The Barbarian, Paperback

Thorgal, his family, and his new friends Tiago and Ileniya have been captured by slavers while attempting to cross the desert. The two adult men are sold to the local governor as fodder for a cruel blood game, where young nobles in chariots practice their archery skills on fleeing slaves. Turning the tables on them, Thorgal earns his and Tiago's freedom, but not the women's - and he has made a mortal enemy in the governor's son...

Jean Van Hamme was born in 1939 in Belgium. His major breakthrough came in 1977, when he created the Viking hero Thorgal for Grzegorz Rosinski. The mix of medieval legends and heroic fantasy soon became a huge success, with major awards following. He is also the creator of the bestselling series Largo Winch and XIII (published in English by Cinebook). Grzegorz Rosinski is one of the most popular artists of comic books in Western Europe. Among his later works are the series Chninkel (with Van Hamme) and a series titled Lament of the Lost Moors (with Jean Dufaux). In 2001, the Rosinski/Van Hamme duo published yet another comic book titled Western, based in the American Old West.