Published: May 18, 2022
Rating: Rated T
Artist: Alyssa Wong
Colourist: Rachelle Rosenberg
Letterer: VC’s Joe Caramagna
Penciler: Minkyu Jung
Graphic Designer: Carlos Lao
Cover Artist: W Scott Forbes
The synopsis;
FROM HERE TO ETERNITY!
DOCTOR APHRA and SANA STARROS confront KHO PHON FARRUS at the heart of an ARCHAEOLOGICAL RUIN! But they’re all about to learn the horrifying truth behind the SPARK ETERNAL……and ONLY ONE will escape unscathed!
The review;
It has been a long wait to reunite with our intrepid explorer. Last issue saw Alyssa Wong really take the series to a whole new level, a level that was a pure joy to read. This comic sees the continuation of the story arc and I’m very excited to see where Wong will head with it. Along with Minkyu Jung, this promises to be an issue to remember.
There was a huge amount of buildup, of backstory and the laying of foundations in the previous part. This issue set a much more straight forward issue, but it is none-the-less exciting. This is the payoff from the work Wong has previously done. It starts with flashbacks of Aphra’s university days and her teacher, Iglan’tine Nos. The little we gleam of her, she seems like she is a good teacher, like all good teachers she knows her students better than they realise. She can predict what they’re going to do and what will lure them in. Wong also uses this to show how even with the last events of last issue’s flashbacks, that Aphra and Kho become friends. I really hope Wong is able to keep coming back to this time frame as it’s fascinating.
Aphra again really steals the show here. We get to see just how driven she is to get what she wants, even if it means risking people’s lives. Where there is black and white, she will always be in the grey. With the use of the flashback, Wong shows us that even as a student, she was a master manipulator of people, knowing what to say to get them to do what she needed of them. I like that we can see the origins of this, that it developed over time. Yet it is also heartbreaking to see how little Aphra thinks of people, even back then. Brought back to the current time, she still uses all her knowledge to gain the upper hand over her rivals because she has to make sure she wins at whatever game she is playing.
Throughout the last few issues of Doctor Aphra, Wong has teased again and again about the Ascendant. We have a vague idea of what they believed in, what their aims were, but it is all patchy. Here again, Wong teases us with little bits and pieces about them, never enough to know completely who or what they were. This is exactly how it should be; the mystery keeps readers engaged, wanting to know more.
Although a straightforward issue, the action here is fantastic and it’s true Star Wars fashion to have a part like this. We get to see our heroes battling it out. It is here that Jung sets the pace of the battle, of blasters echoing around the chamber, of characters movements. He handles it all brilliantly. That last panel says it all, in terms of writing and artwork. It feels very Indiana Jones, here we’ve got what we wanted but there’s a catch that you really didn’t think about. I hope the next issue arrives a bit sooner than this one has!
Issue 19 was very much about setting the foundations, for filling in the backstory and progressing the story. This issue was never going to be the same, have the same suspense or in-depth look at the characters. This issue is the action scene, the huge build up leading to the inevitable climax. In that regard it is a huge success. It is fast paced, humorous and flows like anything you will see on the big screen; it’s over before you even realise it’s begun! The ending brings a lot of questions to the forefront, which I won’t mention here in case some fans have yet to read the issue. Yet it promises to be a very explosive end in true Aphra fashion, with consequences – well with consequences we can’t even begin to imagine. I thought it also very telling that Tagge wasn’t even in this issue, perhaps that might be a hint to where #21one might be heading, we will have to wait and see.
Availability;
Doctor Aphra (2020) is an ongoing series published by Marvel Comics. This issue retails at $3.99 and is available via the Marvel App and all good comic book stores.
