There can be only one Aphra, which isn’t a good thing when there are two.
Creative Staff:
Story: Simon Spurrier
Art: Caspar Wijngaard
Colors: Lee Roughridge
Letterer: VC’s Joe Caramagna
What They Say:
A ROGUE’S END PART 2: THE DARK LORD FALTERS…DOCTOR APHRA’s reunion with her FATHER would’ve be a happy affair – if he wasn’t a pompous blowhard set to take her job as the Empire’s chief archaeologist. Of course, her dear old dad will have to survive Imperial Interrogation first, and which pair of charming psycho-droids do you suppose DARTH VADER has hired for the job? And what happens when the ancient stones of a long-lost Jedi Temple cast their ghostly influence upon the Dark Lord of the Sith himself…?
Content: (please note that content portions of a review may contain spoilers):
As we move closer to the fortieth and final issue of this run of the series, Doctor Aphra has some solid material here once again – even if it stretches disbelief just a bit. Simon Spurrier has been having a lot of fun with this series but I like his work on it more when it dials things back a bit and isn’t so big and wild like the last couple of arcs are. This installment also continues to look great as I like Caspar Wijngaard’s artwork on it where there’s a kind of rounder and softer approach to our title character. But he also captures the harsher side of the empire well, both in Vader and other designs that show up throughout it.
Being in Vader’s orbit is bad enough but having Vader return to the ship with her father as his prisoner? That takes it to a whole new level. She knows exactly what kind of torture he’ll put him through and that there’s a good chance he’ll end up very dead by not saying anything. I love seeing how quickly she works to try and win Vader over to her side of things to go easy but the reveal that our favorite murderbots there sucks the oxygen out of the room instantly. Unsurprisingly, Veers fills her in that they were found floating in the space lanes and had their memories wiped and restraining bolts placed on them so they’re pretty safely in Vader’s control right now. I don’t believe a lick of that and imagine that they’re playing a much longer game here. But that doesn’t help Aphra either way and she just has to convince her father to flip for the Empire.
Which, it turns out, is surprisingly easy since he didn’t realize they wanted to know about the Rebels and not the ruins he’s trying to run down. This all leads us to a group being sent to the temple where he encountered the rebels to find clues so there’s plenty of tension just in how that unfolds as Aphra keeps looking for a way to get her father someplace safe. This part of the book is really good as Vader ends up in an old Jedi temple ruin that torments him a bit that ends up giving Aphra some clues to start nibbling on down the line. But for Vader, it just makes clear that this was a waystation and there aren’t much in the way of clues, which means its time to start clearing house. Bomb the ruins, pick an Aphra to live, you know, simple things.
In Summary:
The Doctor Aphra series has had a lot of ups and downs but it’s in that place now where I really like it. As much as the crazy stuff is fun, there’s something about this kind of tension that we get mixed in with some really fun reveals and a sense of impending doom. Spurrier keeps the book fairly personal and intense for Aphra as she deals with trying to keep her father alive – and then realizing she’s on the line as well – while Wijngaard puts together a great looking book. It flows well, the designs look great, and just the big moment in the altar room is fantastic. It’s sometimes the small moment visuals like that which deliver the best.
Grade: B+
Age Rating: 13+
Released By: Marvel Comics via ComiXology
Release Date: November 6th, 2019
MSRP: $3.99
