Doctor Aphra (2020) #30
SHATTER
Aphra and the Spark’s uneasy alliance continued through their journey to the Ascendant’s temple on Pyrr IX.
However, after reliving some of Miril’s memories, the shared body of the Spark and Aphra discovered another Ascendant artifact, one that the Spark used to silence Aphra!
Meanwhile, Sana Starros and her crew, along with Kho Phon Farrus, have developed a plan involving the ancient Fermata Cage to capture the Spark and remove it from Aphra’s body.
It all leads to Amaxine Station.…
Writer: Alyssa Wong
Artist: Minkyu Jung
Letterer: Joe Caramagna
Colorist: Rachelle Rosenberg
Cover artist: Rachael Stott
Editor: Mark Paniccia
Publication date: April 12, 2023
Strong opening pages are Star Wars comics stock-in-trade, and the 30th issue of the second volume of Doctor Aphra takes up that mantle as we hear the vow of the Spark Eternal, promising the long dead Miril that they will destroy the Sith, regardless of the damge it may do to the body it’s inhabiting. That body is Chelli Aphra, and we watch as she swings her blade towards an approaching Darth Vader onboard the Amaxine Space Station as we swing to the nearby starship Fleeting, where Just Lucky, Sana Starros, Ariole Yu and Magna Tolvan are watching the battle between the Empire and the Crimson Dawn fleet, waiting for an opening which Ariole spots, taking the ship in as we see SpAphra get the better of Vader knocking the blade from his hands as the crew of the Fleeting run in, the power of the Fermata Cage sucking on the life force of all who surrounds it. Just as SpAphra is about to strike, Vader himself lunges, the Spark forced from Chelli, and we see her flee as Vader is about to end her.
The Spark has no intention to leave Aphra, and as we see BeeTee and Triple Zero take on the Fleeting crew, Pho tells them that if they want to separate the Spark from Aphra and trap it in the cage they need to redo the Ascendant Ritual. Magna and Sana get close to Aphra, the Spark still trying to take hold as Chelli tells them they need to stab her with the Null Blade, to disrupt the flow of energy and short out the older essense of the Spark Aphra believes is acting as an anchor for the current Spark to hold on to. They try to get the Null Blade to Pho, the droids trying their best to intercept, and as the three women surround Aphra and finish the ritual, they short the Spark.
We’re inside the Memory Box, where we see Aphra speaking with the Spark, explaining why it failed to take her over completely, both of them remembering the long-dead Miril as Chelli opens her eyes to see her friends surrounding her, her eyes damp from tears as we roll out of yet another engrossing issue.
With the conclusion of the Hidden Empire mini series it seems as if the Spark Eternal plot is done as well, and if it is then it will certainly be a storyline that will be well remembered. It feels like the right time for a switch, to focus on other stories and adventures for the good doctor and her friends, but it’s certainly impressive to keep what could have easily become a tiresome ‘bodyswap’ plot so interesting, and integral to the storylines and comics running alongside it. Who knows where we’ll be taken next, but whatever the plot or adventure the creative team on Doctor Aphra have certainly more than earned our support.
- Amazon Kindle Edition
- Wong, Alyssa (Author)
- English (Publication Language)
- 23 Pages - 05/03/2023 (Publication Date) - Marvel (Publisher)
