Star Wars

Doctor Aphra: A Rogue’s End

*spoilers for issues 37-39, which is all I made it through*

UGH! After a disappointing sixth volume I really hoped Spurrier would bring it all together in the final volume. NOPE.

Usually I will try to power through a disappointing book, especially one that’s been a favorite series of the year. But unfortunately, literally everything about this book is disappointing, and I would rather not come out of this disliking Doctor Aphra.

The volume picks up at the last book’s cliffhanger, with Aphra back in Vader’s service. Now, the Empire is trying to find the Rebels’ new hideout (if you’ve seen Empire, you know where this is going), and their pattern of hiding out in old Jedi temples makes archaeologists a perfect match to help hunt them down. It makes sense, but Aphra did better when her stories didn’t overlap with canon at all.

The book feels aimless even as characters from past books make appearances in an attempt to appear full-circle. Aphra makes decisions that make no sense, even for her heartless self (like leaving Valuuda alone on an abandoned planet), and conversations with her dad are too eager and feel hollow. Aphra and Tolvan’s scene together was a joke.

And the art is just atrocious. Far too cartoony for a Star Wars book, and there’s barely any nuance to facial expressions. Panels that require some drama and punch – like Vader choking Aphra’s father, Tovan blasting Aphra – all fall flat.

Spurrier really struggled with Aphra, and it’s disappointing that this final chapter really didn’t communicate a strong sense of Aphra’s character or deliver a satisfying story. I’m glad this rogue’s story has come to an end – bring on Alyssa Wong.

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.

Star Wars: Rebel Jail

by Jason Aaron, Kieron Gillen, Mike Mayhew, Angel Unzueta, Leinil Francis Yu
collects Star Wars Annual #1, 15-19
volume one | two | three | four

The third volume of Jason Aaron’s Marvel Star Wars series is….just very, very meh. It starts off strong at least, with Star Wars Annual #1, written not by Aaron but Kieron Gillen. Rebel spy Eneb Ray’s one shot was dark and powerful, much stronger than the Obi Wan single-issue story last volume, even though he’s part of the main films. But apparently rebel spies still have a diversity issue: of all the spies on Coruscant, all but one were white dudes. Come on, white dude creators! This is…Star Wars…oh yeah.

also, on a spoiler note: putting the Star Wars Annual with Ray makes sense in context of the main story, but it also makes the “big villain reveal” painfully obvious.

Unfortunately, the rest of the story is so so and things go downhill from there. Aaron still has the voices down but it’s tough to create an engaging story without much room for creativity between episode IV and V.

But finally, the volume does manage something few Star Wars movies have accomplished: pass the Biechdel test. Dr Aphra, rogue archaeologist and employee of Darth Vader (who has her own series) is caught and arrested by Leia and Sana who take her to a maximum security prison, where the A plot spends its time. There are still some unnecessary, gratuitous shots, but it was nice to at least see women leading the more important plot, and Leia up to something other than bantering with Solo – with perhaps some actual development about how ruthless she’s willing to be to win the war. At least, until a forced “don’t tell us girls what to do” moment basically ruins it.

Luke and Han are barely given anything to do, even though they get the cover (and it’s once again a terrible, awkward looking one for Luke). This boring and truly awful B plot leans solely on Leia’s nerf herder line from Episode V. It is positively cringe worthy and doesn’t make the original line any funnier. This doesn’t bode well for the rest of the series.

So the book is, ironically, strongest when focused on original characters, rather than just the trinity of Luke, Leia and Han. The artist changes every few issues have a clear effect on the quality, especially because if the photo realistic style.

Finally, I mentioned the Obi-Wan one shot and he gets another one here. It’s also terribly boring, about helping Luke out on Tattooine as a child. Even though the art is stunning, Obi-Wan isn’t really given much to do (though we do get a rare sighting of Uncle Owen) and it doesn’t seem like these one shots are building to anything important that might tie into the main story. There’s a lot of room for interesting storytelling, and it would have been nice to give Obi’s new TV series some good material to work from – no such thing here.

Worth volume four? Not sure. I can’t tell you exactly what I’m looking for from these comics – it’s impossible to recapture the original films’ magic, no matter what medium new stories are being told on – but I also think the stories could be stronger. I think there is room for character development and Aaron isn’t taking it quite far enough. There are enough other books on my list, but if I get lazy, Star Wars is right there on Comixology Unlimited waiting for me. Sigh.

