WRITER: ALYSSA WONG / ART: MARIKA CRESTA / PUBLISHER: MARVEL / FORMAT: SINGLE ISSUE / RELEASE DATE: OUT NOW

Doctor Chelli Aphra is the Star Wars answer to Indiana Jones – except female, queer, and more morally dubious. She investigates the archaeological mysteries of the galaxy, always looking to make a credit. Her series now returns with a new creative team and a storyline set between Episodes V and VI.

There’s no Triple-Zero or Beetee-One this time round; the only returning characters are Aphra and Black Krrsantan, so this first issue has a lot of work to do to introduce their new gang. There’s Detta Yao, an enthusiastic student wanting to prove her chops; Eustacia Okka, an old classmate of Aphra’s looking to regain her professor job; and Just Lucky, who, erm, is lucky. Together, they set off the find the mythical Rings of MacGuffin – sorry, Rings of Vaale – but sadistic rich kid Ronen Tagge is on their tail.

Aphra remains one of the most fun characters of the current Star Wars canon, and Alyssa Wong captures her voice well, but here she’s surrounded by too many additions, none of whom particularly stand out, and the quest for the Rings seems equally generic – both characters and plot missing the dark humour and twisted originality which Kieron Gillen and Si Spurrier previously brought to this title. The plot is rushed, with a fight scene breaking out for little reason and encounters with an AT-AT and some giant robots being so brief as to make zero impact.

Marika Cresta’s efficient art and Rachelle Rosenberg’s bright colours are well suited to the breezy adventure tone of the story, though like with the script, we wish there were more ambition in the character and location designs. Nevertheless, this is early days for the new run, and Aphra’s latest expedition could yet turn up some gold.