Xena: Warrior Princess

Xena: Warrior Princess

Xena: Warrior Princess is an American–New Zealand supernatural fantasy adventure series that aired in syndication from September 4, 1995 until June 18, 2001....

 comics, are spin-offs

Spin-off (media)

In media, a spin-off is a radio program, television program, video game, or any narrative work, derived from one or more already existing works, that focuses, in particular, in more detail on one aspect of that original work...

 from the series of the same name, itself a spin-off series of Hercules: The Legendary Journeys

Hercules: The Legendary Journeys

Hercules: The Legendary Journeys is a television series, filmed in New Zealand and the United States. It was produced from 1995, and was very loosely based on the tales of the classical Greek culture hero Heracles...

.

Topps Comics

Topps Comics

Topps Comics is a division of the American trading card publisher and gum/candy distributor the Topps Company, Inc. that published comic books from 1993–1998, beginning its existence during a short comics-industry boom that attracted many investors and new companies...

 and Dark Horse Comics

Dark Horse Comics

Dark Horse Comics is the largest independent American comic book and manga publisher.Dark Horse Comics was founded in 1986 by Mike Richardson in Milwaukie, Oregon, with the concept of establishing an ideal atmosphere for creative professionals. Richardson started out by opening his first comic book...

 created a series of comics tying in to the property. When the series was cancelled, the book inevitably failed; however, in 2007

2007 in comics

-January:*January 10: Superman & Batman vs. Aliens & Predator released.*January 24: The Boys is canceled with issue #6.-February:*February 2: Newsarama reports that The Boys has been picked up by Dynamite Entertainment....

, Dynamite Entertainment

Dynamite Entertainment

Dynamite Entertainment is an American comic book company that primarily publishes licensed franchises of adaptations of other media. These include adaptations of film properties such as Army of Darkness, Terminator and RoboCop, literary properties such as Zorro, Dracula, Sherlock Holmes, Alice in...

 acquired the rights to the book upon discovering it still had many fans.

Publication history

Topps Comics published the first Xena series of comics, titled Xena: Warrior Princess. Xena's character was originally introduced in Hercules: The Legendary Journeys comics #3, #4, and #5, also published by Topps (1996

1996 in comics

-Year overall:* Malcolm Jones III commits suicide at circa age 37.* Boody Rogers, creator of Sparky Watts, dies at c. age 92-January:* January 19: Bernard Baily, co-creator of The Spectre and Hourman, dies at age 79.* January 28:...

). These were followed by the Xena: Warrior Princess comics released in a limited series

Limited series

A limited series is a comic book series with a set number of installments. A limited series differs from an ongoing series in that the number of issues is determined before production and it differs from a one shot in that it is composed of multiple issues....

 format, with the vast majority being three-issue series, in 1997

1997 in comics

-January:*Avengers #3 - Marvel Comics*Captain America #3 - Marvel Comics*Fantastic Four #3 - Marvel Comics*Iron Man #3 - Marvel Comics-February:...

 and 1998

1998 in comics

-Spring:* Gay Comix , with issue #25, publishes its final issue -October:* Toy Biz buys Marvel Comics* Excalibur is canceled by Marvel with issue #125.-November:...

.

Dark Horse acquired the license in 1999

1999 in comics

-February:* February 3: Pioneering editor Vin Sullivan dies at age 87.* February 26: John L. Goldwater, co-founder of Archie Comics, dies at age 82.-March:* Incredible Hulk is canceled by Marvel with issue #474.-May:...

.

Dynamite Entertainment began new stories in 2007

2007 in comics

-January:*January 10: Superman & Batman vs. Aliens & Predator released.*January 24: The Boys is canceled with issue #6.-February:*February 2: Newsarama reports that The Boys has been picked up by Dynamite Entertainment....

.

There have been a number of crossovers with other properties within the companies include two mini-series with Army of Darkness

Army of Darkness (comics)

Army of Darkness comics are based on the film of the same name published originally by Dark Horse Comics, and later by Dynamite Entertainment who initially published them through Devil's Due Publishing....

: "Why Not?" and "What, Again?"

All publishers used cover rations involving photo covers, with stills from the television series, and drawn/inked/colored art covers.

