In the line of fire
After the first story arc, this issue jumps pretty much right into the second story arc, but in doing so it reveals what might be some weaknesses in an otherwise very strong series thus far. As Mera lies sleeping Arthur is woken by a storm, foreshadowing the troubles to come, and as a phone call requests his presence away from his house he ends up in situation where (as the cover suggests) he ends up stranded in the desert. The process by which he gets here is pretty interesting, involving among other things an ancient Atlantean glyph, but it also highlights some other things. For one in this series that is so well conceived to begin with, it doesn't really additionally require a misleading cover image. More importantly though, I think this issue highlights the importance of Mera to this title, not as herself, but rather as the couple together. Her absence here forces Arthur to act on his own, which was fine, but really pointed out as with the first story arc that the couple is much more entertaining and engaging together. I still like the general direction this series is heading in, but after the first story arc, this one just started on a bit of a lighter note.
