something to stop them he's
Invincible!
32 pages, $2.99, in stores on Sept. 8.

JACK STAFF #13
Written, art and cover by Paul Grist.
There's something wrong in Castletown, but only Becky Burdock Vampire
Hunter seems to have noticed, and if she's going to sort it out the
only man who can help her is Jack Staff, Britain's greatest Villain!
32 pages, $3.50, in stores on Sept. 27.

NEGATIVE BURN #5
By Jim Alexander, Brian Bolland, Chris Eliopoulos, Miceh Fiffe, Adam
Ford, Dean Haspiel, Phil Hester, Ande Parks, Joe Pruett, Matthew Smith
and Eric Stephenson, cover by Tomislav Tikulin.
The Eisner, Harvey and Eagle Award nominee continues with another
all-star line-up of talent! Negative Burn is the monthly source for
the best new talent mingled with the finest established talent!
64 pages, black and white, $5.99, in stores on Sept. 20.

NOBLE CAUSES #24
Written by Jay Faerber, art by Jon Bosco, cover by Khary Randolph.
story JAY FAERBER
Race's quest to regain his powers leads him down a dark path. Will Liz
follow?
32 pages, $3.50, in stores on Sept. 13.

[Still waiting on the next collection.]

OCCULT CRIMES TASKFORCE #3
Written by David Atchison and Rosario Dawson, art and cover by Tony
Shasteen.
Tensions rise to dangerous levels in Manhattan as the Soul Ripper's
horrific murder spree reaches beyond the streets of the Otherground
and into the city at large. Sophia's only lead comes from Joan
Alastor, a retired detective with a hex on her head and a chip on her
shoulder. To find out what Joan knows, a bargain must be struck and
what she wants in return may be more than Sophia and the O.C.T. can
offer.
32 pages, $2.99, in stores on Sept. 20.

PHONOGRAM #2
Written by Kieron Gillen, art and cover by Jamie McKelvie.
"I Can't Imagine the World Without Me."Someone won't let Britannia,
sacred Mod-goddess of Britpop, rest in peace. If David Kohl can't find
out whom, his very existence is forfeit. Clues? He hasn't any until he
sees the solemn ghost of an old girlfriend. For David, ghosts are
normal. Ghosts of living girls, however, are something very
different...
32 pages, black and white, $3.50, in stores on Sept. 7.

ROCKETO #12
Written by Frank Espinosa and Marie Taylor, art and cover by Espinosa.
The Journey to the Hidden Sea thunders towards its dramatic
conclusion! In his race against time Rocketo must call on the deadly
forces that killed his parents to rescue his friends from Scarletto.
He confronts the gigantic Lucernean Armada that threatens all life in
the Hidden Sea. As this epic comes to an end, the New World beckons
Rocketo to further adventures.
32 pages, $3.99, in stores on Sept. 6.

SAVAGE DRAGON #129
Written, art and cover by Erik Larsen.
Having suffered the most unexpected loss of all, Savage Dragon must do
all he can just to stay alive. And if that wasn't enough, he must also
face the looming threat of a deadly new foe!
32 pages, $2.99, in stores on Sept. 27.

SHADOWHAWK #15
Written and art by Jim Valentino, cover by Juan Ferreyra.
"On the Rebound," Part Two Eddie gets laid. Finally.
32 pages, $3.50, in stores on Sept. 13.

SPAWN #162
Written by David Hine, art by Philip Tan and Danny Miki, cover by Tan.
Beyond good and evil! Spawn and Zera fight it out amongst the ruins of
a devastated civilization. This is Spawn as you've never seen him
before, facing an adversary who is too insane to ever admit defeat. No
one gets out of here alive!
32 pages, $2.95, in stores on Sept. 27.

STRANGE GIRL #11
Written by Rick Remender, art and cover by Nick Stakal.
Bethany is forced to take a slight detour... to hell.
32 pages, $2.99, in stores on Sept. 27.

