The style of the comic is highly detailed, with elegantly attired[5] cartoon characters that resemble styles from animated films of Walt Disney and Don Bluth.[6][7] The earlier strips are sepia-toned, resembling aged photographs of the 1920s era, while more recent pages can be seen fully colored, often in shades of deep blue. Launched by Butler in July 2006, the comic updates on an irregular basis, with the most recent update published in 2020.[8]
A short film adaptation of the same name was released on YouTube on March 29, 2023.
Setting
When prohibition grips the United States in 1920, Atlas May sets his eatery, the Little Daisy Café, as the front for a successful speakeasy called the Lackadaisy. Situated at the mouth of a network of limestone caves, the speakeasy can only be accessed from the Café by those showing a pin in the shape of a Clubs card suit.[9][10] With easy access to illegal alcohol and a steady clientele, business burgeons, and the Lackadaisy becomes a premier establishment.[11][12]
In 1926, however, Atlas is mysteriously killed, and management of the Little Daisy and the Lackadaisy falls to his widow Mitzi. Patronage at the Lackadaisy gradually falls off, bringing it to the brink of collapse, with only a handful of its original crew remaining and doing their best to keep the business alive.[13][14] There is a band that plays at the club, and one of the members is a rumrunner, which brings the characters into conflict with others who distill their own whiskey and moonshine.[15]
Characters
Lackadaisy features a wide cast of characters, most of which being workers for either Lackadaisy or Marigold, two rivaling alcohol smuggling rings.
The protagonists are Roark "Rocky" Rickaby, a sporadic and cunning violinist who works for Lackadaisy as a bootlegger; Calvin "Freckle" McMurray, a nervous and awkward, yet secretly violent young man and Rocky’s cousin; Mitzi May, Atlas' widow who is currently in charge of the Lackadaisy speakeasy; and Ivy Pepper, an energetic, cheerful worker at the Little Daisy Cafè who later on develops a romantic relationship with Freckle. The antagonists consist of Mordecai Heller, a cold and curt trigger-man for Marigold, as well as Serafine Savoy and Nicodème "Nico" Savoy, two siblings from New Orleans who work with Mordecai and speak in a mix of Cajun, Creole and French.[16]
Viktor Vasko, Asa Sweet, Atlas May, Dorian "Zib" Zibowski, Sedgewick "Wick" Sable and Nina McMurray are also notable characters.[16]
Production
Butler creates the comic by pencil sketching original images, then scanning and adjusting them with software such as Photoshop, where the panels are then assembled. Lighting is then added in grey tones, sharpening where needed, and dialogue and sound effects are added in a separate layer. The sepia tones are added in the final pass.[7] Some of the feline characters are based on Butler's own pets, Ivy and Calvin.[17]
Artist biography
Tracy Butler, 2008
American cartoonist Tracy J. Butler was born in 1980 in Springfield, Massachusetts. In high school, she would doodle and create characters while sitting in class.[18][19] She studied biology for a year at Our Lady of the Elms College in Massachusetts, before returning to her art. She created a website with some of her work, which led to a job offer from Simutronics, a Missouri game development company. Butler performed illustration and graphic design work before moving into 3D character design and animation. After living in St. Louis for some time, she purchased a 100-year-old house, and began researching its history, as well as that of the local neighborhood, and ultimately the history of St. Louis itself. Combined with her interest in jazz music, and the characters she had designed in school (loosely based on her own pet cats), this led to her creating Lackadaisy in July 2006. An Italian print version was released in 2008, and an English version in 2009.[7]
Awards
In 2007, Lackadaisy won every award for which it was nominated in the Web Cartoonists' Choice Awards, including "Outstanding Newcomer" and "Outstanding Artist".[citation needed] In 2008, Lackadaisy won five Web Cartoonists' Choice Awards, including "Outstanding Artist", "Black and White Art", and "Website Design".[2]
In 2009, the art of Lackadaisy was used on the cover of the Turkish magazine Photoshop.[20] In 2011, Lackadaisy was nominated for an Eisner Award in the category of "Best Digital Comic", but lost to The Abominable Charles Christopher by Karl Kerschl.[3][21][22][23]
Collected editions
This section needs to be updated. The reason given is: Editions listed out of date. Please help update this article to reflect recent events or newly available information. (May 2022)
In 2008, the first hardcopy volume for the Lackadaisy comic was released in Italy by ReNoir Comics, ISBN88-95261-35-6.[24][25][26][27]
An English version was released in 2009, ISBN0-9819599-1-1, published by 4th Dimension Entertainment.[28] In a 2011 interview in Draw! magazine, Butler revealed that Volume 2 is in the works, and plans are being made for an iPhone version of the comic as well.[7]
Legacy
The art style of Lackadaisy has been cited as an influence on other webcomics, such as Zebra Girl by Joe England,[29] and received a mention in the Girl Genius webcomic by Phil Foglio.[30]
In March 2020, it was announced that Iron Circus Comics was planning the production of an animated short film based on the webcomic, set to be directed by animator Fable Siegel. The project was crowdfunded through a Kickstarter campaign.[31] The 27-minute short film was released on March 29, 2023, on YouTube.[32]
^Yevstratov, Alexei (November 3, 2007). "Comics Tracy J Butler" (in Russian). webartnews.com. Archived from the original on September 2, 2011. Retrieved May 19, 2011.
^Antonini, Maria Chiara (March 2008). "Fumetti". Top Girl (in Italian). p. 62. Archived from the original on July 14, 2012. Retrieved September 19, 2010.
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