Topps Comics

Many of the comics were released with multiple covers: one photo cover and one cover with a comic book artist's rendering. These Topps comics introduced Xena's character:

Hercules: The Legendary Journeys #3

Title: The Warrior Princess: Part One of Three

Cover Date: August 1996

Writer: Roy Thomas

Roy Thomas

Roy William Thomas, Jr. is an American comic book writer and editor, and Stan Lee's first successor as editor-in-chief of Marvel Comics. He is possibly best known for introducing the pulp magazine hero Conan the Barbarian to American comics, with a series that added to the storyline of Robert E...

Pencils: Jeff Butler

Jeff Butler

Jeff Butler is an American illustrator and comic book artist. Butler worked with the art department of TSR, Inc...

Inks: Steve Montana

Letters: Ken Lopez

Ken Lopez

Ken Lopez is a letterer and logo designer for the comic book industry. A pioneer of computer lettering, Lopez designed the fonts for DC Comics's in-house lettering unit, and is currently DC's art director for lettering and its cover editor....

Colors: Digital Chameleon

Digital Chameleon

Digital Chameleon was a comic book coloring and inking studio based in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. They have countless credits for a variety of publishers, and are attributed with being the first studio to make the use of the computer software program Adobe PhotoShop widespread in the comics industry...

Editor: Renee Witterstaetter

Painted Cover: Zina Saunders

Zina Saunders

Zina Saunders is a Manhattan-based artist, writer, animator and educator. In 2010, for Mother Jones, she began creating regular weekly animations...

Photo Cover: Geoffrey Short



Hercules: The Legendary Journeys #4


Title: The Warrior Princess: Part Two of Three - The Shaper

Cover Date: September 1996

Writer: Roy Thomas

Pencils: Jeff Butler

Inks: Rick Magyar and Steve Montano

Letters: Ken Lopez

Colors: Lisa Slykerman and Digital Chameleon

Editor: Renee Witterstaetter

Cover: Brian Stelfreeze

Brian Stelfreeze

Brian Stelfreeze is an American comic book artist. Stelfreeze, an accomplished painter, penciller, inker and colorist, has worked for nearly every major American comic book publisher and is one of the original members of Atlanta's Gaijin Studios, a prominent breeding ground for some of comics' most...

 (This issue only had an art cover)



Hercules: The Legendary Journeys #5


Title: The Warrior Princess: Part Three of Three - Smile For the Chimaera

Cover Date: October 1996

Writer: Roy Thomas

Pencils: Jeff Butler

Inks: Steve Montano

Letters: Ken Lopez

Colors: Lisa Slykerman and Digital Chameleon

Editor: Renee Witterstaetter

Cover: Earl Norem

Earl Norem

Earl Norem , often credited simply as Norem, is an American artist primarily known for his painted covers for Marvel Comics books and magazines...

 (This issue only had an art cover)



Topps Xena: Warrior Princess comics included several limited series:


Xena: Warrior Princess: Year One #1


Title: Plowshares Into Swords

Cover Date: August 1997

Writer: Roy Thomas

Pencils: Yanick Paquette

Yanick Paquette

Yanick Paquette is a Canadian penciller in North American comics. He has worked for Antarctic Press, Topps, Marvel and DC Comics and since 1994.-Career:...

Inks: Armando Gil

Letters: John Workman

John Workman

John Workman is an editor, writer, artist, designer, colorist and letterer in the comic book industry...

Colors: Digital Chameleon

Editor: Charles S Novinskie

Painted Cover: Yanick Paquette

Photo Cover: Unknown



Xena: Warrior Princess Vol. 1, #1


Cover Date: August 1997

Story 1 Title: Revenge of the Gorgons

Writer: Roy Thomas

Pencils: Joyce Chin

Inks: Andy Lanning

Andy Lanning

Andy Lanning is a British comic book writer and inker, known for his work for Marvel Comics and DC Comics, and for his collaboration with Dan Abnett.-Career:Lanning works primarily at Marvel Comics and DC Comics as an inker...

1 Letters: Ken Lopez

1 Colors: Evelyn Stein and Digital Chameleon


Story 2 Title: Theft of the Young Lovelies, Part One

Writer: Robert Trebor

Robert Trebor

Robert Trebor is an American character actor, perhaps best known for his role as "Salmoneus" on the cult hits Hercules: The Legendary Journeys and Xena: Warrior Princess...