Star Wars: Showdown on the Smuggler’s Moon

by Jason Aaron, Stuart Immonen, Simone Bianchi
collects Star Wars #7-12
volume one | two | three | four

The first arc brought the crew back together and set the post-Episode IV tone for the series, this next volume presents an interesting challenge for the creators. Even casual fans know what happens in future films, so Aaron’s story needs to both stick to the canon, while also containing some originality and surprise to keep readers interested. Combined with the hero worship status of the original cast, and balancing all the characters across one story – it’s a high bar indeed. (Also, “Showdown on the Smuggler’s Moon” has to be the longest Star Wars title in existence.)

At least Aaron has a lot of room in the Star Wars universe, and even with the limited creative license, he uses it to its fullest extent – along with Luke, Leia, Han and the rest of the gang, he’s also thrown in a new Hutt, bounty hunter Dengar, Obi-Wan’s old journal, a giant monster who isn’t a Rancor, lots of Jedi relics, and lots of references (including a posthumous nod to my favorite Jedi). He also takes advantage of periods of time that haven’t been charted out yet, with the whole first issue being dedicated to Obi Wan’s exile on Tattooine when Luke was a boy (illustrated by Bianchi). While the comics won’t ever have the same thrill as the films, Aaron creates an enjoyable story that still feels true to the Star Wars universe and its beloved characters, with a great balance of familiarity and originality.

This volume saw an artist change from John Cassaday to Stuart Immonen. They’re both wonderful artists for this title and I really like the style Immonen brings to the series in this volume. The characters are truthful to their real life counterparts, but Immonen’s style is less realistic than Cassaday, giving him a little bit more freedom for greater expression, though sometimes Han looked a little bit off to me (something about how his nose is drawn, I think.) Also, Immonen draws some fantastically exciting space scenes. I’m sure it’s more than just the characters and the space ships – the way Immonen frames scenes and especially the space battles feels very reminiscent of Star Wars’ cinematography. I can’t pretend to know what that is or how he does it, but it definitely feels like Immonen (and Aaron of course) have done their homework.

Unfortunately, Cassaday’s cover looks really off. Luke’s got a weird expression on his face for a bunch of blasters being pointed in his face, plus his left sleeve is longer than the right.

Aaron hasn’t forgotten that post-Episode IV, Luke is still very much a naive farm boy – and he acts like it here. Still reeling from Obi-Wan’s death and on his search for answers, Luke mistakenly thinks he can bumble into the nearest hive of scum and villainy and catch a ride to Coruscant and the Jedi Temple (just like Obi-Wan did in Tattooine). Luke gets himself captured by Grukka the Hutt, whose desire to collect old Jedi relics is far more interesting than the tired “captive is now gladiator” plot Aaron focuses on instead. At least Aaron also builds in some foundation for Luke to become more competent with his lightsaber, potentially with Jedi relics to teach him along the way. That feels much more exciting to me than a one-off storyline about Obi Wan saving Luke as a kid that has no real bearing on the story. (Also, snore.)

In the previous arc, Leia and Han run into Sana, who claims to be Han’s wife. This was a disappointing subplot that was all tedious dialogue and seemed to only exist for the tension between Han and Leia. No matter how capable the two women are, it still felt like a classic two women fighting over a dude…especially when Sana’s motivations come to light and her previous dialogue then makes no sense whatsoever. I’m always here for Leia shooting at people and leading rescue missions, but at this point, I’m ready to see something new from her, and Aaron is more than capable (i.e. Jane Foster).

Leia continues to be ignored in this series – Luke’s grief is still more important even though she lost her parents and whole frigging planet like two weeks ago. The only relationship that seems important is her “romantic” “relationship” with Han. But hopefully Sana will stick around, and maybe the next volume will do what the original Star Wars films never did: pass the Bechdel test.

(Note: if you think it’s gotten better, the later movies barely squeak by if at all.)

Even though the book was enjoyable, I’m not exactly sure where the series is going. While inevitably time will catch up to the events of Empire Strikes Back, I’m not totally sure if this is simply a fun ride with characters we all love without any stakes, or if Aaron is building towards something bigger. I’m looking forward to continuing the series (though I’m not ready to invest in the entire Star Wars comics line just yet), but I’m still hoping for more.

Star Wars: Skywalker Strikes

by Jason Aaron, John Cassaday, Laura Martin
collects Star Wars #1-6
volume one | two | three | four

Happy Holidays, everyone! The long-awaited Episode VIII: The Last Jedi is finally in theaters, and while I’m not going to write a full review on my blog – not yet, anyway, the Internet is completely saturated with them – but all I’ll say is, I hope you enjoyed it as much as I did. Which was not, “I loved every single moment,” but rather, it was a very enjoyable Star Wars film that wasn’t afraid to tell a new story and push characters and the universe in a new direction.

