Saturday, May 9, 2009

Webcomic Review: Lackadaisy

There are two general types of webcomics.  One type is modeled on newspaper comics; the artwork is simple sketches and they have new comics every day or several times a week  These are the comics you read regularly.  The other type is full of beautiful, detailed, lavish artwork, and new comics appear basically at random, whenever the artist gets around to it.  These are the comics you read once, like a library book, and then wait about a year before checking the site again to see what has been added.

A friend pointed me toward a webcomic called Lackadaisy that definitely fits into the latter category.  It is about bootleggers and gangsters in St. Louis during Prohibition.  But everybody is an anthropomorphized cat.  It sounds silly, but it works incredibly well.  It is the only really good period piece I have ever seen in the webcomics world.  It is incredibly well-drawn and well-written; each page is a work of art.

The artist really knows her stuff.  With a few minor exceptions, the language, clothing, and culture are true to history.  There are a ton of little details that show that she has really done the research.  For example, one sketch page shows a gangster using a sawed-off M1918 Browning Automatic Rifle.

If you have any interest in this time period of history, you should definitely take some time to read this comic from the beginning.  It is lots of fun, and a great way to spend a few hours.  Be sure to go to the gallery and look at the 'Preview Comics' as well as the sketches and illustrations.

Be warned, though, that things can get rather violent.  Don't let the cuteness of the cats fool you; this would be R-Rated if it was a movie.  Of course, anyone who has ever owned cats knows that this level of predatory violence is entirely appropriate.

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