– Spoiler Review –
Doctor Aphra’s (Vol. 2) “The Engine Job” found our intrepid heroine dealing with another powerful player in the galaxy who tasked her with hunting down old High Republic tech which would give whomever holds it an unfathomable power, but while the McGuffins are fun to explore, Aphra catching up with an old flame, Sana Starros, provided the real highlights of the arc.
In my review of the last arc, “Fortune and Fate,” the way writer Alyssa Wong handled Professor Okka and Aphra, from their past together to the present shenanigans they got involved with, made me extremely ecstatic for how she’d handle the return of Sana Starros to Aphra’s and our lives; I’m happy to say she not only met my expectations, but she surpassed them and I have no doubt she’ll be able to keep it up as Sana continues on as a fixture in this series even after “The Engine Job.” Despite being someone who’s read all of the Aphra comics (more than once), I really enjoy how the character continues to be made accessible to new readers as well, as I want more and more people to experience the chaos of Aphra, so one of the defining features of Alyssa’s writing that I can’t stop hyping up is her ability to build on everything that’s come before but not keep new readers in the dark. It continues to be the case with Sana’s reintroduction to Aphra’s misadventures, as she reacts about as much as expected having to deal with Aphra again, though the way her ex has changed means both make surprising decision or comments that keep one another on their toes, giving their relationship some fresh life and potential. Even if you haven’t read their previous interactions or listened to the audiobook, the history between the two is clear and complicated, but the why of it isn’t as important as what they’re going to do about each other now, which is where Wong focuses to delightful, witty, and revealing effect for these two. Sana doesn’t have much trouble keeping the chaotic doctor at arm’s length, and while Aphra isn’t in any type of pursuit, throughout much of “The Engine Job” their complicated history feels less and less of a roadblock to them, at the very least, working together again. I definitely geeked out to the audiobook reference in issue #8, but the way the arc finds the two smiling and surprised by one another is even more worth all my and other fans’ excitement. In the final issue of “The Engine Job,” Aphra and Sana not only manage to be surprised by one another, but Sana actually decides to continue on with Aphra’s next adventure, despite the rogue archaeologist leaving her trapped in a ray shielded bubble by Domina Tagge for a moment. If that’s not progress, I don’t know what is! Will this new dynamic survive? Will they find a way to maybe get together again? If Alyssa Wong has proven anything, it’s that she’ll make it a ride worth taking to find out.
I was surprised to see Just Lucky again so soon after he made his escape, so to speak, at the end of the last arc, as while I enjoyed his character, I wasn’t invested enough to look forward to a return. By the end of “The Engine Job,” Wong helped changed my mind on the character, as his interactions with his ex, Ariole, and how they’ll crash into Aphra and Sana’s tale as they pursue their own goals should be delightful. Lucky, after bringing in Aphra to Domina Tagge, and thusly terminated because his deal was originally with Ronen, he’s continues to look for work to support his brother elsewhere, finding himself back in the clutches of his old employer, Wen Delphis, leader of the Sixth Kin. It forces him to deal with his ex, Ariole, a snarky young man who picks up much quicker on what’s happening to them on their current mission. In a way, Lucky’s been so concerned about himself and his brother, he hasn’t taken in the larger picture or looked past his own problems, sort of like Aphra primarily had problems with (and still somewhat does, but not as badly), though with Ariole thinking about more than himself, maybe he’ll help Lucky see what else is out there, despite whatever broke them apart in the past. How these two navigate the mole within the Sixth Kin, maybe help each other along the way, and deal with Aphra and Sana will be of great interest to me in the next arc, a tie-in to the War of the Bounty Hunters crossover.
While there’s not a lot of Aphra’s new employer Domina Tagge, she certainly leaves her mark when she does appear. She’s a tough customer, almost more deadly than Darth Vader in a way since she’s more concerned about profit and her family’s legacy than destiny, making me very worried about Aphra if she ever hopes to wiggle her way out of their arrangement. She’s already learned a bit about Domina, with her ray shield traps and less than forgiving nature, but what has Domina learned about her in return and how would she use it in the future against her? Turns out Domina might have bigger things to worry about than Aphra however, as her assistant Lapin reveals they found several moles in the company as she’s heard all their competition is having a similar problem. As this information dropped in issue #10, which was the Aphra series’ Prelude issue for the War of the Bounty Hunters crossover, though now with revelation Crimson Dawn is back (seen in WotBH #1) makes me believe these moles are all thanks to them. How this plays out in this series and the larger crossover will be something to watch out for, though I hope it gets handle here first and foremost.
