Review: Star Wars Doctor Aphra #8

Star Wars Doctor Aphra #8 is an embarrassment of riches. It has incredible character work and art and picks and chooses from the Star Wars universe to create a new tapestry of characters and world builds with glee. Here Aphra and Sana Starros team up to snag hyperdrive technology from an ancient Nihil ship. The presence of concepts from High Republic concepts within a classic era comic is just a great way to grab attention and writer Alyssa Wong makes great use of it. There is even an ominous emphasis on the rapid tree growth around the ship which could just mean that the Drengir may be thriving. The art around the forest and embedded ships is so complexly wonderful and the colors perfectly complement the massive scope of this adventure.

The second plot line with Lucky shooting down a criminal on Canto Bight is just as joyful. The familier location and the racing Fathiers are a great callback to The Last Jedi. Sometimes the sequel era allusions can be grating but here it’s handled exactly right, using the concepts and locations simply as a backdrop to build characters. The highlight of the scene is the song Lucky sings as he takes down his target including references to Beskar and Naboo.

The adventure ends with Sana and Aphra realizing that the hyperdrive they thought Beol De’rruyet had is not the real thing just as they are attacked by General Vukorah. The explosive attack leads to a classic cliffhanger wondering if our anti-heroes survived to explore another day. Overall this is an amazing issue.

The art by Minkyu Jung conveys stong emotions, powerful action and a sense of adventure that’s vital to a great Star Wars book. There is world building with new characters on top of classic and new concepts. The book is alway filled with a humor that feels natural and fits the adventurous caper tone of the book. This book is clearly meant to feel a bit like Ocean’s 11 and it nails that perfectly even while feeling like a true Star Wars epic.

Writing: 4.7 of 5 stars
Art: 4.6 of 5 stars
Colors: 4.8 of 5 stars

Overall: 4.7 of 5 stars

Writer: Alyssa Wong
Art: Minkyu Jung
Colors: Rachelle Rosenberg
Publisher: Marvel Comics

Author Profile

M.R. Jafri

M.R. Jafri was born and raised in Niagara Falls New York and now lives with his family in Detroit Michigan. He's a talkative introvert and argumentative geek. His loves include Star Wars, Star Trek, Superheroes, Ninja Turtles, Power Rangers, Transformers, GI Joe, Films, Comics, TV Shows, Action Figures and Twizzlers.