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Xena (2016) #1-6
Xena: Warrior Princess: All Roads (Xena: Warrior Princess
To the thrill of rabid fans the world over, television's Xena: Warrior Princess is back for swashbuckling new adventures! After the Twilight of the Gods, the world is precariously uncertain, and Xena and Gabrielle have been missing for twenty-five years. 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. Our heroines return 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 her partner at any cost.
138 pages, Kindle Edition
First published November 22, 2016
10 people are currently reading
117 people want to read
About the author
Genevieve Valentine
203 books319 followersGenevieve Valentine has sold more than three dozen short stories; her fiction has appeared or is forthcoming in Clarkesworld, Strange Horizons, Journal of Mythic Arts, Fantasy Magazine, Lightspeed, and Apex, and in the anthologies Federations, The Living Dead 2, The Way of the Wizard, Running with the Pack, Teeth, and more.
Her nonfiction has appeared in Lightspeed, Tor.com, and Fantasy Magazine, and she is the co-author of Geek Wisdom (out in Summer 2011 from Quirk Books).
Her first novel, Mechanique: A Tale of the Circus Tresaulti, is forthcoming from Prime Books in May 2011. You can learn more about it at the Circus Tresualti website.
Her appetite for bad movies is insatiable, a tragedy she tracks on her blog.
Her nonfiction has appeared in Lightspeed, Tor.com, and Fantasy Magazine, and she is the co-author of Geek Wisdom (out in Summer 2011 from Quirk Books).
Her first novel, Mechanique: A Tale of the Circus Tresaulti, is forthcoming from Prime Books in May 2011. You can learn more about it at the Circus Tresualti website.
Her appetite for bad movies is insatiable, a tragedy she tracks on her blog.
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Displaying 1 - 24 of 24 reviews
November 16, 2017
The story requires that you've seen all of the TV show to understand what was going on. Which would be fine if the episodes didn't air 10+ years ago. I was lost for most of the book. The art takes a severe downturn when the artist changes in issue 4. The one thing I did like is that the book clears up that Xena and Gabrielle are more than just friends.
December 13, 2020
I'm not a native comic-book reader. It wasn't A Thing, I just wasn't offered them by anyone I knew until (apparently) too late in my development of story-acquiring techniques. In my ongoing quest to remain mentally flexible, though, I determinedly seek out graphic novels to challenge my preconceived notion that they're somehow lesser-than and unequal to text story presentations.
Xena, OTOH, has never once since she showed up in The Adventures of Iolaus and that other jackanapes I don't like, failed to amuse, entertain, delight, or just generally please me. So what could be better than a freebie look at a Xena story? No risk, decent possibility of reward.
Rewarded. I can't reproduce the artwork from this lovely story, sorry, but good gawd is it lush and smooth and expertly emotion-tweaking. It's clearly meant for adults, and by adults I mean mental ones if not necessarily chronological ones.
Everything about the artwork as relates to the story made all my hairs stand up. I kept going back a few pages to see where *this* little detail turned into that pretty focus. I love that paintings of Hieronymus Bosch for this same effect on my attention, though I'm no way no how comparing the capable artists here to The Great Master Bosch. Don't, fellow comic-book snobs, make the mistake of thinking you're in for a lesser storytelling experience. Different, yes; lesser, no.
Xena, OTOH, has never once since she showed up in The Adventures of Iolaus and that other jackanapes I don't like, failed to amuse, entertain, delight, or just generally please me. So what could be better than a freebie look at a Xena story? No risk, decent possibility of reward.
Rewarded. I can't reproduce the artwork from this lovely story, sorry, but good gawd is it lush and smooth and expertly emotion-tweaking. It's clearly meant for adults, and by adults I mean mental ones if not necessarily chronological ones.
Everything about the artwork as relates to the story made all my hairs stand up. I kept going back a few pages to see where *this* little detail turned into that pretty focus. I love that paintings of Hieronymus Bosch for this same effect on my attention, though I'm no way no how comparing the capable artists here to The Great Master Bosch. Don't, fellow comic-book snobs, make the mistake of thinking you're in for a lesser storytelling experience. Different, yes; lesser, no.
