Mera, the wife of Aquaman, is the focus of this issue. While Aquaman was out, stranded in the desert, she had remained at home to buy dog food for their new pet. While this is an entertaining issue that provides a closer look at Aquaman's other half, the interesting plot outline suffers from a lack of variety and typical comic book tropes. What works well, however, is fill in artist Joe Prado who finishes Ivan Reis' breakdowns in this issue.
Ever seen Bruce Almighty? Or Ricky Gervais' The Invention of Lying? Comedies with very interesting premises that lose momentum after a while because the jokes and lines fail to deliver on the premise. That's what this issue is like. It has a premise that would make for a very entertaining one issue, but just because the premise is good doesn't mean the plot is.
Mera is as interesting a character as Aquaman - if not more so. Geoff Johns brought her to prominence in the major DC Universe event, Blackest Night, where she became part of the core group of protagonists that fought against the Black Lanterns. She then became another important character in the fallout series, Brightest Day, where her mysterious past slowly unravelled under the pen of Geoff Johns. The trend continued through the New 52's Aquaman series, with Geoff Johns making her a head strong, independent and powerful ally to the King of Atlantis.
This issue focuses entirely on her "meeting the locals". After having spent her life primarily underwater, there is a certain level of naivety to her as she explores the world and those that dwell upon it. The character is enjoyable, but predictable at many parts. It does little to further the plot of the larger story arc encompassing the series, but gives a slight reprieve to the fast paced stories that have come before it. Johns excels in writing Mera, but where this issue falls flat is the way the plot progresses.
This isn't a particularly bad issue - but it wasn't quite as good as the five that came before it.
