Published: January 19, 2022
Rating: Rated T
Writer: Alyssa Wong
Penciler: Minkyu Jung
Colourist: Rachelle Rosenberg
Letterer: VC’s Joe Caramagna
Graphic Designer: Carlos Lao
Cover Artist: Sara Pichelli & Nolan Woodard
The synopsis;
“CONJURATIONS”
With STRANGE RITUAL MURDERS on the rise, DOCTOR APHRA and SANA STARROS’ hunt for HOWLING ARTIFACTS is growing dire! Their leads keep turning up dead, and they’re running out of time! They’ll have to delve deep into the secrets of an ANCIENT TECH CULT if they plan to catch the killer!
The review;
They say if you never ask, you never get, and it seems that Marvel have listened and released Doctor Aphra a little quicker this time! If you were unclear before, then the cover for this issue shows very clearly that Aphra is tied up with the series Crimson Reign. How far this connection goes we shall just have to see. One that I’m hoping comes back is the Tagge family, which are the shining jewel at the moment in Wong’s world. The examination into the corporation, the family dynamics and the intriguing characters always leaving me wanting more.
Yet this issue doesn’t focus too deeply on the Tagge family, nor many others. This issue is extremely face paced, with parts of the story being leapt over at incredible speed. It’s slightly jarring at first, although the gorgeous artwork by Jung really helps to settle this rattle quickly. But when Wong has set the pace, and the dust has (sort of) settled, the pace is one of the things that really sets this issue apart. A lot of the story is covered and advanced, skipping over what could have been a lot of issues going over the same thing, with not much movement forward. Wong has taken the brave step to bypass it all, to give readers enough snippets so we know what’s going on, but fast forwarded to the good stuff!
The first bit of information that we have is a flashback of Just Lucky leaving his lover Ariole behind. It’s an interesting seen that only deepens the connection that these two have and creates far more complex bonds. It also goes someway to explain why Lucky is the way he is. He can’t let anyone in, he can’t trust anyone, because if he does, he will have to leave them just like he did Ariole. From Lucky’s point of view, he was sparing Ariole any trouble, a true sign of love, letting it go because it is the right thing to do. After the last comic, which was devoid of Lucky and Ariole, it’s good to have such a revelation in this issue.
Aphra really steals the show in this issue. There is a lot of her here and we see that Sana and Aphra have been on Kho’s trail for a while. This makes Aphra frustrated, which is always when she does her best work. Watching her thought process, understanding why she is approaching a problem a certain way and the solutions to those problems work beautifully. It’s these solutions that really bring Aphra into her own as a series and as a character.
We also learn more about her nemesis Kho. The ball finally drops that Sana knows her from university and, of course, Aphra knows her even more than that it would seem. It feels very in keeping with the Aphra character and the fact that Kho wants revenge for whatever happened between the two of them. But because of this, Aphra is able to predict her movements and actions. While we learn more about Kho, we should hopefully learn more about Aphra. Her years spent in education intrigue me, and the ending of the issue promises more revelations as we return to Bar’Leth.
The artwork by Wong is wonderful. He really has to keep his wits here in order to help the pace of the story and ensure the reader is keeping up with so much forward momentum. The page that really stood out for me, was when Aphra is recapping all the different places they’ve tried to catch up with Kho. The artwork of those scenes is wonderful, but to the side is, full page length, a fantastic rendition of Aphra, sulking at just missing her nemesis again. A great page!
Is this the type of issue typical of Doctor Aphra? Most definitely no. Aphra’s life always runs at the pace of a rollercoaster, yet this comic decides to add a jetpack to that rollercoaster and blast it even faster down the track. Yes, it is jarring at first, but Wong has an end point that she knows she is heading towards. She doesn’t want to draw out the story so much that it turns readers off. There is enough here to keep fans interested and yearning for more, as I’m sure this is setting up a more meaty next issue. What it also does is provide a very easy jumping on point for fans who are yet to read this series. With the Crimson Reign banner adorning the front of the cover, I’m guessing Marvel are hoping for a few new readers. I mean, who doesn’t love a rogue archaeologist?
Availability;
Doctor Aphra (2020) is an ongoing series available from Marvel. This issue retails at $3.99 and is available via the Marvel App and all good comic book stores.
