Rating: 3/5 – Mine, Mine, Mine, Larfleeze gets his own book
Larfleeze, since his creation in 2008, has been an ancillary character in the various Green Lantern titles as the wielder of the Orange light of avarice (greed). His quirkiness and absurdity were often on display in those titles and the Green Lantern: Larfleeze Christmas Special which came out in 2010. Larfleeze reminds me of Deadpool from Marvel Comics, who relies on comedic moments and jokes that work well in a secondary role. Sometimes those types of characters can struggle or miss the mark when pushed to the forefront of a comic so I was interested to see what this book had to offer.
Larfleeze #1 spins out of the Threshold series which ran Larfleeze back-up stories in the first five issues. I did not read those stories nor do I think it is required reading in order to fully understand what is going on here. I do think in certain areas editor notes would be a welcome addition but that is a larger issue with comics nowadays and not necessarily this specific comic. Keith Giffen (the writer on Threshold) is credited with plots and breakdowns on this first issue while J.M. Dematteis handled the script. Rounding out the creative team on the book are Scott Kolins (artist), Mike Atiyeh (colorist) and Dave Sharpe (letterer).
The art is similar to what Kolins has produced in the past; it is loose in line style and has a cartoony feel. Atiyeh’s colors mesh well with Kolins’ style and the colors really pop in the issue. Where the book starts to suffer in my opinion, is the dialogue. Larfleeze #1 is littered with too many jokes, even for a comedic character. After several pages it becomes too much of the same thing and turns what could be an intriguing main character flat. Larfleeze continuously plays off his sidekick Stargrave in a galactic Abbott and Costello routine that would add more depth to the underlying story if it was toned down a bit.
Larfleeze #1 has some interesting elements to it and delivers a cosmic adventure that stands alone from the other Green Lantern titles while still being a part of that universe. As with most comedic characters and comics there is a fine line between just enough and too much. For my tastes, this issue went a little overboard and it affected my enjoyment of the book. Fans of Larfleeze or the Green Lantern comics might find the mix of cosmic adventure and humor just right for them.
Reviewed by: Jeff Bouchard – jeff@comicspectrum.com
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I agree that the book was overall solid, but it’s tough to see this character take such a humorous turn from where he started out. During his early appearances he was a threatening and scary villain. Over time he’s become a bit silly, which I feel just doesn’t fit the original intention of the character.
I had a similar feeling about the book. I see Larfleeze as a good supporting character but he’s not really carrying this off as a lead.
I won’t be back for #2 – Bob