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| An Illustrated Introduction to 0-0-0, BT-1 & Dr. Aphra |
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| On this page, we present an introduction to the droids, 0-0-0 & BT-1, who have become one of the highlights of the Star Wars comics since Marvel resumed publication in 2015. These pages also contain numerous references to Dr. Aphra (their master) and Darth Vader (Dr. Aphra's boss). |
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Three new characters in the Star Wars universe were introduced on March 25, 2015 by Marvel in Darth Vader #3. These characters include the rogue archeologist, sassy hacker and illicit contractor to Vader, Dr. Aphra, and her two droids 0-0-0 (Triple Zero) and BT-1.
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These marvel comics have proven sufficiently popular to warrant additional printings. These are the covers for the second (red), third (green) and fourth (purple) printings. This cover art is by Adi Granov.
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As a curious aside, Darth Vader #3 was issued again in October, 2016 with an altered cover as an advertisement for the spin-off series Doctor Aphra. The cover of this book bears the label #1, designating perhaps that it is the first appearance of Dr. Aphra and her droids, but it contains the same interior content as Darth Vader #3.
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While Dr. Aphra proved to be an exciting and interesting new character in her own right, it was the pair of droids that truly stole the show. This variant cover art to Darth Vader #3 is by Salvador Larroca.
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0-0-0, metallic black with red eyes, possesses the fussiness of C-3PO and protocol droids in general, but his fussiness is distinctly sadistic. His first words to Vader and Dr. Aphra as he is re-activated reveal his true character.
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BT-1, black with a single large red eye, takes the feistiness of R2-D2 and turns it toward such a homicidal direction that he is no longer called an astromech but has had a new designation created specifically for him, that of blastomech.
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After their initial appearance in issue #3, Dr. Aphra, 0-0-0 and BT-1 made the front cover again in Darth Vader #8, by which time the trio had become core characters in this comic. This cover art is by Edgar Delgado. Two issues later, in Darth Vader #10, Aphra made the cover again all by herself (by Salvador Larroca).
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By the time, the first issue of Vader Down arrived, Dr. Aphra, 0-0-0 and BT-1 were being presented as evil (or at least as less than law-abiding) analogues to Princess Leia, C-3PO and R2-D2, as in this variant cover to Vader Down by Joelle Jones.
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0-0-0 and BT-1 even rated their first cover where they were featured front and center, on Darth Vader #13 by Clay Mann.
This cover was the part of a six issue connecting cover linking Vader Down with the Darth Vader and Star Wars comic lines.
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Not content with a single cover featuring the droids front and center, they were additional variants, although on this particular cover, a variant exclusive to Hastings Books, by Aleksi Briclot, Dr. Aphra steals the show. It was part of a three-issue connecting cover.
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This Vader Down variant cover by Todd Nauck foreshadows the eventual confrontation between BT-1 & R2-D2. The color variant was an exclusive to El Capitan Theater in Hollywood. The sketch variant was an exclusive to Disney Studio Store & Ghirardelli Soda Fountain and Chocolate Shop.
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The actual confrontation between BT-1 & R2-D2 doesn't occur until Part 3, (Star Wars #13).
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In the same issue, we finally witness Chewbacca make good on the threat to rip a droid's arms out of its socket at the expense of poor 0-0-0!
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Dr. Aphra, 0-0-0 and BT-1 even got a variant cover of Vader Down, drawn by none other than Ms. Katie Cook, of My Little Pony fame. This was a Mile High Comics Exclusive. (I included this for all the Bronies reading this page!) Katie Cook made covers for Mile High for each of the six issues in the Vader Down story arc. They are shown below, with and without cover text.
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 Although this may be sacrilege to Star Wars purists, Vader Down also included a variant cover in the form of a classic poster, modified to include Dr. Aphra, 0-0-0 and BT-1. Awesome! This cover is by Phil Noto and was an exclusive to the Vienna Comic Con.
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By the time the sixth and final issue of the Vader Down arc came to close in the Darth Vader #15, Dr. Aphra and 0-0-0 still merited the front cover, though BT-1 narrowly missed the cut. Only the edge of his left leg is present in this cover by Mark Brooks. The black and white sketch was a 1:100 store incentive. The second printing is in red.
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Vader Down truly was a cross-over event. In particular it moved Dr. Aphra from the Darth Vader comic to the Star Wars comic, at least for the duration of the Rebel Jail arc. Dr. Aphra makes the cover of the Star Wars comic for the third time in a variant cover by Stuart Immonen.
