STAR WARS: DOCTOR APHRA #13
Writer: Kieron Gillen
Penciler: Kev Walker
Description:
Doctor Aphra’s had a plan to auction off an artificial Jedi intelligence in order to make some major credits. Unfortunately, things haven’t exactly gone according to plan… Darth Vader is back, and our rogue archaeologist is less dead than he thought he had left her. less
I have loved the Doctor Aphra series and it’s well worth reading. But as much as I have loved it I have to say that issue #13 doesn’t quite fall into that category. I like the issue, I just didn’t love it. It certainly is a good issue and writer Kieron Gillen continues to maintain the level of quality of the story. Vader is back and his battle with the ancient Jedi consciousness Rur is the standout moment of the issue. Artist Kev Walker also continues the high-quality art and again especially during the Vader/Rur fight.
The reason this issue didn’t earn the highest marks from me is that the book is a wrap-up issue. It concludes everyone’s storylines, sends them on their way and gives the reader a glimpse of what is next. While that’s all fine and good it just doesn’t elicit the excitement and action of what came before it. There’s a perfectly good reason to do this and honestly outside of a mini-series most books don’t go to this level to tidy up the house before moving on is such a definitive manner.
On the plus side, it is nice to see a conclusion to the many different plot lines Gillen has been juggling since Aphra first acquired the Rur crystal, running through the crossover The Screaming Citadel and wrapping up with a semi-confrontation with Vader. “Semi” meaning to simply hide from Vader. This is where the one single disappointment lies in the final two issues with Vader. With Vader distracted by Rur and then becoming a goal for Vader, it left no time for a final face-to-face with Aphra. Vader only senses her presence and ultimately abandons any confrontation chalking it up to being able to “losing some of the smaller fish” in light of a bigger prize. With all the storylines being wrapped up nicely this is the one that’s left unfulfilled and it would have been nice to see a final moment between the two.
But seeing the final punctuations on the stories of Black Krrsantan, Triple Zero and BeeTee, Vader and the Emperor was a nice touch. Gillen tops off the stories with Aphra on a vacation but not before we see her, mirroring Han Solo, by doing the right thing with all the artifacts she has been collecting. She may be a “scoundrel” of sorts but still maintains a sense of right and wrong at the appropriate times. Gillen sets-up Aphra with a clean slate moving forward but quickly reminds us of Aphra’s self-preserving side by shooting first and asking questions later, just like Han.
Star Wars: Doctor Aphra #13 is not a bust and for some will satisfy the curiosity of how the smaller players are moving on. But a final Vader/Aphra scene would have gone a long way to elevating this book to a higher level that the majority of this series has been on from the beginning.
Writer: Kelly Thompson
Marco Checchetto art is absolutely fantastic and enriches a story that is already fully engaging. His attention to detail and form is crucial to making Phasma more than just cool costumes. Because we don’t ever see Phasma’s face Checchetto must do more with Phasma’s actions and body language so that the audience connects with her and he does with great skill. The action sequences are so complex and detailed you want to review more than once so you get the whole experience. It’s a perfect for this title. Andres Mossa’s colors add the final stunning touch. The colors are so varied and rich that they are crucial to making all the elements of Checchetto’s work feel even more alive than they already do.
Captain Phasma is now the character I was hoping to see and this series does such a good job making all the characters more personable and likable even when they do bad things. It deepens the mystery of Phasma while at the same time enriching her by expanding her beyond just being the chrome trooper. She’s still strongly a by the book military soldier but now we get to see more layers and complexity that the movies might not be able to provide. Captain Phasma #2 and many of the Star Wars titles shouldn’t be missed or undervalued if you love the universe building that books like this accomplish and you want more from seemingly one-dimensional characters. This title gives you all that and more. Captain Phasma #2 is a must read!
Marvel
Star Wars #36 mixes plenty of action with a very comical rescue by deception, sprinkled with plenty of pedestrian language about the R2 series Astromech’s “true” operations to accentuate the narrative. Very well laid out and creative use to tell the overall story. Aaron has done a great job with what has been essentially one-shot stories but now that we have all the details I’m very interested with what the bigger picture holds!
