Let’s enjoy a party the Aphra way: stealing in Doctor Aphra #13 written by Alyssa Wong with art by Minkyu Jung, inks by Victor Olazaba, colors by Rachelle Rosenberg and letters by Joe Caramagna.
When I last wrote about Aphra, a long time ago on a website far, far away, Aphra and Sana had completed “The Engine Job” and were headed full tilt into the “War of the Bounty Hunters.” You may notice that the series is at issue 13 now, to which I say: this is absolutely the article you’re looking for. How did we find ourselves here?
Kicking off Issue 11, Aphra and Sana track down crime boss Domina Tagge’s cousin Ebann— but he’s dead, found clutching an invitation to the Crimson Dawn’s auction of Han Solo. While looking for Ebann, they made friends with Durge the bounty hunter, who just seems like a delight. The trio discovers a formerly extinct species: cymotes, very hungry and very delicious little monsters. Not to worry— Aphra re-extincts them by issue’s end, and air locks them along with new friend Durge. I’m sure this will not come back to haunt them. Domina decides to send them to spy on the auction in Ebann’s place—setting the stage for a reunion with Just Lucky and Ariole, who are also on their way.
Next with Issue 12, it’s time to party! This event is a veritable who’s who of people who dislike Aphra. Fortunately, everyone else is on their best behavior, due to the inherent tension of having a huge group of criminals forced to be polite for the length of an event. Personally, I love this trope. Aphra, unable to control herself, does a physical comedy/pickpocketing bit. She doesn’t successfully steal anything, but she does plant a bug on the now drink-stained and furious Xet of the Black Sun.
A mysterious someone—who sounds just like a clone soldier—threatens to reveal Aphra’s identity to the whole party if she doesn’t agree to cause a small distraction for him. I suspect that he could have just waited and she would have been a distraction all on her own, but it’s smart to be prepared. Also prepared: the auction’s emcee, who is none other than Qi’ra. You know, from Game of Thrones.
As the auction climbs to higher prices, we watch Lucky and Ariole fight their mentor, who they’ve been sent to assassinate. But as the bidding ends with Jabba offering one million credits and Aphra’s “time to distract the guards” buzzer going off, Darth Vader shows up to claim Han Solo. Understandably, Aphra ends this issue in a full blown panic attack. The art conveys this really well, showing in close ups and flashbacks how her brain is processing the situation. Vader is her nightmare, and the thought of him finding her is sending her into a panic.
So enter: Issue 13, the present day (for a long time ago’s version of present). All Aphra can think about is the last time she saw Vader, and how he swore he would find her. Fortunately, Sana is only a normal person’s level of afraid of Vader, and is able to hustle her out of the party. In the background, Qi’ra and Vader prepare to duel (Qi’ra’s fight skills were one of my favorite parts of Solo, and I almost regret that we don’t stay to watch).
To explain her panic to Sana (and new readers), Aphra gives a cliff notes version of what happened: she told Vader she could get him to the Rebel base on Hoth. Instead, she set him up, stealing from him, hacking into Imperial records, and trapping him on a completely different ice planet. Sana, to Aphra’s surprise, believes her when she says she didn’t actually reveal the Hoth base’s location. Sana knows Aphra well enough to know when she’s lying—and while it’s dangerous for someone who lies all the time to have a tell, I LOVE this. They share a moment here, and while I know it’s not a good relationship, I still really want them back together. Who doesn’t love watching a car wreck?
Tabling their emotions for later, they decide to track down Xet, the Black Sun member Aphra has been spying on. They are supposed to be gathering info for Domina, and Xet is alone in the bathroom while she tries to clean up from Aphra’s staged spill— a perfect opportunity. Unfortunately, once they knock her out, they realize that between her tattoo and the codes her droid is using, all signs point to her being a spy for the Crimson Dawn. This information could be valuable— and since there’s so much access to the belongings of distracted criminals, Aphra suggests they stay a little longer to poke around. They could find something great enough to make some money and get Domina off her back! Sana, as always, reluctantly agrees.
Speaking of spies for the Crimson Dawn, Gallin, Lucky and Ariole’s mentor, is winning their fight despite being outnumbered two to one. The two exes aren’t able to work together effectively, even though their skills would seem to complement each other. Their interpersonal conflict, along with their conflicted feelings about their mentor-turned-traitor, are throwing them off. They demand to know why Gallin abandoned the Sixth Kin, and them. It turns out that the Kin was failing, their leader was losing it, and Qi’ra made him an offer with an actual future. He asks the boys to join him, and be a family again. But Lucky’s already got a family— and as we’ve seen, he’ll do whatever it takes to keep his brother safe. Right now? That means taking down Gallin so the Sixth Kin leaves his brother alone.
As we end the issue, both pairs are in bad spots. Lucky and Airole have been poisoned by Crimson Dawn ally Deathstick, who’s currently trying to negotiate with Gallin about whether or not she’s allowed to kill them. And Sana and Aphra get caught exploring the ship by a truly massive droid, who easily knocks them both out. When they wake up, Aphra is without her stolen data, and they’re in a jail cell. I think there’s a jailbreak in our future, and a reunion— but only time will tell if it’s as friends or enemies.
Liz Large is a copywriter with a lot of opinions on mutants.
