Marvel Comics' original Star Wars character Doctor Aphra will star in a new original audio drama this summer.
Per StarWars.com, Doctor Aphra: An Audiobook Original is set to arrive this July from author Sarah Kuhn. The audio drama follows the eponymous, morally-ambiguous archaeologist on an expanded version of her initial introduction in Marvel's Darth Vader comic book series. The audiobook will feature a full voice cast -- including familiar characters like Aphra's trusty murder-droids -- in addition to brand-new scenes.
Created by writer Kieron Gillen and artist Salvador Larroca, Doctor Chelli Lona Aphra made her first appearance in 2015's Star Wars: Darth Vader #3, introduced as a moral inverse of Indiana Jones. Following the destruction of the Death Star, Vader enlists Aphra to aid in his endeavors between A New Hope and Empire Strikes Back. After falling out of favor with the Sith Lord and faking her own death, Aphra went on to star in her very own Marvel Comics series.
Alongside the official StarWars.com announcement, Kuhn made a video discussing the new Doctor Aphra audiobook. "I love Aphra because she is the definition of chaos," she said. "She never looks before she leaps, she is always seeking thrills and she is charming to a fault. You never really know exactly what she's going to do, which means that, personally, I think she's having the most fun of anyone in the Star Wars galaxy."
Kuhn explains that in writing the audio drama, she wanted to put listeners "firmly in Aphra's POV. What we hear is all filtered through her very colorful lens. And she is, of course, the most unreliable narrator ever. I had such an amazing time expanding this story to delve into her relationships, her past, her feelings -- even though she would probably be the first person to tell you that she doesn't have feelings."
Written by Sarah Kuhn, Doctor Aphra: An Audiobook Original will be available for download wherever audiobooks are sold July 21.