– Spoiler Review –
Having two issues in one month is something I’ll never not be happy about, but the resulting two month wait for the next Doctor Aphra (Vol. 2) issue certainly was hard to stomach, especially since its cover and the previous issue teased a return to the past to explore these characters’ history a bit more. Doctor Aphra #19 (Vol. 2) more than lives up to the hype, featuring some well portrayed representation, exciting blend of past and present, and a cliffhanger I’m so damn happy will only take a month to resolve.
On the morning drive into work Wednesday, as I typically read these in the morning digitally before heading in, then later write most of my review while at work if possible, I spent my drive not listening to the radio but gushing into my recorder about Alyssa Wong and team’s latest entry in their stellar Doctor Aphra (2020) run. As promised, Doctor Aphra issue #19 (Vol. 2) takes Chelli Aphra, Sana Starros, and Kho Phon Farrus back to the University of Bar’leth, where Wong balances the past and present to increase our understanding of Kho and Aphra, their history, and still propel the story forward. The balancing act, making the past we see pertinent to the present unfolding, is another of Wong’s deft writing skills and another reminder, not that we need it really, that we’re lucky to have them pushing Aphra’s story ever forward and ever more prescient and bolder than before. The way Wong captures Aphra’s inner darkness and kindness in a personal and boundary-pushing, for Star Wars at least, moment of trans representation, once again balancing characters and providing valuable representation for a marginalized group (especially in the Saga) is hard to describe, as it’s funny, vulnerable, and insightful, and shows a writer at the top of their craft. Kho’s experience in the opening of the issue, dealing with deadnaming by the University of Bar’leth (the Imperial chain-code system and matching the information on the ID clear references to real world systems of oppression), and how Aphra helps smooth it over, accepting Kho without a second thought, shows the position of a good ally and how overtly oppressive and mustache-twirling villainous it reads to not accept people by the name they choose and instead focus on a narrow definition of gender and identity. The Star Wars franchise is a far cry from where it could be on LGBTQIA+ rep, though thankfully the comics and novels (Midnight Horizon and Ronin taking the franchise places!) are plowing the way as live-action stays stagnant (though now we have a better idea on why Disney has been so appalling with representation due to everything coming to light these last few weeks), but to see an experience a trans person will have to deal with, distilled and succinctly displayed and laid plain is an amazing sight to see in Star Wars comics, let alone for the entire Saga and hopefully the rest of the franchise (live-action) can start catching up as it’s important to give everyone a chance to be seen in their favorite content. And likewise, staying so consistent these past 19 issues, even in the middle of the recent crossover, isn’t an easy feat but Wong makes it look as simple as Aphra believes all her schemes are. It’s hard to ever imagine there might be a time where Aphra will be without Wong penning her crafty, wily ways, especially if she ever makes the jump to live-action or animation, and it makes me hope this run can last as long as possible.
In the past, we finally see what causes a rift between Kho and Aphra, as while Aphra is kind enough to offer solidarity by helping them out with their name being accepted, she immediately turns around and asks them to help her, Sana, and Eustacia Okka break into a Sava’s office! Aphra, offering acceptance but using it for her own personal gains, how typical! Considering how close Kho was to being expelled after the incident, with Sava Iglan’tine Nos taking them to the dean but Nos beig outvoted for expulsion, they were saved by their own excitement for the Ascendant studies which gave Nos some hope for them. Aphra’s insidious actions are one part of what led to the creation of Kho as they are now, as while Aphra could’ve continued her acceptance of Kho instead of just using them, forcing Kho to feel like an outsider whose first friendship showed trusting in others would be a losing game, but Nos also groomed them in a sense, pushing them down the path they so clearly were most interested, losing themselves in a cult that achieved the ability to be something they weren’t. Kho’s been a fascinating character since they first appeared, their larger-than-live theatrics and tricky Ascendant tech making for memorable sequences, though it’s always been clear there’s more to their story, as they aren’t some downright villain like Domina Tagge leans closer to, but rather someone with a tragic story that led them down their current path. Issue #19 lays plain their tragic past, adding even more enticing layers to what has been, from the start, a fantastic new addition to the series, making me truly hope we see them for longer than this arc. Though if we don’t, I’m not concerned with how Wong will treat their exit, death or otherwise, as it’s sure to be as compelling as they have been so far.
As Sana and Aphra race to catch up to Kho at Bar’leth, some laugh out loud dialogue between the two about the Volt Cobra‘s capabilities, Domina Tagge tries to call them. Aphra thinks it’s easier to ignore and explain later, especially once they have the Spark Eternal in hand, her worry about Domina writ large on her face thanks to Minkyu Jung’s stellar, expressive art, but Sana accepts the call anyways. Domina wants them back, but she’s cut off before she can give a reason, Aphra hanging up because she understands while the threat of Domina looms large, something Sana can’t quite ignore, Kho gaining the Spark Eternal is more prescient a threat to deal with and the Tagge family can be dealt with later. In fact, it’s a lose lose either way for them and the relationship with Domina, as giving her the Spark could be disastrous for the galaxy and coming back empty handed after disobeying orders will be disastrous for them, so it looks like the tenuous partnership with the woman boss might just snap. And Domina isn’t one to wait around, sending out her newly acquired squad to handle the problem of Aphra’s disobedience: Boushh and his crew, so brilliantly and brightly brought to life in Wong’s fantastic War of the Bounty Hunters – Boushh one-shot! Aphra and Sana already have enough on their hands with Kho and her Ascendant tech, so this new wrinkle only ensures more problems and more chaos for them, which means more excitement for us readers.
