Okay so this web comic is clearly awesome but as always you have to read through this entire review just to get a feel for what's going on! :D So let's get started! :3
About: So this is going to be a little difficult to explain, but here goes nothing! Lackadaisy is basically about the prohibition times in the U.S. however, the story is told through cats who play the role of humans. Following me so far? Too bad! The storyline is following that of one small "cafe" which is really selling illegal alcohol. This little swinger's joint is none other than the infamous Lackadaisy! However, it's recent owner has past, leaving the place's upkeep to his early widowed wife, Ms. Mitzi May. Basically the story will continue to follow a list of characters who are tied to the Lackadaisy in some way; main characters include: Rocky Rickaby, Viktor Vasko, Ivy Pepper, Calvin "Freckle" McMurray, Wick Sable, and many, many more! The troubling times of outlawed alcohol and big business leave Lackadaisy in a dangerous position, but hey it never gets boring in this comic!
Review:
Pros: This comic has such a very unique storyline that I really only could see a small portion of people being unable to read it. Along with that thought, there really isn't a reason that someone couldn't read this comic. The author, Tracy Jennifer Butler, wrote the comic in such a classy way that I would rate it PG. Honestly, I haven't seen any real inappropriate scenes nor language that may upset younger readers or their parents. But, that fact still remains that it is about selling alcohol. That part will have to be up to you, the readers, on how you feel about it, but this comic really does have a lot to do with something historical that happened in the United States during the 1920's-30's. That being my next point; unlike most comics (which are namely action, yet fantasy) this comic really does bring up a lot of historical factors that contribute to a storyline that could be considered true for most places trying to sell alcohol during this time period. Despite cat's being the stand-ins for humans, Butler doesn't really bring anything too fictional in. In fact, at the bottom of certain pages, you can see descriptions that actually explain certain facts about the time period and how they tie into what the characters are talking about. It's like a mini history lesson that's actually not boring in any sense! (If you wanna think of it kind of like Hetalia in that history sense, it might describe it a little bit better). I find that aspect of the comic to be really refreshing. Original ideas are always welcome into my reviews, but I find that most authors spend so much time focusing on creating something so fictional that it'll be completely their's, that they miss opportunities to take something real and turn it into their own. I, personally, would have never thought of writing a comic about a historical even and changing one small thing like the humans being cats. It's a simple thing, but we think to hard and overlook the easy stuff (why do we do that?). Next thing on the list is the art for this comic and I LOVE IT! The art is very detailed to a point where I forget the cats are cats (that sounds weird, I know, just role with it). I also adore how the comic has a faded brown color to it which makes it look very appropriate for the time! Butler has also done other professional work in other artistic areas which really does boost the amount of experience you feel in the artwork while reading. This site also has a very professional layout as well as it's own store and wiki which is very descriptive and informative so I highly recommend that if you read the comic and find that you like it, you should definitely check both out to see some of the behind the scenes work.
Cons: Now, as I did bring up in the Pros section, while this comic is very PG it is still about selling is about a historical happening, not everyone is really going to appreciate it. I find this to be an issue if a plot is not thick enough, to which Lackadaisy has still been setting up certain interesting subplots within the main plot, just not fast enough for certain viewers to keep interest long enough to really appreciate the comic. This brings me to another flaw which is that updates happen very rarely (unfortunately). I'm not sure if this is because of how detailed the art is and that it may just take a while, or that the author really doesn't have the time to work on it as frequently as other artists do for their own comics, but the fact still remains that new pages don't happen as often as I'm sure most Lackadaisy fans would hope for. Other than that, I don't think that there was much else to really worry about for Butler.
alcohol when it was illegal. While I find nothing wrong with the subject (seeing as this really did happen at one point in time) others may find it very awkward and I guess I could understand that. However, I think the bigger issue would have to be that since it
Worth the Read: I feel that it is, but at the same time I am a history buff so it could be bias for me to say yes... However, I don't think that the comic is boring on any standard. There is quite a bit of action within the comic to keep it interesting and I've never seen it be a issue with other projects that turn history into something entertaining (like I said before, Hetalia is a good example of that in respect of history). I think shipping for this comic is wonderful too! I don't know if it was meant to be that way, but the way I see it I could make a huge list of shipping pairs! However, I think that those who really hate history on any level (entertaining or not) or maybe just hate cats, will not be amused and will easily loose interest. On my own biased part, however, I really wish the pages were more frequent so I can continue reading to see what happens! I really do hope you guys go check it out! :) Props to Tracy Butler!
