Superman just broke through one of DC’s darkest realms, and all the way back to his original home.

Action Comics #1073 finds Superman finally facing off against the true ruler of the Phantom Zone, the enigmatic Aethyr. Despite all his immense strength, even the Man of Steel is no match for the godlike power that Aethyr wields and soon enough, the hero is cast into the darkest depths the Phantom Zone has to offer. In a shocking turn, Superman quite literally punches his way out of the Phantom Zone and into an entirely different world. Even more surprising, this isn’t just any brave new world, but one he knows all too well — Krypton.

• 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, IBRAHIM MOUSTAFA, and MARK SPEARS

Superman’s latest journey through the Phantom Zone was kicked off by the events of Action Comics #1070, which marked the beginning of the ongoing “Phantoms” storyline. The issue saw several Kryptonian prisoners who had been sentenced to exile in the Phantom Zone free themselves from their confinement. Worse still, they broke through in a grotesque, merged form, posing a threat that necessitated the use of Golden Kryptonite in order to be quelled.

Superman subsequently decides to journey into the Phantom Zone for himself to see what exactly what going on, only to be ambushed by the followers of the Phantom King. Rather than the usually villainous Phantom King who Superman knows best, this iteration of the character was none other than his old ally Mon-El, who had usurped the original’s place. Unfortunately, the mantle of the Phantom King was far from the highest in the Phantom Zone, with the seemingly unstoppable Aethyr serving as the true ruler of the realm.

The godlike Aethyr is a classic DC Comics character, with the original iteration of the villain making his first appearance all the way back in 1982’s The Phantom Zone #3 by writer Steve Gerber and artist Gene Colan. This early iteration of Aethyr stood as the only truly native denizen of the Phantom Zone, whose power was completely unrivaled by any and all who entered his domain. Though his existence and timeline was effectively erased by the events of 1986’s Crisis on Infinite Earths, the recent Multiversal reset ushered in by those of 2023’s Dark Crisis opened the door for the original’s eventual return.

Action Comics #1073 is on sale now from DC Comics.

Source: DC Comics

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