Written by: Charles Soule
Darth Vader continues to be a must read for Star Wars fans and easily one of the most exciting and top books in the Star Wars lineup. Issues 1-5 gave an impressive look behind Vader’s mask, literally, and fills you in on a lot of information especially if you are not a reader of the novels. All of it was very eye opening for me and can’t wait for what’s next. If the teaser is any indication then things are about to pick-up. Do not miss out on this series!
Written by: Kelly Thompson
Thompson crafts a well thought out plot and maintains clever crossover moments that we saw play out on the big screen using Phasma’s point of view. Fans also get the first appearance of a character that I won’t spoil here but if you were engaged on all the new items launched on Force Friday this will be a special treat for you. I thoroughly dug it! The art of Marco Checchetto is just fantastic! He keeps the frenetic feel and pace from the chaos of Starkiller Base’s final moments and the action of Phasma’s mission jump off the page. Andres Mossa’s coloring is on point as well and adds the perfect compliment to Checchetto’s line work.
This miniseries is not a deep dive into Phasma’s origin, for that, I recommend picking up Phasma a novel written by Delilah S. Dawson. This is the closer look at how Phasma escapes Episode VII and moves forward into The Last Jedi and it’s a lot of fun, exciting and dynamic. It fits perfectly within the storyline of The Force Awakens and expands nicely on it as well. I love it when a writer can expand on a story, flesh out an underdeveloped character and make the whole thing feel cohesive. Captain Phasma #1 is a great story and while the narrative structure was a little complex but it doesn’t hurt to go back and read this book a second or third time. It’s well worth the investment for fans of Star Wars and Captain Phasma. This first issue has me anxious and excited for what’s to come. Highly recommended reading!
Star Wars: Jedi of the Republic: Mace Windu #1, outside of its overly long title, is one of the few Star Wars titles from Marvel that dips into prequel territory. There have been a few, Obi-Wan and Anakin for example, but this one develops some new characters and some interesting psychology of the Jedi during the Clone Wars. The mindset of Jedi as peacekeepers turned generals was always an underlying theme in the movies but writer Matt Owens tackles the deeper emotional war the Jedi must now face with great skill and guides the reader seamlessly through this rollercoaster ride the Jedi are now on.
Mace Windu is at the center of the story and his opening conversation with Ki-Adi-Mundi really gets to the heart of the Jedi’s struggle. There are some more familiar faces, Yoda and Kit Fisto among them, but we are introduced to new Jedi Prosset Dibs and Rissa Mano. Dibs is sightless but has a strong intuitional connection to the Force and Mano is a new Jedi, but according to Mace, has impressive piloting skills rivaling those of Plo Koon. Windu and his team must head to Hissrich on the outer rim to take out a Separatist foothold that doesn’t really feel like much of a threat.
Mace Windu is definitely a book with a lot of potential and the team behind the book are obviously just giving us a teaser of what’s next and I’m excited by the possibilities. It’ll be interesting to see how deep a look Owens gives of Windu moving forward. He has started off well and I look forward to learning more about Mace Windu, that I feel, we only got a sampling of in the movies. A definite read for any Star Wars fan but also those who want a different perspective of the Clone Wars from the characters with who we are already familiar and for those who maybe didn’t watch the Clone Wars animated series.
STAR WARS #35 is a Han and Chewie centric story focusing on the transport of Grakkus The Hutt to the outer rim. Writer Jason Aaron starts off strong with the characterization of Han Solo which is spot on for Solo. Han’s wit, snarky remarks, and sarcasm is on full display in his encounter with Mon Motha and the assignment she asks him to take on. The overall story is entertaining but fails to reveal much else outside of a single mission to help the rebellion. Han’s reluctance and eventual acceptance of the mission are typical of the character but I wished there were more self-doubt and hesitation.
