Aphra tries to stay one step ahead of the Imperials. And the rebellion. And her current and former flames. But she can’t stay one step ahead of a very dark shadow that still lingers over her life. And I’m not just talking about Darth Vader here.
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.
It would have been real easy to make Doctor Aphra the fun side of Star Wars. It would have been really easy to lean hard into the Indiana Jones comparisons: the pulp hero, the cynical lone wolf, the woman always with the eyes on the prize. It would have been really easy to capitalize on the adventure, writing stories high on action that conveniently wrap themselves up in six issues.
And mind you, there’s nothing wrong with that, since that’s what Kieron Gillen did for the first two arcs. It establishes the baseline for Aphra, the essentials of her personality. But to continue with this would be one-note, bland, and boring. All her life, she’s known the easy way out. She’s able to resolve her problems in the end and come out smelling like a rose. She’s able to get the resources and people she needs to get her job done, with little pushback, and without enduring the full wrath of the consequences of her actions. Experiencing that week after week is fun, but there is such a thing as too much of a good thing.
In ‘The Catastrophe Con,’ that ends. And Si Spurrier, in placing Aphra in situations where she can’t get the quick fix (without pushing all that humor, wit, and charm to the backburner), actually makes you want to see Aphra suffer. Now that’s not something you want to say about your heroine. But in suffering there is hope, there is growth, there is self-actualization. Aphra’s moral code is getting challenged right to its core, and watching how she reacts to these challenges makes you root for her even more because you see she’s trying to understand more of why her old way of life is troublesome to others and herself. That is what I want to dig into today as we conclude ‘The Catastrophe Con.’
How does she react to these challenges? Initially, it’s with silence.
And that’s frustrating to see. You don’t know initially if she’s ignoring Sana’s advice or processing it, but as we reach the end of the story, where she’s accused by vigilante Tam Posla (one of many people after her in this arc) of being heartless, spineless, and lacking in loyalty.
Ever since she left the employ of Vader she was, in fits and starts, trying to be a better person. Part of that was learning to care about something other than herself, as well as letting others care about her. That’s something she found in her budding relationship with Magna Tolvan. Magna has stuck by Aphra in some of her most questionable moments and decisions, she herself not even sure why she’s doing so.
And then the motivation becomes ultimately clear. In issue #25, Aphra comes to the conclusion that she must erase her knowledge of Vader and his plans to save others (and herself) from Vader’s wrath. It’s a decision Magna tries to talk Aphra out of, right down to offering the mind wipe on herself.
Continued belowBut why?
Aphra finally realizes that she’s worthy of someone’s love, no matter how messed up and broken her moral compass is. And that in turn, opens her heart up to that love that was missing from her life up until this point. So how dare you call her heartless.
Now, as for the crisis at hand when we left Aphra at the end of last week’s binge – – you know, the prison break and the Force-enhanced bio-weapon – – well, she does get out of that. Because she’s Chelli Lona Aphra and we wouldn’t have it any other way. But with the end of one crisis brings another, because decisions compound other decisions, and they’re all connected.
As part of her prison escape, Aphra cut a deal with Tam Posla: give me an escape shuttle, I’ll give you the very wanted Dr. Cornelius Evazan. With the help of the shape shifter Lopset, she manages to cut this deal. turning over what she thinks is a Lopset in disguise as Dr. Evazan. IBut as Aphra is learning, solutions that seem easy in the short term aren’t necessarily so. Let’s just say that Lopset isn’t who he seems to be. And not only is Aphra now trapped on a ship with a very dangerous science monster who not only has a proximity bomb in a now defunct Triple-Zero, but he delivers a moral bomb: she really hasn’t changed much at all. In fact, she’s just as evil as the cold murder machine droid, all thanks to her choices, and there’s no hope for reform.
How will she react to this immediate danger to her person, and yet another attack on her character that she’s so desperately trying to rehabilitate even as she still stumbles . . . well, that’s a tale for the next arc.
While our focus this week has been on script and characterization, I do have to pay praise for a moment to some excellent artwork choices.
We do not often sing the praises of letterers (and we really should), but there’s moments here where letters, colors, and inks combine to bring three dimensions to a two dimensional medium, as well as to engage all the senses.
As you look at these two scenes, your ears ring with the sounds of battle, so harsh you fear they will bleed, and your skin feels the heat of lasers and lightsabers. The bold letter choices and their placement front and center tantalize all the senses, and they’re beautifully executed.
And while our bioweapon turned out to be a more minor enemy, it was nonetheless still sinister and menacing it its shapelessness and ambiguity.
In its abstractness, it could take the shape and form of whatever it pleased. That’s a classic horror trope that plays tricks on the mind, making you think friend is foe and foe is friend. It makes me wish this wasn’t the means to the end of the larger conflict of the arc. But who knows? Maybe we’ll see this Force fungus again before the series is done.
Next week it’s time for another Annual, with a story that looks to be about living dangerously.
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.
