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Star Wars: Doctor Aphra (2016)
Star Wars: Doctor Aphra, Vol. 4: The Catastrophe Con
Collects Star Wars: Doctor Aphra #20-25.
Doctor Aphra is behind bars. Again. But this time she’s in Imperial custody, strapped to an explosive transmitter synced to a single hubdroid. Take one step too far? Kablooey! So what happens when Aphra’s captors send her hubdroid right into the middle of a war zone? And what’s this rumor about the prison being haunted? Meanwhile, Aphra’s got information — and it’s information the Rebellion wants. But how far are they willing to go — and who are they willing to recruit — to get it? Surely even our lovable rogue archaeologist can’t find a way to make things even worse, right? Wrong. Because Aphra’s current flame, Inspector Tolvan, and Aphra’s ex, Sana Starros, are about to meet. Awkward. But that’s nothing compared to a certain tall, dark shadow about to fall across her.
Doctor Aphra is behind bars. Again. But this time she’s in Imperial custody, strapped to an explosive transmitter synced to a single hubdroid. Take one step too far? Kablooey! So what happens when Aphra’s captors send her hubdroid right into the middle of a war zone? And what’s this rumor about the prison being haunted? Meanwhile, Aphra’s got information — and it’s information the Rebellion wants. But how far are they willing to go — and who are they willing to recruit — to get it? Surely even our lovable rogue archaeologist can’t find a way to make things even worse, right? Wrong. Because Aphra’s current flame, Inspector Tolvan, and Aphra’s ex, Sana Starros, are about to meet. Awkward. But that’s nothing compared to a certain tall, dark shadow about to fall across her.
140 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 8, 2019
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 185 reviews
November 22, 2019
Plot-wise I felt this continuation of Aphra’s misadventures suffered quite a bit from “small galaxy syndrome” but ultimately it was better to suspend disbelief and just go with the flow. I’ve read stuff by Si Spurrier before and he has a tendency to out-clever himself at times but when he’s on his game his dialogue is aces.
Great work by the art team to give a real gritty edge to the desperate straits setting of Accresker Jail, the nonsensical floating scrap-pile filled with scum and villainy that the Un-good Doctor finds herself doing the hardest of time on. And, even though the majority of the main characters here are conventionally attractive women none of them are ever what you would describe as "scantily clad" as that would make zero sense for anyone in this setting. Good for them.
So what ensues? Scam upon scam and manipulation upon manipulation in service of escape and the acquisition of antiquities, naturally!
It’s a weird little corner of the Star Wars universe, but I have come to love this series so.
Great work by the art team to give a real gritty edge to the desperate straits setting of Accresker Jail, the nonsensical floating scrap-pile filled with scum and villainy that the Un-good Doctor finds herself doing the hardest of time on. And, even though the majority of the main characters here are conventionally attractive women none of them are ever what you would describe as "scantily clad" as that would make zero sense for anyone in this setting. Good for them.
So what ensues? Scam upon scam and manipulation upon manipulation in service of escape and the acquisition of antiquities, naturally!
It’s a weird little corner of the Star Wars universe, but I have come to love this series so.
June 26, 2025
Aphra you scoundrel! 3.35 🌟
March 30, 2021
Actual rating is 3.5 stars.
This collection continues the story of our favorite archeologist in a galaxy far, far away. In this one, Aphra finds herself in an Imperial jail where the residents are forced to invade Rebel ships. How will she get out of this one?
There were parts of this collection that I absolutely loved and parts that I did not. I will say that the good parts definitely outweighed the bad. My favorite thing about this collection was how the author incorporated all the previous story lines from the previous comics including Aphra's story in the Darth Vader comic. We get all the characters like Tovran, the murder droids, and Vader arriving in the prison for an explosive finale. I also liked how we see that Aphra has grown in a character from the time that we met her. The one problem I had with this collection and it was a major one for me was the idea of spores that have the force. For me it was a little too far fetched and the problem was that it was the impetus for the drama in this collection. It severely affected my rating.
This collection was probably the most action packed collection of Aphra's run so far. It was non stop and all the intersecting stories worked perfectly. This collection really progressed her story too. There are consequences especially the last issue and it will be very interesting how the next collection deals with them. I look forward to it.
This collection continues the story of our favorite archeologist in a galaxy far, far away. In this one, Aphra finds herself in an Imperial jail where the residents are forced to invade Rebel ships. How will she get out of this one?