Now I must address the art of Salvador Larroca in a manner I always cringe at discussing. While the majority of the issue is well illustrated, the image of Han and the few panels of Mon Motha, particularly their faces close-up, is incredibly distracting. While the rest of a panel is drawn using very traditional comic line work, Han’s face is in almost all instances photo-realistic. I don’t know if this is a combination of the pencil work and the coloring of Edgar Delgado or this is simply Larroca’s call but either way every time it appeared immediately took me out of the story. All I could focus on why Han’s face looks like that as opposed to everything else on the page. Especially when it was in direct opposition to Chewie or Grakkus, Mon Motha not so much but, still stuck out like a sore thumb. Outside of that, the art was very good along with the cover, by Mark Mayhew, I just wish it was more traditional throughout.
Star Wars #35 is a good read and could have but I am hoping for bigger and better things in the future. It may be because it’s the year is winding down and annuals are starting to rear their ugly head that we are getting a lot of stand alone issues. Either way, I look forward to a return to a four to six issue run of a deeper long running story arc in the Star Wars universe.
Cassian & K-2SO #1 is a one-shot giving readers essentially an origin story of the pairing of the rebel intelligence officer and Imperial security droid. Writer Duane Swierczynski maintains the tone of Rogue One with plenty of action and lighthearted even funny moments. He also keeps intact the humor and nuances of K-2SO we all fell in love with in the movie. The story itself is about what essentially is a mission to extract Imperial security protocols for the rebellion.
There aren’t too many surprises here even though we learn more about K-2SO joining the rebellion. I wish we could have gotten a little more backstory on Cassian but that would be better played out if this wasn’t simply a one-shot. It certainly would make for an interesting ongoing series. All in all, CASSIAN & K2SO #1 is a solid read and definitely feels right at home in the Rouge One storyline. It’s got plenty of action, humor and most importantly a definitive conclusion and explanation to K-2SO’s importance to the rebel cause. Any fan of Rouge One will find this a satisfying chapter to that story but this could have been great if it gave readers a deeper dive into the connection to the original Star Wars trilogy.
The last issue of Doctor Aphra ended with the ancient Jedi Rur possessing the body of a droid determined to destroy Aphra’s chance of selling him to the highest bidder on the black market. Writer Kieron Gillen kicks off Doctor Aphra #11 in a high intensity, chaotic fight to stay alive. This issue is all action from page one. Gillen has a unique challenge here by addressing some universal understandings of how and why certain Star Wars characters behave. When Rur is on the attack he goes against almost everything we believe about the Jedi. He’s aggressive, angry and vengeful which plays more like a dark side mentality. Gillen pulls it off but you never really see Rur as a Jedi. It is consistent though because Rur gave Luke pause and concern back in the “Screaming Citadel” storyline when Luke was contemplating training under him back in Doctor Aphra #8.
Gillen also tackles the notion that droids protocol’s make them what they are but Aphra is none too shocked to discover that Triple-Zero and Beetee are behind much of the chaos. They try to play dumb and Gillen makes this comical but Aphra can see right through it. Vader’s killer droids have always been blood thirsty but conniving and underhanded feels less like protocols and more like sentience. That said, if these are protocols then they are meticulously planned which by the end of the issue seems a lot more plausible. More on that later but again good writing by Gillen. As stated previously, this issue is non-stop action and at times the pace is so frenetic that it can get a bit confusing. This was a definite issue I had to go back through a second time.
Whatever mojo writer Charles Soule took from Darth Vader last issue he certainly returns to him in spades in DARTH VADER #4. Issue #3 ended with Vader missing the lower part of him left leg and crumpled in a heap from his first encounter with Jedi Master Kirak Infil’a. Soule walks a fine line with Vader making him both vulnerable and powerful simultaneously but one thing Vader does not lack is determination. Soule quickly takes Infil’a from his penance, confident in Vader’s death, and out to restore the Jedi Order. While Infil’a does all the talking Vader is all about action.
Giuseppe Camuncoli does most of the heavy lifting in illustrating Vader’s discovery of his true power and he walks the reader through it with meticulous precision. He never leaves you guessing as to what’s happening on the page even when there’s no narration or dialogue. It’s a subtle thing but really carries the weight of Vader’s struggles and triumphs.