The fabric is cold. No trace of Charlie's body heat-- Or the blast of the flames. Just the chill of death. Charlie's gone for good. There's no doubt. Like everything else-- Death looks different in Aethyr's cosmos-- But it's reality-- and finality-- don't change. That thing can kill me, too. But if it does, Earth is doomed... And Charlie's sacrifice was in vain. Look at me, Aethyr!! Look at the loathing-- The contempt-- The rage you've ignited!! It's not what you needed, is it? Not uncertainty! Not fear!! 
- — Superman
The Phantom Zone #4 is an issue of the series The Phantom Zone (Volume 1) with a cover date of April, 1982.
Synopsis for "The Phantom Planet"
Superman and Charlie Kweskill are transmuted to liquid in Aethyr's universe, then restored with Charlie in Superman's costume and with his old Kryptonian powers, and Superman in Quex-Ul's Kryptonian outfit. To save Superman, Quex-Ul flies into Aethyr's face and is killed, Superman's costume drifting back empty. Superman puts on his uniform again and, filled with rage, flies through Aethyr, who is unable to raise despair in his spirit and thus cannot harm him. Superman finally breaks through the last barrier and returns to Earth.
The Phantom Zone villains have constructed the giant Zone cannon and are using it on the Earth, but Superman and Supergirl arrive in time to smash the projector, knock out the villains, and restore Green Lantern's power battery to him.
Az-Rel, irked by Faora Hu-Ul, badly burns her face and hair just before Supergirl lands and kayoes her. Jer-Em, committing suicide with a chunk of Green Kryptonite, takes Nadira "home to Rao" with him by exposing her as well. In her dying moments, she uses her convulsion-power on Az-Rel, whose pyrotic power causes him to burn himself to ashes and die.
Finally, Green Lantern creates a Phantom Zone projector which Superman uses to send the remaining villains back to the Zone. He then flies off to rescue the Justice League Satellite, not telling his friends what happened in the Phantom Zone.
Appearing in "The Phantom Planet"
Featured Characters:
Supporting Characters:
Antagonists:
Other Characters:
- Wendy Y. Bother and The Nouns (Single appearance)
- Gee-Gordon Lidd (Single appearance; dies)
- Jer-Em (Dies)
- Az-Rel (Dies)
- Nadira (Dies)
- Nam-Ek
- Gerard Amateau (Single appearance; dies)
Locations:
- Earth-One
- Metropolis
- Phantom Zone
- Justice League Satellite (Cameo)
- Manhattan, New York
- Canada
- Lake Erie
- France
Items:
- Phantom-Ray Cannon
- Green Lantern Power Battery
- Disentigration Ray
- Phantom Zone Projector
- Lasso of Truth
- Green Kryptonite
- Green Lantern Ring
Vehicles:
Notes
- This four issue limited series takes place in the Pre-Crisis continuity.
- Final issue.
- This issue is reprinted in Superman: Phantom Zone.
Trivia
- This issue mentions a musical-cultural movement beyond Punk and New Wave known as "Bizarro" that started in Metropolis. Its primary principal is that anyone born after 1961 is an imperfect duplicate of a human being.