Pencils: Amanda Conner

Amanda Conner

Amanda Conner is an Irish-American comic book artist and commercial art illustrator. She began her career in the late 1980s for Archie Comics and Marvel Comics, before moving on to contribute work for Claypool Comics' Soulsearchers and Company and Harris Comics' Vampirella in the 1990s...

Inks: Jimmy Palmiotti

Jimmy Palmiotti

James "Jimmy" Palmiotti is an American writer and inker of comic books, who also does writing for games, television and film.-Early life:Palmiotti is a graduate of the High School of Art and Design in New York City.-Career:...

Letters: Ken Lopez

Colors: Digital Chameleon

Editor: Renee Witterstaetter

Painted Cover: Scott Campbell

Scott Campbell (artist)

Scott Campbell is an Production Designer for Double Fine Productions and illustrator living in New York, New York.-Biography:...

Photo Cover 1: Unknown

Photo Cover 2: Unknown (This issue had three covers)



Xena: Warrior Princess Vol. 1, #2


Cover Date: September 1997

Story 1 Title: The Plant of Never-Death

Writer: Roy Thomas

Pencils: Joyce Chin

Inks: Andy Lanning

Letters: Ken Lopez

Colors: Evelyn Stein and Digital Chameleon


Story 2 Title: Theft of the Young Lovelies, Part 2

Writer: Robert Trebor

Pencils: Amanda Conner

Inks: Jimmy Palmiotti

Letters: Ken Lopez

Colors: Digital Chameleon


Editor: Renee Witterstaetter

Painted Cover: Dave Stevens

Photo Cover 1: Unknown



Xena: Warrior Princess Vol. 1, #0


Cover Date: October 1997

Story 1 Title: The Temple of the Dragon God

Writer: Aaron Lopresti

Aaron Lopresti

Aaron Lopresti is an American comic book artist who has worked for Marvel Comics, DC Comics, and Image Comics.-Career:Lopresti first published work of note was the Malibu Comics title Sludge, in 1993...

Pencils: Aaron Lopresti

Inks: Hilary Barta

Hilary Barta

Hilary Barta is an American comic book writer and artist.-Biography:Barta was born on June 17, 1957. His first comics work came in June 1982, when he helped legendary Marvel inkers Al Milgrom, Joe Sinnott and Sal Trapani provide inks for the pencils of Don Perlin on The Defenders #108...

, Jordi Ensign, Gary Martin, Tom Simmons

Tom Simmons

Tom Simmons is an American stand-up comedian, the 2009 winner of the San Francisco International Comedy Competition, and nationally touring comedy club headliner.-Notable works:...

, Aaron Lopresti

Letters: John Workman

John Workman

John Workman is an editor, writer, artist, designer, colorist and letterer in the comic book industry...

Colors: Digital Chameleon


Story 2 Title: Theft of the Young Lovelies Part 3

Writer: Robert Trebor

Pencils: Amanda Conner

Inks: Jimmy Palmiotti

Letters: Ken Lopez

Colors: Digital Chameleon


Editor: Renee Witterstaetter

Painted Cover: Aaron Lopresti

Photo Cover 1: Unknown



Xena: Warrior Princess/ Joxer: Warrior Prince Vol. 1, #1


Cover Date: November 1997

Writer: Tom and Mary Bierbaum

Tom and Mary Bierbaum

Tom and Mary Bierbaum are an American husband-and-wife writing team, known for their work on the DC comic book Legion of Super-Heroes.-Biography:...

Pencils: Ron Lim

Ron Lim

Ronald "Ron" Lim is an American comic book artist living in Sacramento, California.-Biography:Ron Lim's first published work was an independent comic book entitled Ex-Mutants, which he worked on from 1986-1988....

