Spotlight On: Lackadaisy

A story of a time gone by, in many shades of brownish-grey

Lackadaisy shares a few of the same elements as published comic Blacksad, from an anthropomorphic cast to a pleasingly realistic period setting, in this case the height of prohibition and the speakeasy. The sepia-toned setting is contrasted by a big-eyed, cartoonish cast, but a stylistic choice that could have turned the series into complete farce is always bound by reality, adding a slight but tangible layer of levity to even the darkest of moments while never descending into physics-defying slapstick.

Lackadaisy tells the story of the eponymous speakeasy, fallen on hard times since the none-too-peaceful death of its owner, Atlas May; under the ownership of his wife Mitzi, the security of angry, crippled man-monster Viktor and the unpredictable lunacy of Rocky, the hired guns of Lackadaisy have to get back on their feet the only way they know how - sabotage, trickery, good old fashioned thievery and a shy tiger who gets a screaming case of the crazies whenever he grabs hold of a gun.

What's especially nice about Lackadaisy is its strong sense of history; every character is subtly interconnected, while a series of largely nonsensical side comics do the heavy lifting in regard to exposition. Thankfully, they do nothing to diminish the mystique and the heaviness that weigh down the protagonists, and it is the main comic's portrayal of the speakeasy's present that paints an ever-growing picture of a small and relatively insignificant world that, like all things in life, is of immense importance to those that occupy it. A great deal of care and attention has gone into Lackadaisy's inception, not to mention the incredible attention to period detail; most panels have a discreet body of text explaining the period features, with any deviation from reality accompanied by endless apologies.

You can read Lackadaisy here, and while you're there I'd recommend checking out the gallery, which is filled with side stories and various bits of mindless tit-tat, every bit of which is as entertaining as the story itself.