Cosmic Bounty Hunter

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Cosmic Bounty Hunter Page 2

by Blake A. Hoena


  “Just a little more,” Superman shouted.

  Suddenly, the controller exploded!

  As Kalibak was sitting at the ship’s controls, a loud noise startled him.

  “What was that?” Kalibak asked.

  He pointed to the rear of the ship’s control room. A large dent had been made into the metal wall behind them.

  “How —?” Kalibak began, but before he could finish, the sound of breaking metal interrupted him.

  The metal wall split open, and Lobo’s grinning mug poked through the gaping hole.

  “You two are in for a hurtin’,” Lobo said with a smile.

  Kalibak and Desaad stared back at him in silent fear.

  *

  Much later, Lobo zoomed down toward the surface of Apokolips. He was riding his motorcycle. Kalibak and Desaad, looking bruised and battered, were tied to the back of his bike.

  Instead of stopping at the landing pad, Lobo cruised toward the castle, leaving a trail of dust behind him. He drove through the castle door, down the hallway, and into the throne room.

  Lobo skidded to a halt in front of Darkseid’s throne.

  “Where’s Superman?” Darkseid asked as Lobo leaped off his bike.

  “Oh, he got away,” Lobo said.

  “Then you won’t get paid,” Darkseid scowled.

  “Well, I would have captured Superman,” Lobo said as he pulled Kalibak and Desaad off the back of his bike and dropped them at Darkseid’s feet. “Only these two goons got in my way.”

  “So, how about you pay me for bringing them back in one piece,” Lobo demanded.

  Darkseid glared disapprovingly at his son and the evil scientist. “Fine, fine,” he said to Lobo, with a dismissive wave. “Take whatever you can carry.”

  Lobo grinned and pulled a large black sack out of his back pocket.

  *

  In the newsroom of the Daily Planet, Clark Kent typed away at his desk. Jimmy Olsen approached with a copy of that day’s newspaper. On the front page was a picture of Lobo holding Lois off the ground while she kicked and screamed. The headline read “Local Reporter Battles Cosmic Biker,” with the byline “by Clark Kent.”

  “Great photo, Jimmy,” Clark said.

  “Thanks, Clark,” Jimmy blushed. “But, I don’t get it. How did you get this story? I didn’t even see you there.”

  “I’ve been working on that interview with Superman,” Clark explained. “So he gave me the scoop.”

  “You must have a pretty good relationship with him then,” Jimmy said.

  “You could say that,” Clark replied with a grin.

  As they were talking, Perry White rushed into the room. Hot on his trail was Lois Lane.

  She was waving a copy of the Daily Planet newspaper in front of him. “How could you bump my story to page two?” she demanded.

  “It was an editorial choice,” Mr. White replied. “Our readers like celebrity news, and you, Lois, happen to be a celebrity.”

  “But people were in danger. A bridge could have collapsed,” Lois explained. “This is just a, just a —”

  “Face it, Lois,” Mr. White interrupted. “You’d rather have your story on the front page than your picture.”

  Mr. White stormed into his office, slamming the door shut behind him before Lois could follow.

  Lois stood there dumbfounded for a second. Then she scanned the newsroom. Seeing Clark at his desk, she headed in his direction.

  “You stole my scoop!” Lois scolded. “How did you get to this story first, Smallville?!”

  “Well, Lois,” Clark said, leaning back in his chair and smiling, “I’m afraid that’s between me and the Man of Steel himself.”

  WHO IS LOBO?

  Lobo is known as the most successful bounty hunter in the entire universe. He always gets his man, even if it means destroying entire planets in pursuit of his prey. In fact, Lobo loves breaking things — and people — so the line of work suits him well. Despite being a self-proclaimed “bad man,” Lobo is always true to his word. He will never break a promise, but he does tend to bend them quite often. His employers must choose their words carefully, or they’ll end up in a deal they didn’t quite bargain for.

  - Lobo is the last member of his race, the Czarnians, because he destroyed his own home planet in a fit of rage!

