Doctor Aphra (2020) #22 - Comic Review

After the Spark Eternal (an ancient all powerful artifact from the Force obsessed cult known as The Ascendant) merges with Aphra, the daring protagonist finds herself in a fight for her body and mind against the centuries old entity. Doctor Aphra (2020) #22 finds the Spark Eternal rummaging through Aphra’s memories as it looks for a specific one that it’s dying to find. Through these memories we find interactions with Aphra’s friends and various life events until finally she gets the ability to fight back, using the Spark Eternal’s memory attack back on itself!

Writer Alyssa Wong once again proves that they’re one of the best comic writers working today with Doctor Aphra (2020) #22. The way they portray Aphra’s struggle with herself and her thoughts against the Spark Eternal is a fascinating battle. It’s not a battle often seen in comics, a medium that typically focuses on physical fighting, and the way Wong writes it is fascinating and exciting. They’re also very clearly building to something epic and huge (I cry at the idea of them building to a probable finale), and this issue continues to ramp up the stakes and tension nonstop. Also, as a fan of lore within any fictional universe, let me just say that there’s a section of this issue that had my jaw drop to the floor in such an awe inspiring and exciting lore filled way!

The visual art of Doctor Aphra (2020) #22 is spectacular, yet again, which has honestly become commonplace within this stellar series. The team of artist Minkyu Jung and Natacha Bustos, color artist Rachelle Rosenberg, and letterer VC’s Joe Caramagna have crafted a beautiful work of art to mirror the spectacular writing within this issue. The colors are the standout for sure, especially within the memory involving Just Lucky and the gorgeous purple and pink planet of Sva’leer. The character art is a very close second, though, with fantastic facial expressions and body language with gorgeous designs and detail with every character.

The main cover art for Doctor Aphra (2020) #22 is by W. Scott Forbes, and gives us a stunning portrait of the titular character after being taken over by the Spark Eternal. The first variant cover comes from the always fantastic trio of Chris Sprouse, Karl Story, and Neeraj Menon, and is the Choose Your Destiny variant cover. If you follow my reviews at all, you know this cover is extra special to me as it depicts a breathtaking portrayal of Asajj Ventress and her two incredibly unique lightsaber hilts. These three always do wonderful work, but this time they really outdid themselves! The second variant cover is the gorgeous Pride variant from Paulina Ganuchaeu—featuring a gorgeous rainbow clad cover of Doctor Aphra herself!

Doctor Aphra (2020) #22 finds our hero fighting for control over her own mind against the Spark Eternal! It’s an incredibly intense issue with stunning art and a fascinating lore drop in the second half. This issue continues to ramp up the stakes and build to what I can only expect to be an epic and explosive finale. So start up those speeder bikes and race on down to your local comic shop to pick up a copy today!