That's the gist of this issue. It solved a lot of the problems it had before, but created a whole new one in the process. I don't see Sacks redeeming this in any way, T'onga was very clearly dead in that last page. Reading this series has been nothing but a chore, and it's only good factor (I can't say redeeming factor because it doesn't redeem T'onga's death in any way) is the still-incredible art, lettering, and other work done on it by the rest of the creative team other than Sacks. I can't recommend giving this a read, at least not yet. We'll see if my opinion changes in the next issue.

(Strange Note: She-Hulk and the Thing appear on the cover, but aren't in the issue at all, it's kinda weird. The closest it gets is when Blonde Phantom briefly mentions She-Hulk)

It had a lot of potential, but just wasn't a great story in the end.

I'm really conflicted about this issue. On one hand, it's not abadstory. It just doesn't fit the premise of the series, and it feels largely unimportant. The best thing I can say about it is that the art by Francesco Francevilla continues to be really good. Overall, it was a pretty meh issue, though I'm still looking forward to the rest of the series. Hopefully the issues about Darth Vader and Jabba are better.

Paolo Villanelli's art is SO. GOOD. I really enjoyed his work on Lando: Double or Nothing, but this is something else. His art on the Bossk vs. Valance fight is so fluid and dynamic, for example. And the rest of the art team did an amazing job too. Even if I'm not super-into the story yet, I can't get enough of the visuals.

It had a slight misstep in the Ventress issue, but that didn't stop it from being incredible. In fact, I think it's better than the original Vader's Castle series from last year; it improved on the concept and had generally better stories and art. I'm definitely looking forward to next Halloween, since it seems like a Vader's Castle mini-series from Cavan might become an annual thing.

Up until this issue, I wasn't really enjoying this series. The story seemed a little overdone for Star Wars; it's been done before with the Lurmen in The Clone Wars, as well as a dozen other stories. But now that the action and plot are picking up, I'm finally invested in what happens. I do wish the present-day story with the Second Sister would have a little more focus (because she's the best), but it's not a big problem. The art is really good; Paolo Villanelli is a fantastic artist (he did the Lando: Double or Nothing series before this, which I didn't like nearly as much). Overall this issue was good, and I'm looking forward to the next one.

I must say, while this series is right up my alley (I love timelines and continuity), it's getting a little too expository.

This issue was really good. Just like the last issues, it did a really good job of explaining the complicated mess that is Marvel Comics in a way that makes sense. Unfortunately, it's starting to become a little much. The issue is just sooooo dense with information. It would've been easier to read if Waid had gotten a few more issues of the series, and more room for the series to breathe as a result. But that's a minor complaint, I'm still really enjoying the series, and the art is still ridiculously good. It does a great job of simultaneously looking like modern comic art and classic 60s comic art. Only one more issue to go! And it might be the longest, considering how much happened in the comics released from 2013 to now!

I really liked the issue; it was a great start to the series. The art by Franceso Francavilla and Megan Levens did a great job of adding a spooky atmosphere to the story. The first series had good art, but the framing story's art didn't seem very spooky; now everything has dark and scary art; Vanee looks terrifying. I'm excited to see where this series goes; it looks like next issue will feature Tarkin as the focus of Vanee's next story.

Back in the present, Thom Hudd is about to die when the Fourth Sister appears! She tells Vanee that she's been ordered to bring Hudd to Coruscant by the Emperor. This issue was a lot better than the previous issue. It was a proper horror story, and it ended on a plot twist. My theory is that the Fourth Sister is actually Lina Graf, wearing the real Fourth Sister's armor and there to break Thom out. The art was really good, though it wasn't too horror... y. It was still great though; Cavan continues to be a god. I'm really looking forward to the final issue!

But unlike the other hunters, she hints at what the bounty is: Nakano Lash has finally resurfaced after the job she botched years ago, and everyone with a grudge against her is after her. The final segment is of Boba Fett finding out about the bounty; He turns the Slave I around, having been on the way to deliver Han Solo in carbonite! That's right, we see Han himself, in all his carbonite glory! And that's where the issue ends... I really loved this issue. It was a bit confusing at first, but once i realized what was going on, I got so into it. I've never been a huge fan of Valance as a character, but this series has the potential to make me love him, depending on where it goes. I'm super-invested in what's going on with Nakano Lash and whatever happened on the botched job on Corellia. Sacks' writing was super-engaging, and I love Paolo Villanelli's really energetic art style. I can't wait for the next issue!