  - Lobo zooms around from planet to planet atop his trusty, customized motorcycle, the Hog. Since Lobo doesn’t need to breathe, he can undergo interstellar travel at super-speed without even wearing a space suit.

  - Lobo’s accelerated healing abilities allow him to regenerate lost limbs with great speed. In fact, Lobo can heal from any injury if he’s given enough time.

  - Despite his own bad body odor, Lobo has an amazing sense of smell. He is able to sniff out his prey from as far as a galaxy away! He also has the tracking skills of an expert hunter, so hiding from the Main Man is nearly impossible.

  - Lobo has a variety of high-tech weaponry, including a titanium chain with a hook on its end, frag grenades, and giant carving blades. However, being the blunt instrument that he is, Lobo usually prefers to use a crowbar in combat.

  Blake A. Hoena earned a Masters of Fine Arts degree in Creative Writing from Minnesota State University, Mankato. Since graduating, Blake has written more than thirty books for children, including Harley Quinn’s Shocking Surprise, Poison Ivy’s Deadly Garden, Under the Red Sun, and Livewire!

  Rick Burchett has worked as a comics artist for over 25 years. He has received the comics industry’s Eisner Award three times, Spain’s Haxtur Award, and he has been nominated for England’s Eagle award. Rick lives with his wife and two sons near St. Louis, Missouri.

  Lee Loughridge has been working in comics for more than fifteen years. He currently lives in sunny California in a tent on the beach.

  conquer (KONG-kur)—to defeat and take control of something

  debris (duh-BREE)—the scattered pieces of something that has been broken or destroyed

  dumbfounded (DUHM-found-id)—so amazed or shocked that you cannot speak

  emitted (i-MIT-id)—released or sent out something such as heat, light, or sound

  inspected (in-SPEKT-id)—looked at something very carefully

  menacing (MEN-uhss-ing)—dangerous

  minions (MIN-yuhnz)—servants of a person in power

  ruthless (ROOTH-liss)—cruel or without pity

  scoop (SKOOP)—a story covered in a newspaper before anyone else reports it

  winced (WINSSD)—flinched in fear of something

  1. Is Lobo a super-villain, a super hero, or something else? Why?

  2. If you could have the powers of any character in this book, which would you choose? Discuss your answers.

  3. This book has ten illustrations. Which one is your favorite? Why?

  1. Imagine you’ve just completed a very difficult bounty hunt. But, instead of gold and jewels, Darkseid has offered you anything you desire. What rewards would you choose? Write about it.

  2. Write another chapter to this story. What does Lobo spend his hard-earned money on? Does Superman come after him? You decide!

  3. Lobo cruises across galaxies atop his customized Hog motorcycle. Create your own space vehicle, writing about its features and cool touches. Then, draw a picture of your new ride.

  www.capstonekids.com

  www.facthound.com

  Published by Stone Arch Books in 2010

  A Capstone Imprint

  1710 Roe Crest Drive

  North Mankato, Minnesota 56003

  www.capstonepub.com

  Copyright © 2013 DC Comics.

  SUPERMAN and all related characters and elements

  are trademarks of and © DC Comics.

  (s13)

  STAR13257

  All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced in whole or in part, or stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without written permission.<
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  Cataloging-in-Publication Data is available on the Library of Congress website.

  ISBN: 978-1-4342-2133-9 (library binding)

  ISBN: 978-1-4342-2769-0 (paperback)

  ISBN: 978-1-4342-9864-5 (ebook)

  Summary: Intergalactic bounty hunter Lobo has a new job. The evil aliens Kalibak and Desaad have hired him to capture Superman, dead or alive! However, when Lobo finally manages to wrangle up the Man of Steel, the aliens aren’t far behind. They don’t trust the ill-mannered bounty hunter, and quickly trap him beneath a force field with Superman. Lobo and the Man of Steel must set aside their differences in order to escape, capture the two villains, and collect the well-deserved reward.

  Art Director: Bob Lentz

  Designer: Hilary Wacholz

  Production Specialist: Michelle Biedscheid

 

 

 


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