There were parts of this collection that I absolutely loved and parts that I did not. I will say that the good parts definitely outweighed the bad. My favorite thing about this collection was how the author incorporated all the previous story lines from the previous comics including Aphra's story in the Darth Vader comic. We get all the characters like Tovran, the murder droids, and Vader arriving in the prison for an explosive finale. I also liked how we see that Aphra has grown in a character from the time that we met her. The one problem I had with this collection and it was a major one for me was the idea of spores that have the force. For me it was a little too far fetched and the problem was that it was the impetus for the drama in this collection. It severely affected my rating.
This collection was probably the most action packed collection of Aphra's run so far. It was non stop and all the intersecting stories worked perfectly. This collection really progressed her story too. There are consequences especially the last issue and it will be very interesting how the next collection deals with them. I look forward to it.
April 7, 2020
This series is so much twisted fun. Aphra gets sent to a prison ship that makes war on Rebel ships, forcing the prisoners to board them. As she tries to find a way to escape there's backstabbing galore. Aphra and anyone around her tend to be very messed up. Spurrier hasn't missed a beat coming on as writer. Kev Walker's art is great. He's certainly fine-tuned his style over the years.
January 28, 2019
Star Wars at its worst.
January 13, 2021
"A galaxy like this? Knowing things - having gifts - it just means you've got to pick a side. The light or the dark. And - honestly? I was never a great fit with either."
That... that was an emotional ride.
This starts off with Aphra in a jail that may or may not be haunted, with a weak plan of escape and some awkward girlfriend moments. It's a little weird at times, Star Wars wise, but I'm honestly used to the Aphra comics being weird by now so I could roll with it. Sana and Tolvan are both in here with some great stuff.
Also!! My favorite alien pilot of all time not counting Chewbacca, General Hera Syndulla is in here, and aaahhh
Give me a moment, give me a moment.
Oh, I love her so much.
But... that line that Sana said...
Anyhow! Right, Aphra!
Yeah, I love Hera very much, but Aphra is one of a kind. I loved that ending of volume 21. Aphra, you idiot, you're a treasure.
Also, can we just appreciate that Sana is in the exact same situation she was in in the very first Skywalker Strikes book - she runs into her ex and her ex's new girlfriend. Like she did with Han and Leia. Oh, I love it. The drama!
The end of volume 24 though - my goodness. I think that was the point when I realized how much I actually cared about these characters and that stuff was getting well and truly serious. I mean - wow. Stuff really got real.
And... can we talk about that "Who are you calling heartless?" page? That was... that was striking. Leaves an impact.
And that ending that ending that ending that ending.
Honestly, I had my doubts when I first started this series. But wow, has it paid off. What a stunning addition to the Star Wars universe. And the emotional beats were excellent. 5/5 stars.
That... that was an emotional ride.
This starts off with Aphra in a jail that may or may not be haunted, with a weak plan of escape and some awkward girlfriend moments. It's a little weird at times, Star Wars wise, but I'm honestly used to the Aphra comics being weird by now so I could roll with it. Sana and Tolvan are both in here with some great stuff.
Also!! My favorite alien pilot of all time not counting Chewbacca, General Hera Syndulla is in here, and aaahhh
Give me a moment, give me a moment.
Oh, I love her so much.
But... that line that Sana said...
Anyhow! Right, Aphra!
Yeah, I love Hera very much, but Aphra is one of a kind. I loved that ending of volume 21. Aphra, you idiot, you're a treasure.
Also, can we just appreciate that Sana is in the exact same situation she was in in the very first Skywalker Strikes book - she runs into her ex and her ex's new girlfriend. Like she did with Han and Leia. Oh, I love it. The drama!
The end of volume 24 though - my goodness. I think that was the point when I realized how much I actually cared about these characters and that stuff was getting well and truly serious. I mean - wow. Stuff really got real.
And... can we talk about that "Who are you calling heartless?" page? That was... that was striking. Leaves an impact.
And that ending that ending that ending that ending.
Honestly, I had my doubts when I first started this series. But wow, has it paid off. What a stunning addition to the Star Wars universe. And the emotional beats were excellent. 5/5 stars.
August 25, 2018
This series just isn't interesting anymore...
