Kieron Gillen is one among a very limited number of comic book writers who never fail to deliver excellent works. Whether you look at his heartbreaking “Journey into Mystery,”( exploring the life of a young Loki), or his multiple collaborations with Jamie McKelvie — Young Avengers, Phonogram and the godly Wicked/Divine — you are bound to get your money’s worth, and much more besides.
Kieron’s 25-issue run on Darth Vader in particular, was the best Star Wars comic book I could’ve hoped for, and furthermore succeeded in two very important ways; first, it made the iconic villain even more multi-layered than I thought possible; and second, it introduced Doctor Aphra, a brilliant archeologist, unburdened by morality, and a bit too clever for her own good, if the end to Kieron’s Vader is anything to go by.
Minor Spoilers Incoming: After faking her own death by Vader’s hand, the good Doctor is back to what she does best — scouring the galaxy for artifacts from a by-gone age and selling them to the highest bidder! All is not well, however, when Aphra discovers her Doctorate suspended…by none other than her father!
That’s how this six-issue volume starts off, and with a few memorable characters — two psychopathic droids who enjoy murder way too much, as well as a very angry, scarred Wookie ex-gladiator — it’s a volume worth picking up!
“Aphra” hit all the right notes a comic book in the Star Wars universe should — laughs, space opera goodness, some Imperial conflict, a brave adventure, and even some strong emotional moments between father and daughter. If you’ve ever thought to yourself, “I’d really enjoy seeing an amoral Indiana Jones in space, helped along by evil Chewie, C3PO, and R2-D2,” that’s just the comic book for you!
And if you haven’t…you should! It’s fantastic! The art is great, too!
To finish this off, I’ll say, without spoiling, the last page in the volume is such a fun character moment, which speaks volumes about who Doctor Aphra is.
That’s it, my Thursday recommendation, returned from the longest hiatus yet! Here’s to hoping content will resume in a more normal fashion! Sorry to any of you folks who enjoyed getting a daily tidbit from the blog; I’ll try to do better in the coming weeks and during all of 2018! What’s important is, I’m back…
The Grimoire Reliquary 
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