IGN Comics: First and foremost, I loved the credits. Just fun and playful in a way that a lot of other superhero books aren’t right now. Can we expect this kind of humor throughout the book moving forward?
Scott Kolins: I love that stuff and hope it takes over the entire book. Why just the credits?
Keith Giffen: Yup. It's what we do. And did you see how quickly we corrupted Scott? That's gotta be a record of some kind. Actually, do we really need another dire, depressing, grim comic book in a market already saturated with the like? C'mon. Lighten up. These books are supposed to be fun.
IGN: Scott, can you talk a little bit about the design of Larfleeze? Do any of his features give you any difficulty in terms of rendering emotion and body language?
Kolins: Those tusks do get in the way sometimes, so I have to pick my angles carefully, but his sinewy framework and rabid face topped with that crazy hair – what’s not to love?
IGN: I love, love, love Larfleeze’s origin here, as told by him. The juxtaposition of his words with the actual events is both hilarious and deeply tragic at the same time. What do you think this adds to the character?
Giffen: Another layer beyond the "gimme, gimme" avarice that's Larfleeze's stock and trade. When it comes to characters, Marc and I have always been more interested in who he (or she) is than what he (or she) is.
Giffen: Larfleeze -- and keep in mind that this is my take on the character -- is so full of himself that there's no room for anyone else. He thinks what he thinks at the moment he thinks it with no regard for anything he's thought before. In other words, he's bat s**t crazy.
Kolins: Yes and yes.
IGN: Will any of these past events come into play in this series?
Kolins: Nothing is throw away, if Keith and Marc put it in – they’ve got plans to use it. Evil plans…
Giffen: I don't see how they can't. I know his time spent enslaved will play into the Revolt of the Orange Lanterns storyline, so there's that already.
IGN: Larfleeze is pretty sympathetic up until he murders everyone for the Orange Power Battery. Even though he’s come a long way since then, and I think has earned our sympathy these last few years, what are the challenges of approaching the solo book of a “bad guy” and letting him his keep his initial appeal while making him a character you want to follow month to month?
Giffen: It's not as much of a challenge as you'd think. The douchebag as hero model is still selling well. Heroism and honor and valor get one labeled a boy scout (how many times have we heard that applied to Superman?). At least in Larfleeze we get the chance to poke some fun at the whole douchebag as hero trend.
Kolins: Flawed characters rule.
IGN: The double-page spread is gorgeous. Can you take us behind the design a little of the creatures we see here? What did the script call for in comparison to the final product?
Kolins: Thank you. Keith left Laord’s design very open for me. Keith told me his name, that he wanted someone large and very very powerful with two wolves and a few servants carrying goodies Larfleeze would want – AND do something NEW. I threw out a bunch of designs, DC threw out a bunch of designs and we settled on this one. I think this works well because the name fits. He looks like a “Laord of the Hunt” and without looking like someone we saw before. I mean, a purple fiery lion-esque tribal mask? Whoa!
IGN: Can you offer any clues as to the final page teaser? It looks like there are some Orange Lanterns that are no longer just constructs. Does this mean the ranks might be growing?
Giffen: I don't know about the ranks, but I do know our supporting cast will be growing.
Kolins: More importantly, why would they chain Larfleeze?! MwaaHaaHaaHaaa (MWaaHaaHaaHaaa ©Dematteis and Giffen)
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