December 31, 2019
Wow, Aphra is one sick twist. It’s fun to watch her do crazy shizznit, but the lass is a nightmare. Too bad for her there are worse nightmares out there willing to bring her to heel. And boy does she deserve it.
With all this Space Opera craziness with double-crosses, triple-crosses, multiple murders, a sentient infectious fungus wielding Force powers, shape-shifters, mind-wiping monsters, plus regular criminals, all of it set on a junkpile of wrecked spaceships being used as a prison — which was all fine, fun even — the one thing I didn’t buy was that Imperial Inspector Tolvan was *still* in love with the batshit crazy Aphra.
You got issues, girl.
With all this Space Opera craziness with double-crosses, triple-crosses, multiple murders, a sentient infectious fungus wielding Force powers, shape-shifters, mind-wiping monsters, plus regular criminals, all of it set on a junkpile of wrecked spaceships being used as a prison — which was all fine, fun even — the one thing I didn’t buy was that Imperial Inspector Tolvan was *still* in love with the batshit crazy Aphra.
You got issues, girl.
March 20, 2021
Well, that was fun!
I love how this series is a Star Wars story that doesn't feel like any other Star Wars story. It's definitely got its own vibe going and I am so.here.for.it.
I can't decide if I love Aphra or despise her.
I think I love her because I despise her. She's just so...ugh. And yet...yes! Ya know?
And thus ends my in-depth review of Doctor Aphra Volume 4. :p
Bottom line... it's a helluva lotta fun to read. Yay, Star Wars.
I love how this series is a Star Wars story that doesn't feel like any other Star Wars story. It's definitely got its own vibe going and I am so.here.for.it.
I can't decide if I love Aphra or despise her.
I think I love her because I despise her. She's just so...ugh. And yet...yes! Ya know?
And thus ends my in-depth review of Doctor Aphra Volume 4. :p
Bottom line... it's a helluva lotta fun to read. Yay, Star Wars.
June 15, 2022
oh i just loved this: funny and messy and a gay Star Wars love triangle? what else could you want
February 4, 2019
Doctor Aphra's in jail...again. But surely with the help of Sana Starros, Inspector Tolvan, and a shapeshifting new friend, she can escape...right? I guess she hasn't factored in a sentient parasitic fungus, a telekinetic Jedi ghost, and the arrival of Darth Vader, as well as Triple-Zero and Beetee, though. Hmm. Gunna be a tough call this time.
The transition period's over, and Simon Spurrier's taken over this title properly now by the look of it. This six issue storyline stretches Aphra's brain and her relationships to their limits, and it's done wonderfully well. The fact that Aphra knows she's as bad as people think she is just makes things even more heartbreaking, and yet you can't help but feel sorry for her when there are not one but two gut punches at the end of the story.
Kev Walker returns for art duties, but he doesn't get to have as much fun as before I don't think, since most characters are clad in these shapeless blob prison outfits, and one of the monsters of the story is literally a shapeless blob. Still, it's nice to see him back on the book.
Doctor Aphra might have gone through a creative shift, but her series is still as enjoyable as ever with a tragedy of a main character that truly keeps things the very definition of unpredictable.
The transition period's over, and Simon Spurrier's taken over this title properly now by the look of it. This six issue storyline stretches Aphra's brain and her relationships to their limits, and it's done wonderfully well. The fact that Aphra knows she's as bad as people think she is just makes things even more heartbreaking, and yet you can't help but feel sorry for her when there are not one but two gut punches at the end of the story.
Kev Walker returns for art duties, but he doesn't get to have as much fun as before I don't think, since most characters are clad in these shapeless blob prison outfits, and one of the monsters of the story is literally a shapeless blob. Still, it's nice to see him back on the book.
Doctor Aphra might have gone through a creative shift, but her series is still as enjoyable as ever with a tragedy of a main character that truly keeps things the very definition of unpredictable.
August 4, 2019
Aphra continues to be a galactic hot mess and it's hard not to love her. Aphra is stuck on a prison ship and is working to get off. This may mean that she has to sacrifice a shapeshifter and a woman she has feelings for.
But that's part of Aphra's nature and once she discovers an abandoned jedi ship with a lightsaber her plans change once again. Lot of great action in this collection with cameos from our favorite murder droids and a few surprises.
But that's part of Aphra's nature and once she discovers an abandoned jedi ship with a lightsaber her plans change once again. Lot of great action in this collection with cameos from our favorite murder droids and a few surprises.
