BARBARIENNE #1 (Eros Comix)

"Taking Flight"

by Martin Lock & Paul Noughton

Well, the Harrier incarnation of BARBARIENNE had fallen victim to the black & white independent comics glut and slump.  A ninth issue had been written and drawn, but there was, unfortunately, no way to actually publish it.  It did however point the series in a new direction, with a special mission to the flying city of Spektros arranged.  It would be dangerous, but Charol had managed to get part of the fee up-front - special anti-aging injections for herself and Memree, something she had long desired, but much too expensive for a mere adventurer to afford.  What Charol did not mention to Memree until after the treatment was that there was a risk of bad side-effects.  The odds were in Charol's favour, but Memree was not pleased.  The mission called for Memree to impersonate the owner of a minor trading house on Spektros, the missing Ellan tre Dovidia, as she looked very similar to that woman.  Getting access at all to Spektros (if you hadn't been born there) was extremely difficult, so, while Ashil could accompany her as an advisor, Charol could only go as one of Ellan's house slaves.  Partly because she felt she was being tricked and forced into a dangerous situation, and partly because she rather liked the idea, Memree insisted that Charol sign official slave papers... and Ashil arranged for her to attend a slave "academy", to help make her appear convincing for the Spektros immigration people.

After a while, it crossed my mind that this might be the basis for a proposal to Eros Comix, and editor Ryder Windham accepted us - though he rather increased the amount of graphic "recreation" per issue over what I had envisaged, which rather slows down the ongoing plot!

The story begins in the slave training school where Charol has spent the past 20 days.  Memree arrives to collect her new slavegirl - a most touching and erotic reunion it is, too! Memree, or "Sera Ellan", also purchases Griffin (seen in the fifth Harrier issue) and a kitchen-trained slavegirl, Engra. To Charol's dismay, Griffin is made "First Slave" in the household.  They are soon, along with Ashil, aboard a sky-sailing galleon, on their way at last to the sky city of Spektros... until a pirate vessel starts to close in on them, that is!  As Charol comments, "There's always something to delay lunch when you're really hungry, you know?"