Image Description: book-cover of Star Wars – Doctor Aphra, Volume 1: Aphra by Kieron Gillen.
Title: Star Wars: Doctor Aphra, Vol. 1: Aphra
Creators: Kieron Gillen (Author), Kev Walker (Illustrator), and Kamome Shirahama (Illustrator)
Social Media: Goodreads
Publisher: Marvel Comics
Format and Price: Kindle format at $12.77
Stars: 5 stars out of 5
About The Creators:
The relevant links are available above.
About The Book:
Collects Doctor Aphra #1-6.
Following her time in the clutches of Darth Vader, Doctor Aphra has barely escaped with her life. If the Dark Lord of the Sith ever learns of her survival, he’ll hunt her to the ends of the galaxy. But for now, it’s time for a return to what she does best. With droids Triple-Zero and BeeTee-One in tow, she’s off in search of rare artifacts from the galactic centre to the Outer Rim — and everywhere in between. Aphra’s got debts to pay, after all. Just as long as she can stay one step ahead of the Empire, some bounty hunters… and just about everyone else in the galaxy!
General Observations:
~Character Focus – Doctor Aphra: I liked how the reader gets to gradually find out about Doctor Aphra’s backstory. Doctor Aphra (thus far) has been shown to be a Lovable Rogue type with a Chronic Backstabbing Disorder. While presented as morally grey, Doctor Aphra appears to have some standards, and is disillusioned by the Empire as a force for good. I also liked how Doctor Aphra was generally able to out-smart her opponents.
~Character Focus – Triple-Zero and BeeTee-One: Have you ever wondered what an evil C3PO and evil R2D2 would be like? Triple-Zero and BeeTee-One are the answer to that question. As entertaining as it is to read about Triple-Zero’s eagerness to kill people and BeeTee-One’s desire to set everything on fire, I hope these two droids aren’t regulated to these specific jokes, and hopefully get character development of their own.
~Sliding Scale of Plot versus Character: While I think this series sits a little more towards the Plot side of the scale, it’s a very close call, so far this series has an excellent balance of the plot and character elements. There’s a space heist adventure but also Father-Daughter bonding. The fast narrative pacing means the story is never boring but it also has moments where the characters can reflect upon the past and the present.
All in all, a super enjoyable start to what looks like an interesting graphic novel series, I’m looking forward to the next volume.
Available For Purchase: Amazon | Book Depository
Ambiguous Pieces 