Adventure Comics #283

ADVENTURE COMICS #283 (1961)
by Robert Bernstein & George Papp

This might just be one of the most influential Superboy stories ever: the introduction of the Phantom Zone.

We interrupt this superhero comic for our sponsor: the electric typewriter.

Yes, this will become a major plot point later, why do you ask?

Pop quiz: if you’re an archeology and a metal box falls out of the sky, what do you do?

A) run away
B) get out of there
C) flee
D) escape
E) try to open it with a blowtorch

The only answer is, of course, that this must be of alien origin.

Turns out the inscription is in “Kryptonese” and it was fired 20 years before this story, which is “long before Krypton blew up”.
Superboy is either 15 or 16 in this period… I wouldn’t exactly call 4 to 5 years “long before”.

The box contains several pieces of technology and a scroll (???) that explains this is an incredibly dangerous weapon launched into space by the saint patron of shooting absolutely anything into space: Superboy’s father.

He’s not joking about the danger: this weapon can supposedly disintegrate anything.

So of course Superboy immediately uses it to DISINTEGRATE A FREAKING MOUNTAIN.

I don’t want to go full Lex Luthor, but holy crap Superboy really IS a menace!!!

In addition to the scroll warning about the gun, there’s also a telepathic helmet that describes another, far more iconic piece of technology: the Phantom Zone Projector ™.

Thanks to the helmet, we learn the absolutely bonkers legal system of Krypton. Where putting people in suspended animation puts you in jail!!!

I’m no lawyer, but that doesn’t exactly look like an airtight case.

And now the reason why I’m covering this story: the first appearance of General Zod, whose crime was inventing proto-Bizarros!!!

And, you know, attempting to turn Krypton into a fascist dictatorship.

And that’s the full extent of Zod’s appearance, because the rest of the story is about Superboy being trapped in the Phantom Zone!

It’s actually a pretty good story, highlighting the utter frustration he feels at being completely unable to help anyone.

His secret identity is safe because there’s a Clark Kent robot to take his place. The robot risks exposing his secret identity, but apparently Superboy is a telepath! (WTF!?)

Yep. Told you it would come up again!

And that’s how we end things for now!

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Historical significance: 10/10
Needless to say, the Phantom Zone is an incredibly important piece of Superman lore.

 Silver Age-ness: 5/10
All things considered, not a whole lot of insanity.

Does it stand the test of time? 8/10
I was surprised to see how well this holds up. Sure the resolution is a bit contrived, but Superman’s powers were still somewhat in flux at the time, so I can be lenient.

How close is this to the modern character? 1/10
Well it is little more than a glorified cameo. And other than “looks like a Nazi”, there isn’t a lot to talk about his personality.

General Zod wasn’t all that important in the Silver Age. In fact he barely meets Superman at all!!!
His next appearance is a Legion story from 1962, and the first time he actually shows up in the present day is a Supergirl story from 1963.

It wasn’t easy to figure out the first time Zod met Superman instead of Superboy or Supergirl!
But if I’m not mistaken (and not counting imaginary stories), we have to wait for 1970 for that, specifically a Flash team-up in World’s Finest #199.

It’s rather underwhelming, though, because none of them has powers at the moment.

We actually have to wait until 1977 and Action Comics #473 for the first real superpowered battle between Superman and Zod, who brings with him a bunch of other Phantom Zone criminals.
Including the newly introduced female Phantom Zone criminal, Faora.

1977, uh? That sounds suspicious… didn’t something Superman related come out in 1978?

It’s pretty obvious that 1980’s sequel was partially inspired by the 1977 reappearance of Zod, especially for the introduction of Ursa who is presumably the movie version of Faora.

But even then, General Zod was actually a rather minor character in Superman’s rogues gallery at the time. So why did HE get the spotlight?

Choosing a villain with the same powers of Superman is a no brainer, yes, but there were a lot of other people from the Phantom Zone.

As we’ve seen in the Supergirl story referenced above, the most prominent Phantom Zone villain wasn’t originally Zod: it was Jax-Ur, who also debuted in 1961.

So why wasn’t Jax-Ur the villain of Superman II? Well… just look at him.

He really looks like Lex Luthor, doesn’t he? Besides, while there’s nothing wrong with Jax-Ur as a name of a villain… it really can’t compete with Zod.