One of Superman’s closest allies might just be stepping into the shoes of one of his worst enemies.

Action Comics #1071 picks up not long after the Man of Steel made the trek into the vast, infinite expanse of the Phantom Zone. There, Superman is besieged by all manner of threats ranging from giant spiders to an army of Phantom Zone prisoners who, surprisingly, have no intention of cutting him down. Instead, they bring Superman face-to-face with their ruler, the Phantom King, though not the one the hero knows best. Instead of the malevolent Xa-Du, this Phantom King is none other than Superman’s old friend and fellow hero, Mon-El, and there is no telling what he has planned.

Written by MARK WAID Art by CLAYTON HENRY & MICHAEL SHELFER Colors by MATT HERMS Letters by DAVE SHARPE Main cover art by CLAYTON HENRY & TOMEU MOREY Variant covers by WES CRAIG & MIKE SPICER, STEVAN SUBIC, and MARK SPEARS

The Phantom Zone has long been a key location in the DC Universe, particularly when it comes to Superman stories. First seen in Robert Bernstein and George Papp’s “Superboy: The Phantom Superboy” from the pages of 1961’s Adventure Comics #283, the Phantom Zone exists outside the normal time and space of the DC Multiverse. Within the Phantom Zone, time does not pass, making it the perfect prison for the worst criminals that the likes of Krypton ever knew.

Over the years, the Phantom Zone has been a home and prison to a myriad of iconic DC Comics characters, including Hank Henshaw, the Cyborg Superman, and even General Zod, quite possibly the Phantom Zone’s most infamous prisoner. This concept has been revisited in numerous DC storylines, ranging from multiple comic book events to live-action adaptations including multiple Arrowverse appearances on various CW series. The Phantom Zone has also served as a sanctuary of sorts for characters such as the Daxamite hero Mon-El, who was relegated to its timeless landscape in the hopes of staving off a lethal dose of lead poisoning.

The modern day Phantom King, Xa-Du, was the first Kryptonian ever sentenced to imprisonment within the Phantom Zone. Formerly a scientist on Krypton, Xa-Du experimented in the realm of suspended animation, although his inhumane methods led to his research being suspended and his ultimate incarceration. Eventually, Xa-Du was able to develop the technology that allowed him to escape the Phantom Zone altogether, only to be defeated by the likes of Supergirl and sent back for his troubles.

Action Comics #1071 is on sale now from DC Comics.

Source: DC Comics