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Dr. Aphra makes the cover of the Star Wars comic for a fourth time (and a first time on a regular cover) in Star Wars #18. This regular cover is by Leinil Francis Yu. The sketch was a variant.
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However, by the time Darth Vader #20 arrived, Dr. Aphra and the droids were back in the Darth Vader comic, as shown in this The Story Thus Far variant cover by Reilly Brown.
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In fact, Dr. Aphra and her droids rated the front cover again in Darth Vader #21. This regular cover is by Salvador Larroca. The second printing appeared in red.
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All of the issues in the Star Wars comic feature variant covers of carded vintage action figures by John Tyler Christopher. (A gallery of these and other action figure comic covers by John Tyler Christopher is located here.) While Darth Vader #1 featured such a cover, these variants didn't again appear in the Darth Vader comic until issue #20. When it was revealed that several issues of Darth Vader would have action figures variant covers by John Tyler Christopher, one immediately assumed that Dr. Aphra, 0-0-0 and BT-1 would be featured. Instead, Darth Vader #20 surprisingly featured Inspector Thanoth, an interesting character in his own right but nothing close to the crowd pleaser of Dr. Aphra and her droids. His release was to whet the appetites of fans for subsequent issues. BT-1 appeared in action figure form on the cover of Darth Vader #23, 0-0-0 on Darth Vader #24 and Dr. Aphra on the final issue, Darth Vader #25.
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We hope you have enjoyed this introduction to 0-0-0 and BT-1. With the conclusion of the Darth Vader series at issue 25, we present variant covers by Salvador Larroca (left) and Adi Granov (right), capturing both droids and both masters. We hope that the folks at Marvel will find another venue to continue the adventures of 0-0-0, BT-1 and Dr. Aphra. |
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It turns out the wait was short for the further adventures of 0-0-0, BT-1 and Dr. Aphra. The last Darth Vader issue was released on October 12, 2016. The first issue of a new series titled Doctor Aphra was released on December 7, 2016. It was written by Kieron Gillen, who also wrote Darth Vader. The cover from the first issue was by Kamome Shirahama. There was a neat interview with Kieron Gillen touching on both series here. We also made our own gallery of covers from Dr. Aphra here. We have also begun a page focusing on merchandise related to Doctor Aphra, 0-0-0 and BT-1. |
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update (June 14, 2017): 0-0-0 receives a new nickname Creepio, courtesy of Sana Starros, in
Star Wars #32. Doctor Aphra and her droids were back in the Star Wars comic due to The Screaming Citadel crossover, which combined the Doctor Aphra and Star Wars comics for one five-issue story arc. This calls for a future one-shot with the title, The Sordid Misadventures of Creepio and the Homicidal Blastomech.
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title: 3.75-Inch Star Wars Vintage Collection Figure Fan Figure Vote
manufacturer: Hasbro
link: here
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| more galleries |
Three new characters in the Star Wars universe were introduced on March 25, 2015 by Marvel in Darth Vader #3. These characters include the rogue archeologist, sassy hacker and illicit contractor to Vader, Dr. Aphra, and her two droids 0-0-0 (Triple Zero) and BT-1.
These marvel comics have proven sufficiently popular to warrant additional printings. These are the covers for the second (red), third (green) and fourth (purple) printings. This cover art is by Adi Granov.
As a curious aside, Darth Vader #3 was issued again in October, 2016 with an altered cover as an advertisement for the spin-off series Doctor Aphra. The cover of this book bears the label #1, designating perhaps that it is the first appearance of Dr. Aphra and her droids, but it contains the same interior content as Darth Vader #3.
While Dr. Aphra proved to be an exciting and interesting new character in her own right, it was the pair of droids that truly stole the show. This variant cover art to Darth Vader #3 is by Salvador Larroca.
0-0-0, metallic black with red eyes, possesses the fussiness of C-3PO and protocol droids in general, but his fussiness is distinctly sadistic. His first words to Vader and Dr. Aphra as he is re-activated reveal his true character.
BT-1, black with a single large red eye, takes the feistiness of R2-D2 and turns it toward such a homicidal direction that he is no longer called an astromech but has had a new designation created specifically for him, that of blastomech.
After their initial appearance in issue #3, Dr. Aphra, 0-0-0 and BT-1 made the front cover again in Darth Vader #8, by which time the trio had become core characters in this comic. This cover art is by Edgar Delgado. Two issues later, in Darth Vader #10, Aphra made the cover again all by herself (by Salvador Larroca).
By the time, the first issue of Vader Down arrived, Dr. Aphra, 0-0-0 and BT-1 were being presented as evil (or at least as less than law-abiding) analogues to Princess Leia, C-3PO and R2-D2, as in this variant cover to Vader Down by Joelle Jones.