Nuclear
Lackadaisy: http://www.lackadaisycats.com/
I really hope you guys liked this review! If you want to follow up with me, I am also on Tumblr and Youtube!
All rights belong to the author and all rights go to whoever owns the pictures, I OWN NOTHING OTHER THEN THE REVIEW!
Youtube: http://www.youtube.com/user/NuclearSkipper
I've been following this web comic for a while now and I really have to say that it's been something I haven't seen before. It really brings me back to The Chronicles of Narnia in a lot of ways! Hopefully if you're a fan of that, you'll be a fan of this!
About: Winters in Lavelle is about a brother and a sister who find themselves in a different world filled with very strange surroundings and creatures. Right off the bat, both find themselves stuck in a very odd situation between them and "deer-men"! This also leads to some unknown magical powers that they still have yet to really discover! Siblings Aiden and Kari have to start running right off the bat! They run into a bunch of awesome characters through a series of awesome trials and events! The epic grouping of characters include: Kari, Aiden, Ashton, Xan, Rio and so much more! Honestly it's very difficult to explain what's going on in this comic without giving too much away... So I'm gonna stop here! :P
Review:
Pros: This comic will really bring back memories of the Chronicles of Narnia, like I brought up before. Now I don't think the artist made it that way on purpose, and while some people would consider this to be a downfall to this comic I actually think it's something that pushes me to continue reading it. Not that you really need a push anyways, the storyline has enough differences to cover up that Narnia feel as it is and has enough mystery involved that leaves the reader craving for more. Now one of the things that anyone can really appreciate about this comic is that it starts off with a familiar feel that the reader can connect to. But, later on in the story, the plots thicken and a lot of side stories come to life. Really all in all the storyline and writing shows what (I hope to believe) the author was going for. Plus, shipping in this is pretty clear to see... (No spoilers, but GO KARI XX ASHTON (90_0)9 ). The artists name is Kasey Van Hise and she is not just any artist; she actually did graduate from a cartooning program from the School of Visual Arts. I think that her experience really does boost up the comic as a whole (this includes the site layout, site store, pretty much everything).
Cons: Ah... Now for the cons... Well, the art for this is pretty simple. To me I feel like it could be a pro if she was updating more often. I asked another person (much more of an artist than I am) to read it and they found it hard to keep interest due to the arts simplicity. I find that the art does well (as with most web comics) as the story progresses. I think any reader also has to keep in mind that this story does have a lot mythical creatures which adds much more difficulty on the art part. Also some people may find that in the beginning not much happens to keep interest and it really does look like a spin off of Narnia at first; so most people can find that a turn off really fast. Along with this, the author does not post as frequently as most comics I've read in the past. I check mostly once a month to find if there has been a new page posting, but normally there is only two. The author did mention that a recent tragedy had fallen on her family, so I really do ask that if you do catch up to current pages and are waiting for more, that you please be patient and for that reason. I know most people get antsy when there isn't a due date for pages, I can be one of them at times too, but in this case I don't hold it against them. :)
Worth the Read: Yes! I do find that this artist puts their heart into the comic and I don't mind the wait for updates. Honestly, I feel that there's enough storyline to really coverup any flaws and also keep me interested enough. I find that if you really like stories about mythology or magic (suck as the Spiderwick series, Arthur and the Invisibles, and, as I've said repeatedly, Chronicles of Narnia) then you'd be in for a treat with this. If you really don't like stories like that, then this comic really isn't for you. However, so far this story seems to really bring in a lot of action despite it's theme. If you're a fan of shipping, this is one you'd really enjoy as well. (Again, no spoilers, but... KARI AND ASHTON!!! "9(0_0)9" ). I have to be honest, I may have a slight bias for this comic because I really do enjoy stories like this. But there are other aspects of this comic that I do take into consideration for this review. It's kind of hard to really go into detail without recking the story thus far. My hopes is that you, the viewers, give it a try and see if you like it. As for those of you art critics, I really don't find there to be such a big issue with it seeing as the level of difficulty the task of mythology gives the artist is extremely high. So all in all, I'd say this is a comic worth reading!
Nuclear
Winters in Lavelle Comic: http://wintersinlavelle.com/
All rights belong to the author and all rights go to whoever owns the pictures, I OWN NOTHING OTHER THEN THE REVIEW!
Hope you guys enjoyed this review! If you'd like to follow me, I'm also on Tumblr and Youtube. :)
Youtube: http://www.youtube.com/user/NuclearSkipper
