Comic Review: Doctor Aphra (2020) #37

You would think by now we would have had enough of Dark Droids, the huge crossover event that is affecting every comic series under Marvel. Yet it’s the event that just keeps giving and giving. Doctor Aphra is the ideal series to have such dark undertones and atmosphere, it was like Dark Droids was made for this series. None of the events happening feel forced or pushed onto this series, it flows so beautifully. Last issue saw writer, Alyssa Wong, focus on fan favourite Tolvan, possibly putting this much-loved character in mortal danger. How far will Wong go? And that’s the great thing about Doctor Aphra. There are lots of characters that are never in the movies, lots of characters whose future we don’t know about, that the threat in these issues is very real. Along with artists Minkyu Jung and Jethro Morales, the trio have been bringing us incredible comic after incredible comic. I’m sure this week will be dark, twisted and completely worth the wait.

Dark, twisted and totally worth the wait! There is a creepiness right from the start of this issue, with Wong showing us a very quick glimpse of what is happening to Tolvan and her crew. It is brief and to the point, which if you’ve read the last issue and kept pace with Dark Droids, is very welcome. Yet that feeling of horror comes through loud and clear. The atmosphere is like something form Event Horizon, but in this case, you know it’s coming. I’ve always said (and I’m sure this won’t be the last), that Wong is the master of atmosphere. They understand it so well and it has never lacked before in this series. With the crossover event, Wong can exploit it for all its worth and it really shows. After this brief introduction, the atmosphere remains creepy but more of an Invasion of the Body Snatchers sort of way. We are, without a shadow of a doubt, knowing what is happening, what is going to happen, unless someone, anyone, figures out what has begun. It is this atmosphere, that is in every single issue related to Dark Droids and unleashed in this series, that really sets this apart from anything we’ve read before in modern continuity.

Aphra is taken to a Tagge facility: The Casus Belli. Wong has done such a great job of dropping little snippets of information about the Tagge family through the entirety of the Aphra series and I love that we see more here. The facility is fascinating and to then learn it’s run by almost entirely droids, that fascination can go to your head! What I love is that amongst all the characters rushing around the galaxy, that it is Aphra and Domina Tagge that figure out the puzzle, of what has happened in the galaxy.  It feels right that it should be them. Aphra, because she is our puzzle solver, the one who uses clues to solve mysteries and Domina Tagge, because she runs such a large corporation that has a huge focus on technology. It’s that eureka moment that is going to start changing things in the event, as characters begin to spread the word and home in on the true culprit. We get to see Domina been awesome (when is she not) and Wong really showcases that this isn’t just a businesswoman, she can look after herself. The wrist energy shields were so Domina! The fact that both Aphra and Tagge can solve the mystery, the fact that both know what must be done, it shows that although they seem very different on the surface, that they think very alike. no wonder they became lovers! What perhaps is most clear with all of this, is how much the foundations that Wong has set up throughout the Aphra series are starting to pay off. It is beautifully scripted and shows the character development, the development of the series itself, it’s all coming together so harmoniously.