Comics Doctor Aphra (Vol. 2) April 2020

I hate that they ditched the previous cast but that's not uncommon in comics.

 

Spoiler: Doctor Aphra #6 solicit

STAR WARS: DOCTOR APHRA #6

• ALYSSA WONG (W) • RAY-ANTHONY HEIGHT (A)
• Cover by LEINIL FRANCIS YU
• VARIANT COVER BY TBA
• APHRA HAS A NEW WORST ENEMY – THE VILLAINOUS DOMINA TAGGE RETURNS!
• Someone sinister has put a price on DOCTOR APHRA’s head... and it’s none other than DOMINA TAGGE!
• Now Aphra’s running for her life, trying to shake every bounty hunter on her tail.
• But one of those is SANA STARROS... and for Sana, it’s personal!
• Aphra can’t out-think Domina or outrun Sana…what choice does she have left?!
• 32 PGS./Rated T …$3.99
• Star Wars © Lucasfilm Ltd. & TM. All rights reserved. Used under authorization. Text and illustrations for Star Wars are © 2020 Lucasfilm Ltd.

 

Well, that was shortlived... read the latest solicit for upcoming issues, plenty of deja vus for you!

Spoiler

Finally the comic I had been dreaming about like forever... Aphra and Sana and a Domina... well maybe not in that way like it sounded now lol!

 

Spoiler

Domina has returned. It is a glorious day.

 

Are we sure that @Senpezeco isn't secretly Alyssa Wong?

 

Spoiler: #6 solicit

Since my will appears to be manifesting: Can they develop mutual villainous crushes on each other toooo? Dominaphra, the most powerful of power couples~

I finally listened to this a few weeks back, and yes, he was briefly discussed, and yes, I'm running a victory lap over the bolded section because my comics gospel is spreading:

Spoiler: podcast quote from author Alyssa Wong

"I'm trying to remember whose suggestion it was -- whether it was Mark's or Tom's or some of the folks from Lucasfilm -- who suggested bringing in the Tagges as potential villains, and I read up on them and I was like YES! They're so cool and they're so awful. They're perfect."

I have a whole lot of thoughts on issue #2, but I'll just comment on this timely parallel:

Spoiler: #2 discussion

"Those images are warnings: the rings are to be used together, not separately. The ring with the sapphire gem grants its wearer eternal life but drives them to madness. The ring with the crimson gem grants its wearer incredible fortune but hastens their eventual demise. If worn by the same person, the rings will bless the wearer with eternal fortune, eternal life and abilities to rival the most powerful Force user. Or so the stories suggest." -- Doctor Aphra #2

"And when spies brought me rumors of two strange, deadly gems in the Red Nebula... I rushed to investigate. [...] They're mates of sorts. As long as they are together, they radiate a sense of well being, a positive physical aura -- an aura that can affect their surroundings. Separated, their well being turns to anguish and the aura turns negative, radiating stronger... growing..." -- Star Wars #50: The Crimson Forever

*Seinfeld voice* what's with deal with Tagges and life-sucking crimson jewels

 

Spoiler: Doctor Aphra #7 solicit

STAR WARS: DOCTOR APHRA #7

ALYSSA WONG (W) • RAY-ANTHONY HEIGHT (A) • Cover by SWAY

VARIANT Cover by JENNY FRISON

THE OFFER!

• Hired by DOMINA TAGGE, APHRA sets her sights on a mysterious piece of tech that could shift the balance of the galactic civil war.

• Her hunt takes her to CORELLIA… and to SANA STARROS’ doorstep!

• But Aphra’s not the only one on Corellia with an eye on the tech…!

32 PGS./Rated T …$3.99

Star Wars © Lucasfilm Ltd. & TM. All rights reserved. Used under authorization. Text and illustrations for Star Wars are © 2020 Lucasfilm Ltd.

 

Spoiler: Issue #4 preview

 

I am not familiar with the previous work of Ray-Anthony Height (who will be this series' penciller starting with issue #6), so I went browsing his Twitter out of curiosity. Here are some Aphra warm-up sketches he has shared:
(Note: If you avoid reading solicits because of spoilers, avoid opening spoilers 2 and 3, as they would similarly spoil upcoming characters' appearances for you.)

Spoiler: 2

DOMINA

 

Spoiler: quote from interview about upcoming content

@ 53:40 Alyssa Wong: "I'm very excited for Domina Tagge. I'm very excited for Tagge family drama. Not Skywalker family drama, but Tagge family drama."



OOOOO I'M READY

 

Spoilers aside, the pencil work looks great. Honestly there hasn't been a truly bad period for art in Aphra, and a lot of it has just been terrific.