January 1, 2022
★ 3.0 Stars ★
Love this for cementing the relationship between Gabrielle and Xena, the story however leaves a lot to be desired. The art in the first four ish issues is pretty good, but then the artist was changed and the art became really rough looking.
Love this for cementing the relationship between Gabrielle and Xena, the story however leaves a lot to be desired. The art in the first four ish issues is pretty good, but then the artist was changed and the art became really rough looking.
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December 31, 2016If you know me, you know how much I love Xena. So I was super pumped to have Xena back in comics, even if it wasn't on the TV screen. However, this fell short of my expectations. I was a bit confused by the story, and also, the art was not impressive, especially when it came to Gabrielle. The one bright spot: full acknowledgement that Xena and Gabrielle are not just friends. No subtext here! Wohoo!
June 25, 2022
Xena ( https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0112230/ ) is a fictional character initially created as a secondary character for the TV series Hercules The Legendary Journeys, a highly rated series, https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0111999/ .
The book consists of 6 Chapters and contains an additional chapter with Bonus materials.
Being inspired by the TV series the artwork reflects much of the series with characters depicted in the art being true to the series. The art is mellifluous and changes to a darker indistinct tone in the last chapters when the artist changes midway through Chapter 4 and even in the cover of that chapter. Apart from this the art is inspirational and depicts the characters and the countryside around ancient Rome well.
This book and the storylines in it derive their presence from the 6th season of the TV series where the duo of Xena and Gabrielle have been away from Rome for a long time having faced Rome previously and Xena made a champion by the current Caesar in bards tales. Caesar's armies have been ripping into the countryside and recklessly massacring and pillaging villages and a rebel throng of women are offering stiff resistance to Caesar's army.
The stark contrast where this book does break away from the TV series is in the relationship between Gabrielle and Xena. Where in one case the TV series was all over the place, this book clears all misconceptions in their relationship.
The series was a favorite of the Critics who praised it for its strong female central character and Xena has a strong cult following with lots of attention in fandom, parody's , etc. This book also does no wrong in keeping the mystique alive.
I recommend this book for fans and also to those who enjoy sword and sorcery in their books.
Please do not forget to post your comments. I am an equal opportunity person so would love to hear your love or your hate. Please write what you did not like or whether the book was an absolute disaster for you and why.
You can also follow/like my detailed review at this book with additional details at my book reviewing blog here -
https://sanjibsblogreads.blogspot.com...
The book consists of 6 Chapters and contains an additional chapter with Bonus materials.
Being inspired by the TV series the artwork reflects much of the series with characters depicted in the art being true to the series. The art is mellifluous and changes to a darker indistinct tone in the last chapters when the artist changes midway through Chapter 4 and even in the cover of that chapter. Apart from this the art is inspirational and depicts the characters and the countryside around ancient Rome well.
This book and the storylines in it derive their presence from the 6th season of the TV series where the duo of Xena and Gabrielle have been away from Rome for a long time having faced Rome previously and Xena made a champion by the current Caesar in bards tales. Caesar's armies have been ripping into the countryside and recklessly massacring and pillaging villages and a rebel throng of women are offering stiff resistance to Caesar's army.
The stark contrast where this book does break away from the TV series is in the relationship between Gabrielle and Xena. Where in one case the TV series was all over the place, this book clears all misconceptions in their relationship.
The series was a favorite of the Critics who praised it for its strong female central character and Xena has a strong cult following with lots of attention in fandom, parody's , etc. This book also does no wrong in keeping the mystique alive.
I recommend this book for fans and also to those who enjoy sword and sorcery in their books.
Please do not forget to post your comments. I am an equal opportunity person so would love to hear your love or your hate. Please write what you did not like or whether the book was an absolute disaster for you and why.
