Eros Comix, the adult-oriented imprint of Fantagraphics, was established in 1990 to publish erotic comic books. As with many Fantagraphics initiatives, Eros was launched to save the company from looming bankruptcy, and came soon after the relocation from Los Angeles to Seattle. The first Eros Comix publications were by Robert Crumb and Ron Wilber, and the early issues were printed in Mexico because no US printer could be found willing to deal with the subject matter.
It was in 1997 that Eros discovered Giovanna Casotti, and the Bitch in Heat series was born. By 2001 no fewer than fourteen titles had appeared, each containing two or three of Casotti’s trademark erotic narratives. Most of the Bitch in Heat stories were later reworked into the Dynamite complete Giovanna! series.
Here is the beginning of the very first Bitch in Heat volume from Eros.