"I've been a fan of Frazetta my whole life," says Niles. "I had his posters on my wall and I used to sit there as a kid and make up stories about them. DEATH DEALER always had a staring role."

To bring Niles' vision of the DEATH DEALER to life, the responsibility fell on the shoulders of Nat Jones. Nat, who has collaborated with Niles on many occasions, is thrilled with the project.

"Like so many artists working today, I have been greatly affected by Frazetta's work - this is an amazing opportunity and I can say that Steve, Jay and I, along with Image Comics, are all extremely excited!" enthuses Jones. "Frank's DEATH DEALER paintings are iconic and we're really working hard to try and bring some of that magic and mood to this book. We're pushing our limits creatively, too, experimenting with different techniques and in the end, I think that's really going to show."

This foray in to a new art process largely involves Jay Fotos (Spawn), who is handling the color duties on all six issues.

"Nat and I are taking this project personal - we are huge Frazetta fans, and dealing with an Icon, we want to give it it's due respect," says Fotos. "We are experimenting with different styles/techniques and collaborate on a daily basis. Our intentions are doing this right, that's why we don't have a set shelf date. Along the way we will keep the fans updated with new art and any happenings."

With the full approval of the Frazetta family on this project, this is the most ambitious and detailed DEATH DEALER project to ever hit the printed page. DEATH DEALER is an otherworldly figure who was once human and made death personified in a pact with dark gods.

"Frazetta's DEATH DEALER series has a lot of power and has lived in people's imaginations for decades. I hope the series will bring his to life in an epic way, in a way that people have never seen before in a sword and sorcery story," concludes Niles.

Each cover of the six-issue DEATH DEALER mini-series will feature one Frazetta's famous DEATH DEALER paintings and is set to launch in late 2006 from Image Comics.

Following a long delay, Image Comics has announced the IMAGE COMICS HC will finally ship this November. All previous orders are being canceled and the book is being made available for new orders in the September issue of Diamond's PREVIEWS.

"It's DONE. Really!" said Image Comics Publisher, Erik Larsen. "The book was supposed to come out in early 2002, and believe me – we've been deluged with e-mails, phone calls and letters asking where it is ever since. When I came on board as publisher, one of my highest priorities was to get this thing finished and on shelves. It’s taken a little longer than I'd have liked, but the wait is over at last. The book has been completed. We have every page on hand at this point."

Originally solicited for a March 2002 release, the IMAGE COMICS HC features four all-new stories by the four remaining Image founders: The never-before-told origin of Erik Larsen's Savage Dragon, Todd McFarlane's first comics story since SPAWN #50 – published nearly 10 years ago, a chilling conclusion to the first act in Marc Silvestri's Cyberforce saga that clears the decks for a 2006 series re-launch, and an important chapter in the life of the all-new, all-different ShadowHawk that serves as an entry point to Jim Valentino's current ongoing series.

Famously, the book didn't make its original date.

"IMAGE COMICS was intended to be a celebration of our first decade as a comic book company," Larsen noted. "And it’s a darned shame that it didn’t come out when it was supposed to. We blew it. Parts were finished on time, to be sure, but not the entire package. It kept getting delayed and delayed and I'm sure a lot of people thought it just plain wasn't going to come out--ever.

"But now we have the completed pages in our hands. And it's awesome to behold. Naturally, we wanted to get it into readers’ hands as soon as possible but given that it's been three years and change since the book was originally offered, we've decided to do the responsible thing and re-solicit it. We're excited about this book – because it really IS darned cool – and we want to share that excitement with everyone else but we don't want to make a bad situation worse by shipping the book as soon as we could have and sticking retailers with orders they placed over three years ago."

The IMAGE COMICS HC, available as a standard hardcover for $24.99 and a special signed & numbered slipcase edition for $75.00, is available for order in the September issue of PREVIEWS and is due to reach stores in November.

This August, Wizard World Chicago marks the debut of Necromancer, a supernatural superheroine drama by Top Cow Productions and the creative team of SF novelist Joshua Ortega (Frequencies) and artist Francis Manapul (Witchblade).

Necromancer follows the adventures of Abigail van Alstine, an all-too-naïve teenager who finds herself unwillingly thrust into the world of sorcery, and a demonic plot to conquer the earth that dates back over 300 years. “Joshua is a fresh face in comics, but an experienced writer in the world of novels. Francis has extensive experience in comics, but is doing the work of his career on Necromancer,” said Top Cow Editor-in-Chief Jim McLauchlin.

“Having Francis on the book is incredible…the work he’s doing is utterly amazing, and we’re both excited about the series and the chance to work together,” said writer Joshua Ortega.

Necromancer #1 debuts at the Top Cow booth, #512, at Wizard World Chicago at the Donald E. Stephens Convention Center, August 4-7. The creative team of Ortega and Manapul will be in attendance for signings. Necromancer #1 will be in comic stores August 10, and ships with covers by Francis Manapul, Chris Bachalo (X-Men), and Greg Horn (Elektra).