Image Description: book-cover of Star Wars: The Screaming Citadel by Kieron Gillen
Title: Star Wars: The Screaming Citadel
Creators: Kieron Gillen (Author), Jason Aaron, Salvador Larroca (Illustrator), Andrea Broccardo (Illustrator), Marco Checchetto (Illustrator)
Social Media: Goodreads
Publisher: Marvel Comics
Format and Price: Kindle format at $15.39
Stars: 5 stars out of 5
About The Creators:
The relevant links are available above.
About The Book:
Collects Star Wars: Doctor Aphra #7-8, Star Wars (2015) #31-32, Star Wars: The Screaming Citadel #1.
A rebel pilot and a rogue archaeologist delve into the darkest shadows of the galaxy side by side, as Luke Skywalker reluctantly teams up with Doctor Aphra! The not-so-good Doctor will make Luke an offer he can’t afford to pass up…one that leads him to a very rare gathering at the heart of the infamous Screaming Citadel! Will Luke find what he’s looking for? Can Aphra be trusted? Or will they both wind up victims of the Citadel’s queen? And as this unlikely duo steps right into the lair of one of the most powerful, reclusive and dangerous women in the galaxy, can Han and Leia be far behind them?
General Observations:
~Crossover Episode: While Doctor Aphra did start out as a side-character from the Star Wars: Darth Vader series, it’s amusing to see Doctor Aphra and a young Luke Skywalker interact. I think this particular volume takes place after A New Hope but before The Empire Strikes Back (or at least this is the impression that I get). It was good to see the more optimistic side of Luke Skywalker’s personality, especially in contrast to Doctor Aphra’s more cynical nature, they make a good team, but I think they work better as enemies.
~Hanging Plot Threads: Throughout the volume, Doctor Aphra continues to make implications about Han Solo, that Luke doesn’t know him as well as he thinks he does, and that Doctor Aphra know Han is a “bad guy”, however, nothing ever comes of it. All Doctor Aphra does is imply that Han is just as bad as her (if not worse), however, she never clarifies what she means and it’s never brought up again. Although to be honest Doctor Aphra could have just been trying to build a wedge between Han and Luke so that it would be easier Doctor Aphra to take advantage of him.
~Sliding Scale of Plot versus Character: There’s a great balancing of Plot and Character elements in this series so far. The Narrative pacing is fast and interesting and you’re always wondering how Luke and Doctor Aphra are going to overcome their next obstacle. There’s also great action moments with Sana and Princess Leia and Doctor Aphra has a few moments of self-reflection. The parasites that showed up in Volume 1 show up here again as well. I’ve also started to realise the Star Wars Universe is a lot darker than I first realised.
All in all, an intriguing heist-adventure featuring the Star Wars A-Team, I’m looking forward to the next volume where Doctor Aphra has to try and figure out what to do with the Rur crystal. I suspect it will not go according to plan.
Available for Purchase: Amazon | Book Depository
Ambiguous Pieces 