– Spoiler Review –
Another two month hiatus only serves to heighten my enjoyment of Doctor Aphra’s return, as issue #8 (Vol. 2) contains several references this long time fan is still dying over, while it pushes along the new dynamic between Sana Starros and Chelli Aphra, and ends on quite the explosive cliffhanger!
As always, the littlest of things tend to bring me tons of joy, and writer Alyssa Wong has packed Doctor Aphra #8 (Vol. 2) to the brim with the small moments that left me screaming. We’ll begin with the biggest one: a reference to the Doctor Aphra audiobook’s expanded content about Sana and Aphra’s past! Written by Sarah Kuhn, the audiobook* explored new content by diving into Sana and Aphra’s time at University together and what led to their less than friendly split. Of the many memorable scenes, the second time Aphra sees Sana (Saphra, maybe?), climbing the University of Bar’leth’s rock wall for sheer thrills, she falls right into her soon to be girlfriend, a moment Sana references here in this issue! I’ve been wondering when/if Wong would make any callbacks having Sana and Aphra together for the first time since the audiobook released, and she didn’t disappoint with this hilarious line from Sana and banter with Aphra. Of course she takes it one step further, as seen in the issue’s preview, by having Aphra fall again; it’s a frightening moment for the two of them, but a funny moment for us readers. Overall, not having enjoyed the audiobook won’t preclude you from enjoying this moment between the two, especially as the rest of the issue builds on the new dynamic between the two exes. Sana still would prefer to keep Aphra at arm’s length, though she Luke Skywalkers across a chasm with Aphra in tow to save them both, but it’s obvious she cares about her still, from her concern over Aphra falling (which lettering and art let us in on the truth) to her prying questions. Aphra continues her slightly-more-honest streak with Sana, and even askes for Sana’s trust though she knows she won’t get it, and the two end up almost working together better now than ever before, these moments of harsh honesty bridging a gap made mostly from Aphra’s dishonesty. I can’t wait to see what Wong does with these two characters, as it’s already clear she has an excellent handle on their dynamic and knows where she wants to take it; I am here for the ride!
Another small moment full of delight was a reference to Aphra’s murderous murderbot companions, Triple-Zero and Beetee-One! Ever since the closing of the first volume, with only Trip’s head intact and BT’s chip uploaded to her then ship, their absence has been curious, but in no way a detriment to the current volume. Regardless, it has seemed weird they weren’t around, considering how things ended, and Aphra suggests, after Sana’s question, they are “freelancing” (or at least she thinks). What in the Maker could that mean?! Those two deadly, psychopathic droids out and about, doing their own thing, has led to trouble for many people, including Aphra, before: they took over a criminal organization and became Aphra’s Masters for a short, terrifying moment, so who knows what else they could get up to. Though if they are freelancing, who might they be working for now, and why? And how much is Aphra getting, credits-wise, for lending them out? I don’t expect we’ll learn much more anytime soon, but it’s a fun mystery to have in the background.
Last, though certainly not least, is another name Sana brings up from Aphra’s past: Magna Tolvan! Much like the murderbots, Tolvan’s not appeared since the previous volume, beyond a mention in Aphra’s narration from issue #1, though she got an ending of sorts in the Epilogue story from the Empire Ascendant one-shot, where we see her, Aphra’s father Korin, and a ward of sorts Vulaada making peace with Aphra’s choice for sticking them together and out of harm’s way. It wasn’t the worst of break-ups, especially for Aphra’s standards, but it was definitely Aphra’s least selfish one, so I’ve always wondered what the odds were we’d see Tolvan and Aphra in the same space again; again, like the murderbots, I don’t think it’ll happen anytime soon, but I won’t mind being wrong.
The plot does move along quite a bit here, unlike what my review might make it seem spending time on all these small conversations! On Dol’har Hyde, the two exes are tracking down the source of the Nihil Path engine sold on Corellia, partly to ascertain if it’s legit and partly to see if they can find one of their own. Turns out there was a big battle on Dol’har Hyde, with the Nihil mauraders, who terrorized the galaxy during the High Republic era (and no, we haven’t covered the events which lead to this graveyard just yet), though they were a little unlucky because of the planet’s intriguing, hungry trees; not Drengir, thankfully…or at least, hopefully! Of all the characters to mention and talk about High Republic stuff, Aphra really is the best choice, as her profession and obsessions make it reasonable she’d know or read a lot about galactic history (and last arc she spoke about the era already!). Despite the age of the technology, Aphra did get a High Republic-era ship up and running last arc, she manages to bring one of the doomed ships to life, unlocking its secrets and finding out the Path engine Domina Tagge and others are so anxious to get their hands on isn’t even the right piece, or at least that it’s one part of a larger piece. The revelations end there, as Vukorah and the Broken Clan catch up with the two ladies and open fire, sending them plummeting to their death; I said there was a good cliffhanger! How they wiggle out of this scrap, especially with Sana already injured from stray shrapnel, should be fun to watch. Thankfully, we won’t have another two month break between issues, as it was all to line each series up in time for the giant War of the Bounty Hunters crossover starting in May!