Inks: Armando Gil

Letters: Ken Lopez

Colors: Digital Chameleon

Editor: Renee Witterstaetter

Painted Cover: Terese Nielsen

Frontispiece: Douglas Smith

Photo Cover: Unknown



Xena: Warrior Princess/ Joxer: Warrior Prince Vol. 1, #2


Cover Date: December 1997

Writer: Tom and Mary Bierbaum

Pencils: Ron Lim

Inks: Armando Gil and Keith Williams

Letters: Ken Lopez

Colors: Digital Chameleon

Editor: Renee Witterstaetter

Painted Cover: Terese Nielsen

Frontispiece: Douglas Smith

Photo Cover: Unknown



Xena: Warrior Princess/ Joxer: Warrior Prince Vol. 1, #3


Cover Date: January 1998

Writer: Tom and Mary Bierbaum

Pencils: Ron Lim

Inks: Armando Gil

Letters: Ken Lopez

Colors: Matthew Paine and Digital Chameleon

Editor: Dwight Jon Zimmerman

Painted Cover: Terese Nielsen

Frontispiece: Douglas Smith

Photo Cover: Unknown



Xena: Warrior Princess and The Dragon’s Teeth Vol. 1, #1
December 1997


Xena: Warrior Princess and The Dragon’s Teeth Vol. 1, #2
January 1998



Xena: Warrior Princess and The Dragon’s Teeth Vol. 1, #3
February 1998


Xena: Warrior Princess vs. Callisto Vol. 1, #1
February 1998


Xena: Warrior Princess vs. Callisto Vol. 1, #2
March 1998



Xena: Warrior Princess vs. Callisto Vol. 1, #3
April 1998


Xena: Warrior Princess: The Orpheus Trilogy Vol. 1, #1
March 1998


Xena: Warrior Princess: The Orpheus Trilogy Vol. 1, #2
April 1998



Xena: Warrior Princess: The Orpheus Trilogy Vol. 1, #3
May 1998


Xena: Warrior Princess - Bloodlines Vol. 1, #1
May 1998


Xena: Warrior Princess - Bloodlines Vol. 1, #2
June 1998



Xena: Warrior Princess and The Original Olympics Vol. 1, #1
June 1998


Xena: Warrior Princess and The Original Olympics Vol. 1, #2
July 1998


Xena: Warrior Princess and The Original Olympics Vol. 1, #3
August 1998



The Marriage of Hercules and Xena Vol. 1, #1


No alternate title.

Cover Date: July 1998

Writer: Tom and Mary Bierbaum

Pencils: June Brigman, Aaron Lopresti

Inks: Claude St Aubin

Letters: John Workman

Colors: Digital Chameleon

Editor: Dwight Jon Zimmerman

Painted Cover: Alex Ross

Photo Cover: Unknown



Xena: Warrior Princess and The Wrath of Hera Vol. 1, #1
September 1998


Xena: Warrior Princess and The Wrath of Hera Vol. 1, #2
October 1998

Dark Horse Comics

The series ran for 14 issues from 1999 to 2000 with notable writers involved including John Wagner

John Wagner

John Wagner is a comics writer who was born in Pennsylvania in 1949 and moved to Scotland as a boy. Alongside Pat Mills, Wagner was responsible for revitalising British boys' comics in the 1970s, and has continued to be a leading light in British comics ever since.He is best known for his work on...

 and Ian Edginton

Ian Edginton

Ian Edginton is a British comic book writer.He is one of the few British comic talents to follow the reverse trajectory to the one usually taken: becoming successful in American comics before returning to work for 2000 AD.-Biography:...

.

Xena Warrior Princess, #12

Cover Date: August 2000

Story Title: Darkness Falls, Part 2

Writer: Ian Edginton

Pencils: Mike Deodato, Jr.

Inks: Neil Nelson

Letters: Steve Dutro

Colors: Matt Hollingsworth

Editor: David Land

Painted Cover: Terry Dodson

Photo: Unknown

Dynamite Entertainment

Recently Dynamite started publishing the comic again, this time entitled Xena, a four issue mini-series. It was written by John Layman

John layman

John Steele Layman is an American comic book writer and letterer.-Biography:Once an editor for Wildstorm, a branch of DC Comics, Layman turned to writing comics full-time in 2002 and mainly writes for Marvel Comics....

 with art by Fabiano Neves.

Starting in May 2007 they have another series, Dark Xena, set some time after the previous one. Again it is written by John Layman

John layman

John Steele Layman is an American comic book writer and letterer.-Biography:Once an editor for Wildstorm, a branch of DC Comics, Layman turned to writing comics full-time in 2002 and mainly writes for Marvel Comics....

 with art by Noah Salonga

Dark Horse Comics

The first 10 issues have been collected into trade paperbacks

Trade paperback (comics)

In comics, a trade paperback is a collection of stories originally published in comic books, reprinted in book format, usually capturing one story arc from a single title or a series of stories with a connected story arc or common theme from one or more titles...