January 22, 2020
The hijinks continue. Aphra seems to jump from one bad situation to another and the creative team steers right into that trope. I've had a lot of fun reading these books because they are so silly. This volume pulls on a lot of the characters that have been introduced in previous Dr. Aphra stories, which is great because it is building something new in the Star Wars setting instead of relying on the characters from the movies.
December 25, 2020
Doctor Aphra is in an Empire's floating prison. " You put a Bow on Hera Syndulla?" Yes that was the first question of Aphra by an ex-lover now pissed off Bounty Hunter. One of the best Star wars comics ever!!!
January 9, 2019
So, so much nonsense...
January 15, 2019
This ongoing series is definitely the best of the current Marvel ongoing Star Wars comics. The ones featuring the main characters from the film series have stagnated, especially since they have a limited time frame to take place during and an already established character arc. In Doctor Aphra, the reader gets to see this complex character experience life changing events. Things can actually happen!
This book is so queer, I love it! I wish more Star Wars media had representation like this. Many of the books also feature queer characters, but the films have yet to catch up. Here's hoping for Episode IX and the upcoming live-action tv shows. Aphra's current flame comes back into play. And another great comics-created character is Aphra's ex!
There are some great cameos in this volume. I always love seeing Hera as a Rebel during the events of the original trilogy. The infamous Doctor Cornelius Evazen is also featured.
The morality (or lack there of) of not only Aphra, but pretty much every character in this ongoing series is one of the best parts of these books. Darth Vader is still there as the big bad cliche villain, but the murder droids, Tolvan, and even Sana Starros show different perspectives from a galaxy far, far away. There's even a bit about jedi ideals in this volume.
I give this volume a 5/5. I'm reconsidering continuing some of the other ongoing Marvel comics, but I will keep with Doctor Aphra!
This book is so queer, I love it! I wish more Star Wars media had representation like this. Many of the books also feature queer characters, but the films have yet to catch up. Here's hoping for Episode IX and the upcoming live-action tv shows. Aphra's current flame comes back into play. And another great comics-created character is Aphra's ex!
There are some great cameos in this volume. I always love seeing Hera as a Rebel during the events of the original trilogy. The infamous Doctor Cornelius Evazen is also featured.
The morality (or lack there of) of not only Aphra, but pretty much every character in this ongoing series is one of the best parts of these books. Darth Vader is still there as the big bad cliche villain, but the murder droids, Tolvan, and even Sana Starros show different perspectives from a galaxy far, far away. There's even a bit about jedi ideals in this volume.
I give this volume a 5/5. I'm reconsidering continuing some of the other ongoing Marvel comics, but I will keep with Doctor Aphra!
December 11, 2019
3.5
0-1 ABY
This volume contains Star Wars: Doctor Aphra--The Catastrophe Con Part I-VI, making up the fourth volume of the Doctor Aphra series. As seen in previous volumes, Aphra isn't the best at maintaining strong, healthy relationships. The tension between both Aphra and Tolvan, and Aphra and Sana. When Tolvan and Sana have a chance meet-up to save Aphra from the Empire's torture, the meeting is more than a bit awkward. As usual, Aphra is after some rare artifact worth a bunch of credits, but that's not why the imperials filing through her brain is a bad thing. She knows Vader's secret plan to thwart the Emperor, and she must keep that from the Empire if she is to keep herself alive. With a terrible betrayal, Vader is on her trail, but if she can use the same mind-filtering alien that the Imps used, but to erase her memories instead of going through them, then maybe she has a chance to salvage her relationships and save herself.
This volume, collectively, was rather interesting, though the second half was much better. I enjoyed the dynamic of Aphra's current love interest meeting her ex. I also enjoyed seeing how Aphra and Tolvan's relationship developed, for better or for worse. And with Vader looming on Aphra's tail, this had a good amount of tension to it and also left a rather interesting cliffhanger for her story.
