Summary

• Superman faces his most powerful threat yet from the Phantom Zone in a new direction for Action Comics.
• Mark Waid and Clayton Henry take over the Action Comics as it goes weekly throughout October.
• Secrets about the Phantom Zone are revealed as Superman confronts his enemies with the help of his old ally Mon-El.

The Phantom Zone, the ethereal prison Superman has used to hold his most powerful enemies is about to experience a major shift. A brand-new direction is coming to Action Comics and it's going to see the Man of Steel take on the most powerful threat ever to come out of the iconic location.

2024 has been DC Comics' All In initiative gets into full swing later this year, Superman is going to experience the most consequential battle of his life.

Superman is Teaming Up with an Old Ally to Face the Phantom Zone's Most Dangerous Threat

DC Comics dropped a major bomb with the reveal of its All In initiative. Not only is this bold new era introducing a brand-new world to the DCU in the form of the Absolute Universe, but it's also shaking up the Prime continuity with new creative teams and directions for its current ongoing series. Readers of Action Comics were already expecting a change thanks to the previous Superman Superstars initiative, but the latest news revealed that Mark Waid and Clayton Henry would be taking over the Superman book, which will be weekly throughout October.

Mon-El and Superman embark on a race against time as they confront the reality of the Phantom Zone's past...

This fall, throughout Action Comics #1070-1073, Superman is going to confront one of the most infamous parts of his lore: The Phantom Zone. Something is disrupting the realm, forcing Clark to travel inside and find what the problem is. Unfortunately, the Man of Tomorrow's trip inside the liminal prison brings him face-to-face with the most sinister being to ever inhabit the void, Xa-Du, the Phantom King. Thankfully, Superman's not alone as he's ed by one of his oldest allies and Phantom Zone mainstay, Mon-El.

Secrets about the Phantom Zone, Mon-El and Xa-Du are coming to light as the Phantom King attempts to combine his power with that of Aethyr, one of the most powerful figures within the prison dimension. Mon-El and Superman embark on a race against time as they confront the reality of the Phantom Zone's past and try to stop Xa-Du from converging his power before he uses it to destroy everything Superman holds dear.

An Old Problem is Finally Coming Back to Haunt Superman

The Phantom Zone is a prison pioneered by the Kryptonians meant for the worst criminals on the planet. Dozens of men and women were cast into this dark, cold limbo, where time stood still. The Phantom Zone is one of the few parts of Krypton that continued to live past the destruction of Superman's home planet. And when Clark Kent became a hero, he discovered the realm and all the angry Kryptonians that were left behind in it, including recurring Superman nemeses like General Zod, Ursa, and Jax-Ur.

Speaking of Jax-Ur, this particular foe re-emerged in Batman/Superman: World's Finest's 2-issue arc "Phantom Riddles". Jax-Ur discovered the walls of the Phantom Zone had begun to weaken, creating a pattern of breaches that he began to track. He also took telepathic control of the Riddler to draw Superman to a specific point, hoping to switch places so that Jax-Ur could be freed and Superman would become trapped in the Phantom Zone. However, Jax-Ur inadvertently grabbed Batman. Thankfully, Superman defeated Jax-Ur and put him back in the Phantom Zone.

"Phantom Riddles" takes place over Batman/Superman: World's Finest #18-19 (2023)!

Alfred, who also became temporarily trapped in the Phantom Zone, discovered what was causing the void's breaches. A mysterious, hooded figure who was constructing a device, though they disappeared before Alfred could figure out what they were doing. In the story's epilogue, the hooded figure returned to the Phantom Zone, where it lamented for those trapped within. The being, calling themselves Aethyr the Messiah, promised that one day, they would release every soul trapped within the Phantom Zone.

Superman's Enemies Are Out to Destroy the Phantom Zone For Good

Nearly everyone who’s been imprisoned within the endless void agrees on one thing: The Phantom Zone is a fate worse than death. Xa-Du, the Phantom King, was the first Kryptonian ever sentenced to live in the Phantom Zone and he absolutely hates the realm and all it stands for. Aethyr the Messiah agrees and has called anyone who s the use of the Phantom Zone a “soulless monster”. It appears that these two are going to combine their powers and finally destroy Superman’s iconic prison for good.

...for Superman, sending foes to the Phantom Zone is often the only way he can immediately deal with threats...

The subject of the Phantom Zone is a complicated one. Obviously, it was wrong for the Kryptonians to cast their own people out into a void as a means of punishment (a frankly barbaric punishment for an otherwise advanced society). But for Superman, sending foes to the Phantom Zone is often the only way he can immediately deal with threats that rival him in strength. However, the idea of him placing threats into a torturous environment has always been one of Superman’s worst aspects.

The solicitations hint that Superman is going to confront some awful truths about the Phantom Zone as Xa-Du and Aethyr attempt to destroy the Phantom Zone for good. Perhaps Clark is going to be forced to reconcile with just how awful the prison truly is, possibly even agreeing that it needs to be destroyed. Of course, Superman's not just going to let his enemies run free if the Phantom Zone does eventually come down. But Superman might be ready to move on from using the Phantom Zone as a means of containment for good.

Superman is Ditching the Phantom Zone (And Rightfully So)

The Phantom Zone largely contains Kryptonians, who can be kept subdued through other means (kryptonite, red solar rays, magic, etc). Superman doesn't need to toss his most powerful foes into a hellish void when he has plenty of other ways to deal with him. It's hard to say what Clark is going to discover when the Phantom Zone begins to disrupt, but as long as it's not imperiling the rest of the world, Superman seems ready to finally leave the classic part of his mythos by the wayside.

Action Comics #1070 is available on October 9th from DC Comics.