The comic starts out with a nicely illustrated introduction showing how the Lackadaisy Speakeasy in St. Louis came to be. Unfortunately, the ‘cat’ in charge meets an untimely end as prohibition is in full swing. His widow, enswirled in rumors that she was involved now owns the Speakeasy. The story builds nicely, never really slowing down and yet not rushed, either. Times are rough and competition is fierce in the liquor trade. Even the pig farmers will literally nail you to the railroad tracks if they think you’re trying to horn in on their action.

The art is detailed and sepia toned. The linework is solid and I like the way that sometimes the events or dialogue exceed the panel border. There are lots of different textures to appreciate. Rendering textures takes a lot of work to get right and when you can draw brick, metals, foliage, fur, glass and clothing, then you are creating some good art. The sepia tone also creates a real feel for the time period.

There are also period details to see and enjoy. In the FAQ, the artist makes a point of trying to hold somewhat closely to the actual history of the time but then reminds us that it’s all about talking cats in zoot suits (but don’t talk about them.) The artist has “a collection of books on fashion, crime and general history from the 1920’s and 30’s.” There is also a handy glossary that explains what the period words Fordor, Ishkabibble and ossified mean.

All the characters look like cats and some are based on real cats but otherwise act like people. They have great expressions and very unique personalities. No character is meant to directly represent any real person from history. That’s notable because I am a part time history buff and I was interested to know if there was such a person as Atlas, Mitzy or Viktor. Everything else has a feel of being very well researched, so it seems natural that the events Lackadaisy would be based on real people.

There are plenty of sketches and illustrations available to see as well. I like the history stuff, the story, the characters and the art. It’s a sun read and I give Lackadaisy five stars. Rating:

Lackadaisy
by Tracy J Butler
http://www.lackadaisycats.com/
review by Delos Woodruff
(2 votes, average: 4.5 out of 5)

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