– Spoiler Review –
It feels like decades have passed since the previous Doctor Aphra (Vol. 2) issue, as we’ve been waiting on pins and needles for what happens next after the shocking ending and issue #21 does not disappoint, as the Spark Eternal brings chaos into everyone’s lives, Domina Tagge makes demands of Sana and Kho to hunt down the possessed Aphra that leads to some delightfully surprising returning faces, and we finally return to Lucky and Ariole’s story as well. As packed as it sounds, it’s a wonderfully balanced and paced issue that was more than worth the wait!
It’s been around a month and a half since Doctor Aphra died in the very pages of these comics, only to be revived by the spooky and malevolent Spark Eternal, the Ascendant cult’s most powerful weapon, and I still don’t think I’ve fully recovered from the devious way writer Alyssa Wong and the art team of Minkyu Jung, Rachelle Rosenberg, and Joe Caramagna brought the emotionally shaking scene to life. Thankfully, Sana Starros doesn’t have the same issue, so when the Spark Eternal squashes Aphra’s thoughts and begins spouting truths it gleans from inside her memories, Sana’s got her blaster ready and gleefully shoots Sparkra (I think Sparkra will stick for now for the naming combo platter of Aphra and the Spark), but it shrugs it off and begins to taunt Kho Phon Farrus. Sana’s all sorts of resourceful and tries the whip that previously took her blaster’s power against Sparkra, and while it brings it down, the spooky, glowing eye-way Sparkra awakens and blasts Sana back is right out of some horror movie, a stellar few panels by the art team. Aphra might’ve called Sana “studious” many years ago, but she’s certainly anything other than that now, as she’s quick on her feet and helps Kho overcome the Thought Dowser with a hard bonk on the head, helping them flee Sparkra for now as even together they don’t have the means or power to stop it yet. As far as the aftermath of Aphra’s death and the Spark’s rebirth of her body, these first few scenes are everything I wanted and more, as it’s made frighteningly clear the Ascendant’s tech abilities are beyond even what Kho and Sava Nos hoped for, the Spark Eternal living up to its reputation as it easily fights back Sana and even Kho’s considerable efforts to bring it down. Plus, the creepy quick way it squashes out Aphra’s thoughts so early in the issue, meaning technically speaking Aphra’s only really in the first two pages of the issue, both assures readers she’s alive while putting them on edge for how hard a battle this will be internally since the Spark doesn’t have much trouble shutting her out. The stakes have never been higher for Aphra, let alone the rest of the cast, and I love how now this means the side and co-lead characters will have to come to forefront in the coming issues in the fight against Sparkra, though it speaks volumes to Wong’s writing, and even Kieron Gillen/Si Spurrier’s, for how exciting it is to see many characters returning in the issue’s final pages.
As Sana flees Sparkra carrying Kho, the malevolent entity messing with Aphra’s electro-tats and plotting a return to power, they run right into a different problem: Boushh and crew, here to collect them on Domina Tagge’s behalf. Spirited back to Domina’s headquarters, Sana and Kho face the ever cold and calculating Tagge mastermind in a scene full of several great laughs. When Domina asks where Aphra is, Sana’s response is “compromised,” to which Domina witfully responds, “How can someone with no loyalty be compromised?” and I about spit out my cereal when I was reading that moment, I laughed so hard. But I was left hurting from how much I laughed due to Sana’s under the breath comment on how, when Domina says Aphra is her responsibility to bring in, there’s nothing new about that. Seriously, Wong’s script is so whip-smart and deeply inhabits each of these characters, so distinctly written, their personalities pop off the page alongside the larger-than-life Aphra, which is saying quite a lot. I was surprised when Domina says she would prefer not only the Spark intact, but Aphra as well, meaning she must see the value in Aphra’s particular brand of chaos and expertise, though she’s quick to clarify pieces will do too, which coming from a woman who killed a family member recently, sounds about right. It’s in this scene we have a little reminder about Ronen, Domina’s nephew, is also after the Spark Eternal, as she stamps out a little camera he had hidden in the room. Afterwards, Domina wants all her teams sent out after Sparkra, but Sana, after getting to shoot Aphra finally like she’s wanted to since we basically met her, still cares about the woman due to their time together recently and steps up, saying she’ll have a team full of experts to wrangle in Aphra…a team that left me jumping and shouting by the end of the issue.
But before we get into that, we must discuss Ariole and Just Lucky’s part of the issue! I’ve come around on their part of the series for awhile now so the several issue break (last seen in #18) from their storyline left me eager for more. Lucky finally tracks down Ariole to confront him about the dueling stories Wen Delphis, the Sixth Kin leader, is spinning about their feelings towards one another, hoping to talk to Ariole about their time with Qi’ra on Crimson Dawn’s flagship instead of falling for Delphis’ tricks. We finally learn went down on the ship, as Qi’ra exposes Delphis’ methods for what they are, training disposable yet loyal hired killers, and offers them a spot within the Dawn instead, to help them take down the Empire and the Tagges of the galaxy. They both believed her of course, but differ on the response, Ariole an idealist about the chances of change, Lucky almost cowardly in believing they’ll create space for something worse to take those organizations’ spaces; better the devil you know, right? Whereas they’ve fought before, Lucky doesn’t clap back at Ariole for his biting words towards his viewpoint and rather asks his ex to help him, one last time, because the payoff for the job he has lined up should get them clear from the Sixth Kin, the Dawn, and the Tagges for good. As Ariole points out we’ve all heard that before essentially, though I hope it doesn’t spell doom for them when/if things don’t quite work out like they hope.
