Antonio Fabela

Doctor Aphra and the Enormous Profit

Kieron Gillen course corrects everything I complained about in volume one and delivers a solid, satisfying and very fun Doctor Aphra story. A few events have clearly happened between volumes one and two (issues 7-8 were crossovers with other events and aren’t included in this arc), but most importantly, the evil gang’s back together and Aphra has her hands on a sentient crystal, housing an immortal Jedi, who can also control technology. (I know it sounds weird, but it works.) What she does next, of course, would make Han proud – get all the galaxy’s baddies in a room and sell it to the highest bidder!

This is a great Aphra story because it effortlessly leans into the gray area between hero and villain that Aphra occupies, while showcasing her smarts, improvisational skills, and humor, especially when things escalate beyond her control. We also get some real funny robot dialogue with Triple Zero (aka evil Threepio), who is tremendously bored from not killing anyone in a while and throws a few wrenches into Aphra’s plans. Apparently, droids can have excellent character development too. Kev Walker, Marc Deering and Antonio Fabela’s art continues to meet expectations, capturing the kinetic Star Wars feel and color palette, even though we don’t see much planet landscape or space scenes. I also appreciated that while Aphra gets herself all dressed up for an issue or two, she isn’t sexualized.

Aphra, a wild card who lives in the gray area, is necessary to the Star Wars universe – a queer woman of color who isn’t defined by her minority statuses, especially – and so is a purely fun Star Wars story, which is exactly what I want in a Star Wars comic. Stories with Leia, Han and Luke often get boring or repetitive, because we know they can’t die or have character growth after a certain point. But Aphra, Triple Zero and Krrsantan? New, compelling characters and their endings are total fair game. And sometimes, stories where “the fate of the galaxy” is at stake gets tiring. But an immortal Jedi possessing a droid and shooting up a bunch of villains? Sign me up.

My only complaint about the book is that the only (female coded) woman other than Aphra in the entire arc dies. I’m not going to complain about the entirely male creative team every volume, but….no wait, I think I will. (Looking forward to finally getting to Alyssa Wong and Marika Cresta’s run on the character which started this year.) Excited for volume three.

Mini Reviews 3 [Star Wars edition]

May the Fourth be With You!

Happy Star Wars Day from my corner of the galaxy to yours. Here’s to one of my favorite stories of all time, reminding us that hope is always there, and anyone can be a hero.

The debut series of rogue archaeologist, Miss – sorry, Doctor Aphra, was very forgettable, even though I like the character a lot – or at least her potential. I always want to see more women in the Star Wars universe – and queer women in the Star Wars universe, what a concept! (though it was very much tossed in at the end) – but Aphra’s debut series didn’t make much of an impression.

Aphra first debuted in Darth Vader’s series also penned by Kieron Gillen, as a minor character in Vader’s employment, but now she’s free and able to pursue her life’s work: stealing and profiting from ancient artifacts. (note: I read this before reading Vader and I met her briefly in Aaron’s Star Wars title.)

Aphra’s like a Star Wars version of Indiana Jones or Lara Croft, (wrote this then learned Gillen used Indy as inspiration), who shares Han’s snarkiness and comfort in the gray area between hero and villain. Aphra feels like a natural character in the Star Wars universe and she’s got a lot of potential. Gillen gives her a strong voice and it’s truly unclear whether she’s altogether good or bad. The way we learn Aphra is queer leaves no room for questioning it, but is also subtle enough that it’s just one of many aspects about her, which is so necessary these days.

(And I just have to mention, again, she’s one of very very very few queer women, and women of color, in Star Wars so it’s kind of a big deal. Though it would have also been nice if the creative team was one or more of those things – maybe eventually they’ll hand it off.)