Unlike the opening arc, we had different artists for this one, though one bookended the arc and the other filled in the middle. In the opening and final issues of “The Engine Job,” we had Ray-Anthony Height on art (with Robert Gill on issue #6), while the middle issues had Minkyu Jung, though the rest of the art team stayed the same throughout, with inker Victor Olazaba, colorist Rachelle Rosenberg, and letterer Joe Caramagna. With Height’s art, I found his expressions in the opening issue (alongside Gill) a bit too expressive, with mouths a little too exaggerated for my liking, but it was toned down in issue #10 that I almost didn’t think it was the same artist. One of my favorite pages/panels from Height, Gill, and inker Olazaba comes in issue #6, where Aphra and Domina sit down to discuss terms: one page has Aphra relaxed in her chair opposite Domina, arm languished over the side, talking a big game, leveling her blaster slowly at Domina…only for the other to tap a device on the desk and encase Aphra in a ray shield dome. On the next page, as her air starts running out, Aphra has a spooky flashback of herself in the cold of space, Vader a specter looming over her floating body, showing her reckless escape from him in Darth Vader #25 (Vol. 1) hangs heavy on her mind still. I also really enjoyed the heavy chaos and big explosions of issue #10, where Rosenberg’s colors bring the heat and Caramagna almost makes the pages rumble, while the smiles Sana and Aphra share is something I’ll treasure for quite some time. Jung’s work in the middle issues had some of my favorite panels, and while I also found his style overall to be more to my liking, I can’t say I have a favorite between the two artists. The opening of issue #8 is a great example of my love for Jung’s, with Olazab inking, work, as the bar built into overgrown trees has a wooden, claustrophobic, but nature-focused feel, while the full page panel of the environment of the planet, Dol’har Hyde, where trees have engulfed ships from a long-ago battle, is such a unique, rarely seen shot in Star Wars I had to stop and drink it in, especially thanks to Rosenberg’s darker purple coloring. Also, and maybe I’m just seeing it because I’m looking for it, but when Aphra and Sana meet for the first time in a few years, the way Jung draws them in Sana’s apartment only adds to the sense of their history, as there’s a familiarity to their movements around one another and comfort in their poses around one another. Rosenberg’s colors shined throughout, per usual, but I particularly enjoyed how she made the scene with Lady Proxima In issue #8 feel ripped right from Solo: A Star Wars Story and it’s lighting scheme, while the neon-ish lighting in the bar Ariole and Lucky are in during issue #9 had such a specific, dingy feel to it I couldn’t help but love it. And on lettering, Caramagna, a series and Star Wars comics overall stalwart, provides easy to read bubble designs that allow the art to tell the story and keeps a great pace, while his SFX range from the subtle sounds of Sana punting Aphra out of her place and clunking the door on her, to the loud shouts of Proxima cursing Aphra’s name or kaboom of explosions across many different scenarios they two find themselves in.
Here are a few other things:
- It’s rather damn awesome this comic not only has two LGBTQ+ couples (or well, ex-couples), but it also introduced a non-binary character in Lapin, making a large part of its cast LGBTQ+, a rarity in Star Wars but supremely welcomed as the galaxy needs to grow more diverse.
- From June through October, and we already saw a little tie-in during issue #10 as I mentioned above, Aphra joins the War of the Bounty Hunters crossover, though if the other series are anything to go by, you can probably still read just this and not feel left out/still get Aphra-goodness if trying to read all the comics, or even the eponymous miniseries, isn’t really your thing.
- Speaking of crossovers, for an original character from the comics, it’s pretty damn neat Aphra’s been in all three so far: Vader Down, The Screaming Citadel, and now War of the Bounty Hunters.
- Beyond the Aphra comic, Alyssa Wong will be writing the upcoming War of the Bounty Hunters – Boushh #1 one-shot in September, which will also see more of Domina Tagge!
- The MacGuffin being related to The High Republic, a Nihil Path engine potentially found and about to be used again to change the galaxy, was a fun way to mention the new era for fans who are reading it or for those who aren’t/might not be aware of it yet! I’m not surprised it didn’t turn out to work still, as the special hyperspace Paths the Nihil took relied on an oracle of sorts (you’ll have to read the books to find out!) though I’d be curious what was on the engine’s core Aphra might be able to use to keep Domina off her back once the latter finds out she’s been duped.
Doctor Aphra (Vol. 2)’s second arc, “The Engine Job” brought back Sana Starros and did it in such a spectacular and interesting way, it continued the series’ penchant for honoring what’s come before and pushing forward to new and even better things.
+ Sana and Aphra putting up with one another again
+ Turning my feelings on Lucky around
+ Fun adventure and great new adversary in Domina/Vukorah
+ Art teams both delight in everything from comfort between characters to hijinks
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
Doctor Aphra (audiobook)
Volume 1: Full Volume 1 Review