Return to Krypton II
In the first inter-title crossover since the Superman books disconnected six months ago, Superman returns to the alternate version of Krypton and finds out the terrible truth about it. Unlike the last trip to Krypton, Lois doesn't accompany her husband and isn't seen at all in this arc. Instead, this one was an adventure shared by a father and son. This story featured four interlocking covers by Karl Kerschl that form one long image when lined up on top of each other.
Superman #184
Clark Kent is visiting his parents in Smallville when the Jor El he met in Return to Krypton unexpectedly arrives on Earth. After briefly introducing his Kryptonian father to his earthly father, Jonathan Kent, Superman takes Jor El to the Fortress of Solitude. Under Earth's yellow sun, Jor El is also started to develop super powers like his son. Jor El uses Professor Hamilton's prosthetic arm to create a device to take them both back to his version of Krypton, and Krypto tags along. Unfortunately since Superman last saw this planet, his homeworld has been devastated by religious zealots. Jor El rushes to the inner sanctum of the council to find Lara, but it appears the zealots have already murdered the council.
Geoff Johns takes over writing this book for the next few months, accompanied by artist Pasqual Ferry, whose style is not much of a departure from Ed McGuiness. Pasqual Ferry would become a regular artist on several Superman books in the coming years, and would also draw the final chapter this month.
Adventures of Superman #606
Lara isn't found among the dead of the council, so Jor El and Superman start to search for her. Jor El explains to Kal El what has happened to Krypton since he last saw them: a cult called the Holy Order of Rao is trying to eliminate scientific progress and return Krypton to the teachings of Rao. They find Lara barely alive, but then the leader of the cult of Rao, Xon-Ur, finds them. Superman and Jor El fight Xon-Ur's clone army as their powers fade under Krypton's red sun. Superman allows Jor El to escape with Lara to their lab while he exhausts the last of his power fighting Xon-Ur. However, Xon-Ur overpowers the weakened Man of Steel and stands over him about to deal a death blow with his swords.
Duncan Rouleau returns as a guest artist for this issue.
Superman: The Man of Steel #128
Superman is saved by his cousin and Zod loyalist, Kru-El, who has put his differences aside to work with Jor El to defeat the Raoists. Superman, Jor El, and Kru-El each pilot a Warbird aircraft to strike against Xon-Ur's temple. Kru-El's ship is shot down, but before he dies he tells Jor El to honor his promise to bring General Zod back to life as a clone. Breaking into the temple, they find Kru-El's mate Faora, who infiltrated the cult. Krypto attacks the leader, but Xon-Ur stabs the dog. Before the team moves on, Superman mourns the death of his canine companion. Deep inside Mt. Mundru they discover the secret buried there, a God Machine made up of birthing matrices and Brainiac 13!
Cover artist Karl Kerschl fills in the interior art of this issue too.
Action Comics #793
Superman discovers that this alternate Phantom Zone version of Krypton was just a trap created by Brainiac 13, although it was perfect down to the molecule. Despite being seemingly killed in the previous issue, Krypto returns to help Superman defeat Xon-Ur. Realizing the truth of this world that was created from his memories, Jor El enters the matrix chamber and reprograms the planet back into the Krypton of his dreams. Superman returns to Earth with Krypto and uses the knowledge of this discovery to heal the Eradicator from the insanity this alternate Krypton had caused him. Superman realizes that the Krypton he visited wasn't the true Krypton, but since he learned more about his parents from that journey, he decides to keep the dual images of his parents in his moment at the Fortress of Solitude. Superman has no way to return to the "Phantom Krypton", but he imagines that Jor El and Lara are there living happily ever with their baby, Kal El. We never see them again. Although this version of Krypto would remain with Superman, his complicated origin would be brushed off similar to the way it was largely forgotten that Bizarro came from the Emperor Joker story. In this era, writers used convoluted means to bring back pre-Crisis elements, but then once they were back their origins were irrelevant.
After Jeph Loeb's departure, Return to Krypton II seemed like an attempt to undo one of the major retcons of his run. Near the end of the post-Crisis period, Geoff Johns would again try to merge the conflicting depictions of Superman's heritage in the New Krypton story arc.
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