But then, the plot goes sideways with her father and a confusing mythology story that seemed too big and important for one trade, but also wasn’t given a whole lot of time. This is where the book lost me. Even though Gillen gives lil boop and her dad time to (predictably) work things out, it isn’t really her story when it’s primarily centered around her dad’s life’s work. Aphra’s compatriots, Black Krrstantan, Beetee and Triple Zero had some nice quips, but I had trouble getting beyond how they’re just an inverted image of Chewie, Artoo and Threepio. Finally I wasn’t crazy about the art, which had more than a few sloppy panels, and didn’t bring any “wow” moments, especially from the fight scenes, that really elevated the early volumes of Aaron’s Star Wars title.

I’ll give the next volume a shot. Until then, I’ll dream of a time when a queer woman of color’s creative team isn’t all white dudes…over seven volumes. Sheesh.

Star Wars vol 4: Last Flight of the Harbinger
by Jason Aaron, Mike Mayhew, Jorge Molina, Chris Eliopoulos
collects Star Wars Annual #20-25
volume one | two | three | four

Even though it’s better than volume 3, Last Flight of the Harbinger still leaves a lot to be desired.

Harbinger begins with another one shot of Ben’s time on Tattooine, babysitting Luke from afar. Mayhew’s photorealistic art is amazing but the stories have no substance or consequence – though it was fun to see Black Krrsantan make an appearance right after reading Dr Aphra. I know there’s only so much Aaron can do in this timeline, but it had better be leading up to something – and what about some time with Aunt Beru? Has there ever been ANY story about her?

The main arc sees Luke, Han, Leia and Sana hijack a Star Destroyer in order to save a Rebellion-sympathizing planet under the Imperial’s blockade. It’s a cool concept, but the character work is still weak. Han and Leia won’t stop bickering, and it’s more than tired at this point. We all know their romantic tension can’t be resolved until after Episode V, and I’m really dismayed that Aaron still can’t find any better character development for them, as if there isn’t any more to Han and Leia’s characters than sexual tension. Sana, who seemed to be brought in less as a full fledged character and more as a shit-stirrer, isn’t given more personality or much to do; it was refreshing to see her paired with Luke, but their scene doesn’t go anywhere. Aaron also introduces the Scar Squad, an elite squad of Stormtroopers – like an Imperial version of the Bad Batch in Clone Wars – and the backstory behind Sergeant Kreel was surprisingly compelling.

Jorge Molina’s art is alright. I love his starship battle scenes and he does a beautiful job rendering ships, space, and movement all alongside speech bubbles, which is not a small feat. But I’m not a fan of Molina’s button noses, which threw off all the characters for me, except maybe Sana.

Aaron’s Star Wars title isn’t high on my list, but it was an easy read (especially on May the 4th!) and I’ll give volume five a look when I’m up for it.

Darth Vader vol 1: Vader
by Kieron Gillen, Salvador Larocca & Edgar Delgado
collects Darth Vader #1-6

Vader was a quick read that helped connect the dots with Aphra and the main Star Wars title. It was moderately enjoyable but far from my favorite book this year.

As the only survivor of the Death Star’s destruction, Vader is the target of Palpatine’s wrath and gets a big ol demotion. He’s now the pawn of General Tagge who only sees him as a brute force. But of course Vader won’t have that, as he recruits familiar and new faces to find Luke and build himself an army.

Gillen’s restricted by the later films, and so it’s never a question that Vader gets back on top. Enjoying the story depends on how much one likes Vader, and/or any investment in the secondary and mostly original cast: rogue archaeologist Dr. Aphra, assassin versions of 3PO and R2D2, mercenary wookie Black Krrsantan, and some other minor cameos. (And Palpatine, I guess. Is anyone a fan of Palpatine?) The events in this volume nicely tie into Aaron’s first Star Wars volume, but most importantly, Gillen has a strong handle on Vader’s ruthless and calculating voice, with just enough pain underneath the surface, but only for the reader to fully understand. Vader is far from my favorite Star Wars character, but Gillen hits the right notes here. The final reveal – for Vader at least – is handled beautifully, and answers a big question in Star Wars canon.

What I didn’t get was how Vader found all the time to multitask right after becoming Tagge’s errand boy, and there’s nothing like an alien bug queen screaming “my womb! my children!” for my inner feminist to cringe a bit.

