– Spoiler Review –
The rescue mission of Doctor Aphra from the Spark Eternal, which now possesses her body, revs into high gear in Doctor Aphra #25 (Vol. 2), as Sana and her team storm the Vermillion, but will the Spark be too much for them to handle?
Last issue, I was left a little confused about Lucky and Ariole’s interactions with Sparkra, as issue #23 ends with her meeting them in the hanger, issue #24 ends with them in the Archivist’s room with her, but it didn’t seem clear these were sequential, but thankfully issue #25 dispels my confusion. When Sparkra pulls the big Ascendant sword from the stone, creepily dragging it towards them, Lucky’s pretending like this is totally still Aphra he’s dealing with even as he asks Ariole to grab the door to get them out of there. Sparkra reveals she knows they both know she’s not really Aphra, the simple exchange being enough to help me understand the order of things: they meet in the hanger, realize their target is in front of them, play along right up until the entity controlling Aphra pulls out a big damn sword; I don’t think I’d stick around either! I’m still curious what happened to the Archivist and where she is now, but like this mystery of an interaction, good things come to those who wait.
Lucky and Ariole are well, lucky, that Sparkra’s interest in them is minimal considering they don’t want to work with her nor have access to powerful artifacts for the Spark to feed from, so when Kho Phon Farrus calls the Archivist’s room claiming she has the Spark, Sparkra basically forgets all about them. For anyone concerned Kho’s selling out her newfound friends, it’s quickly revealed the call is all part of a plan by Sana and crew to play into what they assume is Crimson Dawn’s hands, since they believe Qi’ra’s group has Aphra due to the Dawn attacking the previously unknown location of the murderbots. If they have Aphra, they all know it means they have the Spark, so the team sets a plan into motion: storm the ship, the murderbots joining them to decimate the ship’s copious security, all while acting like Crimson Dawn would expect them too, so their teamwork will come as a surprise.
This means Kho is sent in to deal with Spakra alone, as it would expect them to thanks to both the message to the Archivist and what Aphra knows of Kho. While it’s all supposed to be an act on Kho’s part, I’m sure much of what Sparkra says to them still hits a mark, especially since Kho starts by answering Sparkra’s questions with honesty, asking why it didn’t pick them instead of Aphra. Kho being insecure, which we saw when they first met Aphra to even this recent spree to collect Ascendant artifacts, is a deep part of their character, but being with this group has seemed to change them. Sure, Sparkra’s offer of the power and belonging to be had when merging with the Spark likely reachs a spot deep down in Kho’s soul, as the art and writing certainly want us to feel/think, but they have the belonging with this odd crew now and I imagine they realize merging with the Spark would take their autonomy to decide who they want to be. The exploration of Kho, of them becoming comfortable with themselves and what they want, has been a fascinating aspect since their introduction and this felt like a natural and earned place for them to be by the end of the issue. That’s not saying Kho won’t slip up, as characters around Aphra often do, but they’ve come a long way and it shows.
As Lucky and Ariole escape, they run into Sana, Manga Tolvan, Eustacia Okka, Detta, and Korin, warning them about what they are walking into. Despite Lucky’s rhetoric about how scary the “not Doc” is, I love Sana’s unemotional, matter-of-fact response, “That’s fine. I’ve spent plenty of time fixing Aphra’s messes.” Like this is another Wednesday in the life of Sana Starros, Aphra possessed by some ancient AI technology, which is likely the weirdest thing they’ve dealt with but is probably just expected now by Sana. Magna’s originally on guard when Lucky warns them, very fitting for her, but by the end she thinks he’s rather pleasant, though Eustacia believes otherwise after their history in the opening arc, these lovely little lines of dialogue both fitting and neat little references to past stories, written in a way only Alyssa Wong could. Of course they don’t heed Lucky’s warning, especially once Sparkra figures out their game, taking Kho’s concealed ear-piece and taunting them, but Kho buys them some time to come help by using some Ascendant tech to throw a giant object in the Archivist’s room at Sparkra, crushing her. As the team breaches the door, we see Sparkra notice the Whip of Sorrows in Kho’s robes, grabbing for it…and coming up with a deactivated lightsaber instead, the Whip lashing out and trapping Sparkra, this time in the hands of Sana!! I loved the way this sequence played out, leaving us readers in the dark if the team will be able to help Kho in time, so it’s all the more powerful when we pull back in the final panel, everyone in a heroic pose, Sana holding the Whip, using her own version of a very famous line from A New Hope: “Hey loser, we’re here to rescue you.” Reader, when I tell you I stood up and hollered, I mean my dogs, peacefully sleeping next to me (after being awoken from an earlier part of the issue, but we’ll talk about that in a moment), started barking at the air, not sure what all the hooting and hollering was for and trying to join in. Sorry, pups, but this moment was just too good not to cheer over.
