Issue 57 of MyM magazine is out now, featuring new breakout Star Wars character Doctor Aphra, Rogue One: A Star Wars Story and plenty of stuff that has nothing to do with Star Wars at all!

EDITOR’S LETTER
It’s been an absolutely stacked month for the team here at MyM and – fitting for the comic-book worlds we touch upon this issue – we feel like we’ve been getting hit by massive BIFF!, SOCK! and POW! signs (and that’s just from the jetlag of a frantic dash to Japan).

Star Wars features heavily this issue, as you might expect with a new film hitting cinemas, but hopefully you didn’t mistake our cover star for Rogue One’s Jyn Erso. That’s Doctor Aphra (see page 22), as we’re sure you knew, and she’s the latest breakout character in George Lucas’ world, having been a fan-fave ally of Darth Vader in the Sith Lord’s own comic. Don’t worry, we haven’t forgotten about Jyn herself, and you can hear from the director and producer of Rogue One on page 25.

That rich comic seam runs throughout this issue, however. Having grilled Kieron Gillen about Aphra, we speak to comic-book legend Joe Madureira about video game Battle Chasers: Nightwar (page 31), then poke our Facebook friend Brian Williamson (who has created an awesome alt cover for Hook Jaw) to make him tell us about his favourite books, comics, films and games (page 82). Enjoy!

Matt Chapman, Editor

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MyM ISSUE 57 FULL CONTENTS
DOCTOR APHRA
She was the Sith Lord’s go-to girl when he needed things done in the Darth Vader comics. Now creator Kieron Gillen reveals what lies in store for the morally challenged archaeologist.

ROGUE ONE
Director Gareth Edwards and producer Kathleen Kennedy on how the first ever standalone story in the Star Wars saga has the power to make you four years old again.

KILL ’EM ALL!
Whether he’s offing his own characters or slamming Attack on Titan’s art, Gundam creator Yoshiyuki Tomino has never been shy of controversy. Alex Jones looks back at the half-century career of anime’s master of mecha.

HONDA POWER
Ace animator Takeshi Honda talks to Andy Hanley about breaking into anime, clashing with Hideaki Anno and getting back together with the legendary director for the latest Evangelion movie series.

WE ARE X
Film director Stephen Kijak and X Japan frontman Yoshiki discuss the possible life-saving qualities of their new film collaboration.

FIST OF FURY
In an exclusive extract from Jonathan Clements’ A Brief History of the Martial Arts, the author traces the spread of martial arts cinema.

REGULARS
NEWS
Including the hottest Christmas toys and all the best cosplay from MCM Birmingham Comic Con.

TABLETOP
Assemble a team of cute lil’ warriors and battle your friends to the cute lil’ death. Dave Axbey takes a look at the new base set for MMO spin-off board game Krosmaster Arena.

COSPLAY & FASHION
Katharine Byrne sits down with Nissa Cosplay for a spot of Magic: The Gathering, Emily Valentine puts the kawaii into Christmas with a quartet of wintry fashion picks and we feature four more fabulous costumes from this year’s EuroCosplay Championship finals.

FILM & TV REVIEWS
Our pre-Christmas viewing binge sees us rate Moana, USS Indianapolis, Snowden, La La Land, Asterix: The Mansions of the Gods, Molly Moon and the Incredible Book of Hypnotism, Mindgame Saga, Space Jam, A Monster Calls, Louder Than Love: The Grande Ballroom Story, Fantastic Beasts And Where To Find Them, Kickboxer: Vengeance, Donnie Darko, Lights Out, Mifune: The Last Samurai and Life, Animated.

COMIC & MANGA REVIEWS
A classical goddess-turned-superhero, Hergé style derring-do in Vietnam and mutated Mega City shenanigans all loom large in Andy Shaw’s comics round-up, while Ian Wolf goes over-the-top with the latest installment of JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure, gets under-the-skin with Cells At Work! and blasts off-planet with Mobile Suit Gundam Thunderbolt.

ANIME REVIEWS
This month our review team goes old school with Transformers The Movie and Outlaw Star; slightly less old school with Lucky Star, Ergo Proxy and a double bill of early works by Your Name helmer Makoto Shinkai; and not old school in the slightest with avant-garde series The Tatami Galaxy, yuri romcom Sakura Trick, more Seraph of the End and a sequel to Love, Chunibyo and Other Delusions.

VIDEO GAMES
This month we had the chance to talk with comic-book legend Joe Madureira about Battle Chasers: Nightwar, enjoy a bout of retro fun with a Nintendo Classic Mini: NES, and give our verdicts on Pokémon Sun & Moon, Watch Dogs 2, Sword Art Online: Hollow Realization, BlazBlue: Central Fiction, Dishonored 2 and loads more!

MY GOODIES
Including a game played with faceless dice and a suit the Empire would approve of.

TOP 10: ANIME MASCOTS
Ruth Edmundson counts down the most beloved anime mascots ever to capture our attention – and bother our wallets.

MY MUSIC: BUDO GRAPE
The quirky Japanese band that mix cutesy pop with samurai strength!

MY MEDIA: BRIAN WILLIAMSON
The comic-book artist on making a big splash and even bigger henchmen.