Larfleeze first made his presence known to the DC Universe in 2007, introduced in the run up to Geoff John's epic Blackest Night event. Leader of the Orange Lanterns, made up of himself and an army of constructs based on the identities of those he has killed, he has being totally twisted by the orange light of avarice, and has given to an insatiable greed. His original appearance as a supremely creepy villain has slowly made way for him to take on a role more akin to comic relief, while still acting as antagonist for the most part. He may just be a more articulate Gollum, you can pretty much sum him up with 'mine!', but he is a fantastic character. He is larger than life, completely delusional, and just so much fun to read. His popularity is something you can't deny, and after a series of back up stories, from writer Keith Giffen and artist Scott Kolins, in the pages of DC's cosmic book Threshold, the pair bring the character into his own solo series, dragging co-writer J.M. Dematties along for the ride. Those who haven't read Threshold needn't worry, there is not much backstory to catch up on. All of Larfleeze's possessions, including his power battery, have been stolen, and after a failed attempt to get them back, he does the only logical thing he can think of: plonks himself, and reluctant butler and Brianiac look-a-like Stargrave, on the edge of creation, and lets gravity slowly drag them towards obliteration. This is pretty much how the rest of the issue goes, the two bickering as Stargrave tries to point out that resigning both of them to complete and utter disintegration might be a bit of an over action, while Larfleeze sees this as the perfect time to retell his life story for, judging by Stragrave's protestations, the millionth time. So, this is your run of the mill origin book, the standard approach to a first issue. Sure, Larfleeze has been around for a while, but his origin has never being explored in much detail, so I can see why they went down down this route. What makes it stand out though is that it's so darn funny! This isn't Giffen and DeMatties and the same form they were with Formerly Known As the Justice League, but it's pretty close. You just have to look at the title, The Extremely Large Dog At The Edge Of Forever (and the hilarious credits page, a practice that sadly went out with the nineties), to know the book's tongue is boring itself into it's cheek. Every page has some funny detail in it, from certain panels contrasting wildly with the rose tinted retelling of his life (his birth is something that will stay with you for days), to Stargrave's frustration at being tethered to such an imbecile. It's a credit to the characters that you can get so much entertainment from just the two of them trading barbs. The final pages push the story forward, presenting some conflict for further issues (though I would continue to pick up this series even it was just Larfleeze and Stargrave at each others throats), with a hint of things to come presenting some interesting turns in Larfleeze's story. Also, there is little mention of anything to do with a Green Lantern, which I consider quite refreshing. I feel that property has become a bit overstaurated in recent years, and with further Lantern books announced, including Sinestro Corps, having Larfleeze exist in his own little bubble is nothing but a good thing.
I have being a sucker for Kolin's art ever since Geoff John's run on The Flash, and he doesn't disappoint. His cartoony style is perfectly suit the character and writing, but his trademark muted colours seem out of place at times. All in all, Larfleeze is a fun little book. A great character is back up by equally great writing and art. Larfleeze fans will no doubt eat this and upcoming issues up, but if you no nothing of the character, it is the perfect jumping on point, and a completely entertaining read.