Nervous looking comic book Superman (left, foreground) with the demonic DCU Doomsday (right, background.) Superman has taken down plenty of dangerous opponents over the years, but his latest challenge is enough to put even Doomsday to shame. An army of Kryptonians has spawned in Earth’s vicinity, and with the Super-Family weakened, only Superman can make a stand as his home’s last line of defense against its most perilous threat to date.

Mark Waid, Clayton Henry, and Michael Shelfer’s “Phantoms” storyline reaches a fever pitch in Action Comics #1078. Aethyr’s machinations have led to the Phantom Zone being destroyed, taking out Earth’s sun with it to fuel his dastardly schemes. Superman tries to free the Zone’s prisoners in an effort to save their lives – and the Earth – but his plan backfires when they emerge beside the sun.

Action Comics 1078 Phantom Zone prisoners break free beside Earth's yellow sun

As the Phantom Zone inhabitants are exposed to the yellow sun, they unlock the true extent of their superhuman abilities, reaching Superman’s level of might. Superman must now face off against full-powered Kryptonians in a fight that makes Doomsday seem like a joke.

Superman Faces His Greatest Challenge Yet as Kryptonian Criminals Attack

The Phantom Zone Prisoners Rival Superman Thanks to Earth’s Sun

Action Comics 1078 Superman tells Superboy that they have to save everyone, including Phantom Zone prisoners, but they won't live on Earth Action Comics 1078 Superman instructs Supergirl and Jon Kent to release the Phantom Zone prisoners on a planet with a red sun so they're powerless Action Comics 1078 Supergirl frees the Phantom Zone prisoners but they don't appear on the red sun planet Action Comics 1078 Superman recharges his Kryptonian powers by basking in the light of Earth's yellow sun Action Comics 1078 Superman watches in horror as the Phantom Zone's Kryptonian prisoners are powered by Earth's yellow sun Action Comics 1078 Superman tells Superboy that they have to save everyone, including Phantom Zone prisoners, but they won't live on Earth Action Comics 1078 Superman instructs Supergirl and Jon Kent to release the Phantom Zone prisoners on a planet with a red sun so they're powerless Action Comics 1078 Supergirl frees the Phantom Zone prisoners but they don't appear on the red sun planet Action Comics 1078 Superman recharges his Kryptonian powers by basking in the light of Earth's yellow sun Action Comics 1078 Superman watches in horror as the Phantom Zone's Kryptonian prisoners are powered by Earth's yellow sun

Superman’s most diabolical villain yet, Aethyr, has transformed the Phantom Zone into a twisted nightmare that’s contributed to its implosion. By drawing energy from Earth’s sun, Aethyr is tearing both the Earth and the Phantom Zone apart, and Superman can’t salvage the Zone. To avoid any casualties, he decides to release the prisoners on a planet with a red sun; that way, they can survive, but they’ll be weakened by the red sunlight and unable to put up a fight. Supergirl and Jon Kent set out to free the prisoners safely, only for them to somehow join Superman near Earth’s sun.

Superman may practically be a god compared to most other fighters in the DC Universe, but if anyone can match him in terms of power, it’s the inhabitants of the Phantom Zone. Kryptonians’ unique biology lets them gain power from being in a yellow sun’s proximity, as demonstrated here when Superman recharges. Earth’s sun is therefore the ideal energy source for the prisoners now that they’re free. Superman’s immeasurable power in the hands of Krypton’s darkest criminals is a recipe for disaster, and although Superman is certainly a powerhouse, he’s at a critical disadvantage against so many fighters of his caliber.

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Superman Is Outnumbered and Outmatched – Can He Win This Fight?

Comic book art: Superman making an excited expression as he prepares a powerful attack.

Superman isn’t only rivaled in raw power by these incoming Kryptonians, because they also possess strength in numbers. Normally, Superman has the Super-Family to watch his back when he’s in trouble. As recently as Action Comics #1070, when the Phantom Zone first released a monstrous Kryptonian, Supergirl assisted him in the subsequent battle so he didn’t have to fight alone. Now, with the rest of Superman’s family powerless and separated, he has no choice but to take on the Phantom Zone prisoners without their help. Superman is officially in for the fight of his life against this Doomsday-level threat.

Action Comics #1078 is available now from DC Comics.