Doctor Aphra No. 26 review: Civilized

Doctor Aphra #26 picks up right where its previous issue left off, sending Aphra and Triple Zero on a dangerous quest to foil Dr. Cornelius Evazan’s plan to end them both.

The last issue of Doctor Aphra No. 26 left us anxiously flipping pages as Doctor Aphra and Triple-Zero found themselves trapped in close proximity. Both have been implanted with bombs that will detonate if the two get too far apart. And one cannot survive without the other.

The perfect punishment for an organic and droid who always seem to leave destruction in their wake whenever they share the same air.

SPOILERS AHEAD for Doctor Aphra #26! You have been warned.

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The pair arrives on a planet called Milvayne – a territory that is now under imperial control … in other words, the worst possible place two criminals wanted by the Empire should go.

But they have no choice but to land, escape capture and find someone who can expertly remove the proximity bombs without killing anyone.

Dr. Nuss, a cyberneticist, agrees to remove the bombs from both woman and droid. But – like so many others Aphra has encountered in her mischevious travels – he doesn’t follow through on his potentially life-saving promise.

Aphra discovers – too late, it turns out – that both of their proximity bombs are still intact. They’ve been tricked.

And only Nuss can activate the machines that would remove the bombs for real.

But Triple Zero murders him before Aphra can stop the droid, and we’re left with the knowledge that both archeologist and machine have only 10 hours to live.

Why? Because he can’t help being uncivilized. We forget that machines just might be the only characters incapable of character development in some stories. If it’s in their programming, is it likely to change? If Trip is wired to kill, isn’t that how he’ll always approach every confrontation?

Maybe. Maybe not. Redemption is sweet, even if the one redeemed is made of metal and doesn’t technically have a soul.

As usual, this issue of Doctor Aphra was fast-paced and intense. I almost didn’t believe I’d reached the end even when I got to the final panel. I can always judge the quality of a comic based on how many times I check how many pages are left. For this one, I didn’t check once.

The thing about comics is, you pretty much always know the protagonist is going to get out of whatever unfavorable situation they’re currently in. It’s a good series when this doesn’t feel repetitive or overdone.

As always, Aphra keeps things suspenseful and true to its format without boring its readers. I’m not sure what’s next, but I do know I’m in for quite a ride.