Lackadaisy Isn't Slacking on DEATH BATTLE!

          

Rocky, Freckle, and Ivy, the Rumrunners of Lackadaisy

Lackadaisy was created by Tracy Butler it can be read on its own website or Webtoon

UPDATE

As of August of 2023, the Lackadaisy webseries is funded! Once more episodes are released, I shall update the respect thread with feats from the webseries

Welcome back to the blog! This time I’m here to focus on a title that’s become quite recognizable lately. Lackadaisy! Unlike the previous blogs, I’ll be focusing on a trio of characters. I should also clarify that this blog will only cover the feats included in the webcomic. The pilot is separate from the webcomic’s canon. However, if any more animated content is created for the franchise, I just might include feats from it but label them as separate. Several webcomics exist that have been rebooted or recreated for a new medium, and changes are made in them, so maybe we’ll see the day I cover a series like that. Special thanks to RedHeadedElf for helping me out with this blog post!

Background

“Now, have I got this figured out correctly? Squeaky-shrieks, you’re the smuggler? Tiny-tot over there is the muscle? And THAT'S this evening’s mastermind?”

The year is 1920 in St. Louis, Missouri. National Prohibition on drinking was established, making consuming and selling alcohol illegal. In response to this constitutional law, rising underground groups made bank off of smuggling and selling illegal liquor. Among these groups is the Lackadaisy Crew, which has seen better days.

Lackadaisy used to be a bustling group led by Atlas May. On the surface, he was running the quaint restaurant Little Daisy Café. Underneath the building however is where the true fun was. Under the café were limestone caves that led to the Lackadaisy Speakeasy, a bootlegging bar that was once prosperous and flourishing. It took a nosedive in 1926 when Atlas was murdered and Lackadaisy’s ownership was transferred to his wife Mitzi, whom some suspect to be his murderer. After a year, the group is a shell of its former self, only scraping by with the little help it can get. Thankfully, Mitzi has a trio of rumrunners she can trust to help keep her establishment afloat.

Rocky Rickaby is the screwball brains of the operation. He’s a theatrical and poetic drifter who performs in Lackadaisy’s jazz band when he isn’t doing odd jobs for Mitzi. He may be witless and bothersome, but he’s a dangerous wildcard. No one can tell the inner machinations of his psyche and that makes him a highly unpredictable individual. Hardly anyone tolerates his antics besides surprisingly Mitzi, who seems to enjoy his frivolities during appropriate moments. When he’s teamed up with Calvin or Ivy, he’s usually the one coming up with ridiculous plans that work out for him more often than one would expect.

Then there’s Calvin “Freckle” McMurray, the soft spoken muscle of the group. He’s Rocky’s quiet and anxious cousin who often acts as the voice of reason. He still lives with his mother and has to lie to her about the scummy work he’s been roped into. He may be skittish, but he follows Rocky around like a lost puppy and never leaves his side. Originally, he wanted to be a police officer due to his sense of justice and wanting to help others but was rejected due to his… issue with guns. Still needing a job, he took Rocky up on his offer to join Lackadaisy under the guise of “being a vigilante.” He’s a newer addition to the Lackadaisy crew after he proved that he’s shockingly capable when given a gun. Once he starts shooting and cackles maniacally, it’s like he’s an entirely different cat. 

Last but certainly not least, Ivy Pepper is the shrewd smuggler. She’s the smartest and most empathetic out of the three. She’s been involved in Lackadaisy for a while as a cashier and helping manage the cafe front, but now she’s starting to go on missions with the boys. Not only is she a thriving college student, but she was raised by a family of criminals, so she has equal book and street smarts to aid her. She’s a responsible go-getter who makes sure everyone is doing their job well. She is frequently annoyed by Rocky, but she’s taken a great liking to Freckle. In fact, she’s claimed him as her boyfriend (how much of this Freckle reciprocates is unknown). 

Together, they make an endearing trio of alcohol thieves! However, their escapades aren’t a walk in the park. They often have to deal with rival gangs who operate on their own agendas. From moonshining pig farmers, to morticians that don’t realize they’re on the same side as the rumrunners, to members of Lackadaisy’s biggest rival: the Marigold Gang.

