Review: ‘Doctor Aphra’ #30 – ‘Shatter’ Is an Epic Conclusion to the Spark Eternal Arc
The 30th issue of the current Doctor Aphra run, Shatter, delivers a gripping ending to the Spark Eternal story arc. There’s not much meat on the bone, given that the entirety of the issue takes place during the final issue of the Hidden Empire series — it even says as much on the cover — but what we do get is a blast to read.
Thankfully, the last few issues of Doctor Aphra have been closely intertwined with Hidden Empire, so it’s unlikely that anyone will be confused by what’s happening. It’s easy to follow, but it’s probably a good idea to read Hidden Empire #5 before this one for some extra context, as the entire issue takes place during the big battle on Amaxine Station between Crimson Dawn and the Empire. Doctor Aphra/Spark Eternal briefly pop up in that issue, but their fight with Darth Vader is glossed over and saved for this series.
While this is happening, Sana Starros & Co. rush to Amaxine Station to save Doctor Aphra. The whole thing pretty much ends at the same time as the battle of Amaxine Station. It all culminates in a surprisingly heartfelt ending, including a surprising note of sympathy for the Spark Eternal itself.
The Spark Eternal arc was dragged on significantly longer than it needed to be so it could end in tandem with Hidden Empire, but thankfully it stuck the landing with a fun and emotional issue. I look forward to seeing where Doctor Aphra goes next.
Spoilers ahead…
The issue wastes no time getting straight into the action, as the Spark Eternal gives a monologue at the beginning of its fight with Darth Vader in the very first panel. It’s an epic setting as they duel in front of the bright purple Fermata Cage, with the Spark outlining its desire to destroy the Sith once and for all. A noble goal, but it’s hard to get fully on board knowing the ignoble methods it’s using to achieve it.
While they duel, Sana Starros and her crew fly through the space battle in attempt to land on Amaxine Station. They succeed thanks to Ariole’s flying skills. I’m glad we’re seeing Ariole’s competence on such a consistent basis; it does wonders for his likeability. They land in time to see the Spark use the Null Blade to knock Vader’s lightsaber from his grasp.
But just because a Force user is without a lightsaber, it never means they are unarmed. As the Spark leaps to strike the killing blow, Vader responds with a counter punch and seems to rip the Spark from Aphra’s chest. I genuinely thought that Vader would be the one to destroy the Spark at this point, which would have been a wonderful subversion given all the thought Sana and Magna put into removing it.
However, it seemed all he did was knock it unconscious. Vader prepares to strike Doctor Aphra down once and for all with her back in control of her body, but the Fermata Cage explodes, and he rushes away to aid his master, as we see in Hidden Empire #5. That leaves Aphra’s friends to try and rescue her themselves.
It’s not long before the Spark regains consciousness again and wrestles with Aphra for control of her body. Sana and Magna rush to her side — I enjoyed Aphra’s mix of surprise, relief and horror as she realizes her two exes have teamed up — and she explains that they can’t use their electro-tattoos to destroy the Spark as planned, because the second Spark is grounding the main one in her body (or something like that, I have to admit I found the explanation a bit confusing). She tells them to plunge the Null Blade into her chest to kill the Spark Eternal once and for all.
Sana does so right as Chelli tells her she loves her, and it causes a huge explosion, killing the Spark Eternal for good. We then get a page where Aphra gets one final conversation with the Spark in the Memory Box, ending on a sombre note.
I’m not sure where Aphra’s sympathy for the Spark came from, given she’s been at odds with it all this time, and it was the one thing I couldn’t really get on board with. I will say though that I did feel something for Miril; it is a shame that this creation of hers became so warped and dark, the opposite of her intentions.
On the outside, I should mention that Lucky actually kills Beetee-One, shooting it through its dome. I’m sure it’s not the last we’ll see of the droid — surely it will be repaired eventually — but I enjoyed Triple Zero’s furious and pained reaction watching his old friend die. I look forward to seeing how the consequences of that play out in the Dark Droids crossover arc.
Finally, Aphra wakes to see her friends, exes and rivals watching over her, and she is surprised to find herself crying. I was surprised at how touching this was, though Doctor Aphra is always at its best when Chelli experiences some kind of emotional growth.
While it seems likely that Doctor Aphra will now begin to tie into the Dark Droids comic crossover arc, I look forward to seeing exactly what that entails for Aphra and her friends. This was a great conclusion to the Spark Eternal arc but I’m looking forward to seeing Aphra dealing with something new.
Rating: 9/10
Josh is a huge Star Wars fan, who has spent far too much time wondering if any Star Wars character could defeat Thanos with all the Infinity Stones.
