Published: June 18, 2025
Publisher: Marvel Comics
Writer: Cherish Chen
Artist: Gabriel Guzman
Colours: Michael Atiyeh
Letters: VC’s Joe Caramagna
Cover Artist: E.J. Su
The synopsis;
OUT FROM THE SHADOW OF DARTH VADER, DOCTOR APHRA RETURNS!
• An all-new ongoing series featuring the rogue archaeologist as she makes her way through the galaxy in the era of the NEW REPUBLIC!
• APHRA must team up with LUKE SKYWALKER to track down a rare artifact!
• And what will she do when her tattoos no longer function?!
The review;
I feel rather protective over the fabled Doctor Aphra. I have been reviewing her since the original series written by Kieron Gillen. Back then Aphra was a breath of fresh air; a character that had nothing to do with the overall state of the galaxy, who just skittered on the boarders. When the series was restarted with Alyssa Wong at the helm, I was nervous. Yet Wong did an incredible job bringing the character back to basics and creating stories that were atmospheric and stayed true to Aphra. And now here we are again. Why can Aphra not stay unwritten? Because she allows writers the freedom to tell a story in a galaxy far, far away. She is an incredible authentic character that is written well time and time again. Her behaviour is something we don’t often see in this galaxy and the ensemble of characters that surround her are just as engaging (Domina Tagge, Triple-Zero and BT-1 come to mind). More than the stories surrounding this character are fun! Not be too closely linked to the main events of this era, allows the stories to not take themselves too seriously. It is one hell of a legacy for a new writer to walk into and that’s exactly what Cherish Chen is doing. Chen has written for movies (My Dead Friend Zoe) and has written her own comic series Radiant Red which has been very well received. She certainly has the knowledge and I’m excited to see someone new coming to a galaxy far, far away and seeing what she can do with the character. Joining her, is artist Gabriel Guzman. Guzman isn’t a stranger to Star Wars, having worked on Darth Vader and the Cry of Shadows and Dark Times: Fire Carrier. I remember being very impressed with his style and I’m glad he’s returned now. So, what will this duo give us? What new take will Doctor Aphra take? I guess it’s time to find out!
‘Welcome to the Daggers’ is a huge change for the direction of Aphra as a character and as a series. The story starts off in court, with a whole host of charges against Aphra. Chen uses this as a point to quickly recap new readers on the things they need to know about the character. Basically, she’s been in trouble – a lot! However, she’s let off to a large extent because of a testimony by an unknown contributor. Great for Aphra but she can’t do anything illegal. Straight away, I was thinking how could this be. Can you really write a series with Aphra on the straight and narrow? I shouldn’t have worried as Chen puts the pace into overdrive and we see Aphra on Chandrakant pulling a job of some sort. The pacing of this and of the whole issue is going at light speed. You don’t have time to stop and think in this first issue. Somehow Chen has worked so much into this first issue that you feel like you’ve read a full graphic novel. The pacing reminds me a lot of the very first Aphra series, which always felt like it was in motion. This isn’t a bad think at all and after the change of pace in the Wong series, it’s rather fun to be back at this faster rate. We go from the courthouse, to Chandrila, to Director Gray (more on her in a bit) to Daiyu, back to the director, all in a single issue. I’m exhausted just writing it all down!
Before I go much further, I do want to mention the artwork by Guzman – he does not disappoint. From the opening courtroom scene, you can see that faces and the texture on creatures is his gift. The detail is incredible. The way the characters are designed and illustrated really bring them to life. With Chen fitting so much in, it’s up to Guzman to guide us on this journey in a really tight space. He never lets his quality dip and the two-page spread with the speeders really makes you look closely at just how much he’s able to fit on the page. No matter when a new character comes into the story, it’s the faces that get me though. When Luke strides in, he looks superbly drawn, when we meet Baksheen, the texture to his face almost looks like you could touch it. I can’t wait to see more of his work in this series.
Back to the story, Aphra has always worked by bouncing off other characters and the front cover is the only guidance you need here. Luke is there to support Aphra and helps her with where she ultimately ends up as well as the mission she is given to go and get a gauntlet. Luke is what you would expect following the events of Return of the Jedi. He is confident in his abilities but also confident in his trust of others. He has turned his father, one of the evilest men in the galaxy, back to the light. You can almost see his thoughts as he looks at Aphra, knowing that he can do the same again with her – if she’s given the chance. Now I could talk about the whole episode with the gauntlet, but you can read that easily enough. What Chen does at the end of it is what is important. Aphra is about to fall back into her old routines, the ones that have been depicted in two series. Luke reaches out to her and shows her that there is another way. This isn’t just for Aphra’s benefit but for us as the reader. Chen is putting her mark on the series, acknowledging what has come before but we’ve had that for two full series, now marks the point of something new and refreshing. As much as I like the Aphra we’ve had, as much as change in series sometimes worries me, this new approach to the character feels right and exciting.
So, what is this change? The Daggers, headed up by Director Gray, search for artefacts lost to the Empire. They are on a mission to find them and re-piece the history of the galaxy. There is so much to this idea that I absolutely adore and gives me so much confidence in the direction of this series. The first is the acknowledgment that the Empire wiped out so much history in the galaxy, why wouldn’t the New Republic set up a group like this to try and claim as much of it back as they can. The idea strikes me as so fitting for the time period, for the galaxy and for utilising in this series. A group like that needs someone like Aphra, who walks a fine line between… well everything! It really makes this feel like something Indiana Jones in Star Wars. The other thing that I really like is Director Gray. Her attitude and strength seem perfectly in keeping to what the other series did so well: creating strong female characters. What’s important to note here is that these female characters never feel forced upon, never feel like they’re there for the sake of it. They are there to aid the story and that makes them more likeable, more relatable and more intriguing. The fact that Aphra must follow orders, go on missions and not do anything illegal has me grinning at the possibilities that are open for the character. Is she going to keep within those lines? Of course not, but isn’t that the ruin of reading a story like this?
Before I wrap this review up, with all the well thought out story plots and characters it would be remiss of me not to mention the humour. The dry and – often – dark humour that is in Aphra has always made me laugh out loud. Chen does it so well here. The fact that Mekso is in fact Aphra’s parole officer, I couldn’t stop laughing. It’s so in keeping with the character. ‘Farm boy’ who then waves. It’s all just laugh after laugh and Chen has got the perfect tone for it.
This is an incredible first issue. It does everything it needs to do. It tips a hat to old readers who have followed Aphra for years while also catching up new readers who are just getting started. The idea behind the whole series Has me eager to see what will come next, where will we go. Keeping Aphra herself grounded, to have her working for the ‘good guys’ makes for a dramatic shift for the series but one I think it needs. Chen doesn’t seem afraid to do that. Keeping pace with her is the amazing artwork of Guzman, who I can’t wait to see what else he does in this series. I was unsure when I saw a title like ‘Chaos Agent’ however I’m all in! This series feels like it’s going to be incredible; it’s going to be one watch mature into… whatever Chen makes of it!
Bring on issue two!
Availability;
Doctor Ahpra: Chaos Agent is an ongoing series published by Marvel Comics. This issue retails at $4.99 and is available from Amazon Kindle Comics and your local comic book store.
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