The story takes a pretty big turn at the end of this issue which gives us a sort of act break. We have laid the foundation so why not explore a new thread and come back to this.
Still, Waid takes advantage of the space to push this story forward as we learn more about Mon-El, Xa-Du, Aethyr, and the Zone itself. I do like this deeper dive into Mon-El as we see how the Zone has both hardened him but also elevated him. There are a couple of plot points I sort of need to accept. In particular, why Aethyr has taken such an interest in the Zone remains a bit of a mystery, as is its grudge with Superman/Jor-El. But story progress is progress. I also like the seemingly unattached side plot with Kenan and Conner.
Clayton Henry brings a very clean style to the proceedings, interesting choice given the chaos of the zone. He shine with the character beats, specifically the Mon-El beats. Michael Shelfer continues to sparkle in the Kenan/Conner side adventure bringing some energy there.
We start with Superman musing on his father's discovery of the Phantom Zone and whether or not a life as an immortal wraith looking at the world is actually a more humane prison than suspended animation in a rocket.
Knowing where this story is headed, I bet we'll hear it from the horse's mouth soon enough.
I, myself, think this is a much worse torture than the suspended animation route. I also wonder if either is good. Wake up after a stint and realize not only has the world moved on but all your family and friends have aged.
Last issue it was implied Mon has needed to bloody his hands a bit in this stint in the physical Zone. We see how literally has wielded a sword as this leader of a ragtag group.
I do like that Waid takes the time to show that Mon-El hasn't completely embraced the darkness. Here we see him as a true leader, consoling or mentoring someone. He still has a 'core of decency'. Great panel by Henry, conveying so much about Mon-El in a tiny space.
I must admit I always found Mon-El a bit boring as a character. This time actually fleshes him out a bit. Bring on the Legion.
Xa-Du arrives in a warship and starts bombarding Mon-El's boat. With only a small amount solar energy in the battery, Superman takes a 'big swing' and battering rams the enemy vessel.
Two things to mull on here.
One, Superman wonders how much power Aethyr has to simply manifest this ship into reality. We don't know much about Aethyr right now so I do hope we get way more. How does he have that power?
The second is a little trickier. If this is a physical portion of the Zone, tangible enough to have ships attack each other, isn't Superman worried that this play might actually kill some people? Is this going to fall from the sky? It turns out everyone floats ... but did he know that?
As for the Super-Man and Superboy plot, they meet the curator of the subspace area showing all the Fortress memorabilia. The curator is rather snobbish, talking about how all this is from a 'lesser civilization'. As someone who just vacationed in England and saw an upper ring of the Parthenon on display in London, I know a British Museum jab when I read one.
I like Conner being a little dense here. Fits him. And I love how he chides Kenan that 'Super-Man' sounds like 'Superman', no one phonetically inserts a hyphen. That made me laugh.
Back in the Zone, with the gauntlet batteries low, Superman decides it is time to head back home with his return doo-hickey. Xa-Du flies by and grabs it, ending that hope.
A few more quibbles here. Is Xa-Du flying because he can? Magic? Or can everyone? If everyone can fly, why bring the boats?
And did Superman let Mon-El know that he was going to jump ship if he powered down? If he did leave, he basically brought Mon-El and his crew to the brink of a battle with Aethyr in a physical area of the zone where they could die. Is that what he should do?
I don't know if it is a very Superman thing to do to escape here.
Turns out it wasn't the end of all the gauntlet energy. Mon-El was wearing the second one and gets a good crack in. Glad to see him get a little action in. No one needs a shot in the mush more than Xa-Du.
Nice panel by Henry. Nice action.
Before things can go further, Aethyr himself arrives. Upset at Xa-Du for repeated failures, he throws the Phantom King into some wormhole where he will travel through the Well Of Eternal Penance, later described as a journey through the past of the Zone to its beginning.
Well of Eternal Penance sounds awful. A trip down memory lane doesn't. Hmm?
And then Superman is also thrown into the vortex. But with a little power at his disposal he is able to grab onto some sort of temporal handhold and pull himself out. Except he is on Krypton.
A meet-up with Jor-El is inevitable. I would have known that even without the solicits. These 'Superman on Krypton' stories are always tough. What if the planet was going to blow up tomorrow? Will he say something to his father that will impact history? How the heck does he get home from here? Lots to think about but in Waid I trust.
Not a bad little issue. Some character moments. Some action. Some new information. And a solid cliffhanger. Entertaining!
Overall grade: B+
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