A plucky teenage heroine, her firebreathing sidekick and a vividly illustrated, rip-roaring supernatural story combine to make James Robinson and Paul Smith's new hardcover, Leave It to Chance: Shaman's Rain, a contemporary fantasy adventure classic.

Image comics publisher Jim Valentino describes it as "Nancy Drew meets Harry Potter." Created by writer James Robinson and artist Paul Smith, both best known for their superhero work, Chance is the story of Chance Falconer, the 14-year-old daughter of paranormal investigator Lucas Falconer. Disappointed when her father refuses to take her on as an apprentice investigator because she's a girl, Chance sets off to prove herself. Along the way, she takes on a miniature dragon as a sidekick, and rescues the kidnapped daughter of an Indian shaman.

Originally a sporadically published periodical comic book, Chance is being reissued as a quarterly series of full color-oversized hardbacks at the attractive price of $14.95. Valentino told PW that this is a series for all ages: "You can hand it to anyone, and they'll enjoy it." The next hardcover is due in November.

Image is best known for its superhero titles, including such staple series as Spawn, Fathom and Witchblade. But the Image Central line, which Valentino edits, is an outpost of diverse work. Graphic novels that have already appeared or are in the works include Eric Shanower's award-winning The Age of Bronze, a lavishly detailed retelling of the Trojan War; Frank Cho's Liberty Meadows, a reprint collection of the popular comic strip; A Distant Soil by Colleen Doran, a science fiction epic of rebellion and betrayal; and Nowheresville by Mark Ricketts, a beat-era detective story.