During a panel at MCM Comic Con London on October 28, Marvel announced that a new Star Wars: Doctor Aphra comic will be coming next year—from sci-fi/fantasy writer Alyssa Wong!
Wong herself confirmed that she is writing the new comic and Marika Cresta will be the artist.
Looks like the Star Wars cat is out of the bag! I’m writing the new Doctor Aphra comics! ✨🖤 So excited to work with @MarikaCresta, @TincekMarince, @MarkPaniccia, & @TommyGWrites on this!! https://t.co/lPg9T3f2uh
— Alyssa Wong (they/them) 💖🌈 (@crashwong) October 25, 2019
Originally written by Marvel comics veteran (and Star Wars: Darth Vader scribe) Kieron Gillen, Doctor Aphra follows the titular character and her two “murderbot” droid pals as she makes her way though the galaxy and causes trouble. Set between Episodes IV and V, the original arc saw the criminal archaeologist and her father working to uncover a mystery surrounding some reclusive Jedi. A sort of inverse Indiana Jones, Aphra quickly won fans with her roguish charm and swagger, though she’s less concerned with morality than our average Star Wars heroes (she does work for Darth Vader at one point). As one of the few openly queer characters in the canon, and a woman of color in a leading role, Aphra is quite beloved, with some fans even calling for an Aphra solo movie.
Given all of this, it’s exciting to see Alyssa Wong take on the character and her new adventures. A Locus, Nebula, and World Fantasy Award winner and finalist for her short fiction, including:
- “The Fisher Queen”, the story of Lily, rumored daughter of a mermaid, whose life changes forever when her father’s fishing boat finds a catch of mermaids and she learns about what happens to their kind when humans get their hands on them.
- “Hungry Daughters of Starving Mothers”, about Jenny, a magical being who feeds on the negativity of the people she meets on dating sites and goes out with.
- “You’ll Surely Drown Here If You Stay”, a stunning tale told in second person, about an orphan in an alternate Wild West who can bring dead things back to life.
- “A Fist of Permutations in Lightning and Wildflowers”, a story about Hannah and Melanie: sisters, apart and together. Weather workers and time benders with opposing desires. It’s hard to say which of them will win—or even what victory might look like.
Wong has previously written for Blizzard Entertainment on Overwatch, and also has a solo comic Luna Snow out now from Marvel.
Wong’s first issue of Doctor Aphra will hit stands in April 2020, so keep an eye out!
