Doctor Aphra meets up with the titans of the Resistance in a crossover event with the “Star Wars” ongoing series that makes for a pleasant and enjoyable story. Well, as pleasant as things can get when there’s a soul-sucking demon queen involved.
Please note that this will contain spoilers.
Cover by Marco ChecchettoWritten by Kieron Gillen and Jason Aaron
Illustrated by Marco Checchetto, Andrea Broccardo, and Salvador Larroca
Colored by Andres Mossa and Edgar Delgado
Lettered by VC’s Joe Caramagna and VC’s Clayton CowlesCollects Star Wars: Doctor Aphra #7-8, Star Wars (2015) #31-32, Star Wars: The Screaming Citadel #1.
A rebel pilot and a rogue archaeologist delve into the darkest shadows of the galaxy side by side, as Luke Skywalker reluctantly teams up with Doctor Aphra! The not-so-good Doctor will make Luke an offer he can’t afford to pass up…one that leads him to a very rare gathering at the heart of the infamous Screaming Citadel! Will Luke find what he’s looking for? Can Aphra be trusted? Or will they both wind up victims of the Citadel’s queen? And as this unlikely duo steps right into the lair of one of the most powerful, reclusive and dangerous women in the galaxy, can Han and Leia be far behind them?
It’s strange to have a crossover event so early on in this series run, but I also have to remind myself that Doctor Aphra is just new to her own series, and not the “Star Wars” comic universe. So perhaps it makes a certain level of sense for the good Doctor to get a taste of the Resistance after being under the thumb of Lord Vader for so long.
But Chelli Aphra still has her morally questionable ways. She just needs a mark to hang them on. And that mark just happens to be son of a moisture farmer from Tatooine who really, really, really wants to be a Jedi. It’s with the promise of finding a Jedi master that pairs up Luke and Doctor Aphra to visit the Queen of Ktath’atn, who Aphra hopes will find her Eternal Rur crystal most interesting and in turn, share a secret or two. A simple mission that turns out to be anything but simple, as our Queen has some intentions of her own for Luke. Aphra and Luke are both pretty good at getting out of scrapes, but this one puts them in over their heads. Lucky for everyone, Han and Leia aren’t too far behind.
This is about as gothic horror as “Star Wars” gets, and Kieron Gillen does it well. At the time of this crossover, he was well into his iconic “The Wicked + The Divine” series, and you can feel the fingerprints of that story all over this event. But it doesn’t come at the sacrifice of quintessential “Star Wars” canon, and the two elements of space opera and high horror balance each other quite well. That’s more than clear in the first installment of this event, the titular one-shot, which features Gillen with his “Vader: Down” writing partner Jason Aaron. You get the back and forth quips and the fish-out-of-water humor (particularly when Luke makes his social debut at the Queen’s castle), but also mysticism that sets a chill down your spine. Horror can be fun, and these two show why, as well as how well they work together.
With a contained crossover event such as this, the temptation is there to just trot out the guest stars (Han and Leia) for the sake of it. Wisely, our writers avoid this with a bridge named Sana: an ex of Doctor Aphra who works on the Millennium Falcon. That, and casual conversation between Luke and Aphra, continue to build her character, so vital as those new to Aphra just from this series are still getting to know her. Even though Black Krrsantan ends up on the side again, we do learn that Aphra is in some sort of debt to him. Small moments like these elevate this past the one and done comic book event, tying it to longer term plans and deeper character development. At the same time, that distribution of character depth does seem uneven. We know more about the Queen of Ktath’atn in these five issues than we do about some of Aphra’s partisans (like the aforementioned Black Krrsantan). Patience though, I remind myself. We’re still in the infant stages of this series. No doubt all will be revealed.
Continued belowArtwork pulls out all the stops, remaining well in the realm of the Star Wars house style, but not confined to it. The Millennium Falcon and Han Solo look like they should. But our artists let themselves loose with the world of Ktath’atn, bathing it in reds, blacks, and blues. It’s an interesting combination as all three of these colors symbolize power and passion, what gives the queen life.
I’ve spoken before in our recaps of the role of color in action scenes in this series, and “The Screaming Citadel” shows how well color works even when there aren’t blasters and lightsabers in the vicinity. Consider our introduction to the Queen gathering her harvest, the draining of the life force of the village. Flicks of red break up the rainy village night, culminating in the queen and her servant Vespinax feeding and drawing energy in a blaze of reds and purples. It’s power and passion without brute violence, covered in sexual overtones. Another one of those WicDiv influences right on the page.
We have been watching Penny Dreadful: City of Angels this summer, and I can’t help but look at the Queen here and see Natalie Dormer’s Magda in her body structure and language. (The fact they are both redheads also helps.) Both are demons who hold on to their femininity without sacrificing strength or being overly muscular. They convey their power in how they carry themselves: head up, shoulders back, masking the emotion in public. Should this event ever make it to TV or film, I think I have the perfect casting in mind.
Right: Queen of Ktath'atn in The Screaming Citadel #1
If there’s any fault with this art, it comes with the choice to read in trade. After “The Screaming Citadel” the rest of the story switches back and forth between the “Doctor Aphra” series and the “Star Wars” series. The artists on each series bring different approaches, which doesn’t lead to a consistent look. Salvador Larroca opts for softer, smoother, more photo-realist looks in his faces, more cinematic and quite necessary to make these well-known characters look as lifelike to their flesh and blood counterparts as possible.
In contrast, Andrea Broccardo on the “Doctor Aphra” installments, opts for a flat, animated, cartoonish look. It works for drawing droids, but people who are the face of Star Wars? Not so much.
To add to the frustration, the characters even look different from issue to issue, something you see in the hairstyles on Sana and Leia. The assumption here is that the action is taking place in a period of days, not weeks where Leia and Sana would have time to run to the salon for a quick makeover. Continuity like this matters.
It’s a lot to ask a crossover like this to switch up artists, especially for folks who are regular readers of the “Star Wars” ongoing who may not be too invested in this event. And that is perhaps the insights that come with reading in trade, where you flow seamlessly from one issue to the next. But a singular artist across all five issues adds that synergy that we’re seeing in the script. Ideally, it would be someone neutral, not affiliated with either series, so the change does not disrupt the eyes of the regular readers.
Back in 2017, we called “The Screaming Citadel” #1 our Pick of the Week, and with good reason. It was a new way to look at an old friend. And three years later, that idea still holds true. It’s the best of what makes Star Wars so great, while trying on a new genre that fits quite well. And from the perspective of Doctor Aphra, it adds even more to the mystery of her self.
Next week, it’s back to the main Doctor Aphra title with the first half of ‘The Enormous Profit,’ which covers “Star Wars: Doctor Aphra” #9-11
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.
