Hal Jordan is a space cop, tasked with interrogating a spider-pirate because Volk, the living volcano-head (and it looks as ridiculous as it sounds) is assigned another case (disappearing planets). The story is short on action and long on setting the stage for what is to come.

MEANWHILE… Evil Star has been busted out of space jail, complete with form-fitting costume that hugs in ALL the wrong places. After man-splaining his own ridiculosity, he ends up in a justifiable state of advanced decrepitude. All this is at the behest of the Controllers and their Blackstars. Apparently they’ve given up on their Darkstars and chose to go all the way black. Or maybe Grant Morrison needs a bit of continuity coaching.

The story ends on a cliffhanger that made me say, “What? Again?” because recent events in the pages of Superman appear doomed to be repeated. I can only presume editor Brian Cunningham failed to ask Someone in Charge, “Has anyone done THIS recently? Say, maybe, last month?”

This series is not off to the best of starts. Morrison seems bound and determined to repeat that which has gone before in this and other DC franchises. The high point of it is the artwork by Liam Sharp. It’s polished, it’s stylized, and it’s ambitious, even when handed something so questionable as a volcanic extraterrestrial with no face.