– Spoiler Review –
With lots to contemplate after speaking frankly with exes Sana Starros and Magna Tolvan, Chelli Aphra decides the next best thing is to…capture Luke Skywalker?! Doctor Aphra #32 (Vol. 2) takes us on a wild, strange, and fun adventure like only this team can, all while never abandoning progress.
There was a ton to unpack after dozens of issues in the Spark Eternal storyline and issue #31 did so in a way only writer Alyssa Wong could, as it wsa honest, natural, and biting, all done in a style full of extra emotion we’ve come to love from the art team of Minkyu Jung, Rachelle Rosenberg, and Joe Caramagna. After such a great release, and one of Star Wars comics’ best issues of all time, as much as there was clearly left to be done, it would’ve been a cathartic enough finale to the series if it needed to be, but thankfully the creative team isn’t done just yet! While many of the characters we’ve come to love and see grow have left the series, for now, Doctor Aphra #32 (Vol. 2) isn’t letting what’s all transpired and what’s been said to the eponymous character go, but if readers are wondering what all the fuss is about and haven’t checked out this series yet (almost criminal!), this feels like a stellar place to hop on. Aphra’s on a new adventure, this time with a coerced Luke Skywalker, and it’s really just the two of them, plus Artoo, you need to know going in…oh, and some Jedi from the past….but we’ll cover that in a moment!
“Coerced” is a kind way of putting how and why Luke’s on an adventure with Aphra. She knocked him out last issue and he awakes in a storage crate, alive and well much to Aphra’s delight, while Artoo lays deactivated, restraining bolt firmly attached. Luke’s not surprised in the slightest it’s Aphra’s fault, especially after their history, which this issue overtly references as she apologizes for the whole Screaming Citadel incident. Aphra, Luke, and Artoo have all met several times before, first in the Vader Down crossover event and then in The Screaming Citadel crossover, though it’s there where they had the most direct interaction. She tricked him into helping her back then, essentially selling him to a parasitic vampire queen in hopes to increase her profits with an activated Force-infused crystal, nearly getting him and his friends, and Sana Starros, killed in the process. I reread it in the lead up to this issue and their dynamic was a lot of fun, even as he puts her in her place and tells her to stay the hell away from him despite her lame attempt at an apology in the end, and somehow Alyssa Wong captured what made these two work in a bottle and managed to pour out more than was put in. But it’s not just their dynamic which is so fun this issue, it’s how Wong presents each character now compared to how they were the last time they were together. Luke’s still the extra-good-hearted person Aphra both can’t stand and is envious of can do it so effortlessly, while he’s even more in control of his emotions but still unsure of his path forward, doing his best with the Force Wave disrupting his connection. Aphra’s grown since they last met, even if she kidnapped him and claims she’s helping him, as despite these actions her motives, way down inside under the usual selfishness, are to take steps to address Sana’s problems with Aphra which prevent them from ever being together again. In a way, both are looking for what’s next for them, how to be better, be it a Jedi or a just as person in general, and Aphra seems to think helping Luke with his problems will help her with her own. It all remains to be seen if it works out, but this effort is certainly off to a memorable start for both of them.
