INTERVIEW: ‘Lackadaisy,’ thanks to the fans, isn’t going anywhere
Photo: Lackadaisy will be back with more graphic novels, an animated show and plushes. Photo courtesy of Iron Circus Comics / Provided by Superfan Promotions with permission.
Lackadaisy, the webcomic creation by Tracy Butler, has met with critical acclaim and fan approval. And now it’s ready for the next step in its evolution.
Iron Circus Animation, an extension of Iron Circus Comics, is finishing up a BackerKit crowdfunding campaign to bring even more of the Lackadaisy world to the ever-growing fan base. With only a couple days left, the campaign can already claim huge success — like, HUGE success. With an initial goal of $125,000, the fundraising has surpassed $1.6 million, as of press time. Those are a lot of backers, and that’s a lot of Lackadaisy love.
So, what will fans get from this successful campaign? Butler and her team have stories to tell in multiple media. For starters, there will be new graphic novels. Plus, there’s a new 10-minute animated short (in fact, there’s so much funding that an entire season one is now the plan). As far as merchandise, Lackadaisy plushes are part of the project as well. The animated news is especially exciting because it will continue the story of the 27-minute animated pilot, which has already garnered millions of views on YouTube, according to press notes. That pilot and the new animated season is a passion project for director Fable Siegel.
For the unbeknownst, Lackadaisy features a storyline that takes place in St. Louis during the Prohibition era. All types of shenanigans take place in a tucked-away speakeasy in the city, courtesy of the jazz “cats” who frequent the illegal watering hole. Mitzi May, the owner of the underground club, tries to keep things in order, but things go awry quickly.
Recently Hollywood Soapbox exchanged emails with Butler and Siegel about the future of Lackadaisy. Questions and answers have been slightly edited for style.
Could you ever have imagined the success of Lackadaisy and its new creative directions more than 15 years after its creation?
BUTLER: No. I mean, I imagined the animation part, but not necessarily the success part. I had promised myself as a kid that I’d make an animated film someday. By the time I was working on Lackadaisy as a comic, I knew that was what I wanted to animate. Some years later, as we were preparing to release the animated pilot, I really had no sense of how it would be received. I was concerned we’d be met not so much with raucous applause as with crickets chirping, so I was trying to make peace with that, and with moving on afterward with the knowledge that at least we’d done our absolute best.
I wouldn’t have dared to think we’d soon find ourselves with funding for a whole season one of Lackadaisy. But here we are, and I couldn’t be more pleased to have been wrong.
How did this idea come to you in 2006?
BUTLER: A series of changes in my life and career set the stage for it. I had moved into an old house just outside St. Louis, which inspired me to start researching the history of the area. That led me directly to National Prohibition and the limestone caves beneath the city. Those things really captured my imagination. I suppose that might have been exacerbated by all of the hot jazz inspired music I was listening to at the time.
I had also shifted into a more managerial role at my job in the game industry. Prior to that, I was much more hands-on as an artist there. It left me really in need of some satisfying creative outlet. So, late at night, and in the wee hours of the morning, I found myself percolating and doodling ideas that would eventually manifest as the comic, Lackadaisy.
Have you always been a history buff?
BUTLER: I think so. I’m not sure what the qualifiers are, really, but I like how you can tease out a thread from the convoluted tapestry of a given segment of history and observe how directly it actually connects to the surrounding histories. I like the way that it makes everything into one big picture instead of delineated increments; the way that the interconnectedness of everything becomes apparent; the way one story touches on many stories, reaching so far across time. Sometimes illumination comes from tracing the details of the stitching with your finger.
When you’re trying to write relatable stories about relatable characters, I think it helps to really feel and understand the way that the past relates to the present. It isn’t so detached or far away as a hazy, sepia-tinged photograph might suggest.
Admittedly, I enjoy the simple satisfaction of collecting nerdy factoids, too.
What exactly does the future hold for Lackadaisy? What can fans expect?
BUTLER: More animation! We’re embarking on producing season one as soon as we have our budget in hand. We have plans for some mini-episodes scattered throughout the regular season episodes as well. And, if all goes according to plan, with the production in the very capable hands of our showrunner, Fable Siegel, I’ll be able to resume work on the comic as well.
Does your history as a game artist inform your creativity on this project?
BUTLER: Certainly. I grew a lot as an artist working in games. I learned a great deal about visual development, about how to work in 3D, about rigging and animating characters, and designing set pieces, among other things. Those skills you pick up along the way become part of your bag of tricks, so to speak. In one way or another, you take them with you wherever you go next. There’s a lot that’s different between making games and making cartoons, but there’s a fair bit of overlap as well. The practical experience I gained in the past — collaborating with other artists on a large undertaking, communicating effectively with a team, establishing realistic schedules, and all the problem-solving that entails — has been really handy to have on Lackadaisy as well.
What do you love about Lackadaisy’s story and characters?
SIEGEL: Beyond the beautiful art and Tracy’s hilarious and often poetic writing, I just kind of grok the characters. Rocky in particular speaks to me as an often desperate, awkward and loud-mouthed person myself. Thankfully I never fell into a life of crime, but I sometimes think about where I would’ve ended up if I hadn’t made the connections I’ve had and the deep relationships afforded to me via internet communities.
I particularly love Tracy’s approach to the story. There’s a deep empathy in Lackadaisy afforded to a city and people largely ignored by textbooks. It asks what motivates folks to commit criminal acts and confronts the usual black and white paradigm assumed of the underworld. The narrative also questions nostalgic yearnings for a time in which things were somehow “better,” asking what kind of damage that fantasy can have in its pursuit. And that complexity draws me in every time I re-read those lush panels.
Also — frankly — I like cats. Lil criminal meow-meows. I can’t help it; they make me laugh.
Were you surprised by the success of the pilot?
SIEGEL: Yes and no. I got the sense it would do well by observing analytics on the YouTube channel’s backend during our three-year buildup, but reaching a million views as quickly as it did floored me. I thought that would take a month, not a day! But it goes to show, people want adult animation beyond the offerings usually produced in the western hemisphere. There’s a hunger for cartoons with suspense, subtle comedy and character-driven narratives. That’s an opening for independent creators who serve a broader range of tastes than larger production studios are willing to serve.
Where are you in the development process for the new 10-minute short?
SIEGEL: We’ve already outlined several seasons worth of material well before the pilot’s release. Season one’s scripts are taking shape, but we want to see where the budget ends up before we leap into production. Our immediate priority is using a mini-episode as a test for our new process. That will allow us to train crew to the updated pipeline, get content out to the public faster than episode one can be produced and buy us time for more pre-production. We want all the staff and hardware required to support our eager team.
When did you first fall in love with animation?
SIEGEL: I was obsessed with watching cartoons like many a small kid, but the love of animation production started when I picked up the making-of book for The Lion King around age 7 or so. I loved reading about every triumph and dead end the team experienced and the way all the pieces fit together. It was like uncovering the secrets to a magic trick. Except movies — especially animated movies — are more gloriously complex than what any one magician could achieve on stage. I wanted to be a part of that. I’ve been glued to that mission ever since.
By John Soltes / Publisher / John@HollywoodSoapbox.com
The BackerKit campaign for Lackadaisy finishes Friday, Aug. 25. Click here for more information.
