Xena: Penance didn't work for me. The book is true to the 90s television series, but the imagery frustrated me. In an age of women's liberation, many of the panels struck me as tone deaf and I I found myself disappointed to discover numerous pinup poses and breasts barely constrained by too tight and functionally inappropriate garb.

So, that was a nice stroll down memory lane. Really enjoyed the Hercules/Xena shows back in the day and this graphic novel adaptation is slight rehash of how Xena & Gabrielle first meet. Overall I enjoyed it - both art-wise and dialogue-wise! A good addition to any Xena fan's collection.

Xena is back! Reader beware, I'm viewing this book through nostalgia/fan-tinted glasses but regardless, Xena: Penance is one enjoyable read.
The story jumps right into the Xena epic with our favorite Warrior Princess meeting our favorite aspiring bard, Gabrielle. Despite a small bit of clunky, expository dialogue, we're introduced to our badass heroes on the road to Athens. Gabrielle, a young woman from a small town is out in search of adventure and inspiration for her songs, while Xena, Warrior Princess, continues her journey to atone for a lifetime of violence. At first begrudgingly tolerated to tag along, Gabrielle proves she may be just the partner Xena needs to see the way forward and leave her past behind. 
Though just the beginning, Xena: Penance gives us our fabulous girl-power duo just as we remember them -and then some. One thing I've always loved about Xena and Gabrielle's dynamic is the mirror-like balance of their perspectives: Gabrielle has lived a peaceful, quiet life and seeks adventure, while Xena is trading her life of legendary infamy for peace and repentance. As a partnership, they help each other see that which they were previously blind to or ignorant of, for instance Gabrielle showing Xena that it's possible to win a fight without striking a blow (proving that sometimes, the pen - or the bard - is mightier than the sword...sorry I had to). I'm looking forward to their future graphic adventures!

ARC provided by the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. 

Growing up, I was a big fan of Xena (the TV show) and this was a nice reminder of those times. The comic was not bad but also it wasn't amazing. :) But i did enjoy it!

A reasonable read, this – but one that really does feel slight.  At every chapter end I thought – 'what, we've got here already?'  Although it amounts to a fairly decent story, albeit one that doesn't really progress our heroine far beyond the addition of a sidekick to her, er, side, it amounts to such in very small, effectless ways, and I read each chapter really not feeling as if I'd got a full issue's-worth out of things.  Not too bad, but quite ignorable for the non-fan.  Two and a half stars, although I'll appease the gods by showing it as three.

A trip down memory lane... Excellent artwork, exciting storyline. Little less silly wordpuns than the original television series, but true to it's spirit. 

I received a copy through Netgalley.

This was a great step back in time to re-live the adventures of Xena. I think that publishing these collected editions is a great way for readers to be re-introduced into the world of Xena and Hercules from the 90s. 

The art, writing, and colors were all great and the team that worked on them did an excellent job. I would recommend that not just fans of the old show check this out, but any one in the mood for a good read.

A thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with an advanced reader copy. As a thank you I would like to provide an honest review of this graphic novel. As a fan of the original series, I was excited to find this series of comics to be released within the Xenaverse. Meredith Finch stayed true to the story of Xena and used a lot of elements found within the first season in these issues. I liked that the story was rebooted and made new again. Along with illustrations by Vicente Cifuentes made the Warrior Princess and the battling bard new for an all new generation to find them and look up to them as those within my generation had done. I look forward to the next issues of this series and shall recommend it to fans of Xena and Hercules as well as those into Wonder Woman and more. I give the issues four out of five stars.

The 3 stars are b/c is Xena. I'm a Xena fan from the times of the tv series. Gorgeous, kickass female warrior, angsty and silly, making many mistakes, and getting up on her feet again and again.

This comic is a reboot of the story, with some changes in the first encounter with Gabrielle. Gabrielle is on her way to Athens when some assailants intercept her and that's when Xena intervenes. Gabrielle's expression then makes me think that she already knew that this would happen and it is certainly very strange and she confuses me thinking that it was another moment when she was certain that someone would help her, because for a single peasant woman venturing for the first time away from home. It is a very strange security in itself. The girl was always a pacifist after all. The background of Xena story attempting to change her life is been the best of the story.

The villain is well done.


I have some issues with the clothing, like both of them using some sort of short leggings and Xena in high heels(?), and Gabrielle in an outfit she displays much later in the series with the quarterstaff and showing her midriff. Probably just silly things for other people. And Xena and Gabrielle appear in the first pages too pretty.

Oh, and Gabrielle was a little more shy but always eager to give her opinions ... thought the balance is narrow. Old fans are very annoying in that respect ;P

Overall an O.K. read.

This is really different from the TV show. We get a new story of how Xena and Gabrielle meet. In addition to Callisto being Xena's first real nemesis. Nice art. I'd continue to read to see where they take this..

I loved seeing a return of Xena the Warrior Princess even if it's only in comic form. I going to try to keep up with this series as I'm a huge Xena fan.

Great comic! Lovely trip down memory lane in which the reader gets to reconnect with the best Warrior Princess of them all, Xena, and her ever so chatty and perky sidekick, Gabrielle.

The stories were short, but entertaining and stayed true to the spirit of the original tv-series, which I loved. I would have hated it if the author had tampered too much with these fan-favorite characters. Xena and Gabrielle especially were wonderfully drawn and their "voices" were spot on as well! I swear I could almost hear Lucy Lawless and Reneé O'Connor bickering in my ear while I was reading.

