Lackadaisy, by Tracey J. Butler, is my favorite webcomic to date. I’ve read several, most of which were stories whose pages numbered in the hundreds, but there have also been weekly strips in my online reading list at times; simply put: I’ve tried out many different genres, art styles, and formats. Lackadaisy, however, stands above the rest. The story is set in St. Louis during the Prohibition and features bootleggers, club owners, and musicians all trying to make their way in the 1920s. There is a good amount of violence, gore, and other adult themes, but these are balanced by an oftentimes quirky cast of characters and some skillfully executed comedic relief. Butler has spared no effort in researching this era, and her determination for historic accuracy manifests itself in immaculate costume design, architecture, and slang. The curveball decision that makes this comic more easily accessible is the very same decision that many artists dealing with serious historical events have made, including the author of Maus, Art Spiegelman: the characters are anthropomorphic – and in the particular case of Lackadaisy, the characters are cats. These felines allow Butler to go into more graphic detail than if she had chosen to use human portrayals, and is one of the main reasons why she has gained such a loyal following. Nevertheless, I believe this is not the biggest reason why she was able to resign from her day job and commit herself completely to this project. As a webcomic artist, Butler is able to involve her audience more closely with the creation process and provides “gag reels” that exist only for the purpose of entertaining herself and her readers. As a result, Butler has earned my devoted reading for as long as Lackadaisy endures.
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