0-0-0 and BT-1 even rated their first cover where they were featured front and center, on Darth Vader #13 by Clay Mann.
This cover was the part of a six issue connecting cover linking Vader Down with the Darth Vader and Star Wars comic lines.
Not content with a single cover featuring the droids front and center, they were additional variants, although on this particular cover, a variant exclusive to Hastings Books, by Aleksi Briclot, Dr. Aphra steals the show. It was part of a three-issue connecting cover.
This Vader Down variant cover by Todd Nauck foreshadows the eventual confrontation between BT-1 & R2-D2. The color variant was an exclusive to El Capitan Theater in Hollywood. The sketch variant was an exclusive to Disney Studio Store & Ghirardelli Soda Fountain and Chocolate Shop.
The actual confrontation between BT-1 & R2-D2 doesn't occur until Part 3, (Star Wars #13).
In the same issue, we finally witness Chewbacca make good on the threat to rip a droid's arms out of its socket at the expense of poor 0-0-0!
Dr. Aphra, 0-0-0 and BT-1 even got a variant cover of Vader Down, drawn by none other than Ms. Katie Cook, of My Little Pony fame. This was a Mile High Comics Exclusive. (I included this for all the Bronies reading this page!) Katie Cook made covers for Mile High for each of the six issues in the Vader Down story arc. They are shown below, with and without cover text.
Although this may be sacrilege to Star Wars purists, Vader Down also included a variant cover in the form of a classic poster, modified to include Dr. Aphra, 0-0-0 and BT-1. Awesome! This cover is by Phil Noto and was an exclusive to the Vienna Comic Con.
By the time the sixth and final issue of the Vader Down arc came to close in the Darth Vader #15, Dr. Aphra and 0-0-0 still merited the front cover, though BT-1 narrowly missed the cut. Only the edge of his left leg is present in this cover by Mark Brooks. The black and white sketch was a 1:100 store incentive. The second printing is in red.
Vader Down truly was a cross-over event. In particular it moved Dr. Aphra from the Darth Vader comic to the Star Wars comic, at least for the duration of the Rebel Jail arc. Dr. Aphra makes the cover of the Star Wars comic for the third time in a variant cover by Stuart Immonen.
Dr. Aphra makes the cover of the Star Wars comic for a fourth time (and a first time on a regular cover) in Star Wars #18. This regular cover is by Leinil Francis Yu. The sketch was a variant.
However, by the time Darth Vader #20 arrived, Dr. Aphra and the droids were back in the Darth Vader comic, as shown in this The Story Thus Far variant cover by Reilly Brown.
In fact, Dr. Aphra and her droids rated the front cover again in Darth Vader #21. This regular cover is by Salvador Larroca. The second printing appeared in red.
All of the issues in the Star Wars comic feature variant covers of carded vintage action figures by John Tyler Christopher. (A gallery of these and other action figure comic covers by John Tyler Christopher is located here.) While Darth Vader #1 featured such a cover, these variants didn't again appear in the Darth Vader comic until issue #20. When it was revealed that several issues of Darth Vader would have action figures variant covers by John Tyler Christopher, one immediately assumed that Dr. Aphra, 0-0-0 and BT-1 would be featured. Instead, Darth Vader #20 surprisingly featured Inspector Thanoth, an interesting character in his own right but nothing close to the crowd pleaser of Dr. Aphra and her droids. His release was to whet the appetites of fans for subsequent issues. BT-1 appeared in action figure form on the cover of Darth Vader #23, 0-0-0 on Darth Vader #24 and Dr. Aphra on the final issue, Darth Vader #25.
We hope you have enjoyed this introduction to 0-0-0 and BT-1. With the conclusion of the Darth Vader series at issue 25, we present variant covers by Salvador Larroca (left) and Adi Granov (right), capturing both droids and both masters. We hope that the folks at Marvel will find another venue to continue the adventures of 0-0-0, BT-1 and Dr. Aphra.
It turns out the wait was short for the further adventures of 0-0-0, BT-1 and Dr. Aphra. The last Darth Vader issue was released on October 12, 2016. The first issue of a new series titled Doctor Aphra was released on December 7, 2016. It was written by Kieron Gillen, who also wrote Darth Vader. The cover from the first issue was by Kamome Shirahama. There was a neat interview with Kieron Gillen touching on both series here. We also made our own gallery of covers from Dr. Aphra here. We have also begun a page focusing on merchandise related to Doctor Aphra, 0-0-0 and BT-1.
