Doctor Aphra #36: Chelli Lona Aphra, Lovable Deadbeat

Doctor Aphra is a beloved character to most. Like Deadpool or Harley Quinn she is a funny, inventive, highly skilled, and an anti-establishment anti-hero. She is in a word, fun. However she is also a terrible person. She is myopic to her own goals and will even betray even those she loves most to get there. This chapter hits hard on reminding readers of this in two different ways. For one, at one point her partner on this job. Just Lucky, totally abandons her. He has been on a score of missions with her. The two do not like each other, but respect their separate skill sets. Aphra has left Lucky to die a couple times. It is no surprise that he even smiles as he leaves her in danger. The other shinning example of how terrible a person she is when she uses another character as bait to her grizzly demise, simply for stealing from her. It is completely lost on Aphra that she has done thousands of worse acts herself.

In complete contrast to this, Magna Tolvan remembers Aphra fondly for the first time in a long time. Tolvan is a recent lover of Aphra. Aphra characteristically betrayed her, but another ex-lover of Aphra, Sana Starros, got Tolvan to help her rescue Aphra from The Spark eternal. That issue ended with Sana and Aphra splitting, but hope with Tolvan. This issue shows Tolvan, being the ex-Imperial turned rebel, also investigating weird droid activity at General Leia’s request. This shows the reader that even though Aphra is a total piece of Sith-spit, she is still lovable to audience as seen through Tolvan. Undoubably this will lead to a reunion of sorts for future issues. Fans get a brief look at her for the first time in many issues recently in this series, but this issue promises a return to the series proper.

There is a unique impact on the overall saga with this issue because it starts off with General Leia Organa, renowned warrior princess. Doctor Aphra comics have, but almost never feature Rebels, let alone the regal survivor of her planet’s destruction and revolutionary since her early teens. Tolvan is a rebel agent. This connection makes complete since. However Aphra stories usually involve the her father, Darth Vader, not the daughter. Doctor Aphra’s recently proximity to Vader as well as now being tied to his offspring must be The Force at work. Not to be understated, but this issue completely ties into the “Dark Droids” multi-series event it is part of as well. it has tons of possessed droids. The art in this issue is outstanding. Leia is unmistakable Leia. She bears her Hoth look and even without text, readers will know exactly who she is. Aphra, Lucky, and Tolvan are less recognizable in art alone, but context fills in the gaps nicely. The colors are super supportive. Unlike many “Star Wars” comics, which follow a motif, the colors her superbly adhere to narrative and art much like a film or show adaptation would. This gives it a very live action episodic effect over a cartoonish one.