Doctor Aphra (2020) #8 - Comic Review

Check out our review for the previous issue before you read ahead.

On a mission for the intense and dangerous Domina Tagge, head of the Tagge Corporation, Aphra and her old school friend Sana Starros are searching for an old Nihil ship to find out information about the Nihil Path engine that both the Tagge Corporation and its rivals De’Rruyet Industries are trying to get a hold of. They travel to the beautiful world of Dol’har Hyde where they find a few ships, including a Nihil battleship, engulfed by the trees and nature of the planet. Supposedly the ships have all been picked clean centuries ago, but being an archeologist Aphra knows there’s still information to be found anyway. At the same time, across the galaxy we find Just Lucky in the equally beautiful, albeit less natural, city of Canto Bight. Working his own job as a sniper on a very wealthy gambler he ends up crossing paths with Ariole Yu, a lieutenant of the criminal group the Sixth Kin that Lucky’s brother owes money to. Ariole has come to tell Lucky that they have both been summoned but Wen Delphis, leader of the Sixth Kin, though they don’t have any idea why, but it’s rarely a good thing for Lucky to be summoned by Wen. Back on Dol’har Hyde, after a near disastrous trek to the battleship, Aphra and Sana end up on the bridge where Aphra digs around until she finds the hyperdrive and realizes this prize is much more than anyone had anticipated. Unfortunately for them, as soon as they find their prize, General Vukorah and her Unbroken Clan syndicate find their own prize: Aphra and Starros!

With all the Star Wars comics tying into the High Republic era the past few months, Aphra’s solo comic has been the best, and Doctor Aphra (2020) #8 is the perfect example why. Writer Alyssa Wong perfectly utilizes the adventurous archeology aspect of Aphra’s character and story to explore the High Republic era with intrigue and enthusiasm that only Aphra can bring us in regards to centuries old artifacts and machinery. Between digging through sources for clues, investigating old relics for information and items that may have not been seen for hundreds of years, and the thrill of going to hard to reach places full of danger and peril, Wong really knows how to write a story that is both fun and fascinating in a world through Aphra’s eyes. There may not be traps set like past adventures with our lovable rogue, but the perils of just exploring hard to reach places along with the danger of other enemies hot on the explorer’s trail give us the intensity and danger we all crave on Aphra’s missions!

While the story and writing here is an absolute blast, Doctor Aphra (2020) #8 honestly shines its brightest with the visual artistic group. The first page has Aphra and Sana sitting in a bar beautifully drawn by penciler Minkyu Jung with incredible detail and expressions all around between the bartender and our two heroes. Both inker Victor Olazaba and color artist Rachelle Rosenberg wonderfully bring their rich detail to this scene, but it’s page two where all three of them take your breath away with the stunning landscape of the Dol’har Hyde surface and nature. Rosenberg’s blues, purples, and greens all blend perfectly to create a rich lush sense of life atop Jung and Olazaba’s tapestry of life and nature mixed with century old machinery just how small these characters are within the beautiful and fascinating galaxy. The three artists also do a wonderful job juxtaposing the natural beauty of Dol’har Hyde, rich and vibrant and devouring of machinery and ships alike with the oppressive and artificial beauty of Canto Bight halfway through the issue. The colors, shadows, and architecture are much darker and feel more man-made than Dol’har Hyde while still being rich and beautiful in their own right. All in all this issue is a breathtaking example of the finest visual work in a comic today with multiple pages feeling like they belong framed in an art gallery.

The lettering here is crisp and well done from VC’s Joe Caramagna and the sound effects, especially during Aphra’s fall onto the Nihil battleship, are vibrant and fun fitting perfectly with the fun tone of the issue. We also have an explosive cover from artist Joshua “Sway” Swaby with tense expressions, and slightly amusing when it comes to Aphra, giving a glimpse at the kind of story that fills Doctor Aphra (2020) #8. The variant cover by Natacha Bustos is also gorgeous with the vibrant colors and fun adventure of the issue displayed proudly on the front of the comic.

Between investigation of centuries old ships, danger, beautiful natural and artificial locations, more danger, intriguing plot developments, and impending doom, Doctor Aphra (2020) #8 is a must read chapter in the story of the galaxy’s favorite archeologist on sale today at your local shop!