We’re halfway through the “Star Wars: Doctor Aphra” series, and boy has luck turned on a dime for our space archaeologist. She’s in a flying junkyard prison, being used for service to the Empire. She also has secrets that the Empire wants and they will not stop at any means of torture to get them. A face from her past could help, but then new and even more devastating challenges await.
Cover by Ashley WitterWritten by Si Spurrier
Illustrated by Kev Walker and Marc Deering
Colored by Java Tartaglia
Lettered by VC’s Joe CaramangaCollects Star Wars: Doctor Aphra #20-25.
Doctor Aphra is behind bars. Again. But this time she’s in Imperial custody, strapped to an explosive transmitter synced to a single hubdroid. Take one step too far? Kablooey! So what happens when Aphra’s captors send her hubdroid right into the middle of a war zone? And what’s this rumor about the prison being haunted? Meanwhile, Aphra’s got information — and it’s information the Rebellion wants. But how far are they willing to go — and who are they willing to recruit — to get it? Surely even our lovable rogue archaeologist can’t find a way to make things even worse, right? Wrong. Because Aphra’s current flame, Inspector Tolvan, and Aphra’s ex, Sana Starros, are about to meet. Awkward. But that’s nothing compared to a certain tall, dark shadow about to fall across her.
These are the times that try men’s souls, as Thomas Paine once said. (Something many of us have said to ourselves or others more than once this year, I am sure.) And as we kick off the second half of “Star Wars: Doctor Aphra” that same thought has to be in the back of Chelli Lona Aphra’s head. When we last left her, all her less-than-legal deeds came home to roost, and she’s in a very maximum security Empire prison. And to add insult to injury, the secrets she knows about Darth Vader are very valuable secrets.
Last week, I talked about how I liked seeing Si Spurrier and Kieron Gillen lean into this vulnerable side of Aphra, which Spurrier (now as sole writer on the series) carries through beautifully. He doesn’t shy away from placing Chelli Aphra in troubling situations that make you wince, such as many torture scenes at the hands of prison guards But within her is a thread of resilience, as she works to orchestrate a prison break (before finding out about a terrible Force infused bioweapon aboard the ship). And she wouldn’t be Doctor Aphra without a little bit of good humor and that desire to get in a quick heist or two. Multidimensional characters make for the best reading experience, and I’m excited to see Spurrier show us this other aspect of who the Doctor is, after 20 issues of sharp and witty and morally ambiguous Aphra.
The series has had many a moment where Aphra questions herself and her morals, and now those morals that she’s coasted on with relative ease and little roadblocks come home to roost. And how she reacts to that stress is with the help of her old flame Magna Tolvan. Even though she’s furious for Aphra calling her in, some sort of desire – – be it love, be it lust – – motivates her to help. She’s a great rational thinker to Aphra’s impulsive thinker, and that’s what makes the two of them together a couple to watch. I did get spoiled a bit in doing some research and I find out that Magna Tolvan does switch sides, but what I am eager to see is what prompts her to do it. It could be love. It could be horror at the lengths the Empire will go to hold on to power. It could be a little of both. It doesn’t matter that I know that we get there – – what will make compelling reading is how we get there.
We also get to meet smuggler Sana Starros, who’s also after Aphra for some reason on the orders of General Hera Syndulla. On the surface, this is most likely retribution for that little kidnapping incident earlier, but between Sana and General Hera: could we be setting up a new love triangle?
Continued belowKev Walker is back on art duties with this volume (he did the first two volumes) and I have to say, I’m glad he’s back. He brings a level of fine attention to detail that I love. Large scale scenes have an insane amount of detail to them, from battle scenes to our first look at Accresker Jail in transit. He always takes work in creating the best of Star Wars, and it shows. But where he really excels is in facial closeups. Throughout these issues, he brings you initmately close with Aphra’s stress and pain. Dark smudges and delicate linework over her face, as well as that of Magna Tolvan, show their grit while retaining their grace under pressure. It’s a pointed contrast to the faces of Sana Starros and General Hera: smooth, refined. You can hear the anguish in her psyche throughout her torture from Captain Snuggles, scenes overlaid in a sheen of red to hammer home the point of pain.
And probably one of the best paneling layouts comes in issue #21: a close up of Triple Zero’s eye, pulsing with red, slowly zooming out to reveal his face and upper body. What a cunning and chilling reintroduction to this characters. Red itself is a very emotionally intense color: it’s the color of danger, the color of energy, the color of power, the color of determination: all things we see in Triple-Zero, even if they are malevolent in nature.
This series of issues ends with Aphra on the verge of escape, but facing down a new threat that has the Force. Things aren’t easy for her anymore, that’s for sure.
On a personal note, I hope if you’re in the northeastern U.S., like many of us at Multiversity, I hope you fared as best as circumstances would allow with Tropical Storm Isaias this week. Our house made it through the storm quite decently (no loss of power, no small feat given that at the height of the storm, nearly 1 million people in my home state of Connecticut were in the dark, and still around 326,000 as of this writing), though we have no internet. (This is why you’re not seeing images as you do with other recaps – – limited bandwidth for uploading. It’s the 90s all over again!) Minor inconveniences, of course, but we power through, and look forward to better days and high speed connections.
Next week we wrap up ‘The Catastrophe Con,’ with issues #23 – 25.
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.
