Close Menu
  • Login
  • Support Us
  • Newsletter
  • News
  • Features
  • Interviews
  • Reviews
    • Video Games
      • Previews
      • PC
      • PS5
      • Xbox Series X/S
      • Nintendo Switch
      • Xbox One
      • PS4
      • Tabletop
    • Film
    • TV
    • Anime
    • Comics
      • BOOM! Studios
      • Dark Horse Comics
      • DC Comics
      • IDW Publishing
      • Image Comics
      • Indie Comics
      • Marvel Comics
      • Oni-Lion Forge
      • Valiant Comics
      • Vault Comics
  • Podcast
  • More
    • Event Coverage
    • BWT Recommends
    • RSS Feeds
Facebook X (Twitter) Instagram
Support Us
But Why Tho?
RSS Facebook X (Twitter) YouTube
Trending:
  • Features
    Battlefield 6 Classes - Support trailer image

    Battlefield 6 Really Wants You To Play Support (But Knows You Won’t)

    07/31/2025
    Battlefield 6 Multiplayer Reveal promotional image

    Battlefield 6 Classes, Maps, And More: Everything You Need To Know

    07/31/2025
    A glimpse at all the upcoming Star Wars stories coming to the galaxy

    Star Wars Stories: What We Learned At SDCC 2025

    07/25/2025
    Blindspot episode still

    It’s been 5 years since ‘Blindspot’ ended. Why haven’t you watched it yet?

    07/24/2025
    Strange Scaffold

    Strange Scaffold Summer Showcase Delivers Bizarre And Brilliant Games

    07/22/2025
  • Fantasia Festival
  • K-Dramas
  • Netflix
  • Switch 2 Games
But Why Tho?
Home » Indie Comics » REVIEW: ‘Xena: Warrior Princess,’ Issue #4

REVIEW: ‘Xena: Warrior Princess,’ Issue #4

Kate SánchezBy Kate Sánchez07/14/20194 Mins ReadUpdated:11/05/2021
Share
Facebook Twitter Pinterest Reddit WhatsApp Email
Xena: Warrior Princess #4
Pictured: Cover C of Xena: Warrior Princess #4 by Paulina Ganucheau

If you had told me that I needed globe-trotting Xena in my life, I would have totally believed you and then promptly rushed to a comic store to pick up the series. Luckily, that’s just what we’re getting in Dynamite Comics‘ Xena: Warrior Princess. The series follows the mighty princess, forged in the heat of battle and even has a capybara or two in there too. Written by Vita Ayala, with art by Erica Durso, colors from Rebecca Nalty, and letters by Ariana Maher, Xena: Warrior Princess #4 follows our heroes Xena and Gabrielle while they move through another strange land with the exiled goddess Discord.

Last issue, we got a dose of Mesoamerican mythology as the trio found themselves teleported out of Greece by Zeus and into the jungle of the Mirador Basin – modern-day Petén, Guatemala. There the three attempted to steal a feather from the god Quetzalcoatl, a feathered snake god in Aztec mythology. Instead, they tricked the priest who tasked them with the quest and ultimately found themselves once again spirited away to another unknown land.

Get BWT in your inbox!

Subscribe to our weekly newsletter and get the latest and greated in entertainment coverage.
Click Here

Get BWT in your inbox!

Subscribe to our weekly newsletter and get the latest and greated in entertainment coverage.
Click Here

Xena: Warrior Princess #4  can’t be any more different from the jungles of Central America as now, they’re in the Russian Taiga. As they wander through the desolate and snow-covered forest, Gabrielle is injured and Discord is being, well, Discord. But when they see smoke in the distance they realize hope and a warm bed are in their grasp, even if it is a creepy hovel with an old witch living in it.

In this issue, we finally learn the thread that is weaving this story together – myth. Now, you’re probably saying, of course, myth is holding together a story about Xena, the mighty princess who lives in a time gods, warlords, and kings. But what Ayala crafts is a story that goes beyond the Greek, beyond the Christian, and instead is introducing myths that some may only know in passing or as a reference in the movie, if at all. From Mesoamerica to Russia, we are watching Xena interact with mythology in a totally different way. She is shaping it, and as Ayala expertly pens these interactions, you find yourself pulled into the story.

In Xena: Warrior Princess #4 the tale of a witch, turned monster, turned god, is powerful. Ayala is able to use their writing to artfully explain the importance of storytelling and how what we say, even in fable, crafts truth. This is a powerful statement and one that is necessary in understanding the importance of comic books and popular culture at large.