I’m torn on the art. Larocca’s pencils felt very shaky and inconsistent, and he constantly drew characters who were speaking with their mouths closed, which bothered me for some reason. Delgado’s colors are phenomenal, adding in some lovely shading and Vader-helmet shininess that elevate Larocca’s pencils and really make the story feel like Star Wars.

Vader is unnecessary but helpful for this new landscape of Marvel comics, and a must for Vader fans. Personally, I’m not sure I’ll continue with volume two – it depends on how many other Star Wars comics I read and if I feel it’s necessary.

Skyward: My Low-G Life

by Joe Henderson, Lee Garbett, Antonio Fabela, Simon Bowland
collects Skyward #1-5

Skyward takes an interesting concept – what would the world be like without gravity? – but it quickly comes crashing down (lol see what I did there) with a weak, predictable story and dialogue.

Skyward follows Willa, a teenager with no real character other than teenage tropes: she has a crush and wants to explore the world. Willa was a baby when gravity stopped twenty years ago on “G-Day”; her father is a disgraced scientist who foresaw G-Day, but is now believed to be dead and unable to leave their Chicago apartment, paralyzed with fear of the outside.

A Chicago with no gravity has some interesting elements to be sure – protective ropes and pulleys help keep everyone from drifting off into the sky, meaning certain death; how food delivery works; firearms are now useless, as weapons at least; and the positive effects for those, once considered disabled, who can now get around just as easily as everyone else. The wealthy live on the ground, in magnetic boots and in complete denial; it’s an interesting socioeconomic (and possibly also climate change) commentary that was hinted at but not explored.

Unfortunately, Henderson’s writing is low-G on subtlety, with unnatural and stilted dialogue that is clearly meant for the reader. Willa’s first conversation is about what gravity was like, which, after 20 years, she has probably asked before; she tells her father how she grew up, and how long he’s been in the apartment. She tells mother figure Shirley (also the token overweight character) that she essentially raised her. Willa’s dad Nate explains, sort of, how gravity changed in a whole page of exposition. The villain is cringingly obvious from the start – Nate’s once-partner who’s in it for the profit (conveniently told to us by Shirley), along with visuals from Garbett that clearly try to make him look menacing. And a few pages later, he not only has his villain monologue, but he also punches Willa, a teenager, in the face. Multiple times. There is even a completely unnecessary sex ed scene that answers some questions you definitely didn’t need or want. (This is sort of not a surprise since Henderson is the show runner for FOX’s Lucifer, which also hates subtle writing and is obsessed with sexual tension.)

While no creator should be bound to write characters who exactly match their identity, it’s impossible to ignore that Skyward, with a Black female protagonist, comes from a team of all men, none of them Black. Is it still possible to have a well written story in this case? Sure. But for all their shallow motivations and backgrounds, the men of this story (Nate, Roger and Edison) have more of them than Willa (who, again, wants to see the world and loves her father). Nate and Willa are the only people of color in the series. Not unlike Paper Girls and many other comics across publishers, it’s strange to see more female and POC protagonists, but still not enough women and people of color actually writing and drawing them.

How is the art? For me personally, I’m not a fan of Garbett’s work. He has a very fluid style along with an interesting interpretation of a natural disaster that forms the climax of the first volume. His art definitely carries the final issue as the story continues to be predictable at every turn. But there’s something about the way Garbett draws facial expressions – also fluid but imprecise to the point that often it doesn’t stick the landing. (That’s another gravity joke for ya.) Colorist Antonio Fabela uses wonderful bold colors – especially the purples and yellows when Willa travels to the ground level of Chicago, which reminded me of Batgirl Year One.

Skyward was nominated for an Eisner in the Best New Series category, and a film adaptation is in development (with Henderson writing the adapted screenplay) so clearly others enjoyed this story much more than I did. However, I try to still give debut series one more chance; I won’t be terribly excited to pick up volume two, but it might still surprise me.