Larfeeze

• Title: Larfleeze #2
• Comic Vine: link
• Writers: Keith Giffen, J. M. DeMatteis
• Artist: Scot Kolins

There’s both good and bad news for Pulsar Stargrave in the latest issue of Larfleeze. The good news is he is finally free of his service to his insane master Larfleeze who bit off a little more than he could chew when he attack Laord of the Hunt who has journeyed to this dimension after killing his way through his own. The bad news is Pulsar now finds himself in service of the genocidal hunter.

Keith Giffen and J. M. DeMatteis make a great team. For the second month in a row Larfleeze, a comic centered around a character I have no great affection for, turns out to be one of the best books of the New 52. We get the tail end the battle between Larfleez and Laord to begin the issue, but nearly the entire comic is focused on Stargrave, his current fate, and his befriending of Lou (the hound of Laord not killed by Larfleeze) and Loard’s lackey Herb.

I’ve been bemoaning the lack of humor and fun in the New 52 for nearly two years now and, at least for the first two issues, that’s exactly what Larfleeze delivers. Crazy, absurdest, space adventure wackiness. Worth a look.

[DC, $2.99]

• Title: Larfleeze #1
• Comic Vine: link
• Writers: Keith Giffen, J. M. DeMatteis
• Artist: Scot Kolins

Honestly the idea of Larfleeze, the greedy Orange Lantern, getting his own comic didn’t really interest me. However, the idea of re-teaming Keith Giffen and J. M. DeMatteis, two of the three men responsible for the insanely awesome late 1980’s Justice League, for the project certainly got my attention. And I’m glad it did.

The entire first issue reintroduces the character of Larfleeze to readers with a prolonged series of untrustworthy flashbacks as Larfleeze and his butler Pulsar Stargrave stare into the abyss of Creation Point waiting to die. The fact that Pulsar doesn’t want to die doesn’t seem to phase Larfleeze whatsoever (although him launching into his life story yet again certainly doesn’t help the butler’s mood).

Throw in a giant energy space dog and you’ve got the makings of a really good first issue, although I’m not totally sold on the art by Scott Kolins (perhaps Kevin Maguire is available?). My interest in this comic has more to do with the people writing it than the character, but (for at least for one issue) that produces the kind of madcap fun the New 52 has been sorely missing. Worth a look.

[DC, $2.99]