When Kho works her way to Sava Nos’ office, it turns out Nos isn’t surprised to see them, but rather excited they’ve come, a willing guide to what Kho seeks instead of another roadblock. Together the two of them discuss the Ascendant and their creepy, yet neat mantra, as Sava takes Kho down, down deep underneath the University, the descent into the darkness almost mythical in nature the way Jung draws it, like Sava Nos as Charon guiding Kho through the Underworld, Nos’ light leading the way. It’s revealed here the Ascendant built their main temple on Bar’leth, so this whole time a testament to their power was underneath Aphra, Kho, Sana, and Eustacia’s feet, while the imagery and parallels are exciting to consider in the larger story of the Saga. This recalls the Jedi Temple of Coruscant built over the Sith Temple there, last seen mentioned in The High Republic – Into the Dark, and the symbolism in both cases of knowledge laying over power shows how short lived the power the Sith and the Ascendant chase lasts. Knowledge is power and it always wins in the end, but these lasting monuments beneath are a testament to how power persists because there will always be people hungry for its quick fix to their problems. Not only is this the Ascendant’s big temple, it actually holds the final parts of their ritual to activate or bring out the Spark Eternal, as the sanctum Nos leads Kho to is the heart and it means the Spark is within reach for them just as Aphra and Sana race their way to the room. It looks like they’ll be too late to stop Kho, and Nos, from obtaining the Spark Eternal, but will they be able to slow down the process or wrestle it away from Kho? A look ahead at the June solicitations, so slight spoilers, show just what might be in store and holy Sith-spit I can’t wait to see how we get there!
Before Aphra and Sana race their way to the sanctum, they break into Nos’ office in hopes of beating Kho there, climbing in through the window like they did in the past when breaking in as Kho was wrestled to the dean’s office. Kho obviously remembers what they did and lays a trap for them, which forces Sana and Aphra to make a quick exit from the room, the dangerous Ascendant tech nicking Aphra while Sana shows off her considerable combat proficiency in some mesmerizing, powerful panels from Jung and team (I can’t get the image of Sana smashing one of the items chasing them with her foot, holding it against the wall, holding out her hand to Aphra and shooting a grappling hook behind her back, like wow). Whereas Kho ascended the short way, with the Ascendant tech’s magnets to shoot up to the stairway’s bell, Sana and Aphra descend the quick way via the bell with less fancy tech; Sana and Aphra expunging ritual to get to the sanctum and Kho following a ritual down, the slow way with Nos, to get to the sanctum shows the respect each pair has for the Ascendant and this Spark Eternal. And while most of the time in the past was to show Kho’s story, as it should be considering it was much needed for the character, it was still really neat to see Sana, Eustacia (who we haven’t seen since the opening arc), and Aphra as young college students, prowling around together in the school halls, causing mischief, so obviously this is after Aphra and studious Sana got together, as we saw in the awesome audiobook.
Knowing what Minkyu Jung, Rachelle Rosenberg on colors, and Joe Caramagna’s lettering have been able to accomplish over their run so far, I am almost vibrating at the thought of what they’ll bring to the panels in the issues ahead, but for now, let’s just talk about the panel of Sana I mentioned earlier. There is so much going on in a single panel, and the entire sequence of her and Aphra escaping the Ascendant trap is very short, but damn does the panel of Sana doing all the hard work still blow my mind and move the action along so well. From Sana’s introduction in 2015 to where we are now, she’s proven time and time again to be such a capable, multifaceted threat to friend and foe alike, and most of this run she’s shown it off while protecting Aphra from danger, which either she’s advertently and inadvertently gotten them into, and this one panel encapsulates her strengths but also how much, no matter how she tries to deny it, she cares for Aphra still. That she’s simultaneously thinking of how to escape, how to protect them both, and how to get Aphra out of the latest mess, and looking like it’s effortless to do so, puts the character through the stratosphere of coolness but also adds to her status. That this panel captures all that is a monument showcase of Jung’s talents, from how Sana absentmindedly pins a piece of tech to the wall, destroying it, and is aiming a grappling hook without looking, while the way she’s facing Aphra, concentrating her attention on her instead of everything else, shouting her name in big, bold lettering by Caramagna, is where I see Sana’s true feelings about Aphra sneak in. I’d love to see Wong’s notes to Jung and team for this panel, which I might be overthinking a bit, as I’m curious to learn if what I’m picking up is what they meant to put down. The flashbacks with Kho, hunched over a little, obviously unsure of themselves, of their chosen identity just yet, bears their naivete, which is why they are such an easy mark for Aphra to choose, and the stark contrast of their appearance than with their upright posture, big flowing robes, and groomed and colored hair show how far they’ve come in accepting who they are. I like Rosenberg’s colors throughout of course, the sepia-ish tone for the flashbacks helping differentiate the past beyond even Jung’s take on the younger group, while Kho’s hair being less vibrant builds into their less assured mindset. The green lighting to the sanctum, jagged red marks purposefully sliced through the rocks and structures of the chamber, give the entire place an unnatural feeling and make me feel queasy in a sense, like something is truly wrong there and everything will go wrong there. But that’s why we read about Aphra, she wades into disaster whenever possible.
Here are a few other things:
- If you can’t get enough Chelli Aphra, we’ve been hosting a Doctor Aphra Challenge on Twitter “#31DaysAphra”, and there’s even prizes to be had if you participate during the month of March! If you find this after March is over, know you can always share your answers to the challenges anytime you like!
Doctor Aphra #19 (Vol. 2) looks back to look forward, and contains some wonderful representation, pushing the tale towards an exciting cliffhanger and confrontation, while also fleshing out the already intriguing Kho.
+ Fleshing out Kho
+ Great representation
+ Knowledge over power
+ Jung and team giving Sana all the street cred/displaying differences in Kho’s past and present
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 — Resurrections: #16 | #17 | #18