0-1 ABY
This volume contains Star Wars: Doctor Aphra--The Catastrophe Con Part I-VI, making up the fourth volume of the Doctor Aphra series. As seen in previous volumes, Aphra isn't the best at maintaining strong, healthy relationships. The tension between both Aphra and Tolvan, and Aphra and Sana. When Tolvan and Sana have a chance meet-up to save Aphra from the Empire's torture, the meeting is more than a bit awkward. As usual, Aphra is after some rare artifact worth a bunch of credits, but that's not why the imperials filing through her brain is a bad thing. She knows Vader's secret plan to thwart the Emperor, and she must keep that from the Empire if she is to keep herself alive. With a terrible betrayal, Vader is on her trail, but if she can use the same mind-filtering alien that the Imps used, but to erase her memories instead of going through them, then maybe she has a chance to salvage her relationships and save herself.
This volume, collectively, was rather interesting, though the second half was much better. I enjoyed the dynamic of Aphra's current love interest meeting her ex. I also enjoyed seeing how Aphra and Tolvan's relationship developed, for better or for worse. And with Vader looming on Aphra's tail, this had a good amount of tension to it and also left a rather interesting cliffhanger for her story.
November 16, 2024
(4,3 of 5 for this excellent ride)
Yeah, this was fun. And unlike the previous one, I did remember a bit of this. And I still enjoyed it greatly. Penal Colony/garbage is very thrilling to read and it has the darkest vibes of desperation and futile hope so far like the Aliens. This got an even more chilling thrill than recently viewed Alien: Romulus. This was packed.
Previous:
Aphra finally finished this (last?) arc. And it was good. The penal orbital station was fun to read, a lot of action and, twist, backstabbing and unexpected mercy. Lord Vader is there an he is glorious and menacing as always. I really like Aphra, but continuing with this comics I started to like more adventures in her series (to necessary including Aphra in the main role). Aphra contains few of interesting characters and it is packed with a huge bite of SW universe (in that era). I'm sad to see that go, but in fact, I feel that Aphra's current line got exhausted. At least for now.
Yeah, this was fun. And unlike the previous one, I did remember a bit of this. And I still enjoyed it greatly. Penal Colony/garbage is very thrilling to read and it has the darkest vibes of desperation and futile hope so far like the Aliens. This got an even more chilling thrill than recently viewed Alien: Romulus. This was packed.
Previous:
Aphra finally finished this (last?) arc. And it was good. The penal orbital station was fun to read, a lot of action and, twist, backstabbing and unexpected mercy. Lord Vader is there an he is glorious and menacing as always. I really like Aphra, but continuing with this comics I started to like more adventures in her series (to necessary including Aphra in the main role). Aphra contains few of interesting characters and it is packed with a huge bite of SW universe (in that era). I'm sad to see that go, but in fact, I feel that Aphra's current line got exhausted. At least for now.
September 21, 2020
In this issue of "Doctor Aphra", Volume 4: "Catastrophe Con": the galaxy's cutest and probably most trouble-prone rogue archaeologist is in prison, again, this time in Accresker Jail, where inmates are each given explosive micro-implants which detonate if they try to escape; the ghost of a Jedi haunts the prison (or it may just be a sentient space-fungus, Aphra doesn't really care), but the ancient light-saber that is hidden somewhere on board could be worth a fortune on the rare Jedi artifacts market; Aphra calls on one too many (or two too many) potential rescuers, some of whom aren't really rushing to save her so much as they are rushing to make sure her micro-implants go off; Darth Vader makes a bad-ass cameo (as he is wont to do); and no good deed goes unpunished for poor Aphra (which is probably why she doesn't do many of them)...
March 21, 2019
Si Spurrier takes over the book fully here. And, uh. It gets dark. It gets... it gets pretty dark. Aphra has a way of careening from catastrophe to catastrophe at the best of times (as the title of the volume alludes to) but I think this is the lowest we've ever seen her. Looking forward to seeing where this goes from here; kinda hoping she gets a break for once. Maybe she'll even deserve it! We'll see I guess.
April 17, 2019
Doctor Aphra is in jail and...I am having a hard time finding a reason to care. Is Aphra a villain? She's certainly no hero, but she's also not as evil or twisted as many of the other characters she associates with, and yet people constantly tell her how awful she is. Thoughtless? Yes. Greedy? Daffy Duck levels of greed. Heartless? She seems to regret hurting people even as she does it to survive. So, I'm not sure, but she isn't sadistic or a mass murderer, so, what gives?
May 20, 2019
Still love the character and the story was very cleverly plotted once again. Seriously, I don't understand the negative comments. If anything, this got a bit too dark toward the end. Aphra should be a lighter character. Looking forward to more of this story.
