Review: Doctor Aphra Vol. 1- Aphra

Quick Summary

Pros: The overall mystery is compelling and is sure to keep readers’ interested in what is going on. Aphra is a great character whose personal journey is entertaining all on its own. The humor provides a nice change of pace. The artwork suits the collection’s tone.

Cons: The volume has problems with pacing and motivation. Some fans may not like the more humorous tone of this collection.

Overall: The first volume in a brand new Star Wars comic starts out well and shows a good level of promise for the future. It follows a compelling cast of characters as they attempt to discover the secrets behind an equally compelling mystery. Along the way, the story hits a few speed bumps but nothing significant enough to seriously derail the narrative. Instead, the collection ends up reading well and shows that Aphra can stand on her own as a Star Wars character. Those who enjoyed Aphra in the Darth Vader series or those looking for a more lighthearted and different Star Wars story should give this collection a read.

Story

Doctor Aphra Vol. 1: Aphra, by Kieron Gillen, is a decent start to a Star Wars series that follows a great cast of characters. In this collection, Doctor Aphra finally has a chance to shine on her own as she uncovers a unique and tantalizing mystery. Her journey of discovery has some problems, especially in regards to pacing and motivation, but the journey as a whole is still entertaining. It will also prove especially entertaining for those looking for a more lighthearted Star Wars story, since the characters in this volume make more jokes and are involved with more humor than your typical Star Wars character. Overall, this is a worthwhile opening volume to a series that will, hopefully, only improve.

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Aphra follows the adventures of Doctor Aphra and her father as they attempt to uncover the mystery behind a reclusive sect of Jedi. This mystery ends up being one of the collection’s most compelling elements and a big source of interest for the book as a whole. Early on, the book presents two possible solutions for this mystery, giving readers something to hook them on the narrative. Then, when the truth is finally revealed, it ends up delivering a satisfactory explanation that works well with Aphra’s personal journey. The adventure is entertaining overall and even manages to include some pieces of Star Wars lore that fans will appreciate.

However, the actual course of events following this mystery has small problems with pacing and motivation. The Ordu Aspectu is set up as an impossible to discover treasure that will take a lot of work to get to. However, the characters find it over the course of a few pages. Then, once they unearth Rur’s personality, it begins attacking them for only vaguely defined reasons. These small problems prevent the adventure from being as good as it could have been.

The other major draw for this collection is the characters themselves. Doctor Aphra starts out as a cold-blooded villain, willing to torture her own father in order to get what she wants. Flashbacks even imply that she was worse in the past, destroying lives and ruining reputations just to help herself. However, throughout this volume, there are moments where Aphra’s humanity shines through. She appears to be developing as a character, making her progression something worth watching.

Aphra also features a shift in tone that will appeal to different readers in different ways. Aphra, Triple-Zero, and Beetee’s actions infuse this entire volume with more comedy than is normal for a Star Wars story. Some readers will appreciate the more lighthearted storytelling and the focus on humor. However, other readers may find this to be too much of a change from typical Star Wars stories, especially those looking for a more standard adventure. Personally, I enjoyed the humor and found it to be a nice change of pace, though I can easily see other readers not enjoying it as much.

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Art

The artwork in Aphra is alright overall and suits the volume well. Kev Walker does a fine job with presenting each of the characters and shows a good level of creativity when diving into the technology of the Ordu Aspectu. Plus, Walker’s work here is lighthearted and slightly stylized in a way that works perfectly with this book’s tone. It allows the humor to come across better and keeps the overall adventure more light than a typical Star Wars story. Overall, the artwork here helps make this a more cohesive and entertaining collection.

Continuity

Doctor Aphra Vol. 1: Aphra is the first volume in a new Star Wars comic series. However, it directly continues Doctor Aphra’s story from the conclusion of Darth Vader Vol. 4: End of Games (Review). Both stories take place between the movies Star Wars: Episode IV- A New Hope and Star Wars: Episode V- The Empire Strikes Back.

The story here continues in Star Wars: The Screaming Citadel (Review).