Doctor Aphra #25 (Vol. 2) also spends more time with Aphra and Miril, inside the Spark, offering details about the giant Ascendant sword but also hints at how Aphra might be able to free herself. As for the sword, it’s made from cortosis alloy, its lightsaber resistant properties giving the sword the name Null Blade, since it nullifies a lightsaber, though still gets destroyed in the process. Cortosis played a part of many stories in Legends, especially in the Darth Bane trilogy, and made it into canon with the very first canon book, A New Dawn, but this is the first time we’ve seen it come into play against a lightsaber (in canon). I’m very interested to see how much the Null Blade will come into play going forward, considering the Dawn’s fight with the Empire heating up in the Hidden Empire storyline coming up.* Though as interesting as that all is, Aphra’s conversation with Miril about shutting down the Spark is far more intriguing, as the leader of the Ascendent, just a collection of her memories in the Spark, doesn’t understand wanting to shut it down. Miril can’t face the idea her life’s work has turned rogue and isn’t the pinnacle of aide in the fight against the Sith, so as Aphra keeps insisting it needs to be turned off, Miril begins to shut down, closing herself off, unwilling to tell Aphra how to stop it but claiming there’s no way to shut it off. I believe Miril when she says this, but the way the image of the Ascendant’s lair under the University of Bar’leth begins to dissolve behind them, turning into the red swirl of the Spark, leaves me wondering if Miril is the reason the Spark is the way it is right now and if she can let go, realize her work has changed beyond her intended goals, maybe it’ll let go of Aphra, search instead for a willing bond, not forcing one again; after all, Sparkra says it knows Kho is lonely I bet it’s been lonely without someone to bond with since Miril, centuries before. Is Aphra the best person to help Miril work through such problems? Probably not, but it seems like Miril is the key to separating the Spark from Aphra so she’ll have to step and maybe face some of her own internal issues too. This Spark Saga has been a fantastic story so far and hasn’t overstayed its welcome, constantly surprising and pushing the characters in exciting directions, forcing them to tackle their own problems in the process, while I love how it helps the series maintain its own vibes despite the larger stories set in the era.
Minkyu Jung’s art, with Rachelle Rosenberg’s colors and Joe Caramagna’s lettering, always delights, but I was besides myself laughing (the aforementioned moment I first disturbed my dogs) at one point thanks to their work. The murderbots fill us in how they came to be on the tropical paradise and in the process reveal retirement away from anything worth killing was a total bore for them. We get a series of side-splitting panels of their boredom, including one where Trip is making sand stormtroopers (and sand Aphras) so Beetee can destroy them, putting these deadly machines in a situation they are so clearly out of place in. There’s like a sepia filter to denote it all being a flashback, but the panel of them laying on the beach, having destroyed all their sand creations, staring up at the sky, two black spots on a spotless beach, really paints them as being out of place. Rosenberg’s colors almost make them feel like mold on the dusty beach, while Jung’s sand people are hilarious simulacrums, which I’m sure was probably a joy to mess around with. Caramanga’s long, big “beep” from Beetee conveys so much boredom alongside their bodies laying on the beach. A lot of what makes the scene between Kho and Sparkra so effective is the look on Kho’s face, steely and determined not to let her get to them, off-put by the closeness as Sparkra drapes herself over their shoulder, literally whispering in their ear. Sparkra in the scene isn’t as comically spooky as she is when dragging the sword after Lucky and Ariole, her glowing red eyes looking less scary and more normal so she’s not as off-putting to her target. The panel of Kho bonded to the Spark, whether they are imagining it or the Spark’s putting the image in their mind, was startling, the gleeful look at the power in their hands showing how hard this act is to play out. Like I said earlier, the final page is a damn delight, Sparkra wrapped up by the Whip, its spooky red cutting through the shadowy color on her because she’s not the focus and in the foreground, while Magna crouches in an action pose, Eustacia stabilizing her gun as you’d expect the proper doctor to do, Detta being the confident punk she is and holding her gun in one hand, Kho in a pose which show their confidence in their actions and the power they already have, while Sana standing front and center, defiant and assured of her own success like she almost ways is, highlights this was her plan and her lead and she crushed it.
Here are a few other things:
- *This issue states it takes place prior to Hidden Empire #1 (out November 16), so once that’s out we’ll have a better idea on why the distinction is important. Hopefully it has nothing to do with the hint from the Battle Variant Covers for the miniseries, as issue #2’s has Kho facing down Darth Vader!! That Null Blade would come in handy if that battle actually does happen…
- In case you missed it, Sana has her very own comic miniseries, written by Justina Ireland, coming out in February 2023!
Doctor Aphra #25 (Vol. 2) might end with the Spark Eternal possessed Aphra in hand, but now the bigger question arises: can they free Aphra from its grasps and is there anything Aphra can do about it? If these last 25 issues have been anything to go by, it’ll be full of surprises, laughter, and a story you’ll come back to month and month again!
+ Kho’s big act and what it means for them
+ Hints for Aphra’s way out
+ Art driving intense laughter, emotion, and hollering (sorry, not sorry pups)
Ryan is Mynock Manor’s Head Butler. You can follow him on Twitter @BrushYourTeeth. You can follow the website on Twitter @MynockManor and Instagram @mynockmanor.
DOCTOR APHRA (Vol. 2) REVIEWS:
Fortune and Fate: #1 | #2 | #3 | #4 | #5 / Arc Review — The Engine Job: #6 | #7 | #8 | #9 | #10 — War of the Bounty Hunters: #11 | #12 | #13 | #14 | #15 — Crimson Reign: #16 | #17 | #18 | #19 | #20 | #21 —The Spark Eternal: #22 | #23 | #24