April 30, 2019
A nicely contained arc that adds depth to the story in a self-contained tale without being irrelevant filler - quite the difficult tightrope to walk.
May 10, 2020
Some spoilers ahead.
This is the most conflicted I’ve been when it comes to poor, tortured Chelli Aphra. On one hand, some of the dialogue in the second and third issues of this volume make for a downright gag-inducing reaction. Some of the jokes are bad, owing to the kind of self-referential humour you’d get from someone who is all-too-aware of the Star Wars franchise, rather than from someone who lives and breathes in the universe.
On the other hand…in the later issues, some ridiculous awesomeness transpires, courtesy of everyone’s favourite Dark Lord of the Sith, Darth Vader!
What I expected to be little more than a cameo turned into a full-blown appearance which, as always, had lasting consequences for our favourite evil archeaologist. He’s such an enormous part of Aphra’s identity in the Star Wars universe and whether by his absence or his presence, Vader’s shadow defines Aphra’s status quo and shapes her actions.
Speaking of, Aphra’s voice remains consistent with what the ever-brilliant Kieron Gillen set out in the first edition of Darth Vader and again in the first two volumes of this run of Doctor Aphra. The moments when Aphra goes to absolute insane degrees of singular purpose just to enrich herself and satisfy her curiosity…these are when this volume and run both are at its finest.
[‘Sir’ knows Aphra so well.]
Despite my complaints, some of the issues click and come together exactly because of Aphra’s personality, as well as thanks to the drama some of her supporting characters (Magna, in the picture above) bring to the table. The conflict is solid and the emotional highs are quite high.
I saw one of the two final twists coming a mile away, and I really wish the author hadn’t gone with what he did — but I’ll admit to being morbidly curious as to how Aphra will get out of her latest gauntlet.
I find that I’ve gotten exhausted by evil C-3PO-alike, Triple Zero, as well as by his little astromech helper. Though that problem is somewhat addressed, I’d gladly see the once-amusing droid come to an unfortunate end in the next volume. He’s overstayed his welcome as is.
My score for this is a very tentative 3.5 out of 5 stars – I wanted to go higher, I wanted to go lower. I hope the next volume doesn’t suffer from some of the problems of this one. If you’ve stuck around for this long…Catastrophe Con still makes for an engaging Doctor Aphra story, despite some issues.
I read this through Comixology’s Unlimited Subscription – sweet!
This is the most conflicted I’ve been when it comes to poor, tortured Chelli Aphra. On one hand, some of the dialogue in the second and third issues of this volume make for a downright gag-inducing reaction. Some of the jokes are bad, owing to the kind of self-referential humour you’d get from someone who is all-too-aware of the Star Wars franchise, rather than from someone who lives and breathes in the universe.
On the other hand…in the later issues, some ridiculous awesomeness transpires, courtesy of everyone’s favourite Dark Lord of the Sith, Darth Vader!
What I expected to be little more than a cameo turned into a full-blown appearance which, as always, had lasting consequences for our favourite evil archeaologist. He’s such an enormous part of Aphra’s identity in the Star Wars universe and whether by his absence or his presence, Vader’s shadow defines Aphra’s status quo and shapes her actions.
Speaking of, Aphra’s voice remains consistent with what the ever-brilliant Kieron Gillen set out in the first edition of Darth Vader and again in the first two volumes of this run of Doctor Aphra. The moments when Aphra goes to absolute insane degrees of singular purpose just to enrich herself and satisfy her curiosity…these are when this volume and run both are at its finest.
[‘Sir’ knows Aphra so well.]
Despite my complaints, some of the issues click and come together exactly because of Aphra’s personality, as well as thanks to the drama some of her supporting characters (Magna, in the picture above) bring to the table. The conflict is solid and the emotional highs are quite high.
I saw one of the two final twists coming a mile away, and I really wish the author hadn’t gone with what he did — but I’ll admit to being morbidly curious as to how Aphra will get out of her latest gauntlet.
I find that I’ve gotten exhausted by evil C-3PO-alike, Triple Zero, as well as by his little astromech helper. Though that problem is somewhat addressed, I’d gladly see the once-amusing droid come to an unfortunate end in the next volume. He’s overstayed his welcome as is.