It’s dangerous and shady work, but you can always count on Rocky, Freckle, and Ivy to get the job done.

Equipment

Rocky

Car

Who knows how he got his claws on a jalopy like that. Knowing him, I'd be skeptical about where he obtained it

Molotov Cocktails

Need to start a quick and easy fire? Look no further than the most suitably flammable drink (unsafe for consumption)

Claws

Assumedly all cats in Lackadaisy bear claws, but Rocky's the only one in the trio that's ever used them

Cards

It's expected for Rocky to have random thingamajigs on hand. He doesn't use cards combatively (at least outside of using them for card games), but he does use them to determine Freckle's lucky number.

Freckle

Molotov Cocktails

Dang it, I thought I said molotov cocktails aren't safe!

Toolkit

Before he was whisked away into a life of crime, Freckle was a handyman. From furniture to sinks, he should have a tool that does the trick

Flivver

It may be an old fashioned car, but it's got charm to it

Peashooter

It's a tiny gun, but it can be deadly in the right hands

Tommy Gun

He may not look like a mobster, but when in this line of work, it's handy to have a gun with rapid firepower

Ivy

Pistol

A pistol she stole from the morticians that she threatened them with, and was later lent it again once they became friends

Abilities

Rocky

Manipulation

Rocky may have a few screws loose, but he knows how to make people bend to him. Even when his reputation is in shambles, he has such a way with words that can draw people in. He still gets his shit kicked in, but he almost always has the last laugh. He's even tried to manipulate people close to him, like when he tried to sabotage Mitzi and Wick's relationship out of fear of being replaced and tossed aside.

Strategist

Rocky's usually the one coming up with wild plans to accomplish the crew's work. They're often outlandish, risky, and don't consider consequences afterwards, like when he plotted his vengeance against the pig farmers by sneaking in and scorching their farm. He often sprinkles in his spontaneity into the mix to keep his plans a bit unpredictable (to the detriment of his allies).

Freckle

Gun Mastery

For how meek he seems, Freckle has a keen talent for marksmanship. Regardless of what kind of gun he wields, he's able to use them exceptionally well.

Berserk Mode

Once he picks up a gun, Freckle can't help but cackle… a lot. He becomes much more aggressive, but still retains precision and finesse which is especially seen in…

Stealth Mastery and Agility

Even when he's cackling like a maniac, he's able to get the drop on people by hiding in unconventional spaces—usually taking a high ground above his opponent—before firing at them. This often demonstrates his heightened agility, able to climb into and hop off of these hiding places with ease.

Handyman Skills

When he isn't shooting down mooks, his he focuses his energy into fixing things. Whether it's being a plumber or carpenter, he has a knack for fixing stuff.

Ivy

Observational

Ivy has finely attuned ears, eyes, and whiskers that help her pick up on things people would normally disregard. She's easily the most attentive and perceptive of the trio

Marksmanship

While it's rare to see Ivy using a gun, she's definitely picked up on how to use them due to being raised amongst criminals

Manipulation

Unlike suspicious scamps like Rocky, Ivy is much more skilled at manipulating others into getting what she wants. She has a naturally charming and innocent aura that she plays up to win cats' favor

Techniques

N/A

Feats

Overall

• Rocky freed himself from having his tie nailed down to train tracks with his arms tied behind his back. He did so by maneuvering his body around to shimmy out of it. He managed to escape just as the train was coming by, blocking him from being shot at by the Pig Farmers
• Ivy knows how to roughen people the right way to get what she wants. Like when she threatened to bend Viktor’s fingers the “wrong way” and forcing the air out of his lungs so he’d listen to her
• Rocky got his revenge against the Pig Farmers that tied him to the train tracks with Freckle’s help by burning down their farm
• Freckle helped drive a car while sitting in the passenger seat
• Ivy was able to convince Bobby and Abelard that they were on the same side as them and didn’t need to resort to violence… by threatening violence with a gun she stole from them
• Rocky and Freckle were able to drive away the Marigold thugs Wes and Fish