You can also follow/like my detailed review at this book with additional details at my book reviewing blog here -
https://sanjibsblogreads.blogspot.com...
February 19, 2020
There are some good ideas here. It’s basically a story of how Xena and Gabrielle help Augustus usher in the Pax Romana that he is so well known for. I like that Gabrielle gets to do some bard things. I would have preferred it if the story were re-focused to make Xena less reactive.
The various covers by Jenny Frison are my favourite parts of this collection.
The various covers by Jenny Frison are my favourite parts of this collection.
December 10, 2017
I picked this one up because I'm a fan of Genevieve Valentine's blog, and have been wanting to read her books for over a year (waiting on the library). This one happened to come available first- I used to watch Xena half a lifetime ago, and I thought maybe this graphic novel would blow me away with its witty writing. Setting a bar too high? Yes, yes I was.
It's not that this is bad, at all. It's....average. There's some weird style shift halfway through (new artist?) and it's very much cheesecake Xena style visuals. Not bad, but not very engaging for me. The writing threw me a bit- there are so many moments where Xena and Gabrielle have a private moment of understanding that the reader is excluded from, and that's where they form their plan. Maybe this is true to the TV show (it's been too long since I watched it), but it's frustrating to have a visual medium where you don't know the plan, don't know whether there was success or failure, and are just waiting for things to fall where they may. Like I said, not bad, just average.
I suppose Saga, Morning Glories, and Y: The Last Man have spoiled graphic novels for me.
It's not that this is bad, at all. It's....average. There's some weird style shift halfway through (new artist?) and it's very much cheesecake Xena style visuals. Not bad, but not very engaging for me. The writing threw me a bit- there are so many moments where Xena and Gabrielle have a private moment of understanding that the reader is excluded from, and that's where they form their plan. Maybe this is true to the TV show (it's been too long since I watched it), but it's frustrating to have a visual medium where you don't know the plan, don't know whether there was success or failure, and are just waiting for things to fall where they may. Like I said, not bad, just average.
I suppose Saga, Morning Glories, and Y: The Last Man have spoiled graphic novels for me.
August 25, 2024
Xena and Gabrielle have been missing for 25 years, and Rome is on the march. Guess they'd better stand in the way, huh?
There's a murkiness to this book that I couldn't get past. I'm not sure if it's the fact that the art changes for the worse midway through issue 3, or because it just feels hard to read at times. Characters say things that don't seem to organically follow on from what was said before, and the large cast of characters aside from our heroes begin to blend into one in the backgrounds so it's hard to remember who's doing what for why.
I like the idea here, Xena and Gabby trying to atone for being gone for so long and having to deal with a world that no longer knows who they are and had to get along without them, but it all feels wrong, somehow.
It does make it very explicit that Xena and Gabrielle aren't just friends, which is nice and bold, but that's not really enough to save it from being kind of bland and more than a little confusing otherwise.
There's a murkiness to this book that I couldn't get past. I'm not sure if it's the fact that the art changes for the worse midway through issue 3, or because it just feels hard to read at times. Characters say things that don't seem to organically follow on from what was said before, and the large cast of characters aside from our heroes begin to blend into one in the backgrounds so it's hard to remember who's doing what for why.
I like the idea here, Xena and Gabby trying to atone for being gone for so long and having to deal with a world that no longer knows who they are and had to get along without them, but it all feels wrong, somehow.
It does make it very explicit that Xena and Gabrielle aren't just friends, which is nice and bold, but that's not really enough to save it from being kind of bland and more than a little confusing otherwise.
October 26, 2020
RATING:2.5 STARS
2016; Dynamite Entertainment/Diamond Books
I remembering watching and loving Xena and Hercules (mid 90s to early 2000s). It came on mid afternoon on the weekends and it was something we all watched. When I saw this comic on Edelweiss, I had a feeling of nostalgia, and had to request it. After finishing it, I realized the reader had to have some familiarity with the show to understand some of it. The artist also changes mid-way in this collection, and Gabrielle becomes even more unrecognizable. While I was happy that the relationship between Gabby and Xena was more clear, it also felt unlike the characters in the show. I feel like I missed a bit of the story. Is there a prequel to this one? I don't think I would read any further of the volumes, but want to now rewatch the show!
