Star Wars comics: Doctor Aphra No. 31 review: Before we explode

The end is near. Failure after failure has led Aphra and her mechanical counterpart doomed for demise. Will Doctor Aphra No. 31 be our hero’s final struggle?

Time is — still — running out. With less than an hour left before things get messy, our unlikely duo needs to find help, or else. Problem is, one half of the pair can’t feel her legs, and the other has officially lost the will to live.

When we last saw Aphra and Triple-Zero, the droid — motivated by hopelessness after learning he was created by accident — was moments away from ending both of their lives. Because they still haven’t disabled their proximity bombs, a few more steps and both of them will be space dust.

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We may not get all the answers we’re looking for. But there are plenty of surprises waiting for us in the panels to come.

SPOILERS AHEAD for Doctor Aphra No. 31. You have been warned.

Just when it seems like there’s nothing that can bring Trip back from the danger zone, the appearance of his fellow murder machine snaps him back to reality — and back to Aphra’s side. But the droids aren’t the only ones coming to her rescue.

Vulaada, traitor extraordinaire, swoops in to save the day — again. You can’t blame her for alerting the authorities. She’s just a hungry kid who said yes to some dinner in exchange for information. Give her a break, will ya?

Stormtroopers. An old enemy back from the “dead.” Overwhelmed by enemies, mind clouded by panic and dread, when faced with the choice to save her companions or herself, on a whim, Aphra does the unthinkable: She puts herself in harm’s way to protect another.

That’s not the end though, of course. With 10 seconds left to detonation, she’s accepted her fate. One way or another, it’s all going dark …

Or not.

Because this comic is known for bringing back familiar characters at the least — or most — opportune moments, we turn the page to discover Winloss and Nokk are back and more peeved than ever. Except this time, in order to catch their prey, they have to save Aphra’s life.

Sort of.

It’s laughable, really, that Aphra and her small, barely loyal crew were saved by the very hunters who have been trying to catch them all this time.

Unfortunately, her wounds appear fatal, and we’re left on yet another cliffhanger. Those pesky bombs are no longer a threat — FINALLY — but with Aphra bleeding out and no one to save her, things aren’t looking good.

She’ll survive somehow, of course. She always does.

As usual, this issue is full of unexpected twists and turns, drawing the action out in a way that doesn’t make you want to throw the book across the room. Every time you think your characters are finally safe, tragedy strikes again. It’s awful. And glorious. I need more.

Character development in this ongoing adventure is slow but powerful. You can’t help but root for Aphra even though she’s generally not a great person. Deep down, she’s been trying her best. This time, hopefully, her best will prove good enough.

Until next time, let’s hope for even more progress. Like finally getting off this trash heap of a planet and escaping the watchful eye of, well, everyone. Maybe. Probably not.

This is a wild ride. Fingers crossed there are many more installments to come.