:

• Xena: Warrior Princess:
  • The Warrior Way of Death (by John Wagner
    John Wagner
    John Wagner is a comics writer who was born in Pennsylvania in 1949 and moved to Scotland as a boy. Alongside Pat Mills, Wagner was responsible for revitalising British boys' comics in the 1970s, and has continued to be a leading light in British comics ever since.He is best known for his work on...
    
    , with pencils by Joyce Chin, Clint Hilinski, Mike Deodato and Ivan Reis and inks by Walden Wong, Mike Deodato, Grant Nelson, tpb, collects Xena #1-3, 2000, ISBN 1-56971-452-5)
  • Slave (by John Wagner
    John Wagner
    John Wagner is a comics writer who was born in Pennsylvania in 1949 and moved to Scotland as a boy. Alongside Pat Mills, Wagner was responsible for revitalising British boys' comics in the 1970s, and has continued to be a leading light in British comics ever since.He is best known for his work on...
    
    , with pencils by Joyce Chin and Mike Deodato, Jr.and inks by Clint Hilinski, Fabiano Neves and Walden Wong, tpb, collects Xena #4-6, 2000, ISBN 1-56971-471-1)
  • Blood and Shadows (by John Wagner
    John Wagner
    John Wagner is a comics writer who was born in Pennsylvania in 1949 and moved to Scotland as a boy. Alongside Pat Mills, Wagner was responsible for revitalising British boys' comics in the 1970s, and has continued to be a leading light in British comics ever since.He is best known for his work on...
    
    , with pencils by David Fabbri and Mike Deodato and inks by Mark Heike, Neil Nelson, tpb, collects Xena #7-10, 2001, ISBN 1-56971-521-1)
  • Uncollected (by Ian Edginton
    Ian Edginton
    Ian Edginton is a British comic book writer.He is one of the few British comic talents to follow the reverse trajectory to the one usually taken: becoming successful in American comics before returning to work for 2000 AD.-Biography:...
    
    , with pencils by Mike Deodato Jr.
    Mike Deodato
    Mike Deodato , sometimes credited as Mike Deodato Jr., is the professional pseudonym of Brazilian comic book artist Deodato Taumaturgo Borges Filho.-Biography:...
    
     and inks by Neil Nelson, #9-14, for Dark Horse
    Dark Horse Comics
    Dark Horse Comics is the largest independent American comic book and manga publisher.Dark Horse Comics was founded in 1986 by Mike Richardson in Milwaukie, Oregon, with the concept of establishing an ideal atmosphere for creative professionals. Richardson started out by opening his first comic book...
    
    , 2000
    2000 in comics
    -February:*Strange Adventures vol. 2, #4, final issue cover-dated February - January :* January 5: Goseki Kojima, co-creator of Lone Wolf and Cub, dies at age 71.* January 6: Mad magazine fixture Don Martin dies at age 68....
    
    )

Dynamite Comics

• Xena: Contest of Pantheons
  Xena: Contest of Pantheons
  Xena Volume #1: Contest of the Pantheons was the first trade paperback collection of the Xena comic series published by Dynamite Entertainment, collating volume #1 to #4.-Prologue:...
  
   (by John Layman
  John layman
  John Steele Layman is an American comic book writer and letterer.-Biography:Once an editor for Wildstorm, a branch of DC Comics, Layman turned to writing comics full-time in 2002 and mainly writes for Marvel Comics....
  
   (writer) and Fabiano Neves (artist), TPB
  Trade paperback (comics)
  In comics, a trade paperback is a collection of stories originally published in comic books, reprinted in book format, usually capturing one story arc from a single title or a series of stories with a connected story arc or common theme from one or more titles...
  
   collected Xena #1-4, 2007, ISBN 1-933305-35-5)
• Xena: Dark Xena (by John Layman
  John layman
  John Steele Layman is an American comic book writer and letterer.-Biography:Once an editor for Wildstorm, a branch of DC Comics, Layman turned to writing comics full-time in 2002 and mainly writes for Marvel Comics....
  
   (writer) and Noah Salonga (artist), TPB
  Trade paperback (comics)
  In comics, a trade paperback is a collection of stories originally published in comic books, reprinted in book format, usually capturing one story arc from a single title or a series of stories with a connected story arc or common theme from one or more titles...
  
  collected Dark Xena #1-4, 2007, ISBN 1933305614)

External links

• Dark Horse profile
• Xena Comics at the Australian Xena Information Page