With this spirit we come to the not-so-new Star Wars series, published by Marvel, with a powerhouse duo Jason Aaron (whose work in Marvel includes the new The Mighty Thor, Doctor Strange, and Wolverine, and also notably Southern Bastards for Image) and John Cassaday (whose art defines my all-time favorite X-Men run, Astonishing X-Men with Joss Whedon). Its 2015 release date was clearly meant to overlap with Episode VII‘s release, but this is certainly a great place to start for anyone wanting to get more from the original Star Wars gang. (And for new characters, I’ve heard Captain Phasma‘s series is phenomenal. That’s next on my list.)

Skywalker Strikes takes place right after Episode IV, with the Rebellion fresh off their biggest victory yet – the destruction of the Death Star. Leia, Luke, Han, Chewie and the droids head to a remote planet housing a large weapons factory under the guise of negotiating an arms deal as Jabba the Hut’s diplomats. But things go awry when the Empire sends a certain asthmatic as their own negotiator.

In an SDCC 2014 interview, Aaron said he and Cassaday wanted the story to feel like the movies, and a “team” book including all the main characters rather than focusing on one specifically. That was their intention and at the same time a very tall order. The fervor before and after the release of The Last Jedi only proves the intense fandom around Star Wars, and doing anything new beyond 4-6 – especially with the stamp of Marvel and Star Wars’ parent company, Disney – can come under immense pressure and scrutiny. Moreover, trying to balance 8-10 characters in one book is never an easy task.

In large part the Aaron and Cassaday team very much succeed. Luke, Han and Leia are the heart of Star Wars and Aaron fully captures not only each of their voices (good luck not reading their lines in the voices of Hamil, Ford and Fisher), but the banter between them. Of the three, Luke is the only one who appears most vulnerable – still mourning Ben’s death and insecure about embracing his status as fledgling Jedi (don’t forget, he hasn’t met Yoda yet). Even though Leia has a lot more to mourn – her parents and entire planet – she is completely focused on following up the Rebellion’s victory with another one. That and Gilmore-Girl “I am disgusted with you but actually not really” bantering with Han, which at some point feels a little one note. I’m not necessarily hoping for an actual romance (okay, fine, I am), but I hope Aaron explores their characters beyond their banter. The introduction of a new character at the end makes me think that is not likely, at least for volume two.

Even though Aaron does a great job building up their romantic tension with a very surprising twist at the end (more on that later), I would hope to see the characters fleshed out a little more in unexpected ways (even if Leia has her own series, to be reviewed soon). Vader rounds out the main characters, hell bent on finding and exacting revenge on the pilot who destroyed the Death Star – which gives us a rather fun secondary storyline as Vader hires Boba Fett (a rather talkative Boba Fett, I might add), to find the person responsible.

And herein lies the fun of a story just after Episode IV. Frankly, everyone is still alive, characters who were introduced in later movies can make surprise appearances, and there are enough loose ends and open histories with the un-canonization of the Expanded Universe – that gives Aaron and Cassaday a huge playground to play with. Just in this issue, we are treated to a surprise from Han’s past, a gift Ben Kenobi left for Luke, and more.

But a comic book can’t just read like Star Wars, it also has to look like it, and Cassaday’s realistic style lends itself beautifully to reconstructing the Star Wars universe. It feels like a comic book, but the characters rarely look too cartoonish (except maybe a few minor panels). I might not be an expert on the visual style of Star Wars, but the angles and perspectives also have a very Star Wars feel, as does Lauren Martin’s color palette.

Aaron and Cassaday’s debut issue embraces fans with a warm “welcome home,” but is not afraid to inject new story elements, character developments and surprises. And this is absolutely necessary – anyone who has seen past Episode IV knows far too much about these characters’ futures and events to follow. We know when Luke flies back into the exploding weapons factory, for example, we know he can’t die — and so a Star Wars story in between episodes must have some sort of “new” in order to have value of reading it. (Unless if you like your heroes to go through meaningless adventure after adventure without any sort of change or growth. That’s not much of a story, though.)

Like The Last Jedi, however, one must be open to those surprises and changes in order to fully enjoy it. (And if you wanted my review there it is in one sentence.) According to the Star Wars wiki, this run is considered canon, along with other comics released in and after 2015, after Disney’s acquisition of Star Wars. I would be curious to know what details are Aaron’s creation and what needed to be approved by Lucasfilm.

Skywalker Strikes deserves its hugely successful debut as a highly enjoyable and easily accessible continuation of a film that changed everything – film, storytelling, pop culture, and so many of us. Anticipating the next volume.

In a GIF: