Page 28 - Star Wars Insider (Special Edition 2019)

COMICS: DOCTOR APHRA

Black the answer to this
Krrsantan, question—but I’d
Triple Zero,
and Aphra pick a few key ones.
pilot the She’s a big, iconic,
Ark Angel archetypal character
into another
adventure. who fi ts into Star
Art by Kev Wars as a concept,
Walker. but hasn’t been
done before… but
also she’s a big, iconic, archetypal
character with a hard twist. She’s
very much a two-fi sted archaeologist
adventurer. She goes and digs up
the past, and punches people along
the way. That’s a very clean story
engine for a character. Then there’s
the other side—that she’s immoral.
The book runs on the odd tension
of having someone who is often
the frigid emptiness of space, all, and it’s certainly not her most likable, and even occasionally
brushes herself off, and says to admirable trait. If Darth Vader relatable… but you can’t be sure
her crew with a grin, “That sucked. was our Breaking Bad, then Doctor where her ethical line is. “What will
Now let’s get back to work!” While Aphra is our Better Call Saul. You she do? What won’t she do?” That’s
I wouldn’t go so far as to call her might love how charming she is, unusual, and adds a certain tension.
optimistic, she is most defi nitely you might be rooting for her at A second reason—and the main
anti-pessimistic and goal-driven, every turn… but she’s probably not reason why I took the job—was
and to retain that attitude and going to do the “right” thing. But that as much fun as she had in
sense of humor while contending that’s why she’s relatable. Darth Vader, there were huge
against the worst life the galaxy chunks of her we hadn’t explored.
has to throw at you… it’s a Kieron Gillen, you brought Aphra She’s an archaeologist, but I wanted
revolutionary act. It certainly to life in the Darth Vader series. to excavate her personality.
does not hurt that Kieron Gilen What was it like to learn that Oh—and with Star Wars’ long
is a storytelling dynamo to boot. Aphra would have her own story? history, her being an archaeologist
Kieron Gillen: It was great. obviously lets us introduce a
Jordan D. White: I agree with That she’d made enough of an bunch of fun stuff. Who doesn’t
Heather and Frank—Aphra herself impression to get her own series like knowing more about the
was just a joy in every issue of is amazing. I have never had a history of the Star Wars universe?
Darth Vader. We could not resist. character I created go on to have
When Kieron told us he had their own book. For Aphra to be Do you have a lot of back-and-
thought of a way to save her from my first, and the fi rst non-movie forth conversations in regards

Vader’s vengeance, we all rejoiced! Star Wars character to have an to the art and the script? What’s
If she can be a complete delight in ongoing series of her own, is your collaboration process?
the midst of the bleakness of the obviously pretty humbling. KG: Kev is fantastic. He’s the sort
Darth Vader series, how much of artist who annotates his
more fun could we have on her What was it about Aphra that thumbnails and talks about his

own adventures? That said, I think made her a good fit for an choices. I consider my scripts the
I might disagree that she isn’t a ongoing series? start of a conversation rather than
villain. She’s out for herself above KG: In a real way, the series itself is a diktat. Kevin certainly rolls with
that—he’s a fantastic visual
storyteller and writer, and that
“SHE’S VERY MUCH A TWO-FISTED comes across in his active
ARCHAEOLOGIST ADVENTURER. SHE engagement with the stories,
especially when world-building.
GOES AND DIGS UP THE PAST, AND There are visual elements Kevin
adds that I then work back into
PUNCHES PEOPLE ALONG THE WAY. my thinking—like stuff in his
THAT’S A VERY CLEAN STORY ENGINE design for Captain Tolvan, the

first arc’s main antagonist. It’s
FOR A CHARACTER” been wonderful.

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