On the faraway planet of Apokolips, a spaceship rumbled to a halt, kicking up a cloud of dirt and debris on the landing pad. When the dust cleared, a door in the ship’s side slid open. Out stepped Lobo, the universe’s most ruthless bounty hunter. He was tall and muscular. He wore biker boots and a black leather jacket. Over one shoulder, he cradled a crowbar.

Behind Lobo, a troop of Apokolips soldiers stumbled out of the spaceship. Some of them wore bandages around their heads. Others had arms in slings.

Next to the landing pad was a walkway. It led toward a menacing looking castle off in the distance. Lobo’s lengthy strides quickly carried him toward the castle’s front door. The alien soldiers followed.

With a swing of his crowbar, Lobo bashed the door down. He then kicked through its splintered remains and headed down a wide hallway.

His boots stomped loudly on the stone floor. The soldiers trembled behind him.

At the end of the hallway, large brass doors swung inward, revealing the castle’s throne room.

“Come in,” a deep voice boomed from within.

Lobo advanced, and the Apokolips soldiers poured into the room after him.

On the opposite side of the throne room sat Darkseid, ruler of Apokolips. To his right stood his son, the ogre-like Kalibak. On his left was the evil scientist Desaad.

“Thank you for coming,” Darkseid said to Lobo. “I hope my minions didn’t bother you.”

The soldiers now formed a half circle around Lobo.

“They did interrupt my nap,” Lobo snarled. “So I had to break of a few of them.”

Several of the bandaged aliens shuddered as Lobo shifted his crowbar from one shoulder to the other.

“I wouldn’t have asked you here if it wasn’t important,” Darkseid said.

“What could be more important than my beauty sleep?” Lobo said, standing proudly in front of Apokolips’ ruler. “It’s not easy looking this good.”

Darkseid stood up and walked over to Lobo, placing a hand on the bounty hunter’s shoulder. “Have you heard of Superman?” he asked.

“Yeah, we’ve tangled a time or two,” Lobo replied. “What do you want with him?”

“Come this way,” Darkseid said.

He led Lobo behind his throne. “Superman’s been quite bothersome,” Darkseid explained. “He’s always in the way of my plans to conquer Earth.”

“And I need something to be done about that,” Darkseid continued.

“What do you expect little ol’ me to do to Superman?” Lobo asked.

The pair stopped walking. They now stood behind the throne.

“Your job,” Darkseid said. “You’re a bounty hunter after all.”

“Hey, even though he wears tights and a cape, Superman’s no pushover,” Lobo said. “It’s gonna cost you so some serious cha-ching if you’re asking me to take him on, buddy.”

“Will this be enough to hire your services?” Darkseid asked, motioning to the wall next to them. A door burst open, and a pile of jewels, gems, and trinkets spilled onto the floor.

Lobo rushed over to the loot. Kneeling down on the floor, he grabbed two fists full of treasure and raised them above his head.

“Man, with this, I could buy new chrome headers for my bike!” Lobo exclaimed. “And I’d still have enough for that beach house near Alpha Centauri. I could probably even get front-row seats at next year’s asteroid smash-up derby or . . .”

While Lobo dreamed of what he would do with his reward, Desaad walked up to Darkseid and placed a long, cylindrical object in his hand. Raising the object above his head, Darkseid flipped a switch. The object emitted a chain of crackling and sizzling energy. With of flick of his wrist, Darkseid snapped the chain toward Lobo. It wrapped around the bounty hunter, trapping him.

“Owwww!” Lobo shouted. “What gives?”

“It’s a gift,” Darkseid explained. “It was designed by my scientist, Desaad. It will help you capture Superman.”

Darkseid flicked the switch off, and the chain of energy disappeared. He then flipped the weapon to Lobo, who caught it with an outstretched hand.

“Cool! It’s like my birthday, only better,” Lobo chuckled. “I don’t have to blow out some stupid candles to get my wish — a chance to put the smackdown on a super do-gooder.”

“Do you need help reaching Earth?” Darkseid asked.

“Nah, I got my own ride,” Lobo replied.

Lobo whistled loudly. In the distance, a thunderous roar was heard. A motorcycle rumbled into the throne room, scattering the soldiers in its path. Lobo hopped on and revved its engine.

“Next time I see you, you’ll have a date with Superman,” Lobo shouted as he roared off.

After the bounty hunter left, Desaad and Kalibak walked up to Darkseid. “I don’t like him,” Kalibak said with a grumble.

“He doesn’t seem trustworthy,” added Desaad.

“All that matters,” Darkseid began, “is that Lobo weakens Superman enough for our plan to work.”

The three of them smiled wickedly.