Strength

Rocky

• Made a car speed through a house’s wall
• Set a barn on fire by driving a burning truck through it. The barn collapsed, only  the infrastructure remains. According to one of the pig farmers, the barn exploded

Freckle

• He set three cars on fire, causing one to fall apart
• Shot a pig farmer in the head

Ivy

• Smacked dup Rocky with magazines
• Shot the lights out of a car

Speed

Rocky

• Consistently dodges shotgun blasts
• Outran a hearse with Ivy (albeit it was slowed down by wheat fields)

Freckle

• Dodged a shotgun blast
• Fought Wes, who could dodge bullets

Ivy

• She narrowly avoided being shot by moving the shotgun pointed at her out of the way
• Outran a hearse with Rocky (albeit it was slowed down by wheat fields)

Durability

Rocky

• Was punched in the face
• Rammed into a wall and thrown onto the ground
• Pushed down a flight of stairs
• Punched in the face by Lackadaisy veteran Viktor, who’s strong enough to crack windows just by slamming them shut (even when he's injured)
• Was hit by a hearse, giving him a serious head injury. The car’s movement was slowed down thanks to driving through a field

Freckle

• Fell off the hood of Rocky’s car after he rammed it into another car

Ivy

• Her foot was hit by a hearse. Its movement was slowed down thanks to it moving through a field

Weaknesses

Rocky

• He frequently gets on a lot of peoples’ nerves. His allies aren’t excluded.
• Rocky can be preeeetty screwy. As an infamous wild card, he frequently goes off script and does his own thing. That can play out surprisingly well, or disastrous for his pals.
• Rocky isn’t equipped for shooting

Freckle

• While it’s usually a great thing when Freckle decides to pick up a gun, he can become pretty chaotic and unpredictable. Like Rocky, that’s a double-edged sword
• Once he puts his gun down, he’s back to his skittish self

Ivy

• Ivy’s convincing skills aren’t always useful in combat scenarios, but she has used them to wiggle her way out of fights before

Matchup Potential

Lackadaisy vs I.M.P. (Lackadaisy vs Helluva Boss)

(thumbnail by Vibe Check)

Vibe Check

Ever since the short film for Lackadaisy released, I've many comparisons between the bootlegger trio and the Immediate Murder Professionals from Helluva Boss. At a glance it makes a lot of sense. Both are trios of criminal groups consisting of a charismatic wackjob of a leader (Rocky and Blitzø) and a couple consisting of a sensitive voice of reason who's great with weapons (Freckle and Moxxie), and a peppy go-getter that's highly territorial of their lover (Ivy and Millie).

Of course the main appeal of the fight would be seeing how the teams banter against each other. I'd especially be interested in seeing Blitzø put up with Rocky's nonsense. Fight potential would be a low scale but bombastic fight with all six characters showcasing their own strengths and capabilities. I could see this being done in either sprites and hand-drawn. Hand-drawn would be preferred, but I doubt Death Battle would have the budget to pull off an animation that's as fluid and detailed as both series'.

Of course, I gotta give the win to I.M.P. Even if the feats from the animated short were included, the imps have way more feats they've performed on a higher level, and have far greater weaponry.

While I do enjoy this matchup, I do think that one pairing between the teams has enough substance to be its own fight…

Freckle vs Moxxie (Lackadaisy vs Helluva Boss)

(thumbnail by SunOreo)

Vibe Check

Unless the animated version of Lackadaisy receives more episodes, I can't see myself wanting matchups for Rocky or Ivy individually since they admittedly don't have much potential for a VS show. Both aren't bad characters, I just don't think they offer enough on their own to warrant having solo episodes.

Freckle is the exception to this, due to his more combat-ready arsenal and berserk fighting style. And given how I just summarized the comparisons between Freckle and Moxxie, I think a fight just involving both would be great. While Moxxie is a lot more nervous and shouty normally, he's usually much more serious and professional when holding a weapon. Thus, the episode could get a lot of mileage out of the characters' frequently switching personalities. It could really make for entertaining banter, especially with Moxxie's vulgar quips coupled with Freckles' reserved comments on the situation.

