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"Superman and the Phantom Zone Criminals: "The Final Chapter"": As the day of Krypton's end drew ever closer, Jor-El experimented with ways to evade certain doom. His schemes lead him into the Phantom Zone, which was a cold, horrifying place fit only for punishment

Quote1 Jor-El couldn't see it as a crime. It was a blot on the family honor. You can do that if you're a member of the Science Council. Privilege of rank. Quote2
— Cha-Kor

DC Comics Presents #97 is an issue of the series DC Comics Presents (Volume 1) with a cover date of September, 1986. It was published on May 13, 1986.

Synopsis for Superman and the Phantom Zone Criminals: "The Final Chapter"

As the day of Krypton's end drew ever closer, Jor-El experimented with ways to evade certain doom. His schemes lead him into the Phantom Zone, which was a cold, horrifying place fit only for punishment of criminals. The executioner Cha-Kor recalls the criminals that he's sent there.

Aethyr resented Jor-El's sudden intrusion in the Phantom Zone, and it made Aethyr recall the horror of being a billion-billion souls in a previous universe. Aethyr had headed into the Phantom Zone for peace—a peace that would be shattered by the Kryptonian rabble that Jor-El soon imprisoned within. It took the implosion of Htrae to finally free Aethyr as well as the numerous Phantom Zoners who went on a rampage.

Wizard of Juru, Thul-Kar, was also released from the Phantom Zone, and he merged Aethyr with Mr. Mxyzptlk to facilitate Aethyr's full escape. Mxyzptlk attacked Earth, and dropped Argo City (now a Kryptonite wasteland) on Metropolis. Escaped Phantom Zoners; led by General Zod, Faora and Jax-Ur; proved too much for Superman, who had only just recovered from Kryptonite poisoning. Before they could finally kill the Man of Steel, Aethyr drew the souls of the Phantom Zoners into his Crystal Heart, and Mxyzptlk lead them to the fifth dimension to torment the 'Slxdrds' that had earlier imprisoned him.

Appearing in Superman and the Phantom Zone Criminals: "The Final Chapter"

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Notes

  • Final issue of the series.
  • This issue is reprinted in Superman: Phantom Zone.
  • This issue retells the the development of the Phantom Zone Projector from Superboy #104.
  • Unlike the previous seven issues (since #90) which happened in the short period when the Earth-One Superman (and all his supporting cast) existed on the post-Crisis New Earth (a period that ended when the Crisis "caught up" with Superman in The Man of Steel #1), this story is a flashback set before the Crisis on Infinite Earths, when Earth-One still existed.
    • Therefore, this is the final canonical appearance of Earth-One and all of its corresponding occupants (except for the few, like Superman, who continued to exist on New Earth for a short period).

Trivia

  • "Foggraw!" is a fifth-dimensional curse.


See Also

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