zBench can display images on category, tag, or archive pages if you make a custom excerpt with an image. You can have text, images, links, formatting in custom excerpts. Shortcodes and embeds will not show.
The custom excerpts go out on your feeds, and as emails to subscribers if you check that you want summaries on your feeds.
Themes which support an active custom excerpt function:
http://wpbtips.wordpress.com/2009/03/25/the-excerpt-function/
Support article about custom excerpts:
http://en.support.wordpress.com/splitting-content/excerpts/