TASK FORCE 1 #3
Written by Jeffery Stevenson, art and cover by Carlos Rodriguez and
Joel Seguin.
An enemy ambush has decimated their ranks, and only one member of Task
Force 1 managed to escape. Now, he must navigate past hundreds of
soldiers gunning for him -- not only to free his teammates, but to
stop a madman from destroying millions of lives!
32 pages, $3.50, in stores on Sept. 7.

UMBRA #3
Written by Murphy, art and cover by Mike Hawthorne.
Our heroine ventures to an island off the coast of Greenland that
contains not only the truth behind the mysterious skeleton but much,
much more. Hot on her trail is an assassin trying to cover up the Cold
War secret at the heart of this mystery. And hot on his trail is our
heroine's new girlfriend!
52 pages, black and white, $5.99, in stores on Sept. 6.

THE WALKING DEAD #32
Written by Robert Kirkman, art and cover by Charlie Adlard and Cliff
Rathburn.
Surrounded.
32 pages, black and white, $2.99, in stores on Sept. 20.

WITCHBLADE #102
Written by Ron Marz, art by Adriana Melo, cover by Trevor Hairsine.
The shockwaves from the landmark 100th issue threaten to shake
Witchblade to its very core! The life of NYPD Detective Sara Pezzini
has been thrown into the kind of turmoil she never expected, forcing
her to make one of the most important decisions of her life. Will she
actually surrender the Witchblade to another bearer? Writer Ron Marz
has put Witchblade back everyone's "must-read" list, and new regular
artist Adriana Melo is bringing a feminine perspective to everyone's
favorite heroine. See why Broken Frontier praises, "The stories are
character driven, with fascinating plots and dialogue to draw the
reader in."
32 pages, $2.99.

CYBERFORCE #6
Written by Ron Marz, art and cover by Pat Lee.
The first story arc roars to its climax as the reunited Cyberforce
battles a god-like alien race intent on destroying the Earth! At least
one member of the team won't survive the battle. Who will it be?
Ripclaw? Velocity? Impact? Heatwave? And will the sacrifice of one be
enough to save the lives of the others? Find out who lives and who
dies as the acclaimed team of Ron Marz and Pat Lee conclude the first
unforgettable storyline of the all-new Cyberforce.
32 pages, $2.99.

CITY OF HEROES #15
Written by David Wohl, art by Ronan Cliquet, cover by David Nakayama.
As the Banished Pantheon's plan nears completion, the Freedom Phalanx
and Foreshadow's team must join forces with the Circle of Thorns in an
attempt to avert a disaster of biblical proportions. But are they
already too late? And what role does the mysterious goddess Tielekku
play in this? Read this action-packed issue and find out!
32 pages, $2.99.

THE DARKNESS E3 EXCLUISVE EDITION
Written by Paul Jenkins, art by Dale Keown, cover by Marc Silvestri.
In celebration of the E3 convention and the release of the Darkness
video game, this Special Edition #1 is available in limited copies!
32 pages, $2.99.

THE DARKNESS COMPENDIUM EDITION
Written by Garth Ennis and Paul Jenkins, art by Marc Silvestri and Joe
Benitez.
There's nothing like going back to the beginning and reading it all
over again-- issue #1-40, plus the complete run of the Tales of the
Darkness series collected into one trade paperback. See how the
Darkness first appeared and threw Jackie into the chaotic world of the
supernatural. Get the first appearances of The Magdalena and more!
1,248 pages, $49.99.

WANTED TRADE PAPERBACK SOFTCOVER REPRINT
Wanted Trade Paperback softcover reprint
Written by Mark Millar, art and cover by J.G. Jones.
Collecting Wanted issues #1-#6 as well as the Wanted: Dossier, this
trade paperback collection reveals an alternate version of the world
right outside your window where the villains are the heroes and the
bad guys run the world. Nominated in 2006 for the Eisner awards the
Wanted trade paperback delivers hard hitting action and adventure from
modern masters of the comics field. Plus, features new cover art by
J.G. Jones.
Full color 192 pages $19.99

-Ralf Haring
"The mind must be the harder, the heart the keener,
the spirit the greater, as our strength grows less."
-Byrhtwold, The Battle of Maldon