Gadget Spotlight: Kryptonian Prison Rings

For some reason, people love Superman: The Movie. I don't get it, personally. Although Christopher Reeve is perfect as Clark Kent and Superman, nearly everything else about it falls flat for me. Especially the aesthetic, particularly the Kryptonian aesthetic. Still, people love it for some reason, so the aesthetic has crept into most modern adaptations, even when it doesn't make any sense. (Seriously, why would the Fortress of Solitude - which is meant to be Superman's home away from home - look like an ice cave instead of actually cozy and livable? It's silly. But I digress.)

With the comics, this happened for the first time - as far as I know - in 2006 when Geoff Johns took over writing Action Comics. Among other changes, suddenly the Fortress was crystal, Jor-El was a hologram, Ben Hubbard appeared, and Zod's crew (now Ursa and Non) dressed all in black. Also, the Kryptonian prison rings debuted.

In the movie (1976), we see Zod, Ursa, and Non imprisoned in spinning rings while they wait to be sent to the Phantom Zone.

In Action Comics #846 (December 2006), we get a hint to this technology when we see Phantom Zone criminals with rings around them.

Action Comics Annual #10 (January 2007) shows Zod, Ursa, and Non in a more standard depiction of the rings.

And Superman: World of New Krypton #5 (July 2009) shows the rings on the cover and throughout the book.

To my knowledge, they have not been seen since, and thank goodness for that.