What do you do when your life is in crisis mode? Do you leave town hoping to get away form your trouble? Or do you confront it head on, leaving no chance for it exacerbate? There is no right answer in this situation as the nature of humans is either fight or flight. Neither says much of their character but does say much of how one handles issues.

As life is full of challenges, sometimes they don’t go your way. That’s when most people’s mettle is challenged. How one pivots from that becomes tantamount to who you are. No matter how many times you fall down, how you move forward becomes emblematic of your faith and will. In the second issue of Zahra The Shadow Flame our hero finds her way and comes out even stronger.

Zahra is still on the run soon after her mother, Duha, provides a distraction, as she seeks refuge from her friend, Amani. Meanwhile, Zahra’s father, Suliman, wakes up from a coma that he suffered by being burnt, as the secret police advises him that Duha and Zahra are witches. As Zahra and Amani look for help, the secret police notice her and end up in a battle which gives Zahra more control of her powers and melancholic knowledge of what/ who it has killed. By issue’s end, Zahra is abducted by an unknown force while Suliman accepts help from a mysterious patron.

Overall, an excellent installment in this enthralling series which captures the modern Middle East, not the one some people would make you believe. The story by Rakan Sindi and Kali Baker-Johnson is smart, fast paced, and affecting. The art by Davide Tinto and Michelle Montrose is awe inspiring and lifelike. Altogether, a story which will have readers delving deeper into this part of the world.

Story: Rakan Sindi and Kali Baker-Johnson
Art: Davide Tinto and Michelle Montrose
Story: 10 Art: 9.6 Overall: 9.5 Recommendation: Buy