Larfleeze #3 – Review

by Keith Giffen, J.M. Dematteis (Writers), Scott Kolins (Artist), Mike Atiyeh (Colorist)

The Story: Stargrave meets the Wanderer, who explains her story and tempts him with an offer, as Larfleeze wakes up and cause even more chaos.

The Review: Bad comics are unpleasant. It is an obvious statement for those that enjoy sequential art and visual storytelling, yet it is something that is even more unpleasant for some that review comics. While my case is not universally so, I never particularly enjoy bashing a comic for its faults, as every creative team do try to tell something and every issue is the result of a lot of work coming from multiple persons. To come down on a title and write everything that is badly done is not something I am fond of, despite how much the issue itself had it coming. I never shy away from doing so, yet it is always more pleasant to recommend something rather than make it so people avoid it like the plague.

The latest issue of Larfleeze was certainly not the worst thing I had ever read in my life, yet it was quite bad with its repetitive jokes and its clumsy art. However, I do believe that any title can actually get better provided that the creative team does some effort of its own. Does this issue prove me right, though?

In many ways, it kind of does, as Giffen and Dematteis brings back the titular orange lantern to the forefront as they create a better mix of shenanigans, humor and cosmic that makes this issue significantly better than the last one. One of the aspect that is miles ahead from the last issue would be the humor, as the jokes get a bit more varied thanks to the introduction of the Wanderer, as the personalities of Larfleeze and Stargrave do clash well enough to provide for funny lines and situations. The running gags are also better used this time, as the conflicts and the problems gets a bit more varied this time around to provide new materials.