Action Comics #1079: Red Sun Supernova

The Phantom Zone is destroyed, but with the prisoner emptied under Earth’s yellow sun, are our heroes strong enough to defeat dozens of Kryptonians? Action Comics #1079 is the tenth part of the “Phantoms” storyline by the superstar creative team of Mark Waid, Michael Shelfer, and Matt Herms. Superman has made his way home from the Phantom Zone, but the god-like Aethyr is using the energy from the Earth’s sun to alter the Phantom Zone. To save Earth, he made the difficult choice to destroy the Phantom Zone but save the prisoners by releasing them to a planet with a red sun. But when his plan backfires, the prisoners are released on Earth where they wreak havoc. Is the barely formed Justice League strong enough to stop dozens of Kryptonians? And where is Superman when you need him? Find out in this issue full of Kryptonian strength, action, and Justice League members.

I’ve had mixed feelings about this arc, but this issue is a standout. It feels as if this weekly comic switches between being substantial and feeling like filler. Last week’s issue was definitely filler, but this issue is full of action and story points that progress the arc. I think what makes this issue really special to me is the number of cameos we get. It’s an issue that was meant to lead up to Justice League Unlimited, so we get some page time with characters like Batman, Zatanna, Dr. Fate, and Star Sapphire. I like a story that has stakes high enough to bring in other characters. That being said, this issue suffers from the same pacing the whole arc has had. We spend little time with all of these characters with this break-neck speed of an issue. It’s strange that the comic is simultaneously moving too fast but also dragging along. Major plot points and conflicts are resolved in just a few panels and yet the plot has barely progressed from week to week. It feels like side-quest after side-quest. This was the most action-heavy issue but the main villains seem to have been defeated in a single page. While the story is interesting, this feels like a profit-driven ploy with a story that drags along and has you buying an issue every week. This will read better in trade (and will save you money).

This weekly arc has had two artists sharing the page, but for this week’s issue, they picked the more cartoony artist. I think that was a major failure for this issue that is action-packed. The children’s cartoon art style took me out of the story and made the stakes feel lower than they were. It didn’t fit the action-heavy storyline in this issue. The cartoon artwork works better for Superman stories with heart like My Adventures with Superman and Superman Smashes the Klan. This story lacks those heartwarming moments and makes this art seem out of place. Despite this, the pages are well-drawn and make for a fun story.