Doctor Aphra (2020) #19 - Comic Review

Kho Phon Farrus is hot on the trail of one of the last pieces to the puzzle of the ancient sect known as The Ascendant! Doctor Aphra (2020) #19 finds them revisiting their old school, the University of Bar’leth, where they expect to find a relic known as the Spark Eternal hiding in the archeology department. Flashing between present day and the past, we also witness the first chance encounter between Aphra, Sana, their friend Eustacia, and the new student Kho Phon Farrus. Kho was having trouble checking in as a new student when Aphra, oh so selflessly, chimed in to help them out with one of the university workers. Oh, and about being selfless? Right after helping out Kho, Aphra asks them to help the trio break into the archeology department, inevitably showing the fun, yet often double crossing, character of Aphra herself. The narrative ties together as it flows between both time periods, showing a younger as well as present day Kho sneaking into the same building, but each for vastly different reasons!

Writer Alyssa Wong puts my new favorite Star Wars character front and center in Doctor Aphra (2020) #19 as we follow a Kho Phon Farrus led story. This issue continues the current arc focusing on The Ascendant and the cult’s leftover artifacts that could, in theory, turn Kho into a Sith. Wong does a wonderful job weaving the two stories of Kho sneaking into the archeology department perfectly together, giving just enough plot in each time period before jumping to the other. It’s also a beautiful story to see the juxtaposition between new doe-eyed student Kho in the past versus the present day rogue, only out for themselves Kho Phon Farrus. The bits with Aphra and Sana, as well as Domina and her plotting and scheming, were all fantastic as well, but it’s hard to pay attention to them when Kho Phon Farrus is just SO COOL.

The artistic team also brought their A-game with their art being spectacular enough to match Wong’s excellent writing. The group for Doctor Aphra (2020) #19 consists of artist Minkyu Jung, color artist Rachelle Rosenberg, and letterer VC’s Joe Caramagna. Pretty much every single panel in this issue is a work of art. The standout here might be the way Rosenberg’s colors show the difference between past and present, the past sections being colored with a very slight, almost sepia tone difference, giving off a good flashback with vibes of classic photography fit for an archeological based comic series. Jung and Rosenberg also did a stellar job with the younger renditions of Aphra, Sana, and Kho, looking pitch perfect as to what I would expect these characters to look like in the past!

The main cover for Doctor Aphra (2020) #19 is one of the best covers I’ve seen in a Star Wars comic. Done by artist W. Scott Forbes, this cover shows the young trio of Aphra, Sana, and Kho laying in a grassy field looking like nice and carefree friends. It’s absolutely breathtaking artwork and pulls at the heartstrings knowing how their friendship turns out in the long run. The first variant cover is another Lucasfilm 50th Anniversary cover from the always talented Chris Sprouse, Karl Story, and Neeraj Menon depicting Bo-Katan and Koska Reeves from The Mandalorian. The second variant cover is by Steven Cummings and Rachelle Rosenberg and features beautiful renditions of Doctor Aphra and Kho Phon Farrus.

Doctor Aphra (2020) #19 continues the absolutely phenomenal run by bringing the coolest new character in Star Wars, Kho Phon Farrus, into the forefront of this story. The writing and art are spectacular and the issue continues to build on the fascinating and mysterious sect known as The Ascendant in wonderful ways. So fire up your swoop bike and zoom on down to your local comic shop to pick up a copy today!