The stylized low scale fight potential and verdict apply to this one too.

RedHeadedElf

Separate from the team matchup, this is probably the best individual pairing for Lackadaisy vs I.M.P. Both Moxxie and Freckle are the skittish voices of reason who are constantly done with their leader's shit, and are excellent with guns despite their more timid nature. One of my favorite parts of this matchup is how the tone can shift with their personalities throughout the fight, which has some neat contrasts in of itself. Traditionally, both are incredibly timid and non-confrontational. This would make the dynamic less hand to hand, and more of them using the environment and, of course, guns. Whenever these two have guns in their hands, their personalities change rather drastically. Moxxie becomes a lot more calm and confident while Freckle turns into a maniac. I think it could be really fun to see these two personality changes interact, especially in contrast to their almost identical personalities without a gun. I also love the more grounded, low stakes scale of the fight as it perfectly captures Lackadaisy’s general vibe and Moxxie’s as a character. I really love this matchup for the fun theme, really unique character interactions, fun dynamic, and just overall vibes.

NEXT TIME ON WCAB… whenever I feel like it

Nuke Man Atomizes the Competition in DEATH BATTLE!

          

Nuke Man, the Living Nuke

Nuke Man was created by the KAWllective it can be read on Tapas

Welcome back to the blog! This blog is gonna be an interesting one, and not in the way you'd expect. This series was created by the Kill All Webcomics collective, otherwise known as the KAWllective. They're known for making series constructed in a telephone game-like way where each page/ is drawn and written by a different artist. With 17 different artists with wildly varying styles backing this, it's certainly a clusterfuck of an experience, albeit one I mostly ironically enjoyed. Without further ado, let's delve into the chaos and find out who this "Nuke Man" is! Spoiler warning since this is a finished series, but you could honestly finish it in less than an hour.

Background

"For people like us, the smallest emotion can end the world. But we aren't trying to end the world, are we? We just want someone to notice how we feel."

The Earth is in threat of annihilation by mysterious giants falling from the sky. To destroy a single one, it cost billions in property damage and weapons, and resulted in the deaths of millions of innocent people and many of the planet's greatest superheroes. If a single giant caused this much calamity, it would take a miracle for humanity to be spared. Thankfully, the Hero Union has the perfect weapon that could end the invasion in an instant: Nuke Man.

He doesn't recall much of his past, but he was originally a man named Kashmir Moneiro, who died during a global pandemic that resulted in people gaining superpowers. He didn't have any powers, which made him the perfect candidate for the Hero Union's most crucial project. Kashmir's past memories were pushed back into a new body that was experimentally created. His purpose was to be humanity's best defense against planetary threats with his nuclear powers. The Hero Union has relied on him since he was a baby to save humanity from extinction time and time again… even though he has no idea how to control his powers.

He may not remember who he was before, but after being used for the Hero Union's efforts his entire life, it made him snap. Out of anger, he nuked a few cities and has sworn off using his powers since that day. He originally refuses to help the Hero Union, but tough luck for him. An entire alien fleet is on its way, destroying every planet they come across, and they're coming for Nuke.

Joined by head scientist "Gramps" and the hero with comically convenient data manipulation powers Binary, Nuke begrudgingly agrees to defeat the aliens on the condition that he only uses his powers in space. But as they deal with aliens while trying to reach a space ship, Nuke Man sees a mysterious woman within his mind and she secretly takes over his body.

The 'trio' head into space and the opposing fleet is showered by nukes. It seems the day is saved, but that's when the parasite controlling Nuke Man makes herself apparent to his allies. After Nuke Man shattered dimensions to use his powers and flew far enough from Earth, she's at the perfect position in space to exit his body and start her quest to destroy… well, EVERYTHING. Once she splits out of Nuke's body, she reveals her human body is only a vessel for her true form… a dog named Laika. Many years ago when Gramps was young and working with the Russians, he sent Laika into space inside a satellite to stop an impending doom. Sending her into orbit completely fried her, but her soul managed to escape and venture through space. Now that her plan is a success, she has the opportunity to travel where no living being has set foot before, even if that threatens everyone and everything in existence.