***I received a complimentary copy of this ebook from the publisher through Edelweiss. Opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own.***
2016; Dynamite Entertainment/Diamond Books
I remembering watching and loving Xena and Hercules (mid 90s to early 2000s). It came on mid afternoon on the weekends and it was something we all watched. When I saw this comic on Edelweiss, I had a feeling of nostalgia, and had to request it. After finishing it, I realized the reader had to have some familiarity with the show to understand some of it. The artist also changes mid-way in this collection, and Gabrielle becomes even more unrecognizable. While I was happy that the relationship between Gabby and Xena was more clear, it also felt unlike the characters in the show. I feel like I missed a bit of the story. Is there a prequel to this one? I don't think I would read any further of the volumes, but want to now rewatch the show!
***I received a complimentary copy of this ebook from the publisher through Edelweiss. Opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own.***
March 3, 2020
As someone who grew up watching Xena: Warrior Princess TV series, this was an okay read. I don't remember if this was based off an episode. The art changes half way through the book. It's a good story, I don't remember if this was based off an episode of Xena or not. It was a good read, but not my favorite.
May 23, 2023
Like slipping into a Xena episode. Full five stars for the nostalgia trip and love for the characters.
I have some personal preference critical notes, but really, I'd read this as an ongoing series and love it, so I'm not going to take the time.
I have some personal preference critical notes, but really, I'd read this as an ongoing series and love it, so I'm not going to take the time.
November 24, 2023
I’m so glad I read some of the reviews after I finished this, because I was so confused by the change in artwork style. It takes a dramatic turn in issue four.
I was not really impressed by this, but kudos for going there with Xena and Gabrielle.
I was not really impressed by this, but kudos for going there with Xena and Gabrielle.
June 8, 2017
That art style was really good. The story arc was also good.
December 1, 2018
My hubby's fave
March 26, 2020
I'm a huge Xena geek so... Loved the artwork and story.
June 9, 2020
Great story and great art. It’s like Xena meets DC’s Birds of Prey. Always fun to see another all-female gang kicking butt.
January 1, 2023
The story was fun, but the artist was changed halfway through and getting past the horrendous artwork was honestly a struggle.
But I did love all the Zena and Gabrielle moments!
But I did love all the Zena and Gabrielle moments!
December 18, 2023
An interesting story, but I found some of the art in the earlier issues a little... strange...
June 26, 2024
Enjoyed the story far more than the art, and made me realize that I have absolutely no idea how the actual show ended, it's been too long. I think I may have to start rewatching.
January 25, 2025
decent
It’s a decent Xena tale. The artwork isn’t the best in the last 3 books. But story is decent. Word.
It’s a decent Xena tale. The artwork isn’t the best in the last 3 books. But story is decent. Word.
January 30, 2025
This story is action packed, kick ass and exciting. Long story short, it means that our favorite warrior princess Xena's back
December 30, 2020
Cute, decent storyline.
Nice to see Ares up and about.
Nice to see Ares up and about.
May 28, 2017
Highly recommend if you're a fan of the show. This comic isn't quite a continuation since it takes place somewhere in season 6 after Eve leaves Rome. It's short and seems just like an episode, definitely fun and maintext, which I loved.
The only issue I had was that I didn't quite like the art change (could've been a bit better) and the fact that in one scene Xena had the dark chakram for some reason (it was probably just a slip but did annoy me a little).
I had fun reading it and I'm definitely looking forward to reading more of the series.
The only issue I had was that I didn't quite like the art change (could've been a bit better) and the fact that in one scene Xena had the dark chakram for some reason (it was probably just a slip but did annoy me a little).
I had fun reading it and I'm definitely looking forward to reading more of the series.
Displaying 1 - 24 of 24 reviews