Lackadaisy

I first discovered webcomics some time during high school, introduced to them by a friend of a friend. The first ones I remember were Earthsong and Inverloch. What I really found intriguing about this genre was the interactivity with the author/artist and the audience. Both of those webcomics (and many other webcomics) have/had very active forum communities. The author participated actively, listening to what the audience really enjoyed and what they were wondering about with the characters.

Lackadaisy was a comic I came across a couple years ago. The premise is about a speakeasy in Prohibition Era Missouri and the trials that its rumrunners go through. Oh, and all the characters are presented as cats. Not that they really need to be cats, but it really does add something to the comedy of it (and there is a surprising amount of comedy). Tracy Butler has some amazing drawing skills, especially when it comes to rendering textures. It's quite obvious that if she wanted to, the entire comic could be humans, but then in wouldn't be as fun. The expressions really bring these characters to life, especially the manic faces of Rocky. Each of her characters have their own distinct personality, from the demure and cunning Mitzi to the strong and stoic Viktor to the extremely Irish, extremely motherly Nina.

What also makes this webcomic really stand out is the attention to detail and historical accuracy. Reading through the archives is almost like a mini-history lesson as each comic page is often followed by a few comments from the author about when things were invented or came into common use and what kind of jargon and political issues were big at that time. Between the interactivity with the author (who is also the artist) as well as information on the expanded universe, reading the comic becomes more of a cultural experience. I definitely recommend this comic to anyone looking for a laugh, some action, and some really well-developed characters. Oh, and if you like cats. That's good, too.