To describe Action Comics #1079 in a single sentence is surprisingly easy. “It’s the DC Universe vs. the Phantom Zone.” This might provide a flood of questions: “Wait, how did that happen? Isn’t this supposed to be a Superman title?” The former is simple: following the end of Action Comics #1078, Superman unintentionally let the inhabitants of the Phantom Zone loose inside the heart of the sun. Since Kryptonians gain powers from a yellow sun, and most of these Kryptonians are ruthless criminals, it didn’t take long for them to invade the Earth.
The answer to the second question lies in Superman’s bonds with other heroes, including the Justice League and the rest of the Super-family. Mark Waid understands that Superman’s greatest strength isn’t changing the course of mighty rivers or leaping tall buildings in a single bound; it’s his ability to inspire others to do good. Case in point: Superman was nearly beat to death by the Zone’s inhabitants, but rescued by Jimmy Olsen and Mon-El. Considering Mon-El is dealing with a potentially fatal injury and Jimmy’s a mere mortal, that’s a big deal – but Waid writes a great dynamic between the three that results in a truly inspiring image from Michael Shelfer.
Shelfer takes over full art duties from Clayton Henry, and it’s a delight to witness. Whole pages are dedicated to various DC heroes dueling with the Phantom Zone’s inhabitants. Zatanna casts spells in Maine; Firestorm defends Central City; Batman coordinates rescue efforts from Gotham. Shelfer is not only able to showcase the entirety of the DC Universe, but ups the stakes now that the Zoners have Superman’s powers. He also draws some great action sequences; whenever someone gets hit, the impact is palpable. After being confined to subplots, it’s great to see Shelfer cut loose for 22 pages – and the gorgeous color art from Matt Herms doesn’t hurt either.
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Waid and Shelfer also show how the other DC heroes would react to fighting someone with Superman’s powers. Zatanna and Doctor Fate, being magicians, are able to stop them. It takes Firestorm a while – especially since, as he’s quick to remind Batman, it’s a material that doesn’t exist on the periodic table – but he whips up Kryptonite gauntlets for everyone (resulting in another page that’s full of punching.) It’s the same approach that Waid brought to Justice League Unlimited, and it makes for a great read.
That same sense of forward motion is brought to the Supergirl backup, as Mariko Tamaki and Skylar Partridge pit Kara Zor-El against the worldkiller that happens to be related to her new companion. Tamaki doesn’t waste any time in showcasing how outmatched Kara is; the mystery figure, wielding a sword that would put Cloud Strife’s to shame, sends her flying across the forest with a single blow. Partridge keeps alternating between big action moments like this and imagery that crosses into the outright disturbing; a planet on the verge of dying and two skeletons entwined being among said imagery. But the closing moments show that like her cousin, Kara can inspire others to stand up against injustice.
Action Comics #1079 puts the “Action” in Action Comics, while also showcasing Michael Shelfer’s artistic skills and featuring appearances from nearly every DC hero. With only two issues left in the “Phantoms” storyline, things are starting to get even more exciting.
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