Doctor Aphra (2020) #9 - Comic Review

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

On planet Dol’har Hyde, Doctor Aphra and her smuggler friend Sana Starros barely survive an attack by their enemy General Vukorah of the Unbroken Clan crime syndicate. With Aphra and Sana thought to be dead, Vukorah summons her people to go to the planet Midarr in search for the Nihil hyperdrive that was picked up by Beol De’Rruyet of De’Rruyet Industries. Thankfully, Aphra and Sana barely survive the attack and, after realizing Vukorah has taken out the nearby residents on Dol’har Hyde and most likely knows the location of the ancient Nihil tech, rush to get to Midarr as fast as possible! While the two jump through space, we catch up briefly with a few of the supporting characters of the story. First up is the woman who hired Aphra, Domina Tagge, of the Tagge Corporation, who receives a mildly threatening message from the Empire based on them no longer being the leader in hyperdrive technology if De’Rruyet’s claims of cracking a revolutionary advancement are true. The second is our favorite sniper Just Lucky as we find him doing a collections job for Wen Delphis and the Sixth Kin crime organization. The job seems to be going quite well, maybe a little too well, when Lucky comes to realize he might be in over his head. The story then goes back to Aphra and Sana as they arrive at Midarr just in time to investigate the Nihil Path Engine, with an explosive realization, before all the players in the current story start to converge in a pulse pounding cliffhanger!

While Doctor Aphra (2020) #9 isn’t the biggest advancement in plot, it does deliver a lot of fun moments throughout. Writer Alyssa Wong continues to imbue this comic with a wonderful sense of humor, Aphra and Sana posing as interns and annoying Beol De’Rruyet for example, while also giving a sense of urgency and danger which is pretty much where all the characters end up by the final page. The fun banter throughout is always a highlight of every issue of Doctor Aphra (2020) and this one is no exception with Just Lucky’s segment being almost entirely fun action packed banter panels. By the end of the issue, with Aphra finding out how big of a threat they are actually facing, the intensity is ratcheted up a few notches to set up for a fiery confrontation and leaves the reader just dying to know where this goes!

The most exciting part of Doctor Aphra (2020) #9 is the art as penciler Minkyu Jung, inker Victor Olazaba, and color artist Rachelle Rosenberg take us all over the galaxy, showcasing their wonderful talent in perfectly realizing many different and individually unique locations within the short span of 20 or so pages. From the beautiful flora covered Dol’har Hyde to the equally beautiful and less nature filled world of Canto Bight and it’s neon lit bars to the bright technologically advanced planet of Midarr and even Domina Tagge’s ship The Acquisitor and the wide expansive viewport to the vast space beyond, this team of visual artists have proven once again they can do it all with stunning results. Jung gives us wonderful and deeply emotional expressions throughout, the highlight being the grand power, beauty, and intensity of Domina Tagge that in just two pages gives off such dominance that I kept coming back to these pages long after I read them. Olazaba and Rosenberg’s ink and colors are perfect again as we explore all these different planets and locations with Club Lazuli of Canto Bight being one of the most visually stunning looks in today’s Star Wars comics.

The FWOOOSHes and CHOOMs here are not to be missed as letterer VC’s Joe Caramagna stuns with wonderful lettering and sound effects scattered throughout the issue. While the big fights and explosions are expected to have equally awesome sound effects, it’s the little ones that Caramagna does for doors opening or people being yanked into dark alleys that really adds a lot of nice flavor to the issue. The rest of the dialogue and speech bubbles are also done very well with a beautiful flow. Joshua “Sway” Swaby and Rachelle Rosenberg stun us with a beautiful and heartbreaking cover. While the cover doesn’t really portray much of the story inside, it grabs attention with a moving display of sadness and love that makes it a wonderful piece on it’s own. We also have Ray-Anthony Height and Arif Prianto here with the variant cover of Doctor Aphra (2020) #9 which delivers a fun, laser blast filled piece that perfectly encapsulates the story inside!

Bouncing between multiple planets and many different characters, Doctor Aphra (2020) #9 is a fun and light bridge between issues as Aphra continues her journey to uncover the truth, steal from the powerful, and provide plenty of laughs and heart to a galaxy in the midst of a Galactic Civil War. So jump into your starfighter and whoosh on down to your local book or comic store and pick up her newest tale today!