Soon enough she exits Nuke's body and returns him his free will, but takes his powers for herself. To him, it would seem like a relief having to not bear the immense weight that is the responsibility of protecting the planet. But without his powers, he lost the very thing that defined him. He came to the conclusion that person he was before does not exist. He was, and always will be Nuke Man, a tool for destruction whose life solely revolves around his powers. Without his nukes, he wouldn't be Nuke Man, just… Man! That's when the leader of the alien armada spoke to him in his head. He explained to Nuke that they destroy everything in their path so something new can be made, with them being gods of a new cycle. But if Laika succeeds, nothing will remain, so he urges Nuke Man to defeat the dog and become god of the universe's next cycle.

Nuke agrees to the alien's terms, which allows him to transform into his truest self: Man Nuke. With his new powers manifesting, he travels back in time with Binary to stop Laika from boarding the rocket ship, but her spirit trails behind him. Confronting the young Gramps, Binary concludes that the threat the Russians were dealing with way back then was Laika from the future. Sending her into space triggers an endless cycle that sets Laika on an evil path. It results in the universe being destroyed and her escaping to the past, but the cycle repeats all over again after she is killed by her past self. All Nuke Man needs to do is break the cycle. Thus he squares off against the dog in a fight that determines the fate of the universe. As they fight, Nuke talks it out with Laika, believing that she doesn't really want to destroy the world. Instead, she wants someone to notice how she feels. And now she has all the space she wants to let her anger out. She takes her rage out on Nuke, who's glad to be her punching bag as she vents out her emotions.

Eventually, both lay down their fists and Laika calls off on her universal destruction quest, deciding to return home with Nuke Man. Their fight changed the future, as the alien armada was too scared by their destructive battle to target Earth. All the heroes Earth sacrificed to take on the giants didn't perish. Nuke Man seems to still be affiliated with the Hero Union and Laika has become his best friend. For the time being, it seems like Earth is at peace. But if any more otherworldly beings come to threaten the world, Nuke Man's armed and ready to take them down.

Equipment

The Nuke Mobile

This isn't your average nuclear warhead. It's actually a high tech spacecraft!

Abilities

Nuclear Missile Summoning

They don't call him Nuke Man for nothing If a single atomic bomb is able to take out an entire city, imagine what sort of power he has when he's able to conjure an entire armada of them. Regardless of the artist, his nukes always appear realistic.

Man Nuke

After accepting his position as the ruler of the new cycle, he was able to become who he's always been: Man Nuke. As Man Nuke, he has a slew of new powers I'll describe below.

Time Travel

Yeah… because time travel somehow has to do with nukes.

Superhuman Physical Characteristics

Anyone with superpowers has much tougher physical characteristics than the average person. Of course they aren't vulnerable, but it'll take more than getting shot to put them down.

Flight and Enhanced Speed

He appears as a bright straight blue line as he zips around

Small Size (Type 2)

No clue why, but I guess he can shrink himself

Energy Manipulation

Superpowers are the result of energy extraction from diamonds, which caused a worldwide pandemic of people gaining powers. The energy inherited from them not only improves their strength and endurance, but also lets them live longer. Man Nuke also utilizes energy-based attacks like energy beams. Seeing as his powers have many similarities to Laika's he may also have energy absorption. That's more likely when she fired her Nuclear Death beam at him, only for him to completely blow it and fire one back at her that's twice as powerful. Man Nuke doesn't really tire out, in fact his energy levels only increase the longer he fights, continuously boosting his power.

Vacuum Adaption

Sure, he can breathe in space. Why the hell not?!

Regeneration (Low-Mid)

He had is leg disintegrated when he was transformed as Man Nuke. After depowering, it completely regenerated

Techniques

Interdimensional Hellnuke

Nuke Man shatters dimensions to generate a legion of nukes to rain down… sheesh, that's overkill!