Domina. So cool. Is there anything canonically preventing the other siblings from showing up? Do I ask too much?

 

So far as I know, the family has been a blank slate beyond General Tagge from the first movie and what they've done already, so pretty much anything else they wanted to borrow should work.

The new Aphra series has been a little on the light side since the original, but that one had it's chance to grow, so it seems fair to let this one do the same.

 

I always had a soft spot in my heart for poor Silas. Poor fellow didn't know what he was doing with his hair. And he and Ulicus Ulric just sort of disappeared. But of course, I'm very happy to see Domina, who I couldn't figure out why no one had bothered with after her comic run in the old EU. I feel like she was shut out because of the oversaturation of redheads, which was a shame since she was more likable than say, Daala. At least IMO.

I'd flip a table if Orman were to return.

 

I wonder how Domina is going to be drawn in the comic itself - she looks super thin on the cover of issue 6, and I feel like the original comics made her have a bit of a fuller figure. Of course, she's always wearing those loose robes (which our issue 6 cover artist has reinterpreted as being loose in the arms but tight in the torso), but she had a much fuller face, or so it seemed.

 

Spoiler: Issue #5 preview

 

From the preview,

Spoiler

It looks like the Tagge family is back en masse. Characters with the likenesses of Silas and Orman are present, and presumably that's Sanya and Father Tagge. Probably Ulric is the blue-haired guy, and the blonde could be Aurelia already mentioned by FFG.

 

Spoiler: “YELLING AND FLAILING”

I let out the weirdest half-squeal, half-cackle when I got to that page lmbo Our Tagge Renaissance continues!

Silas! My sweet perfect Silas! They preserved your godforsaken signature skullet! Thank goodness, ‘cuz I love it so. And everyone looks grumpy and crabby and vicious, as they should But lol at Orman in regular brown trousers. Honey, that’s not your usual glam getup! You feeling okay?

Lit, is this a dream? I got new official art and a flawless family portrait of all my angelic garbage monster children in CURRENT YEAR ANNO DOMINI DOMINA

 

*table flip*

 

Spoiler

What a gorgeous family photo.

 

Spoiler

Well, we've had a Jaxxon renaissance and a Valance renaissance so far... it seems only right to include a Tagge renaissance as well! Each olde-tyme Marvel recanonization brings us one step closer to seeing the Nagai back in action. Might have to deal with Hoojibs and Lahsbees along the way, but darn it all, it'll be worth it.

 

We need a Solo: A Star Wars Story tie-in with Bey teaming up with the scrumrats.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

Well, I guess MY question got answered with the quickness.

This is all just SO cool. Aphra has kind of always been my favorite of the new canon books, but I never really thought it would coincidentally be doing this kind of stuff with my old favorite characters. Just dumb luck I hopped on the right horse, I guess!

And I'm honestly really liking the new series aside from that. It's fresh but consistent with Volume 1 and it seems right to start off with a really strong heist story done well and then start mixing in the deeper elements. Plus Tagges.

Although yeah, a moment for Orman's JCPenny catalog model look. Maybe be glams up later in this continuity, he looks a little young (albeit already blinded by... oh, who's to say, or maybe the glasses are just a fashion choice now).

 

Spoiler: comments on issue #5

Issue #1, Aphra: "The Tagges are one of the Empire's wealthiest families. They own planets."
Issue #5, location box: "Tagge Space."
I'm packing my bags as we speak, folks! I'll send y'all postcards.

What a lovely final page. Domina appears to be standing in a pool of liquid, yes? If so, I wonder if that's a callback to her meditating by the glade pool in classic MSW #36. I wonder if she will be somewhat Force-sensitive as in Legends, too... I would really enjoy that. So many nasty, delightfully Tagge-y things one could get up to with a touch of the Force.

Eep, Ronen, dearie... still alive (whether due to the rings or just bad luck) but toasted to a crisp, looks like. On the upside, could we get a cyborg Tagge fully encased in gleaming chromium out of this?

"This ring came into my family's possession many, many generations ago. One of my relatives acquired it from an infamous space pirate." -- Since we've been on such a classic MSW roll lately, is anyone else pretending said pirate is Crimson Jack? Yeah, yeah, "many generations ago" -- but we've already had enough discussions about how loosely or not Star Wars uses the term 'generations'.

 

While I personally suspect the "many generations ago" line was intended to imply that Maz was the pirate in question, I now feel like it's almost a certainty Crimson Jack will appear at some point, shorty-shorts and all. And this would be the perfect series for him to show up in.

 

At the rate they're going, I wouldn't be surprised to see Don-Wan Kihotay at some point.