Published: July 19, 2023
Rated: T
Writer: Alicia Wong
Artist: Minkyu Jung
Colourist: Rachelle Rosenberg
Letterer: VC’s Joe Caramagna
Cover Artist: Junggeun Yoon
The synopsis;
ENTER THE STARWEIRD!
• Long ago, Jedi Masters SHAAK TI and AAYLA SECURA sealed away a GREAT AND TERRIBLE POWER…
• …a horrifying, ancient creature that RESONATES WITH THE FORCE…
• …and DOCTOR APHRA and LUKE SKYWALKER have just released it!
The review;
The previous issue was an absolute pleasure to read: atmosphere, mystery and tension in bucket loads, all presented by Doctor Aphra and Luke Skywalker running around an old Jedi temple – well, Jedi prison. It’s the sort of story that Aphra was made for, and writer Alyssa Wong has used it as a chance to get back to the basics, away from the rest of the baggage that this series has to carry around with it. This week, joined by Minkyu Jung, we get to see what is contained within the temple: The Starweird!
The story opens up as a flashback to Aayla Secura and Shaak Ti. These flashbacks add so much to the story, as if we ourselves are unravelling our own pieces of history. It’s a clever way to bring characters back that we all want to see, expand the story and – well – be totally cool. These flashbacks could have been their own comic, there is plenty of story here that could be told. Of course, here, they are so we can learn more about the nemesis in the issue, the Starweird.
I adore this villain. From the first moment we see them in this comic, there is such a horror element to it. You can actually hear it scream out of the page and Wong has really chosen their choice of words well to capture what they want us, the reader, to hear. More than that, Jung’s artwork is exceptional. The design of this creature, the way that Jung has drawn it, the flow of the body as it moves around the temple, it all brings this creature to life in a way that you can see it for all its gruesome terror. Last week had such incredible atmosphere underpinning mystery, this week it is still incredible atmosphere but this time it’s a bone-chilling kind. It is the natural progression for a story like this and Wong and Jung work in perfect unison to bring this issue (and the Starweird) to life. Wong that lets us in a bit more information about it, that it is in fact, a planet eater. Now I could be wrong, but having something that is extinct finding its way into Aphra… and we know that Wong is writing a story for The High Republic… could this be the introduction for a character that we might see in Phase Three (I am expecting Daniel Jose Older to jump out at me now and say “canon” … no?!)? We know that Aphra has included things before that have featured in The High republic, it would be great (and poetic) if this time it was the other way around.
Aphra herself really takes the spotlight in this issue. As soon as the Starweird is revealed, we see that Aphra’s education has been thorough as she knows exactly what her and Luke are up against. After all the events with The Spark, we see that Aphra is beginning to move past it, that her confidence is returning… and failing her! The fact that she things she can control the Starweird so easily made me a bit concerned that Wong was going to give our characters a very easy way out. Nothing could be farther from the truth. Aphra gets it very wrong and thus begins the chase. Aphra is able to use her brilliant brain to start thinking what to actually do that might help her escape. It is here that we see just how much her confidence has been affected by recent events. It’s not overplayed, it doesn’t dominant the story, it’s a single panel to remind us that it has happened, that Aphra is dealing with it. It’s this tip of the hat to the events that I really like as it doesn’t slow the pacing of the story down, and it had the potential to.
The Doctor isn’t alone. I want to mention Luke but first it has to be Artoo. Always fearless and saving our heroes from danger. It is such a touching moment that even when a would-be-Jedi and infamous archaeologist can’t fight a strange creature, the little droid zooms in, I afraid and zaps the blighter. I gave a little cheer for him! Artoo has always been an intricate part to Star Wars and its little moments in comics like this, that remind us why this astromech is so cool. Luke has his moments, but they are nowhere near as magical as Artoo diving in! It seems right that this issue features Luke less, that Aphra take centre stage yet there are effects that I’m sure will get featured in the regular Star Wars series by Charles Soule soon.
This arc has been pure bliss. After such deep moments in the previous arc, such repercussions, Wong has completely stripped the series back to remind us of what pure joy this series can be. Add in fan favourites like Luke Skywalker, Aayla Secura and Shaak Ti and you have the perfect combination. The atmosphere in this series really goes through several stages, each done perfectly by Wong and Jung. This is so evident in this finale, a true horror show of cat and mouse. It is where Wong has always excelled with their writing and Jung’s artwork captures that vision wonderfully. You don’t need to have read Doctor Aphra before to enjoy this, it’s the perfect jumping in point for new fans. But for established fans, this harkens back to the early days and I for one love it!
Availability;
Doctor Aphra (2020) is an ongoing series published by Marvel Comics. This issue retails at $3.99 and is available via the Marvel App, ComiXology and all good comic book stores.
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