I continue to feel worse and worse for Tolvan.
Creative Staff:
Story: Simon Spurrier
Art: Kev Walker, Marc Deering
Colors: Java Tartaglia
Letterer: VC’s Joe Caramagna
What They Say:
“BROKEN INSIDE” CONTINUES! Doctor Aphra may be in Imperial prison, but she’s certainly not alone. Rumors have it that these bars are haunted, but this rogue archaeologist knows there’s something much more valuable going on. Meanwhile, Aphra’s got information – information that the Rebellion wants. But how far are they willing to go–and who are they willing to recruit – in order to get it?
Content: (please note that content portions of a review may contain spoilers):
As we move further into the Broken Inside arc of the series, Simon Spurrier is further cementing his take on Aphra as we get the slow but steady rebuild mixed with the idea that she is who she is and will always be that. Aphra was very distinct when playing off Vader but has been a bit less defined on her own, especially since we’ve had a range of heist stories. What helps is that we continue to get some great artwork with Walker and Deering nailing the general look and aesthetic, especially with the aliens and some fun use of the technology to tell the tale. Plus, they get to spend time with Sana in this issue and that’s definitely a great addition.
The use by Hera of sending Sana after Aphra is something that works really well since they need the code from her before she ends up dead or broken within the conscript army jail that Aphra’s in now. Sana’s not exactly amused when she finds out that it’s Aphra but the recognition is spot on and it makes it easier for both her and Hera to be on the same page – though Sana’s obviously only doing this for the money. Still, I’m enjoying the addition of Hera here since we also get a segment with her being talked to by Sana about loss and all I could think during Hera’s silence was what happened to her at the end of the Rebels run with Kanan. That definitely colors one’s view of the sequence depending on how deep in the reading/watching you are but it’s an area of Star Wars that I enjoy because the more you know the more you get out of it.
With Aphra, she’s essentially spending her time in the jail working her way on getting out of there. She’s come up with a creative solution of getting Tolvan to essentially rescue her. Well, it’s more guilting her into it and a bit of blackmail along the way. There’s a lot of quiet material here to some degree and there are interesting moments with what Aphra’s on about in talking with another of the prisoners but the highlight was Tolvan coming in and throwing her authority around and then the escape itself, which has Aphra being tempted by some very old tech she comes across on the way out. It reinforces really nicely the way she is about archaeology and what it means to her even at the threat of her own life and being stuck in this jail longer.
In Summary:
While I had fun with the book overall and certain key areas this issue felt more like it was somewhat treading water to a degree. We do get some forward movement but there’s a lot of downtime and dialogue, which I enjoy, but at times didn’t feel like it was adding enough. I’m still having a hard time getting a handle on Aphra as a character when she’s not facing off against Vader but I’m really enjoying the dynamic with Tolvan and hoping for more time with Hera as well. Walker and Deering continue to put together some great pages here with solid layouts and a whole lot of fun with the creature design and that helps to just make it all fun to read.
Grade: B
Age Rating: 13+
Released By: Marvel Comics via ComiXology
Release Date: June 27th, 2018
MSRP: $3.99
