Lavender Jack is a comic on Webtoon by Dan Schkade (that’s pronounced “Shkah-dee”) set in the fictional country of Gallery in the early 20th century. The story is moderately ahistorical, most notably with an in-universe war known as the Platinum War, which at this point has only been vaguely referenced, but Schkade does a wonderful job in weaving together a compelling world and narrative.
So, let’s start with a basic summary. Lavender Jack is three “seasons” long, though it is currently on a temporary hiatus to organize the script for the final stretch of the last season, as well as for an authorial health break. It opens in the office of Gallery’s Lord Mayor Quincy Monmouth, reading a detective novel. His peace is abruptly interrupted by Lady Lackshore, an acquaintance and the city’s largest land developer, bursting into the office in a fit. The night before, a masked man broke into her home, beat up her butler—a veteran from the aforementioned Platinum War—and stole damning proof of her corruption before vanishing into the night. And setting her living room on fire with some strange, almost magical power.
However, this masked man is more than some common night robber. To a modern audience, he’s more akin to a vigilante, but more on him in a tick. Apparently, this vigilante, this Lavender Jack as the press has taken to calling him, has struck three times previously, his actions leading to the exposure of the corrupt actions of an upper-class individual and the ruin of their reputation. Lackshore demands that Quincy deal with Lavender Jack immediately before he can do more damage to the ruling class. In response, Quincy calls in his childhood hero and the subject of the book he was reading as Lackshore burst in: Madame Theresa Ferrier, the world’s greatest detective.
This singular action sets off a chain of events that have consequences that are felt throughout the rest of the presently published series.
For now, I’ll keep my description of the comic’s plot sparse to avoid spoiling any of the story’s twists and revelations and instead turn my attention to the characters featuring in this lovely little display.
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