Beyond this, Ayala has written probably my favorite characterization of Xena and Gabrielle’s relationship. It’s cute, it’s loving, and it’s filled with small stolen kisses that do more to showcase their intimate bond than a full-on Faithless–style panel could. I hope to see their love explored more as the series goes on, but with such long-established girlfriends, it isn’t truly necessary, we just know they love each other.

Nalty’s colors are perfect, with the red backgrounds in the action sequences making the fighting dynamic, adding to Durso’s work. I had issues with some of the close-ups featured in the last issue, but I have to say almost every panel of Durso’s art is perfect in Xena: Warrior Princess #4. While the art in this issue looks very different than last, it works, specifically because the panels are imbued with more whimsy. Plus, the capybara, that is a beautiful baby, proves that adding a puppy to anything is always the right choice.

Overall, and I feel like I say this with every issue review, Xena: Warrior Princess #4 has me more in love with this iteration of the characters that I know and love. Beyond that, I am excited to see more myths being reimagined and interacted with, and since the trio has been teleported to yet another interesting place on the final page, I can’t wait to pick up issue number five.

Xena: Warrior Princess #4 is available now wherever comic books are sold.

Xena: Warrior Princess #4
5

TL;DR

Xena: Warrior Princess #4 has me more in love with this iteration of the characters that I know and love. Beyond that, I am excited to see more myths being reimagined and interacted with, and since the trio has been teleported to yet another interesting place on the final page, I can’t wait to pick up issue number five.

Share. Facebook Twitter Pinterest LinkedIn WhatsApp Reddit Email
Previous ArticleRTX 2019: ‘Vicious Circle’ is an Uncooperative Sci-Fi Shooter Blast
Next Article REVIEW: ‘Golem Gates’ is a Dark Fantasy Tour-de-Force (Switch)
Kate Sánchez
  • Website
  • X (Twitter)
  • Instagram

Kate Sánchez is the Founder and Editor-in-Chief of But Why Tho? A Geek Community. There, she coordinates film, television, anime, and manga coverage. Kate is also a freelance journalist writing features on video games, anime, and film. Her focus as a critic is championing animation and international films and television series for inclusion in awards cycles. Find her on Bluesky @ohmymithrandir.bsky.social

Related Posts

Speed Racer Issue 1

REVIEW: ‘Speed Racer’ Issue 1

07/30/2025
No Saints Nor Poets Issue 1

REVIEW: ‘No Saints Nor Poets’ Issue 1

07/18/2025
Who Killed Sarah Shaw

REVIEW: ‘Who Killed Sarah Shaw’

01/20/2025
Katabasis #1

ADVANCED REVIEW: ‘Katabasis’ Issue #1 (2024)

11/20/2024
Space Ghost Issue #3

REVIEW: ‘Space Ghost’ Issue #3

07/03/2024
Space Ghost #1

ADVANCED REVIEW: ‘Space Ghost’ Issue #1

04/30/2024

Get BWT in your inbox!

Subscribe to our weekly newsletter and get the latest and greated in entertainment coverage.
Click Here
TRENDING POSTS
Wildgate promotional key art
9.0
PC

REVIEW: ‘Wildgate’ Is Co-Op Space Mayhem Done Right

By Adrian Ruiz07/25/2025Updated:07/30/2025

Built for friends and tuned for competition, Wildgate is messy in the best way: smart, surprising, and bursting with room to grow.

Glass Heart
7.0
TV

REVIEW: ‘Glass Heart’ Offers Messy, Musical Catharsis

By Allyson Johnson07/22/2025

The musical drama series ‘Glass Heart’ soars when it focuses on the epic performances of it’s fictional band, TENBLANK.

Simon in An Honest Life But Why Tho
3.5
Film

REVIEW: ‘An Honest Life’ Is Terribly Dishonest About Its Own Politics

By Jason Flatt08/02/2025

An Honest Life is an overly severe misfire about a law student who falls in with anarchist burglars that can’t decide who it resents more.

Better Late Than Single
7.0
TV

REVIEW: ‘Better Late Than Single’ Is More Than the Name Suggests

By Allyson Johnson08/03/2025

The Netflix reality dating series Better Late Than Single offers more than meets the eye as it allows the contestants to get to know one another.

But Why Tho?
Facebook X (Twitter) Instagram Pinterest RSS YouTube Twitch
  • CONTACT US
  • ABOUT US
  • PRIVACY POLICY
  • SUBSCRIBE TO OUR NEWSLETTER
  • Review Score Guide
Sometimes we include links to online retail stores. If you click on one and make a purchase we may receive a small contribution.
Written Content is Copyright © 2025 But Why Tho? A Geek Community

Type above and press Enter to search. Press Esc to cancel.

But Why Tho Logo

Support Us!

We're able to keep making content thanks to readers like YOU!
Support independent media today with
Click Here