My score for this is a very tentative 3.5 out of 5 stars – I wanted to go higher, I wanted to go lower. I hope the next volume doesn’t suffer from some of the problems of this one. If you’ve stuck around for this long…Catastrophe Con still makes for an engaging Doctor Aphra story, despite some issues.
I read this through Comixology’s Unlimited Subscription – sweet!
April 24, 2020
I am seriously loving this series so much. In this volume, Doctor Aphra finds herself stuck on Accresker Jail, which is made up of a bunch of derelict ships all tractor-beamed together with an artificial atmosphere and being tugged around the galaxy by a freighter. The Empire forces the prisoners to go out and attack Rebel (or other troublesome) ships by use of bomb collars around the prisoner's necks and droids that they have to stay in proximity to during a mission or they will explode. It's a pretty interesting concept and I was very curious to see how Aphra was going to get out of the situation.
She actually almost gets out of it on her own pretty early on, but a mysterious spirit that appears to be haunting the ship thwarts her plans and she ends up getting more desperate as time goes on. Eventually she ends up sending a single transmission to the one person she feels might help her, but unfortunately for her, she has a bunch of enemies who are VERY keen on finding out where she is.
By the time you get to the end of this volume, so many people from Aphra's past have shown up to collect debts they owe or revenge they seek, that it's almost comical. But it never feels like it goes too far, just always one step shy of too much. Every time a new person shows up it's completely explained by the story and reasonable for them to be there. Everything in this story was just so perfectly Doctor Aphra--Simon Spurrier definitely has a good handle on the character. And the ending was really wild and has me dying to see what's going to happen next.
Kev Walker's art is so perfectly suited to this title, I look forward to them bringing him back for a future arc.
She actually almost gets out of it on her own pretty early on, but a mysterious spirit that appears to be haunting the ship thwarts her plans and she ends up getting more desperate as time goes on. Eventually she ends up sending a single transmission to the one person she feels might help her, but unfortunately for her, she has a bunch of enemies who are VERY keen on finding out where she is.
By the time you get to the end of this volume, so many people from Aphra's past have shown up to collect debts they owe or revenge they seek, that it's almost comical. But it never feels like it goes too far, just always one step shy of too much. Every time a new person shows up it's completely explained by the story and reasonable for them to be there. Everything in this story was just so perfectly Doctor Aphra--Simon Spurrier definitely has a good handle on the character. And the ending was really wild and has me dying to see what's going to happen next.
Kev Walker's art is so perfectly suited to this title, I look forward to them bringing him back for a future arc.
January 19, 2023
Aphra is doing her best to survive in prison. She befriends an inmate named Lopset Yas who provides a means to contact the outside for an escape plan. It may involve Tolvan or Sana. Or both? There are too many twists in this story to list them all. Aphra is put through the ringer in more ways than one, challenging her skill to survive, but also her relationship with others. In the end she survives, against all odds, but loses things she should have valued more.
March 3, 2019
The Catastrophe Con was slightly, and I mean slightly better than the previous attempt in this storyline, but good God, it was still a mess. Confusing, disjointed. Too many storylines and way too many failed attempts at humor. Horrible characters and a plot that is just plain idiotic. The lesbian/gay relationships, at this point, have been done to death, and, quite frankly, suck. Clearly written in just to try and grab the LGBTQ Star Wars fans. At this point, I'm convinced Star Wars, Marvel, and Disney are just trolling us with shittier and shittier comics...just because they can.
The whole Dr. Aphra series has never been great but with the absolute crap fest that was Remastered this series has officially become an absolute laughing stock. The Catastrophe Con only cements this series' place at the bottom of the garbage pile.
I almost gave Catastrophe (which it is) a 2 star rating for its artwork, but on second thought, after a bunch of worthless nonsense and wasting my time reading something that was a slap in the face to Star Wars fans, I concluded that there is no way this one deserves anything higher than the single star I gave it. I have also decided I'm 100% done with this horrible excuse of a series.
The whole Dr. Aphra series has never been great but with the absolute crap fest that was Remastered this series has officially become an absolute laughing stock. The Catastrophe Con only cements this series' place at the bottom of the garbage pile.
I almost gave Catastrophe (which it is) a 2 star rating for its artwork, but on second thought, after a bunch of worthless nonsense and wasting my time reading something that was a slap in the face to Star Wars fans, I concluded that there is no way this one deserves anything higher than the single star I gave it. I have also decided I'm 100% done with this horrible excuse of a series.
