A new shift in the wind.
Creative Staff:
Story: Simon Spurrier
Art: Andrea Broccardo, Marc Deering, Scott Hanna
Colors: Chris O’Halloran
Letterer: VC’s Joe Caramagna
What They Say:
“UNSPEAKABLE REBEL SUPERWEAPON” PART IV. It’s time for DOCTOR APHRA to do what she does best: honor her commitments, help people in need, do the right thing. Hahaha, nope, the people she’s swindling won’t buy that either. Unlucky for them, she’s always two steps ahead. Unlucky for her, the steps lead directly to Coruscant, and into the arms of an old enemy…
Content: (please note that content portions of a review may contain spoilers):
The narrative for this arc has felt a little weird from the start so I’m not surprised that I’m feeling a little out of phase with the storyline itself. That’s been the case with the series for a bit where I don’t feel like I’m really connecting with it. Simon Spurrier has some fun ideas here and going big in a way that can play out in the background but it’s also just enough off that I don’t quite like it. The shifting art team doesn’t help much either though in general I like what Andrea Broccardo does here and has in general across the run. But there are pages that feel off, or at least a few panels, and things don’t click or feel as consistent as they should – especially compared to other Star Wars books.
Aphra’s attempt at getting the weapon has her team engaging in an amusing diversion while she and Krrrsantan slip in to acquire it. That she has to deal with Tolvan is no surprise but I do like hearing Tolvan say that she’s thrown in with the rebels as much as she has. What really works well is you get Aphra listing all the things that this splinter group of rebels are looking to do with the weapon and how they’ve lied to her. Only she knows that it made sense to not trust her too much considering her history, and she can’t fault them at all for it. There are a few attempts at this but the reality is that Tolvan will do what’s needed because it will save Aphra and she knows Aphra’s facing such a serious threat in the form Vader that she does have to go to extremes in order to really try and fix things.
Of course, Aphra has to go even bigger in trying to save her skin and deal with Krrrsantan and that’s a big gamble that puts her face in the front of a lot of Imperials that will want to kill her – especially under Vader’s orders. But this is where things just get wonky and I don’t feel like it’s really clicked well yet. We get the propaganda group coming in again and I do think it’s a great area to explore. The woman running it is basically looking to tamp down things for the Emperor since Aphra went so big and she’s willing to pay off most of what’s needed, but the whole thing is just kind of surreal in a way that doesn’t work well for me. I can’t quite put my finger on it but part of it is that I just can’t imagine it actually being run in this manner and there’s a kind of almost flipness about it that’s disconcerting.
In Summary:
As we move along in this storyline, Doctor Aphra has some decent moments and some moments that just kind of fall flat for me. Everything feels like it’s a bit rushed but without purpose in knowing where it wants to go and where it wants to be. There are so many great paths that the book could explore but it keeps getting tied up in the Name Characters and can’t seem to escape that. It’s a huge galaxy and there are so many things to riff from the books or other series to use as launching points. Spurrier continues to do well with the Tolvan/Aphra dynamic and there’s some good fun and action here and there, but the propaganda side just isn’t connecting and there’s an air about the book that keeps me from really getting fully into it at the moment.
Grade: B
Age Rating: 13+
Released By: Marvel Comics via ComiXology
Release Date: August 21st, 2019
MSRP: $3.99
