Published: November 25, 2020
Rating: Rated T
Writer: Alyssa Wong
Penciler: Ray-Anthony Height, Robert Gill
Inker: Victor Olazaba
Colourist: Rochelle Rosenberg
Letterer: VC’s Joe Caramagna
Cover Artist: Leinil Francis Yu & Sunny Gho
The synopsis;
Someone sinister has put a price on DOCTOR APHRA’s head… and it’s none other than DOMINA TAGGE! Now Aphra’s running for her life, trying to shake every bounty hunter on her tail. But one of those is SANA STARROS… and for Sana, it’s personal! Aphra can’t out-think Domina or outrun Sana…what choice does she have left?!
The review;
Last issue saw the end of a story arc and pieces being moved ready for this new arc ‘The Engine Job’. Wong has done a great job so far of stripping Doctor Aphra back to the basics of what makes this character tick and giving us stories that harken back to the Darth Vader comics. I’m very excited to see what she can do in this follow-up arc…
Aphra always use to steal the show in Darth Vader, it is why she became a fan favourite so quickly. In her own series, it is usually left to others to take the limelight and Aphra weaves in and out of their bubbles and the story. This issue is no different, the real focus being on Lady Domina. This is a new character; a new villain and it is one that Wong is writing very well. Tagge featured heavily in Darth Vader and I’m very pleased to see that the family is back, and we get to learn more about them. Wong is quick to show readers who Aphra is dealing with. This is someone who sees the wider picture of the galaxy and how she needs to manipulate things for her own ends. In a lot of ways, she reminds me of Thrawn, but on a business side of things rather than war. It is clear that she can handle a lot of pressure and isn’t easily flustered. Added to this, we get to get a glimpse into Tagge space, for us to understand just how powerful this family is. Their own space, huge ships at their command and an incredibly high level of influence. Lady Domina is beautiful, which only adds to this wonderful image that Wong sets up for this character. She steals the show and I’m really hoping that Wong utilises her more than just the villain of the arc. She has a lot of potential and a way in for us as readers, to see more of the Tagge Empire.
On mentioning how good Domina looks, this is in large part to the new artist of Doctor Aphra, Ray-Anthony Height. From the first page I loved the artwork. It is subtly different to the previous arc yet very easily to follow and much, much darker. There are a couple of times when a couple of panels didn’t quite feel right to me, yet this is only in comparison with the excellent panels elsewhere in the issue. In particular, the panels with Domina and Aphra together, staring each other out, Height really lets you feel the tense atmosphere surrounding the pair.
Although the spotlight is stolen from her, Aphra still gets to be Aphra. Nothing seems to worry this character who seems to know exactly what everyone is thinking and how they are going to behave. It’s fascinating in a lot of ways, as Palpatine rely on predicting what people will do and how they will act, in order to get control of the Republic. Aphra, with no force sensitivity, with no real political thinking, is able to have a very similar skill. She can read people very well and it’s one of the reasons she is able to avoid the sorts of situations she finds herself in. Even the rich and powerful hold no real control for her. Even when faced up against Domina, she knows exactly what is going on and how to play her so she can save her own skin. We’ve seen this before in the previous series, but with a lot of the distractions from that series gone, these parts of Aphra’s character really shine through. Although Wong shows us this side of Aphra, she also shows us the other side, the part that causes Aphra to be fearful: Vader. He is not present in this issue, but Wong never wants us to forget that he is forever in the back of Aphra’s mind, that Vader’s shadow is long and will forever be a cape worn by Aphra. It is very subtly done, which makes it even more effective.
There are plenty of easter eggs for this looking and I was pleasantly surprised to see Valance in the issue, if only for a single image. We also have another mention of the nihil. If you’re keeping up with all the little spoilers for the new High Republic series, you will know that the nihil is one of the featured species. Oh, how Marvel like to tease. The other thing that will have the biggest impact going forward in the story is the end panel, where we see who Aphra wants to help her. Wong may have gone back to basics, but I can’t wait to see what issues inevitable come with the return of this character…
A new arc, a new villain and a new task for Aphra. Wong really takes this issue slow, setting everything up very gradual and giving us glimpses to different areas of the galaxy. One could argue that this might be frustrating or even too slow, yet I really like it. The last series was always a rollercoaster and I’m very pleased that Wong is taking a different approach, building up the pace throughout these issues. Coupled with a new artist in Height, I’m very intrigued to see where this arc will take us…
Availability;
Doctor Aphra (2020) is an ongoing series available from Marvel. This issue is available via the Marvel App and all good comic bookstores. This issue retails at $3.99.