It’s not just the Luke and Aphra dynamic and character journey potential which has me invested in the newest storyline, it’s the adventure itself, as it feels like we’re back to the opening arc of this series with strange worlds, creepy unknowns, and unexpected moments. Aphra shows Luke a holographic message of Jedi Master Shaaki Ti telling fellow Master Aayla Secura about a mysterious artifact called Kythoo’s Bell, recruiting her to help move it to the Sason Temple to keep it out of Sith hands (at least, what we can tell from the garbled message). What’s so special about the Sason Temple it could protect against an artifact falling to the Sith? A giant magnetic storm overwhelms the planet, knocking out all types of sensors on ships, leaving them to navigate on luck and Luke’s tenuous connection to the Force. He connects with what he eventually calls a “note,” which we see might just might be the bell the Jedi Masters hid years ago, and helps pilot them through the storm, a delightfully drawn sequence with a big payoff: Temples floating in the sky, covered in what looks like cotton candy from a distance, sitting in the eye of the magnetic storm. It’s a beautiful, strange view and when they land, Luke’s inability to connect with the Force leads to magnetically formed guardians attacking them, as bright pink as the cotton candy wrapping the floating temples, but far less friendly looking. It’s a unique setting and an interesting set up, from the hauntingly beautiful look of the world, the potential power of the bell, to the usage of the natural ecosystem to make protectors, there’s a lot to take in and enjoy. Getting into the Temple is a great obstacle for the two to overcome, as she needs him to hold the ghouls at bay and he needs her to find the very real item controlling these things and destroy it, and it was cool to see the two of them working together despite everything that’s happened between them. This is another part of the issue where Wong’s take on their dynamic is so engaging, as Luke begins to reveal the Force Wave (caused by the events of Hidden Empire #5) has turned his connection on and off at will, Aphra’s incredulous the Force isn’t working somehow offers readers tons of laughs, as they go back and forth over how helpful he’ll really be on this job. The Force Wave problems are played a little more dramatically in Star Wars (Vol. 2) and Darth Vader (Vol. 3), so I love Wong taking the more humorous angle, having fun with concept and sort of making Aphra an audience surrogate for the semi-ridiculous, yet interesting concept affecting Force-users.
After the Force Wave reactivated his abilities and helped him blast back the guardians while Aphra destroyed the device controlling/creating them, Luke’s ready to pass out, though the floor beneath them opens and they plunge into the unknown. Splashing into water safely below, the two make for solid ground…only to find themselves looking up at JEDI MASTER SHAAK TI AND AAYLA SECURA?!?!?!?!?!? WHAT?!?! Back at the Marvel panel for Celebration Europe 2023, Shaak Ti’s return seemed clear, but then looked to just be a reference in the issue, while she and Secura were set to make direct appearances on variant covers on issues #32 and #33, so I went back to never expecting to see these two beyond like flashbacks for this story. And then issue #32’s final page has them standing before Aphra and Luke, somehow, someway?! Is this actually them? Are they both alive somehow? Or is this a trick of Kythoo’s Bell? More magnetic creations meant to look like these two Jedi Masters? Like an imprint of them? Does this relate to the upcoming return of the strange Starweird creature of Legends-lore past in any way (also mentioned at the panel)? Considering how Shaak Ti looks visibly older, yet Secura doesn’t, and we actually saw the latter’s death on film, I’d put money on at least Shaak Ti being alive and real. Of the two, we’ve never actually seen her die, as there were two variants of a death for her in Revenge of the Sith though they are only deleted scenes (you can see both in the film’s Extras page on Disney+), while Yoda’s vision in the Dagobah dark side cave in The Clone Wars episode “Voices” (Season 6, Ep. 11) seems to suggest Anakin/Vader kills her (one of the deleted scenes), but we all know visions don’t always come true, so there’s never been a direct confirmation of her death in canon; in Legends, she died in The Force Unleashed. Without a confirmed death, her fate is open, so I could see her being alive here, though why she’s never left would be an interesting story to hear if she’s truly alive. As for Aayla, her death seems more than certain given the overwhelming blasterfire she falls to on Felucia, as seen in RotS, but we’ve seen characters get cut in half, burnt alive by lava, and get stabbed with a lightsaber and live to see another day, so maybe Shaak Ti saved her? Even if they end up being a trick of the Bell, this was such a fun reveal and has me so excited to see what happens next, beyond just more Aphra shenanigans and her dynamic with Luke.