Doctor Aphra #8 (Vol. 2) continues Just Lucky’s story too, where he merrily hums a song during his assassination of the latest target given to him by the Sixth Kin to help cover his little brother’s debts. It doesn’t seem like it’ll be enough, as an old friend and one of the Kin’s lieutenants, Ariole Yu, collects Lucky as he’s coming back, telling him they’ve been summoned by the leader, Wen Delphis, together. There’s a lot of history between Ariole and Lucky, and from Lucky’s “sweetheart” comment alone, they were likely a couple for some time; Wong teased this pairing back in January in her interview at Marvel, which is well-worth a read in of itself for her thoughts on working on this series and her other works. It remains to be seen where and how Lucky’s tale will intersect again with Aphra’s, or even if it will, but these last two issues have certainly increased my interests in what comes next for him.
Minkyu Jung continues for the series on pencils, with Victor Olazaba as inker, Rachelle Rosenberg as colorist, and lettering by Joe Caramagna. The planet of Dol’har Hyde is such a great environment by the team, as it makes me think of a space version of the video game series The Last of Us, with the technology engulfed by nature; the single page of the giant tree, stuffed with dead Nihil ships, highlights nature’s lasting power, and thus signaling the Nihil’s fleeting power, while colors by Rosenberg, with the blues and purples, adds a somber vibe to the gorgeous scene, fitting for what is technically a battleground graveyard. The space inside the tree felt appropriately large and cavernous, making Saphra’s (if it’s not a thing, I’m trying to make it one) swing across seem even more impossible and wild than Luke and Leia’s on the Death Star, while the rust and plants sneaking around the interior of the Nihil ship Saphra land in conveyed truly how much time has passed. I’m really enjoying the face work on the characters, as the team offers plenty of subtle glances between the two women, or can convey, big, expressive emotion as they run for their lives, which adds so many more layers to the story; I particularly liked Aphra’s less than enthused look after dealing with Sana’s questions, especially mad about Sana thinking she knows what happened between her and Tolvan, whacking the Nihil console in frustration. As for Caramagna’s lettering, there are some epic-sized KABOOMs with all the explosions tearing the panels, and I really liked the size ratio to the panel for some of them, like when Saphra are swinging across the gap, as it conveys the large, likely echo-like sound quality of such an open space. Also, the way the blaster shot is angled when Lucky takes out his target feels like it’s coming from the exact same angle Lucky’s shooting, thanks to how Caramagna places the SFX effect, and I thought it was nice, small touch.
Here are a few other things:
- Sana and Aphra will grace two of Marvel’s planned Pride Month variant covers in June!!
- Dol’Har Hyde seemed so familiar to me, but I couldn’t place what it might be from, but the good folks at Star Wars Splash Page podcast connected it to Francis Dolarhyde, the main antagonist of Red Dragon (Hannibal Lector series). They suggest the connection is because Dolarhyde needs to consume his victims and the planet consumed the ships; I only saw the movie and I don’t recall it much, but this sounds very likely, especially since Wong is an admitted horror fan!
- *The Doctor Aphra audiobook’s script will be released on hardcover April 6! It looks rather awesome, doesn’t it? If you want a signed copy by Sarah Kuhn, order it through The Ripped Bodice! Also, don’t forget, her Gentle Giant bust is still available to pre-order! (And it seems the Triple-Zero bust is still available to preorder too!)
- While it’s not a surprise to hear the first few opening issue of a series to get a reprint, a 7th issue reprint is not totally unheard of but still a (nice) surprise, so it was great and amazing to hear Doctor Aphra #7 (Vol. 2) received a reprint! It seems the reunion of Sana and Aphra was highly anticipated by many and for good reason!
- That War of the Bounty Hunters crossover I mentioned? It begins in May, starting with an Alpha issue and “prelude” tie-in issues for the rest of the on-going series (Aphra included), followed by a miniseries beginning in June. But it doesn’t stop there, as the story will continue to spill into the other series for the time being, making it one of the largest crossovers in Star Wars comics’ history.
Doctor Aphra #8 (Vol. 2) is quality Saphra content, while its many references to stories past add some great rewards for fans and it continues to make Lucky’s tale one seemingly worth following.
+ The Saphra is STRONG with this issue!
+ The little things: audiobook reference, Tolvan and murderbots mentioned
+ Getting me more intrigued about Lucky’s story
+ Big and small moments, art adds so much more to script
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 REVIEWS:
Volume 2: Fortune and Fate – #1 | #2 | #3 | #4 | #5 / Arc Review — The Engine Job: #6 | #7
Doctor Aphra (audiobook)
Volume 1: Full Volume 1 Review