– Spoiler Review –
More variables enter the fray of Dr. Cornelius Evazan’s experiment with Aphra and Triple-Zero, two monster hunters I fell in love with earlier this year, which makes Doctor Aphra #27 a highly entertaining entry in what is shaping up to be (yes, you guessed it) the series’ best arc yet.
In the superb Doctor Aphra Annual #2, we were introduced to married monster hunters Winloss and Nokk, an older white man and a non-lethal female Trandoshan, and they endured themselves into the hearts and minds of fans everywhere, especially this one, instantly. They are adorable in their love for one another and they bring plenty of humor with their hilarious back and forth, like when Nokk chastises her husband and Winloss doesn’t let it faze him one bit. I had hoped we’d get to see them again, something writer Simon Spurrier revealed would be the case shortly after the issue released, and now here they are, back for the latest arc of Aphra, “Worst Among Equals!” Their appearance is short, brief, and delightful this issue, but there will be plenty of them going forward! Arriving at a rendezvous with Princess Leia, who wants them to hunt down the monstrous Triple-Zero, the couple says no due to Nokk’s policies and that she smells Evazan’s bioengineered mask and Ponda Baba’s beer, but they change their mind once they see Aphra on Evazan’s screen. In Annual #2, which is summed up wonderfully in this issue, Aphra basically tricked them into saving her, and then took off without paying, thus boiling Nokk’s cold blood and leaving the two vowing vengeance if they ever saw her again. I really hope they make it out of this arc alive, but I’m not going to worry about that at the moment and enjoy having them back instead.
With less than 10 hours to live now, thanks to Triple-Zero’s penchant for murder over civility, Aphra offers a plan to the murderbot: get across the city to the cyberneticist’s mentor to remove the explosives linking them together. They have two big problems in their way: One, Milvayne is an overly lawful Imperial world, making movement for two criminals without I.D.s very difficult; Two, that Triple-Zero can’t keep his torturing implements to himself, no matter how hard Aphra tries. She gets him to go along with her non-murdering plan for a little bit, but being referred to as luggage by a train conductor is enough to set him off, causing him to be thrown off the edge into the city’s underbelly, forcing Aphra to decide between standing still and die or jumping after him and maybe dying. The humorous back and forth between these two is whip-smart, as Triple-Zero has his points about Aphra’s behavior just as much as she does about his, and their debate about how to act, civil or murder-full, is a constant delight this arc already. Like when Aphra befriends a local whom she sees a lot of herself in, her white lie to gain Vulaada’s help offers Triple-Zero a chance to chill her bones with insightful analysis of how she’s never met someone she couldn’t throw under the bus to save her own skin. The trio’s trip on Vulaada’s qaberworm, Gurtyl, is cut short by, surprise surprise: the reincarnated, hookspore infested, Force-infused Tam Posla!
As teased in the previous issue, the hookspores survived their encounter with Darth Vader, and while Tam didn’t survive his time with Triple-Zero’s stabbing, the hookspores found his body and have brought him back to life, and they have already tracked down their prey. But how did they track Triple-Zero down? Why, because Hookspored-Tam was able to reassemble BT-1 (!!), bringing the blastomech back from the dead, sicking it on his former pal and Aphra! While I was expecting Hookspored-Tam’s arrival, I did not see Beetee’s return coming and I can’t wait to see how Aphra and Triple-Zero survive this encounter, because the odds are stacked extremely against their favor.
Simon Spurrier is firing on all cylinders this arc, as he’s feeding off the momentum of “The Catastrophe Con,” the Evazan twist reveal, and a fresh-ish start with Year Two of the series. If this arc is this good 2 issues in, where “Con” took a bit to get as good, then we should be in for a real treat when this all wraps up. Likewise, as much as Kev Walker’s art used to be my favorite for Aphra, I think Emilio Laiso (art) and Rachelle Rosenberg (colors) have finally usurped him. Maybe it’s due to how they upheld the wondrous art by Caspar Wijngaard for Winloss and Nokk, catching their affections just as easily, or how all the bizarre things like Hookspored-Tam and the worm are both strange but fitting within the universe, or the fun they have with Aphra’s concerned faces, they’ve rose to the top, but hey, both art teams have been grand so we’ve been lucky throughout the series!
Here are a few other things:
- Milvayne has been touted as an Imperial-loyal world, with strict laws and fervent desire to uphold Imperial ideals, but the cracks around the planet and its lifestyle showed this issue when Triple-Zero and Aphra fell to the underworld. Most unlawful citizens and droids are tossed off the edges of buildings into the great abyss below, where a whole other side of Milvayne survives and thrives, like Vulaada, their scav friend and her worm buddy, cast out for not being deemed worthy. It’s a wonderful juxtaposition, much like Triple-Zero and Aphra’s mindsets, and I’m curious to see what else Spurrier might do with the city’s dynamic over the next few issues.
- Triple-Zero asking and then immediately telling Aphra to shut up about explaining the hookspores was not only funny, but a great continuation of this arc’s habit, considering it’s Year Two of the series, of referencing but glossing over the past 25 issues in the sense of having a fresh start.
- Putting jokes in the title cards is always appreciated.
- “Triple Zero — Mincer of babies. Hullo.” Doesn’t get anymore muderbot than that.
- This is the final Aphra issue of the year, but 2019 feels like it’s right around the corner and there’ll be plenty of Aphra to come with it!
Doctor Aphra #27 is another fine example of how this series is Marvel’s best, with a creative team that’s producing some of the best content month after month, and “Worst Among Equals” looks to outdo what greatness came before it.
+ WINLOSS AND NOKK
+ BT-1 RETURNS?!
+ Milvayne’s dark underbelly
+ Aphra and Triple-Zero banter is a delight
Ryan is Mynock Manor’s Head Butler. You can follow him on Twitter @BrushYourTeeth. You can follow the website @MynockManor.
Doctor Aphra
Aphra (#1-6) | And the Enormous Profit (#9-13) | Remastered (#14-19) / Arc Review | The Catastrophe Con (#20-25) / Arc Review | Worst Among Equals: #26 | #28 | Annual: #1 | #2
CURRENT SERIES COMIC REVIEWS:
Age of Republic (miniseries)
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Ashes of Jedha (#38-43) | Mutiny at Mon Cala (#44-49) | Hope Dies (#50-55) | The Escape (#56-61) | Annual: #4
Darth Vader – Dark Lord of the Sith
The Chosen One (#1-6) | The Dying Light (#7-10) | The Rule of Five (#11-12) | Burning Seas (#13-18) | Fortress Vader (#19-25) | Full Series Review (by Chris and Ryan)