Doctor Aphra #9

Doctor Aphra #9

Writer: Kieron Gillen
Penciller: Kev Walker
Inker: Marc Deering
Colorist: Antonio Fabela
Letterer: Joe Caramagna
Cover Artist: Kamome Shirahama

Doctor Aphra #9 gets back to business as she holds an auction for the Eternal Rur. With an ancient Jedi  A.I. holding knowledge of things long forgotten, but also capable of taking over droids with technopathy, Rur is quite a valuable commodity. Aphra invites all the rich lowlifes she knows in hopes for a big pay out. However, her murder bots are getting restless.

The issue opens with Aphra figuring out a way to contain Rur and his technopathy. From there, things jump straight to the party and some of her surly guests which includes a Rodian named Yonak. There are other guests, including a Hutt named Sutha representing Jabba the Hutt, and good old Papa Toren. Aphra makes her sales pitch for Rur and awaits the bids. Meanwhile she tells her murder bots not to murder anybody. Triple Zero and BT take offense to this and decide that Aphra has over stayed her welcome. So they reach out to Vader in hopes that he’ll have some murdering to do.

Storywise, I really enjoyed this issue. The dialog and characters are fun, the story is enjoyable, and I like what it’s setting up. But how is Aphra going to survive Vader a second time? And what will happen to Rur? This issue kicks off a lot of questions and stirs up a lot of intrigue. It’s a good way to renew interest in the series.

Artwise, I also enjoyed this issue. Kev Walker, Marc Deering and Antonio Fabela do a great job of bringing the characters to life, filling the panels with interesting imagery, and keeping the color palettes lively. Some of the panels are really gorgeous, and they’re also in no shortage as they’re sprinkled throughout. My only gripe is with the cover. The outfits for Aphra and Krrsantan on the cover are not what they’re wearing in the actual issue. So it was a little misleading and a little disappointing. Otherwise the artwork is great.

Doctor Aphra #9 puts the series back on top form with a nice story and nice visuals. I give it a five out of five metal bikinis and look forward to where it’s going next.

Reviewed By: Skuldren for Roqoo Depot.