Doctor Aphra (2020) #21
DESPERATE MEASURES
The race is on for Ascendant tech!
Rogue archeologist Doctor Aphra and smuggler Sana Starros have been tasked with collecting ancient Ascendant tech by Domina Tagge.
Having made their way to Bar’leth University separately, Kho Phon Farrus, Aphra and Sana engaged in a lively discussion with their old professor, Sava Nos, about the Spark Eternal: A piece of tech that can grant tremendous Sith-like power.
While trying to take the Spark for herself, Aphra is possessed by it, and now she is something else entirely….
Writer: Alyssa Wong
Artist: Minkyu Jung
Colourist: Rachelle Rosenberg
Letterer: Vc Joe Caramagna
Cover artist: W. Scott Forbes
Editor: Mark Paniccia
Publication date: June 29, 2022
UPC: 75960609724101911
Having almost accidently performed the rites to reveal the Spark Eternal after a mad dash race across the galaxy it all came to ahead when the Spark fused with Aphra possessing her body and locking away her mind. Sana and Kho fight for their lives as they face off against an, somehow incredibly, even worse version of our mischievous archaeologist.
I’ve said before that Aphra is chaos incarnate and that’s never been more true than here. Where some people might argue that Star Wars‘ current trend of long dead malcontents wreaking havoc on the galaxy through possession is an easy way of creating big stories without affecting the Skywalker Saga, I personally think it’s a great way to build up lore to inform meaningful tales in the future. This is how we got the beloved Darth Bane trilogy and there’s nothing to say that this Ascendancy storyline won’t lead us down similar paths later on.
After they escape with their lives the story goes in an unexpected direction with Aphra as the villain and Sana working with Kho in an exciting sequence of putting a team together to take on the Spark Eternal. The last few issues led me to believe that we were coming to the end of this particular arc but it seems like we’re only just getting started. I’m not complaining because this where Doctor Aphra works best, when it’s playfully delving into the dark corners of the galaxy through the Indiana Jones-esque excavation of ancient artifacts. Wong obviously knows what’s special about Aphra and doubles down. Gone are the days of Spurriers po-faced and glum Chelli and we’re back with a more consistent and involved version of Gillen’s anti-hero, just with sadly less murder droids.
A large factor in the consistency is Minkyu Jung’s gorgeous art. In this issue they go all out and revel in this new dark Aphra. Every panel pops and you could almost get the story if you took away the words, its that good. It’s vibrant, fun and and has helped, more than any other artist before, to carve a chaotic corner in this congested galaxy.
We get a customary check-in with Crimson Dawn through Lucky and Ariole in this issue as we flash back to the events of War of the Bounty Hunters and a conversation we weren’t shown at the time. It has interesting connotations but it remains to be seen of it will prove to be meaningful or if it was just there to earn that Crimson Reign banner at the top of the cover.
I won’t spoil the last panel but it really gives me high hopes for the next few issues. Wong has made a solid move revisiting Aphra’s past and I hope beyond hope that it leads to two characters that haven’t been seen yet in this run but were a big part of what made the original run so special.
Star Wars: Doctor Aphra: Volume 5 @ ForbiddenPlanet.com