What makes this issue so mesmerizing is Jung’s art, Rosenberg’s colors, and Caramagna’s lettering, all starting with Sason itself. As I mentioned earlier, the buildings floating in the sky at the center of the magnetic story seemed to be wrapped in cotton candy, like they are clouds themselves holding up the structures, and against the swirling backdrop of the maelstrom around them, they look especially peaceful and inviting. The coloring here, a friendly, peaceful, almost lovingly-light pink, as if it’s soft and easy and won’t be any problems for the visitors. The maelstrom itself, darker pinks and a bright, orange core, is less friendly, giving such usually lighter-side colors a darker, menacing connotation. Luke and Aphra’s flight through the storm is such a great sequence, the expanded, double-page spread layout starts with the Ark Angel IV swooping into the storm, Caramagna’s SFX beginning to place the strength of the tempest winds in our minds with a “whoosh” effect he returns to later in the spread, as well as a small “ratakaka” to denote shaking and rumbling in the ship. When Luke tells Aphra they need to go deeper into the storm, the shaking SFX only gets bigger, taking over the thin sliced panels on a page, which has us turning our heads to look Luke and Aphra straight on, as they flip over navigating the storm. Aphra’s expressions this issue are so, so good, using her hands a lot as she questions just what the heck look means the Force isn’t working, while later it’s clear she’s doing the mocking wiggly fingers over Luke saying he did use the Force despite that to get them to the Temple. The look of the magnetically creature guardians were neat, almost like a rancor but with a sharp, almost crystallized looking body, as pink as the seemingly soft, cloudy ground around them, with a menacing swirl of teeth, while the effect of their bodies reforming makes the threat feel insurmountable. After they’re defeated, the floor opens up beneath the two and I really liked how this sequence plays out, them fall backwards, us unable to see what’s beneath them, just like them, then the next panel is all black with a big “SPLASH,” pink as everything else so far, designed like it’s water, only for us to finally see them in said water, looking breaking the surface and Artoo crashing onto solid ground nearby. I just like we’re in the dark with the characters until much later in the page, leaving the resulting pool a surprise for us and them.
Here are a few other things:
- I’ll be interested to see more of the memory/vision Aphra had as Luke tells her the Force is out of control, as she thinks about Vader and maybe believes it’s his fault, yet one panel shows her and Ochi of Bestoon pushed away by the Dark Lord using the Force, but these two, as far as we know, haven’t met yet, to my knowledge. A vision of the future? A moment we haven’t see yet from the past? Time will tell!
- While this issue came out May 31, my review’s here on June 1, the start of Pride Month! There’s some great Pride variant covers coming our way this year, with Aphra starring on the cover of her own series for issue #33. Several other Aphra series characters grace covers, with Magna Tolvan on Darth Vader #35 (Vol. 3), Just Lucky on The Mandalorian Season 2 #1, and Domina Tagge for Bounty Hunters #35!
- I LOVED Aphra’s line about letting her tomb-rob in peace instead of always having guardians, which took me back to Doctor Aphra Annual #2 but it also seemed like a sly reference to the Tomb Raider games (and Uncharted and/or Indiana Jones)!
- As a bit of a beer drinker these days, I kept pronouncing Sason as “saison,” and I’m probably wrong, but hey, it works.
- I’m assuming this likely takes place prior to Luke’s own little journey to Christophsis in the Star Wars (Vol. 2) series, but I am hoping and assuming we’ll get a little more clarity either way.
- If you’ve seen the Barbie and Ken meme of them going to jail from the recent Barbie movie trailer, then hopefully you’ve seen this EXCELLENT version of it by Myomikan with Luke Skywalker and Aphra!
Doctor Aphra #32 (Vol. 2) feels like a refreshment after the depth of emotional fallout last issue, though it doesn’t shy away from those moments informing what comes next, all while having fun doing so as the series tackles an intriguing new MacGuffin.
+ Luke and Aphra dynamic amidst quite the intriguing new mystery
+ Wait, who did they just meet?!
+ Gorgeous and mystifying artwork
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: #1-5 — The Engine Job: #6-10 — War of the Bounty Hunters: #11-15 — Crimson Reign: #16-21 —The Spark Eternal: #22 | #23 | #24 | #25 — Ascendant: #26 | #27 | #28 | #29 | #30 | #31