So…who does Sana gather for her team of Aphra experts?! Well, the first two are characters we haven’t seen since the ending of the previous Aphra series, people who Aphra left behind in the care of someone far more responsible than her to keep them safe from the target seemingly always on her back: her father, Korin Aphra, and charge/mentee Vulaada!! That the two aren’t together however, Korin seemingly back on his search for artifacts in the galaxy and Vulaada, still riding the qaberworm Gurtyl thankfully, looking like she’s leading some gang on Tatooine, so I’m curious about the story there. Did they scatter after the Empire’s attack on Hoth? Split up in the chaos? Or a more purposeful separation? I’m ecstatic to have them back, especially in the hands of a such a deft writer of chaos and interpersonal relationships like Wong! Next on the list sees Sana and Kho bringing in Detta Yao and Eustacia Okka, both introduced first in the opening arc of Wong’s series, so their energy and history with Aphra will be fun to have back in the mix as well; already this is shaping up to be the biggest congregation of marginalized characters in lead roles in a single comic book…ever (4 women and one trans non-binary character). And there’s one more to add to the list, the reason I was jumping and shouting when I read the issue! The moment the caption showed Sana at some rebel rendezvous on the final page, I knew who it would be but didn’t dare get my hopes up, and then looking at the rest of the page, there she was, in resplendent Minkyu Jung art glory…MAGNA TOLVAN!!!!!!!!!!! I’m still giddy about this to the point it was really hard to take my finger off the exclamation mark key just now! Magna Tolvan is back, though to what extent and how eager she’ll be to help is a whole other story, but for now I’m not going to worry too much about that and rejoice in her return! Considering the two left off on a not too terrible note, Aphra’s final message to Magna, Korin, and Vulaada, about how she put herself in harms way to help conceal the Hoth base a little longer, giving them all some peace without her in their lives anymore, could mean Magna will be a little more receptive to the return of Aphra in her life. If you’re not up to date on the complicated relationship between these two, I highly suggest checking out the previous Aphra series if you haven’t already, otherwise as Wong has proven in the past, they’ll find a way to make her return, alongside Korin and Vulaada, accessible to new readers as well!
When I say resplendent, I mean it, thanks to Minkyu Jung’s art and Rosenberg’s colors, Magna’s return is a stunning one, capturing her many qualities and previous looks in both attire and a single pose. Her silvery hair, the metallic coverings across her body visible in rebel fatigues, her pose one of composure and power, but also a little standoff-ish, as if she’s concerned about what Sana might want from her and what it might mean about her current place in the Rebellion (still Strike Team Misericorde? Probably a promotion?) if she’d leave to help, while Caramagna’s word bubble fills in the blank for those who don’t know her, otherwise Jung’s placement of Magna, her scale to the page, marks her with great importance any fan could agree on. And early on, the horror film moment I mentioned, might be my favorite series of panels in the issue. As the whip does it work on Sparkra, the eerie, bright red glow dissipates and Sparkra “whump”s to the floor, a sound effect by Caramagna that made me laugh in the moment, and as Sana cautiously calls out for Chelli, the next panel has the Spark’s creepy red glow, a choice Rosenberg runs with all throughout and it works again and again, reignited, Aphra’s head in an unnatural position and eyes red white, peering at Sana with a unsettling grin. The resulting explosion Sparkra shoots out, blasting Sana back, underscores the tough fight ahead for anyone trying to save Aphra and stop the Spark. The entire opening sequence of Sana and Kho trying to fight back, and failing, is just a highlight on all fronts, Jung’s art dynamic and arresting with the character’s reaction to events befalling them, Rosenberg’s colors making Sparkra’s red glow a menacing sight alone and even more so when the Thought Dowser comes back into play, and Caramagna’s SFX bringing the smashing pain they all try to inflict on one another. On the quieter side of the issue, the lighting in Lucky’s apartment, a dim setting with a noir-ish yellow providing backlight, sets a moody tone for a moody meeting, while Jung’s work ensures it’s clear to us and Ariole that Lucky isn’t kidding when he says he’s sorry and isn’t trying to fight. And the way Domina is always framed, especially in a close-up of her face which the POV is under her height, looking up at her face, places her always in spot of power for every panel she’s in, deserving as she’s in her domain and in control of the situation.
Here are a few other things:
- Over at the official site, Bria LaVorgna, the biggest Aphra fan around, sat down with Kieron Gillen, who helped create the character and kick off her first comic series, and Alyssa Wong, writer for this one in a beautiful, multi-faceted conversation not just about Aphra herself, but the queer-ness of her story and queer stories in general! Go give it a read now!
- As you can imagine, Magna’s reaction to her own return on Twitter was quite fitting!
- As of this writing, with sales to the general public going live a day after (July 1), the Doctor Aphra t-shirt from Star Wars Celebration Anaheim 2022 hasn’t sold out yet!
From the opening panel to its last, Doctor Aphra #21 (Vol. 2) more than lives up to the shocking cliffhanger from the previous issue, showcasing where the story can go next, picking back up with Lucky and Ariole, and reintroducing some fan favorites for what is shaping up to be more delightful chaos we can barely handle.
+ Sparkra’s imposing power
+ MAGNA TOLVAN RETURNS…and so too do some other familiar faces!
+ Ariole and Lucky’s next steps
+ Art team delivers resplendent returns and powerful battles
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 | #19 | #20