Did Doctor Aphra and Sana Staros survive their firey death? Let’s find out in Doctor Aphra #9 written by Alyssa Wong with art by Minkyu Jung, inks by Victor Olazaba, colors by Rachelle Rosenberg and letters by Joe Caramagna.
We’re back with part four of The Engine Job! Tragically, Aphra and Sana died at the end of last issue, and by killing them, Vukorah becomes the star of the series. Can’t wait to see if she successfully steals the advanced technology….
Wait, what’s this? Our intrepid main characters survived a fall and an explosion? This isn’t a surprise to readers, but it’s going to be a nasty one for Vukorah. As she leaves the scene of the fight to continue the hunt for the hyperdrive, we watch Aphra and Sana figure out their next steps. There’s some great interplay between the two here, as there’s some tension remaining from last issue’s discussion. I really love watching them work together. Aphra has a lot of faces from her past that can show up, but Sana is a great character and really brings a lot to the book.
They make their way to the corporate presentation of the hyperdrive, but security is tight. We are treated to a set of hijinks as Aphra and Sana knock out some interns, steal their uniforms and coffee delivery, and take advantage of being in disguise as complete nonentities. Aphra fake cries her way into examining the engine, and can tell virtually instantly that this device will be a huge failure. Also huge? The explosion said failure will cause. Sana wants to start an evacuation, but Aphra wants more information, and access to the sketchy underground trading network where the hyperdrive came from. Before either of them can get their way, they get a nasty surprise— Vukorah is here too, and she’s going to start killing people until she gets the hyperdrive. The same hyperdrive that doesn’t work, and is absolutely going to explode.
The corporate side of this conflict—Domina Tagge, who’s the reason Aphra is involved in the first place— is also picking up steam. The Tagges have been a powerful, rich family for centuries, and as Domina explains, that’s taken a lot of work. Domina is the driving force behind her family’s business relationship with the Empire, and it’s clear she’ll risk anything to keep the money flowing. Domina is a good villain for Aphra, as both place their own needs above traditional morality. Of course, while Aphra’s a self centered thief, Domina is an arms manufacturer for the Empire, but they’re both somewhere on the same spectrum.
Just Lucky, now accompanied by his ex-boyfriend, is still running errands for the Sixth Kin. His ex is a little more fight than diplomacy, but it doesn’t seem to be going terribly— until the people they were collecting debt from turn out to be rich in friendship, if not in cash. As always, the scenes with Lucky are a fun side story, and the art in this fight scene is a delight. There’s some great magenta neon lighting as they fight in a bar, and the alien extras have fun designs. I would like to see Lucky hang out with the Twi’lek bartender’s mom!
Overall, I enjoyed this issue, and I’m looking forward to the upcoming War of the Bounty Hunters crossover.
Liz Large is a copywriter with a lot of opinions on mutants.
