Aphra’s been pretty lucky so far in life. But while she’s seeing a little more luck in the relationship department, it comes at a price: her luck with getting the job done runs out.
Cover by Ashley WitterWritten by Kieron Gillen and Si Spurrier
Illustrated by Emilio Laiso
Colored by Rachelle Rosenberg
Lettered by VC’s Joe CaramangaCollects Star Wars: Doctor Aphra #14-19.
Rogue archaeologist Doctor Aphra jumps to lightspeed and accelerates into the next chapter of her life! The not-so-good Doc is being blackmailed by evil droid mastermind Triple-Zero to run missions for his underground crime syndicate — but that doesn’t mean she can’t cause trouble and have fun along the way! Her latest assignment? Infiltrating a secret Rebellion training center run by General Hera Syndulla. Aphra is used to being in way over her head, but this time she’s not alone! Who else is caught up in her latest misadventure? Let’s hope they’re friendly — otherwise Aphra may have finally bitten off more than she can chew! Hunted by both Hera of the Rebellion and Tolvan of the Empire, Aphra’s got a lot on her mind — but she’s always got a few tricks up her electro-sleeve!
(Before we get into the heart of this review, get over to your Animal Crossing island – – if you play – – and bust out the poppers, for Star Wars: Doctor Aphra won a GLAAD Media Award for 2020 for Best Comic Book! Congratulations to all involved!)
Up until the final moments of this arc, Chelli Lona Aphra has managed to come out of whatever scrape she finds herself in rather flawlessly. A hefty helping of her smarts and wit combined with a touch of luck leave her on top, smelling like a rose. Conflicts are for the most part brought to a neat and final close, with maybe one or two lingering issues below the surface, ready to bubble up again and maybe cause trouble. But never has our space archaeologist found herself in an impossible situation, a puzzle she can’t solve.
That all changes today. And while there was no share of fun and fascinating moments in these three issues (including the return of Aphra’s very adorable Tooka), I wanted to focus this recap on that final third of issue #19. Those moments bring us some of the richest characterization of the series, challenging everything we (and Aphra) know about herself.
Sure, Aphra’s completed what Triple Zero has asked of her. She’s retrieved his memories, even though it took the kidnapping of Hera Syndulla and an uneasy alliance with the rebels to get the job done. Yet, that wasn’t Triple Zero’s actual task. It was to show Aphra how, for all her grandstanding and posturing about being free of Vader and wanting to forge a new life for herself, she’s really just the same old Aphra: selfish user of people. They’re more alike than they are different, and she must accept that. It’s the first of a lot of hard lessons for Aphra.
The Rebels have managed to put their anger for Hera’s kidnapping aside to help Aphra get the stolen data to keep it out of Imperial hands. They put the infighting aside for the moment to concentrate on the larger and more damaging threat. (That’s a lesson a lot of us American progressives need to heed in the next 90-something days: leave the bickering for another day and concentrate on the real monster.) But completing the job doesn’t make everyone besties, which Aphra realizes in her attempts to recruit one of the rebels for her own ship, who declines her with a very important lesson.
Bob Dylan put it best: it may be the Devil, it may be the Lord, but you gotta serve somebody.
A second hard truth comes to her in the idea of trust. Over the course of these issues, she’s growing closer to Magna Tolvan, close enough that she takes the time to reveal her real name to her. That’s a decision that comes back to haunt Aphra, for just as she’s processing this challenge to her sense of self from Triple Zero, her Imperial fling returns with orders to arrest. She’s known who Aphra was the entire time, lame alias and all, thanks to a microtracker she implanted. (Maybe during one of those makeout sessions?) The below-the-radar criminal life is over, and Aphra must pay for her sins in Accresker Jail, and it’s a place with a pretty low survival rate.
Continued belowChelli’s at her lowest of lows. She’s betrayed by someone she started to build trust and develop feelings for in Magna Tolvan. She’s squandered the opportunity for allies in the Rebellion with some poor decisions. (Kidnapping a high ranking leader is now how you make friends and influence people.) She’s trying to prove what I said last week that she’s not of her situation but just in it, and yet by taking this job for Triple Zero, even though it was under duress, she’s just proven how much of a hold her old life has over her.
I can’t think of a better parting gift Kieron Gillen to give us as he concludes his run on the series. He’s done fine work in establishing Aphra’s personality: wavering in morality and allegiance, clever and sharp, outspoken. Personal growth, however, does not come without challenge, and that’s where he’s left our archaeologist: facing prison time, which should give her plenty of time to reflect on just who she is and who she wants to be. It would have been very easy (and logical) for him to put this story together with a neat ending to make handing over the solo scripting duties to Si Spurrier (who co-wrote this arc) clean and easy. But he doesn’t. He’s given us an ending that puts Aphra on the defensive for the first time. And watching her have to summon her wit, intelligence, courage, and loyalty to the sticking place in an unfamiliar situation, all while a crisis of self-identity lingers in her mind, makes for compelling entertainment.
But he also couldn’t leave without one final twist. Triple Zero got his memory card, but who got the last laugh?
Looks like Magna Tolvan’s playing her own long game. Maybe there’s hope for a happy reunion for our two (literal) star-crossed lovers yet.
Next week it’s the start of the ‘The Catastrophe Con,’ and the debut of Si Spurrier as solo writer, with issues #20-22.
If you want to read along with me this summer, you can pick up the single issues or trades of “Star Wars: Doctor Aphra” at your local comic shop (be sure to social distance, wash your hands, and wear a mask, or even better, order your comics online for curbside pickup or delivery!), or digitally via Comixology Unlimited or Marvel Unlimited. As of this writing, all 40 issues of the series are available on Marvel Unlimited, and issues #1-25, and #28 (along with volumes 1 – 4) are available via Comixology Unlimited.
