In a time of ancient gods, warlords and kings, a land in turmoil cried out for a hero.  She was Xena, a mighty princess forged in the heat of battle.  The power…the passion…the danger.  Her courage will change the world.

Xena: Warrior Princess, Sam Raimi’s Emmy Award winning fantasy television series that ran six seasons, is a classic among genre fans.  Lucy Lawless’s heroine Xena and her companion Gabrielle, played by Renee O’Connor, provided us with strong characters from the earlier Hercules: The Legendary Journeys series and took us through adventures even more fun than what we saw with Hercules.  A new television series is in the works, but meanwhile a new comic book monthly will fill the gap as we wait for that new series.

Next week, for the first time in eight years, Xena will headline a comic book monthly, published by Dynamite Comics.  The series will be written by Genevieve Valentine with artwork by Ariel Medel.

   

Here is the description from the publisher:

After the Twilight of the Gods, the world is precariously uncertain – and Xena and Gabrielle have been missing from it for twenty-five years. Even without Livia, the power of Rome is growing: Caesar is determined to conquer by lies what he can’t conquer by force, and the people at its edges know what’s coming. (All roads lead to Rome, and Rome is hunting.) Xena and Gabrielle scramble to stop him before they have to wage war against a man they once called a friend. But along the way, Xena will have to confront her past against a rogue band of women warriors, and Gabrielle, whose secret visions are becoming prophecy, will have to protect Xena – at any cost.

We at borg.com got a sneak peek at Issue #1 and were impressed by Valentine’s understanding of the characters.  Not only do we find plenty of action in the first chapter of the new series–as we would expect– we also were happy to see the story’s focus on a new quest for Xena and Gabrielle as a duo.  This should appeal to fans of the series.  Sure, we expect down the road to encounter more familiar “characters of the week” from the show, but ultimately the heart of the story was the relationship between the two series leads, the same reason Hercules: The Legendary Journeys was such a powerful series to begin with.  We are taken along on this new journey and can appreciate the familiar banter between old friends thanks to some good dialogue.

Readers also will get the feeling that Xena could take on the entire Roman Army herself.  The same, tough Xena is back.  Valentine shows an understanding of the culture of Imperial Rome as Xena and Gabrielle encounter their first challenges with a group of innocents in trouble.

You’ll want to get Xena: Warrior Princess on your Wednesday pull list now.  Issue #1 premieres Wednesday, April 13, 2016, at comic book stores everywhere.

C.J. Bunce
Editor
borg.com