Hercules: The Legendary Journeys #3

Aug 1996 · Topps · 2.95 USD; 4.15 CAD

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“The Warrior Princess”

★ 1st appearance — Xena

About this Issue

Hercules: The Legendary Journeys #3 (August 1996, Topps) holds a firm place in comics history as the first appearance of Xena the Warrior Princess in any comic book — transferring a television breakout character onto the printed page for the first time. The issue kicked off a three-part story arc titled 'The Warrior Princess' that ran through issues #3–5, establishing the comics template for how Xena and Hercules would interact across a string of subsequent Topps series and later publishers. Its cultural footprint extends well beyond the single issue: Topps collected all three arc chapters into the 1997 trade paperback Xena: Warrior Princess – 1st Appearance Collection, cementing the issue's role as the cornerstone of an entire branch of licensed comics publishing that passed from Topps through Dark Horse and eventually to Dynamite Entertainment.

In "The Warrior Princess," Xena returns to her hometown of Amphipolis to find it in ruins—blamed on Hercules, the very hero she once admired. Determined to confront him, she discovers the truth: Hercules is as much a victim as she is, and the real enemy remains hidden. Written by Roy Thomas and illustrated by Jeff Butler, with inks by Steve Montano and colors by Digital Chameleon, this issue pairs Xena’s fierce resolve with Hercules’ haunted guilt, setting them on a path to uncover a deception that’s torn apart their lives. The cover by Zina Saunders captures the moment of revelation with striking intensity.

writer Roy Thomas · artist Jeff Butler · inker Steve Montano · colorist Digital Chameleon · letterer Ken Lopez · cover Zina Saunders

ComicBooks.com Value

Our Model is In Beta

Raw (NM) $4

CGC 9.8 · 27 in census $159

CGC 9.6 · 26 in census $83*

CGC 9.4 · 15 in census $68*

CGC 9.2 · 4 in census $60*

CGC 9.0 · 4 in census $55*

CGC 8.5 none in existence

Show all 11 grades ▾

CGC 8.0 · 2 in census $24*

CGC 7.5 none in existence

CGC 7.0 none in existence

CGC 6.5 none in existence

CGC 6.0 · 1 in census $20*

* estimate — limited direct-sales data at this grade

Our model’s value — refined as new sales data arrives · CGC census counts shown where available

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History

Topps Comics — the comics division of the trading card giant, which operated from 1993 to 1998 and specialized in television and film tie-ins — secured the license for Hercules: The Legendary Journeys during the show's peak syndication run. The company tapped veteran Marvel writer Roy Thomas to script the series, with Jeff Butler on pencils and Steve Montano on inks, a creative team that remained consistent across all five issues. Prior to the regular series launch, Topps placed a five-page promotional mini-comic strip inside TV Guide issue #2255 (June 15–21, 1996), giving the property an unusually wide mainstream pre-launch platform. Issue #3 was released with multiple cover variants simultaneously: an art cover painted by Zina Saunders (variant A), a photo cover featuring Lucy Lawless (variant B, with photography by Geoffrey Short), and a gold foil photo edition (variant C).

Trivia · 8 facts

First appearance of Xena the Warrior Princess in any comic book, published August 1996 by Topps Comics.
Written by Roy Thomas; pencils by Jeff Butler; inks by Steve Montano — the same creative team throughout the five-issue Topps Hercules series.
Story titled 'The Warrior Princess, Part 1': Xena returns home to Amphipolis to find it destroyed, believes Hercules is responsible, seeks revenge, then learns he was framed — the two then team up to find the real culprit.
Also marks the first comic book appearance of Gabrielle, per ComicBase/Amazon product data listing her among the issue's character appearances.
Released with at least three simultaneous cover variants: a painted art cover by Zina Saunders (3A), a Lucy Lawless photo cover (3B), and a gold foil photo edition (3C).
The issue includes an editorial article on how Roy Thomas came to write the Hercules series.
Xena's comic debut in this issue directly seeded an entire line of Topps Xena spin-off titles in 1997–1998, followed by Dark Horse Comics (1999–2000) and Dynamite Entertainment (2007 onward).
Topps collected this issue alongside #4 and #5 into the 1997 trade paperback Xena: Warrior Princess – 1st Appearance Collection, which also included an interview with Kevin Sorbo.