Sub Atomic Time Shift

I have no clue how, but this lets him create wormholes that let him travel through time. When traveling through it, the inside looks like a winding tube that moves deeper the further he travels backward or forwards.

Nuclear Death

… This is unironically one of the rawest energy beams I have ever seen.

Nuclear Winter

It should be noted that a lot of Nuke's moves involve him pointing. When he points, you know shit's about to get real. For example, Nuclear Winter. When Laika used Interdimensional Hellnuke against him, Man Nuke pointed at the nuclear shower and used Nuclear Winter to freeze all the nukes in place before detonating all of them on command

Atom Split

It's unlikely that this move actually splits atoms because of no ensuing explosion. It's basically a long distance slash move that can easily cut people in half

Elephant's Foot

Basically a powerful kick

Feats

Overall

• Went on a spree nuking random cities
• When he was a child, he killed a demon that was going to slice the planet in half and an alien god that was going to wipe out all life in the universe
• Became the god of the universe's new cycle
• Defeated Laika, a dog who repeatedly destroyed the universe in loops, escaping to the past to be killed by her past self and have the process repeated. She bore Nuke Man’s powers and more.
• Due to creating a new cycle, it retconned the alien invasion that resulted in total destruction of the world and the deaths of many heroes. Heroes with powers like soul absorption, energy manipulation, technology manipulation, and regeneration were victims that failed to stop the aliens

Strength

• Easily stronger than aliens that can cause "over $109,000,000,000 of property damage"
• Nuke Man has destroyed multiple cities
• As a baby, he's killed beings that could split Earth in half and murder all life in the universe respectively
• He used Interdimensional Hellnuke to obliterate a fleet of UFOs that destroy every planet they come across
• Interdimensional Hellnuke "shatters dimensions" to summon nukes from their fragments
• In another timeline, he has destroyed three universes
• Physically strong enough to bulk through his clothes
• Moved through a wall
• Nuclear Death… just, straight up. It was able to completely obliterate Laika's giant form before she reformed into a much smaller body (This link contains a calc for a large star-level calc)
• Caused an explosion on the moon when he crashed Laika onto it (the link contains a calc for country level)
• Clashing with Laika caused an explosion bigger than Earth (large planet level)
• Can fight on par with Laika, who has ceaselessly destroyed the universe in a rigorous cycle

Speed

• Scales to Laika, who has traveled through space all on her own
• Quickly darted throughout all the rooms in a laboratory's floor while moving as a blue blur too fast to process
• Swiftly flew into space
• Quickly flew from a part in space near Earth, all the way to the moon (this link contains a calc for high hypersonic+)

Durability

• Somehow lived after Laika split his head open to leave his body
• Blocked Laika's Nuclear Death beam while she was in a giant form compared to him
• Survived a punch that shot him out from the moon
• Kept fighting even after his leg was disintegrated by a laser
• No-sold being caught in Laika's Nuclear Death beam

Weaknesses

• He claims that he doesn't know how to use his powers, despite being used as a weapon by the Hero Union. By the end of the series, he seems to have a much better grasp over his abilities
• He's really hung up about his own identity. Without his powers, he's nothing
• Anyone can enter through the Sub Atomic Time Shift portal

Matchup Potential

Since he originates from a telephone game, Nuke Man has such distinctly inconsistent pacing and visuals that really work in the webcomic's favor. Thus, it'll be difficult to find an opponent for him that can really match his tone. Not only that, but Nuke's powerset would require his opponent to match his high scale. I'd imagine the fight can radically shift in art styles for the hell of it and include multimedia aspects, mainly in using PNGs of atomic bombs for Nuke Man's attacks.

So far I've only received three opponents suggested for him. First is Sentry from Marvel, who I don't really see any familiarities with and really doesn't vibe. Then there's Atomic Skull from DC, which is just "radioactive hero vs radioactive villain…" You can see why I don't bode well with this. And lastly, Dr. Manhattan. I don't think I gotta explain this one.

NEXT TIME ON WCAB… whenever I feel like it