Published: June 29 2022
Rating: Rated T
Writer: Alyssa Wong
Artist: Minkyu Jung
Colourist: Rachelle Rosenberg
Letterer: VC’s Joe Caramagna
Cover Artist: W. Scott Forbes
The synopsis;
“DESPERATE MEASURES!”
The SPARK ETERNAL corrupts everything it touches, and DOCTOR APHRA is no exception! Face-to-face with an ancient, malevolent presence, SANA STARROS will have to make a choice… Can she save Aphra? Can she even save herself?
The review;
In the words of a great scoundrel, “I don’t know how we get ourselves out of this one.” Alyssa Wong left us in a rather interesting situation with Aphra. What will happen to our beloved heroine (heroine – close enough for Aphra right?), will she even be able to come back from this? Looking at the synopsis, I’m very excited to see Sana take the reins of the story more, to give her a chance to shine in this issue. This story arc has been one of the best that Wong has delivered, every step has been joyous to read; from Aphra’s backstory to that of the Ascendant. I just wonder where Wong is leading us all…
Let’s start with that where Wong leads us is not what I was expecting. This issue has a lot of different paces to the previous issues. After some action, this entire issue takes a completely different turn. I won’t lie, it was slightly jarring – at first – but as Wong continues, she reveals that this issue is about moving the pieces in the galaxy about to prepare for the rest of the story. And there are a lot of pieces to move. With that comes some surprises along the way, that I’ll get into later.
Aphra has been possessed by the Spark Eternal. Wong shows us the last remains of Aphra before she is silenced by her captor; it gives us a last look of Aphra, of Aphra realising her mistakes. From then on, it’s the Spark Eternal in charge, revealing what she knows of Aphra. We have it confirmed that her feelings for Sana are strong (important for what is to come). We also see the lack of admiration she has for Farrus. Neither of these are surprising, but it is definitely a good thing to have these things confirmed for us as the reader.
With Aphra silenced, Sana takes in the vacuum and shows that she doesn’t need Aphra to try and sort things out. Her improvisation of how to attack the Spark Eternal is great to see, as well as the fact that she isn’t frightened to do what needs to be done. She won’t hesitate to pull the trigger, no matter what attachment we think she has to Aphra. It’s an interesting change, Aphra, who is usually so happy-go-lucky, does pause when emotions are involved. Sana on the other hand doesn’t even pause. It will make the next part of the story far more intriguing; how far will Sana go?
The battle between Sana and the Spark Eternal flows beautifully, the artwork by Minkyu Jung blending from one panel to the next, keeping the flow and pace of the battle perfectly. There is a ton of movement between scenes and locations, Jung handles all of them perfectly and helps give structure to what could have been a rather chaotic issue.
From this opening battle it’s movement from character to character. We see Lucky and Ariole considering joining Crimson Dawn before Lucky revealing he has one last job to do. When they first appeared, I was rather annoyed as I wanted to see then main story but seeing how many pieces Wong is bringing into play, this pair are bound to be intertwined with it all. Boushh and her team are back, although brief, I’m glad they are now here because I can’t wait to see what they will do. Domina Tagge is also back, one of my favourite characters of this series! She shows her power, her wisdom and that she knows what she wants. She doesn’t want to mess around and you can almost feel the gloves coming off. She confirms that it is Sana who is now taking on the role of Aphra, at least till she can rescue the Doctor. These are a lot of characters returning for what promises to be an exceptional team up. Instead of an issue full of action, we have one that allows Wong to reintroduce these characters.
For all these amazing characters, and for Domina finally back in the issue, it all pales in comparison to the very last page. It is very clear that Wong has purposefully kept away from the previous Aphra series. It’s a very sensible decision, not only does it make it easier for new readers to jump on board, but it allows Wong the freedom to tell the story she wants without being encumbered by the past. I wondered if this say would ever com and yes it has: Magna is back! My eyes lit up, my heart began to race because without doubt, this is one of the strongest romantic couples that the new era of Star Wars has created. Tolvan and Aphra were a couple (well – not a couple – well – sort of a couple) that were the Ross and Rachel of the Star Wars galaxy. You never knew where they were in terms of the relationship, but it was exciting finding out. Perhaps even more importantly, their relationship never felt forced, placed there to say the story was inclusive of a certain demographic. It was natural and it made the story even better for it. To have Tolvan back is – well it’s exciting to think of the possibilities that now open up. A break was needed for the two (I can hear the “we were on a break” echoing in my head), to allow the story to evolve past their relationship but I am so glad it looks like it’ll be coming back. As mentioned, we also have confirmation from the Spark Eternal that Aphra feels strongly for Sana. Things have suddenly become very complicated for the Doctor (she might even want to stay captive of the Spark Eternal). Complications means a wealth of story opportunities and I cannot wait to see what Wong will do with this love triangle.
In Star Wars, there are always moments where the story needs to slow down, to take stock of where we are and where we are going. I was expecting an explosive issue, certainly not a slower issue. Yet Wong is placing her whole hand of cards in for this story arc and there are a lot of pieces that need to be set in motion. Even those this comic is slower; it isn’t without some drastic twists and turns that make this reader very excited for what is to come. This really sets the bar of how to make those slower issues engaging, because Alyssa Wong certainly has my attention
Availability;
Doctor Aphra (2020) is an ongoing series available from Marvel. This issue is retails at $3.99 and is available via the Marvel App, comiXology and all good comic book stores.
