Could Larfleeze have been saved? Should it have been?

[Andrew NDB]

Larfleeze was always the kind of book I'd buy out of obligation and have only ever cursorily browsed... which I've never felt about any Green Lantern book, ever. That said, when I first heard about it I did kind of go, "Hmm... yeah, a Larfleeze book could work, potentially even a great deal moreso than Red Lanterns." Because Larfleeze is a pretty complicated character when you break down his loooong past and present, and a pretty tragic character. It could be a study in how absolute greed could be redeemed, or at the very least focused into something other than the way Larfleeze had been for eons in that cave on Okaara.

And then it comes out and it's campy wackiness without limit, and ridiculous art to match it.

Still, it does strike me as odd that editorial never stepped in at any point and said, "OK, this isn't working. Let's get a different team in here ASAP and change the direction immediately" rather than just let it quietly die with a whimper and give up on it.

Sort of sad, really.

[Mister Ed]

Once it started out all campy like that, it was really too late to "change direction" in any meaningful way, IMHO. To get it to something that was decent, it would have really needed to be scrapped and restarted.

[Space Cop]

I chose "I guess..."
I didn't need the series. I would have preferred scary Larfleeze.
I'm not sure that I agree there was no going back. Harley, for instance, has her main humor comic series now but is still the wacked-out killer in Suicide Squad and both are in New 52 continuity.
If they did want to go back to serious, dark 'fleeze, it probably would have taken a concerted effort and commitment.
All that said, the comic take could have still worked. Giffen is just not half as funny as he thinks he is. Maybe in the 80s, but not anymore.

[Mister Ed]

Oh, I definitely think something better could have been done with Larfleeze. I just think it wouldn't have worked to take the SAME SERIES and try to turn it into that. The tone was firmly established from the get go, I think if one wanted to go a different direction with Larfleeze it needed to happen in a different series. Like your Harley example.

[Space Cop]

Okay. I got you. I thought at first you were saying the character couldn't possibly be changed back now. But I agree. Giffen's series had only one direction to go. The sad part is that its failure sealed the deal.

[Big Daddy Dave Skywalker]

The best that COULD have happened was if they kept Larfleeze as a frightening character. The moment they let him go the comedy route it was all over but the crying. If DC had tried a 6 part mini series that was firmly planted in the horror genre it could have been cool. But even then I think a mini series was the best they could have hoped for. He was never going to be able to carry an ongoing.

[Star-Lantern]

The book should have never come out at all.

I applaud DC for trying something with a more comedic tone, but that could have been done with something more deserving of its own title... like Harley Quinn. Larfleeze, as a concept, doesn't deserve his own comic book. That's just not something I have any interest in reading, and I don't think many people do.

[Space Cop]

That's a good point. Harley Quinn has a lot longer history and justification for a comedic title than Larfleeze did.

[Andrew NDB]

Can't really argue with that.

[jhpace1]

The original "pages of Larfleeze" in GL/GLC during the Agent Orange storyline showed Larfleeze at his best: in the background, letting his orange avatars do the work, staying in his dungeon. The minute he got out and started visiting Earth and the other planets his concept went downhill. The "ring stealer" plot of GL:NG had Larfleeze attacking Oa for just a few minutes. Then the whole "additional rings from the Orange Lantern power battery become orange constructs" went noncanon. The writers tried to say there was only "one" OL ring. No, there were thousands, but they were supposed to be "anchors" for the OL Corps. Now we hardly ever see the OLC, they're as temporary as GL constructs.

[sundrop]

Wasn't Larfleeze ever only "frightening" when he was being introduced? As soon as he battles Hal Jordan for the first time he quickly becomes comedic, and from that point on is an over-the-top character. I've never thought of him as scary. For example, check the Christmas special... anyone find that scary?

I did enjoy this series and now it's one of those odd collectible keepsakes in the GLVerse, like the short spinoff series that DC did in the past, that I think they should do more of. Not everything has to be super-popular-successful to be worth collecting, bizarre stuff like Mosaic and oneshots like Sinestro Corps Files etc makes GL fun to collect.

[sundrop]

Done reading this mini-series... some of the humor got old quick, with the same jokes over and over. This could have been solved by just cutting away some of the dialogue. But the villains were interesting at least. Wonder if any of the plot threads will be resolved in other DC issues?

[Kane2814]

He's baaaaaaAAAAaaaaacccck!

We knew he'd be back in HJ &GLC but the Phantom Lantern also turns orange at the same time in "GL's???" Hmmmm

[Big Daddy Dave Skywalker]

Ugh. I dropped the GL titles and have been just barely hanging on. If this is the best DC can must for the GL titles, regurgitating the same rainbow brigade stuff that was bad the first time, then I WILL leave. I'm here for the GREEN Lanterns.

[Red Lantern Djs]

I personally got a huge kick out of the Larfleeze books. I wish it were still going. I also enjoyed the heck out of the Red Lanterns series. Go figure lol

[Jeronimo Thompson]

For me, it's the Jar Jar Binks of the GL universe.

[Tarmode]

Larfleeze should've been saved for the simple fact that he is several billion years old, and probably has a knowledge of the universe that few have. That's worth a few issues.

[Space Cop]

Originally Posted by Tarmode

Larfleeze should've been saved for the simple fact that he is several billion years old, and probably has a knowledge of the universe that few have. That's worth a few issues.

Agreed. He has potential, but more so when he's a serious threat and not comic relief.

[Big Daddy Dave Skywalker]

How many characters does DC and marvel have that are billions of years old? And wouldn't any being that old be more evolved than anything a human could comprehend?

[Space Cop]

Originally Posted by Big Daddy Dave Targaryen I

How many characters does DC and marvel have that are billions of years old? And wouldn't any being that old be more evolved than anything a human could comprehend?

Well if an organism could just live that long, you'd think it wouldn't actually evolve (it might even be primitive biologically). But it would be pretty darned experienced.

[Trey Strain]

Comics writers don't think about what "a billion years" and "the whole universe" entail. Those terms short-circuit their brains.

The Guardians operated the GLC for 10 billion years, but they suddenly encountered all those difficulties and imploded in just the past few years? Huh?

And there were no super-heroes on Earth until recently, but now they're constantly being called upon to save the whole universe? Seriously?

[Space Cop]

Originally Posted by Trey Strain

The Guardians operated the GLC for 10 billion years, but they suddenly encountered all those difficulties and imploded in just the past few years? Huh?

Yeah, that last decade (or three if you go back to crisis) has been a lot rougher than the previous billion.

[Big Daddy Dave Skywalker]

Oa and the Corps were FINE for BILLIONS of years, but the last ten years, they JUST can't seem to stop both of them from blowing up again and again!

[Big Daddy Dave Skywalker]

The should do a parody story showing how Oa is revealed to have been destroyed millions of times, like Groundhog Day. And the Guardians just kind of accepted it long ago.

[Tarmode]

Originally Posted by Space Cop

Agreed. He has potential, but more so when he's a serious threat and not comic relief.

That's very true. He just goes in a different direction as comic relief. Though it tripped me out when he got the Flash's wallet, LOL!