Comics Are Back! and also Doctor Aphra #1
Well it’s about time! Pick your poison, as chances are whatever anyone’s hobbies are, they have likely been slowed, ceased or altered in some way. Comic books are no exception as many have been left reading old back issues or even nothing at all. That has all taken a solid turn for the better during the virus lockdown. To being with, digital comics made their splash last week with print comics releasing this week. Among the first out was Marvel’s long-awaited reboot of Doctor Aphra.
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With five trade paperbacks worth of stories, Doctor Aphra won fans over in 2016 with her stand-alone series. Though as time went on, the issues became more “who’s she gonna fight for this issue” and less of the archaeology she was originally known for. Needless to say, this rubbed several fans the wrong way. Apparently Marvel has been listening as the first issue of this newly released series goes back to Aphra’s roots.
The creative team behind the renewed Aphra is written by Alyssa Wong (Fearless) and drawn by Marika Cresta (X-Men: The Wedding Special). While I wasn’t necessarily wowed by issue #1, I was certainly entertained which has me coming back for issues #2 and #3 at least. If anything, it is an exciting time to revisit Chelli Aphra on what new and corrupt adventures she will take readers on along with her new crew.
So that pretty much knocks out all of this article’s heading, or though it would seem. While different states around the country administer different lockdown parameters, one company simply did not care anymore. Diamond Comic Distributors is the largest distributor of comic books in the USA. Due to the novel coronavirus, they decided to cease and desist all comic shipments in March. There have been rumblings in the industry that DC Comics recently started exploring other avenues to get their product to store shelves. This was being looked at in the form of smaller distributors that could collectively achieve what Diamond currently does.
Whether this was just intended to be a lit match under Diamond’s pants or was a legitimate business consideration, either way, the outcome worked. My earlier mention of print comics soon to hit shelves was due in large part, if not the sole reason, to Diamond coming around. With DC being the second largest comic book publisher on the planet, losing their business was one thing Diamond wasn’t about to test the waters on. Plus, as more and more non-essential businesses begin to open, comic book stores can start taking on the inventory once again.