Gabrielle is a wonderful character. She's resourceful, maybe a tad too impulsive, doesn't know when to shut up and has a really big heart. She makes the perfect companion for a strong-willed, aloof and tortured heroine like Xena, who is so desperately looking for ways to make amends for her violent past.

I was just a teensy little bit disappointed by the way Callisto was depicted, because I remember her as being really pretty and charismatic in the series, even while being evil and hell-bent on revenge, and that is not entirely how she appears here.

Xena: Penance runs true to the Xena I grew to love as a teenager. Xena's warlord days come nipping at her heels as she seeks to atonement for her evil ways. Bubbly and chatty, Gabriel accompanies Xena on the way to Athens and even manages to occasionally save the day. The characters stay true to expectations and the story carries the light, airy feel that the show always embraced. Bringing smiles and giggles, Penance is action packed fun and full of Xena kicking butt and taking names. The art is well drawn but a bit dark at times. This volume has me craving a Xena tv show binge-a-thon.  My voluntary, unbiased review is based on a review copy from Netgalley.

Xena, is an ideal character for a comic strip and this re-visiting of some classic stories about the Warrior Princess is a must for fans of strong female action.
In Penance we meet a Xena still having night terrors about her more violent past leading a gang cut-throat thieves and savage mercenaries.
We are introduced to Gabrielle, Xena’s very own conscience who favours peace and reconciliation before death and destruction. So their adventures begin with Xena’s past constantly presenting them with new dangers and life-threatening situations.
The drawing is good and the illustrations capture the spirit of the TV series from which I know Xena best.
However, perhaps Xena looks too much like Lucy Lawless for me but the interactions seemed quite authentic and true to the period and back stories given to these two principle characters who carry the story with ease. I love the action sequences and supporting humour that lift some of the more tense episodes.
Great re-introduction to Xena and I feel the decision to tell her stories in these format is a ideal partnership, few characters are better suited to being capture within a graphic novel and I would read additional comics as they are released.

Fans of the show will love this. A fun stroll down memory lane of Xena and Gabrielle meeting and beginning their adventures.

This graphic novel is a bit of a reboot, with Xena and Gabrielle meeting in an entirely different way than they did in the TV series. Finch did a decent job at portraying Xena at the start of her journey to redemption, but her Gabrielle is kind of annoying. 

The art is good, but I'd like to know who thought it was a good idea to put all of the female characters in high-heel boots and give Xena a red superhero cape.

Received via NetGalley.

Ooooh, Xena. Love her. She was my hero growing so when I got the chance to read this I jumped at the opportunity to give it a go. 



The art is really good. I loved how Xena and especially her costume seemed to be very influenced by Wonderwoman. It makes sense and I loved the art. It was done well. The characters have similar looks to the original show, but I was happy that the artist decided to put her own spin on the characters. 



The story begins at the beginning with Xena on the road where she meets Gabrielle. She saves Gabrielle from some bandits and allows her to join her. It was good to start. It has been so long I cannot remember how the show started but I think it was similar. 



I honestly wished we didn't have to deal with Gabrielle. She is so annoying. Or, I wish, had her show up later. I would've liked some character building with Xena without Gabrielle running amok and getting in trouble. 



Overall, this was good. I enjoyed the art and this interpretation. I wouldn't mind some more! I'll give this 3 stars.

Exactly what you would come to expect from a graphic novel about Xena; lots of tough talk, bloody fights, and driven story lines.

This brings me back to watching television during Saturday afternoons on the family farm. Such good times.

I Got A Kick Out of This

I'm more of a Red Sonya guy, but I was curious to see what Meredith Finch, (from the "Rose" series), had done with the Xena character. This ended up being very sly and entertaining.

The setup is that Xena is on her way to Athens to do penance for her warrior past and to seek redemption from the Goddess Eleos. Along the way to Athens Xena rescues Gabrielle from some brigands and Gabrielle ends up tagging along as Xena's sidekick. As you might imagine, Xena is not well received in Athens, and she runs into people with grievances who don't really care about Xena's attempts to turn over a new leaf. That's about it for plot, although there are some twists and turns in there.

The question is how do we feel about this Xena, what's the deal with Gabrielle, and how do we like the storytelling.

As to Xena, she is the kick butt heroine we all remember, and her attempts to become a "good guy" make her more interesting than just the usual comics heroine. She's smart and "sadder but wiser" and I was impressed by the effort that went into making her a conflicted, decent character.

As to Gabrielle, I know she annoys some people, but she isn't Jar Jar annoying. She can be silly and dopey, but she also has a bit of spine and she's smarter than she pretends to be. So, we get an odd sword and sorcery version of the high school queen bee type who turns out to be a decent sort, and I thought that was an entertaining addition to the Xena world. Both she and Xena do well in terms of banter and deadpan throwaway lines.

As to the storytelling, it's straightforward, fast paced, and perfectly clear, which is how I like my stories. There's nothing deep or complex going on, but this is early Xena, and how much subtext can one expect?

The drawing is effective, crisp and clear. Colors are good, inking is good, and the characters are consistently expressive. There's nothing groundbreaking, but the quality of the work and vision is consistently high.

So, as I say, I got a kick out of this and found it very entertaining. A nice effort. (Please note that I received a free advance will-self-destruct-in-x-days Adobe Digital copy of this book without a review requirement, or any influence regarding review content should I choose to post a review. Apart from that I have no connection at all to either the author or the publisher of this book.)