Alyssa Wong is the author behind the 2020 Marvel comic series called Star Wars: Doctor Aphra, which stars Chelli Lona Aphra. Furthermore, they penned the one-off issue War of the Bounty Hunters – Boushh 1, collaborating with artist David Baldeón to introduce the Ubese bounty hunters named Brene, Ilini, Hareck, and Tans.
The Star Wars: Doctor Aphra comic book series from Marvel in 2020, with Chelli Lona Aphra as the main character for the second time, was written by Alyssa Wong. Wong identifies as non-binary and gender fluid. Wong has stated that both they and Aphra are "queer Asian disaster[s]," which makes writing the character even more enjoyable. Wong told StarWars.com, "Aphra is a delight, in my opinion. Her actions are driven more by the pursuit of fun and profit than by any sense of morality. This is what makes her so fun to write!" They also appreciate the emotional depth that Aphra's creator, Kieron Gillen, gave her, as well as how Si Spurrier, a previous writer, made her deal with the repercussions of her actions.
Wong would meet with other writers, like Ethan Sacks, the author of Star Wars: Bounty Hunters, and editors from Marvel Comics through Zoom Video Communications on a weekly basis. Wong and Sacks both cherished the meetings as a highlight of Wong's time on Aphra, as they enjoyed hearing about Wong's intentions for the Aphra characters. Aphra was Wong's inaugural experience penning an ongoing comic series, serving as a significant learning opportunity for them. Reflecting on the extensive time devoted to writing Aphra, Wong also remarked that the "little dirtbag archaeologist" somehow managed to "worm her way" into their affections.
Wong penned the one-shot issue War of the Bounty Hunters – Boushh 1 with artwork by David Baldeón for the 2021 Star Wars: War of the Bounty Hunters comic book crossover event. The Ubese bounty hunter Boushh and a crew of fresh faces—Brene, Ilini, Hareck, and Tans—were featured in the issue. Following the issue's release, Wong used Twitter to verify and share further information from their script notes, including details about each character's gender and insights into their personalities.
Daniel José Older created the character Alys Ongwa, also known as "Crash," for the Star Wars: The High Republic initiative. Ongwa's first appearance was in the comic story "Crash and the Crew Do What They Do" found in The High Republic Adventures Annual 2021 before becoming a significant figure in Older's 2022 novel titled The High Republic: Midnight Horizon. "Crash" has since been featured in other The High Republic works. Older created the character as an homage to Wong, tuckerizing their name; Wong's screenname is "crashwong." Ongwa's profession and position in the Star Wars world were inspired by Wong's imagined response to the question of who they would be in the Star Wars universe: "the stressed out chaotic manager of an assassin squad (or something like that)." Wong later had the opportunity to write "Crash" in their 2023 short story "Rogue Element," which marked their debut in The High Republic.
Wong and Gillen were interviewed by Bria LaVorgna in June 2022 for a Pride Month piece on StarWars.com. They talked about being queer, the real world versus the Star Wars universe, and the Doctor Aphra comics and character.
Wong took part in a number of projects that came out in 2023 to celebrate the 40th anniversary of Star Wars: Episode VI Return of the Jedi. Wong penned the one-shot comic Return of the Jedi – Ewoks 1. Wong's short story "Wolf Trap" was featured in the anthology From a Certain Point of View: Return of the Jedi, continuing the story of scout trooper Hoyel from Wong's one-shot comic. They also debuted in The High Republic with "Rogue Element" in 2023, which was included in the Barnes and Noble edition of The High Republic: Tales of Light and Life. Wong collaborated with Daniel José Older on the middle grade novel The High Republic: Escape from Valo and expressed great satisfaction with the final result, even finding it difficult to believe that it had been published and was considered canon.
The Star Wars: Dark Droids comic event provided Wong with an opportunity to revisit their horror influences. Wong hinted at an upcoming High Republic project on November 2, 2023. Wong confirmed on November 23 that the 2020 run of Doctor Aphra would conclude with issue 40, similar to the 2016 run, but assured fans that future stories they would enjoy were in development. They also expressed gratitude to the readers of Aphra for the community they had built around the comic and for their support. Following its release, Wong expressed gratitude to their "Doctor Aphra Family," including the comic's fans. They specifically thanked fans for their favorable feedback to issue 40, as well as Escape from Valo. Aphra would later win the 2024 GLAAD award for Outstanding Comic Book, which delighted Wong. Wong expressed gratitude to their team and the fans of Aphra in response.
Wong hinted on November 28 of 2023 that they were working on a new Star Wars story. Wong teased on April 10, 2024, that they had the chance to write a character they never thought they would be able to as part of their High Republic work. Wong joined the comic writing team for The High Republic with The High Republic Adventures – Dispatches from the Occlusion Zone 2, which they were thrilled to write. The announcement of Dispatches 2, which Wong teased would feature an unexpected character, confirmed rumors that Wong would be joining the initiative's comic writers.
- Official website
- Alyssa Wong ( @crashwong ) on Twitter (backup link (crashwong) not verified!)
- Alyssa Wong on Wikipedia