June 29, 2019
2.5 stars
Listen, I absolutely love Aphra. She's one of my favorite Star Wars characters from the new canon.
But this story completely shifts from the tone of the prior stories even moreso than Remastered did. We constantly see Aphra suffering, which isn't great for people reading this for a wild ride like the first one, or to see our favorite wisecracking and slightly insane doctor. At least Remastered offered some humorous moments with the tookas and some adorable moments with Magna. This was just Aphra working in a labor camp, being tortured, and generally being made miserable. I did like the inclusion of Sana Starros, though.
And the ending with Magna was emotional, yes, but seemed a bit ooc for Aphra. Sure, it's a sign of growth, but maybe a better way to show Aphra growing as a person would be for her and Magna to end up together and work together on something, not force her to
Also?
Fuck 000/Trip. I can't stand him anymore, and it's kinda hard to go back and reread the first two stories where he was more or less just a funnily crazy droid.
Listen, I absolutely love Aphra. She's one of my favorite Star Wars characters from the new canon.
But this story completely shifts from the tone of the prior stories even moreso than Remastered did. We constantly see Aphra suffering, which isn't great for people reading this for a wild ride like the first one, or to see our favorite wisecracking and slightly insane doctor. At least Remastered offered some humorous moments with the tookas and some adorable moments with Magna. This was just Aphra working in a labor camp, being tortured, and generally being made miserable. I did like the inclusion of Sana Starros, though.
And the ending with Magna was emotional, yes, but seemed a bit ooc for Aphra. Sure, it's a sign of growth, but maybe a better way to show Aphra growing as a person would be for her and Magna to end up together and work together on something, not force her to
Also?
Fuck 000/Trip. I can't stand him anymore, and it's kinda hard to go back and reread the first two stories where he was more or less just a funnily crazy droid.
Read
November 4, 2018Under Spurrier, Aphra's book felt like it was increasingly becoming a screwball rom-com. You know the old story; girl meets girl, first girl screws over second girl, gets caught by the galactic dictatorship for which the second girl works, imprisoned on a space prison, first girl blackmails second girl into coming to rescue her...and then the ex-girlfriend shows up! Awkward! On top of which you have all those other classic rom-com elements: the brainwashing, the telekinetic fungus monster, the deranged bounty hunter, the murderous droids, and of course a certain Sith Lord who's not entirely chill about Aphra being alive, let alone people being on to his plot to replace the Emperor...
OK, maybe I don't watch that many modern rom-coms. But I totally would if they were more like this.
And then, by the end, it stops being comic, even by my standards, and for all Aphra's many sins, it would take a far greater monster to deserve all of that fate.
OK, maybe I don't watch that many modern rom-coms. But I totally would if they were more like this.
And then, by the end, it stops being comic, even by my standards, and for all Aphra's many sins, it would take a far greater monster to deserve all of that fate.
May 5, 2019
This story twists so much it could be used as a corkscrew.
I didn't realize the writer had changed, which is to Simon Spurrier's credit considering how much I've enjoyed Gillen's writing on the series. Spurrier nailed Aphra's voice, while throwing her into a unique situation and managing to pull together a number of threads from the previous volume into one cohesive, coherent story full of action, intrigue, and even a bit more emotional heft than the previous volume. It's not quite as funny, but has a lot of great moments, and the art captures the environment (a prison made of gravity-merged spaceships) and the characters well. We get appearances of several fan favorites, a love triangle, a mysterious new ally, and resolution of just about every outlying thread for the series. I had to check to make sure it hadn't ended here (it hadn't), but even if it had, it would have gone out on a high note. Highly recommended.
I didn't realize the writer had changed, which is to Simon Spurrier's credit considering how much I've enjoyed Gillen's writing on the series. Spurrier nailed Aphra's voice, while throwing her into a unique situation and managing to pull together a number of threads from the previous volume into one cohesive, coherent story full of action, intrigue, and even a bit more emotional heft than the previous volume. It's not quite as funny, but has a lot of great moments, and the art captures the environment (a prison made of gravity-merged spaceships) and the characters well. We get appearances of several fan favorites, a love triangle, a mysterious new ally, and resolution of just about every outlying thread for the series. I had to check to make sure it hadn't ended here (it hadn't), but even if it had, it would have gone out on a high note. Highly recommended.
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