There's not a whole lot of story to this issue; it ends with Ronen learning about Aphra's newest adventure and sending a fleet to capture her and the Rings. The issue was really, really good! It did a fantastic job of introducing a whole new cast of characters, and all of them are endearing and interesting in their own way. Wong's fantastic writing was only lifted up by the fantastic art and lettering from Cresta, Rosenberg, and Caramagna. Star Wars comics have had an... issue with artists in the past, largely in the main Star Wars series, but everyone on this creative team really brought their A game. This issue reminded me that Doctor Aphra really is the best original character with the best stories in Star Wars publishing, and I can't wait to see where it goes next!

The issue ends there; we won't find out how Ben escapes this predicament until next issue. This issue continued to be incredible. It's turned Ben into even more of a complex and compelling character than he already was; the small character moments like with Ben's name add so much, and the hints of things to come are really exciting. Soule continues to be the best Star Wars author out there, and Will Sliney's art is really good too (but not perfect..... young Ben looks kinda bad). I can't wait until #3!

Soule continues to be the best writer in Star Wars comics, and Will Sliney's art continues to impress, even if he still can't get Adam Driver's face right. I'm looking forward to the final issue, and I'm really sad it's already ending!

This really is an essential read for everyone who loves Kylo Ren.

Overall, I’m absolutely loving this series. The art by Javier Rodríguez and Álvaro Lópex is stellar; they’re great at presenting the dense amount of information, and their style is perfect for showing the classic costumes in a modern art style. I can’t wait to see how Mark Waid tells some of the more recent stories in this series.

This series was amazing; it's a tribute to all of Marvel Comics, and to Stan Lee himself for what he created.

I loved this issue even more than the first, mainly because of the twist. We find out that Thom learned the story from Cremp herself; after seeing what Tarkin was willing to do, she defected to the Rebellion. The issue made me expect the monster to be the monster, but the monster ended up being Tarkin himself. In hindsight, the twist makes a lot of sense, since the series is focusing on villains, but I didn't realize it. And at the end, we get another twist: Thom manages to escape his shackles, and the issue ends with him on the run within the Castle. Cavan again proves that he's an amazing Star Wars author; this series is stepping it up yet again. A horror series with real twists that I didn't see coming, with spooky art. I can't wait for #3.

The issue ends on a cliffhanger, as most comic issues, do, though I won't spoil what that or the mystery of Vaale is. This issue was really good! I'm still really into the story, and the art from Cresta and Rosenberg is just as amazing as it was in the first issue. This Doctor Aphra relaunch is already living up to its predecessor, if not already exceeding it! My only hope is that Magna Tolvan returns at some point, I miss her and Aphra's complicated romance.

The issue ends on another stinger, just in time to save Aphra's dad from being killed. I really loved this issue; taking a different turn from previous stories was the perfect move, and Vader getting his own great moment was icing on the cake. The art from Caspar Wijngaard has been stellar too; it's more stylized than the art of my Emilio Laiso (my favorite artist that's worked on Aphra), but I think that's a good thing. I'm really looking forward to the rest of this final arc, as well as the relaunch next year.

This issue ramped things up even more than the previous issues. Previous arcs fell into the trap of spending too much time setting up the story, but this arc has been jumping right into plot twist after plot twist, and it's amazing. Spurrier is definitely ending his run with a bang (and Wijngaard's art is amazing too, even if it's no Laiso art). This issue was Doctor Aphra at it's best, and I can't wait for the finale in a couple weeks, as well as the finale for this era of Marvel Star Wars the week after that, and Aphra's relaunch in a few months.

This issue was a perfect finale for the series, and I hope Empire Ascendant and the relaunch are just as good.

This issue was pretty incredible. While I love the complex plot of the main story, it's been getting repetitive recently, so a one-shot that returned to Aphra's Indiana-Jones-but-Star-Wars is greatly appreciated. Spurrier was able to fit alotof story into a single issue, and Elsa Charretier's art was amazing as always (She's done a lot of Star Wars comic art, primarily in IDW's Star Wars Adventures series). This issue kinda felt like the "essential" Doctor Aphra issue; it has all the series' classic characters and story structure. I'm sad that this'll be the last annual of the series, since Doctor Aphra Vol 1 is ending at #40 in December, but I'm looking forward to seeing how Alyssa Wong brings a new voice and era to Aphra's story next year when the series reboots.

This issue was really good. I wasn't really into the series at the start; the bounty hunters were all pretty boring (Except Valance and Dengar), and the flashbacks weren't very interesting. But this issue really kicked things up a notch, and I loved every page of it. The story is starting to lead up to Empire Ascendant (albiet without the Destination: Hoth banner that other Star Wars series are getting), and the art from the three artists is really good. I'm super-hyped for the final issue next month!

This issue was pretty incredible. It completely re-contextualized the events shown in The Last Jedi, and make Ben more redeemable.