"Little Nemo in Slumberland" dated October 15, 1905
Transcript of Tweets by @LittleNemo1905 (May 27, 2020):
I'm immediately drawn to the massive presence of King Morpheus on the top tier of the comic. McCay's use of scale here is interesting; King Morpheus is incredibly large as compared to Oomp, who is, in turn, slightly bigger than our protagonist, Nemo. - 1/22
If we, the reader, are to relate with the aptly named Little Nemo, then we may see ourselves as on the doorstep of a world and story far bigger than ourselves and our imagination could possibly "dream" of. - 2/22
The affect of the King's hulking presence in this tier is also significant because it gives the impression of him as the overseer of the narrative; a powerful force that cannot, and will not, be ignored. - 3/22
Let's not forget the immense influence that the King holds over our narrative. Without him, Nemo wouldn't even be on this nocturnal journey. Not only does he command our attention, but he also commands the narrative. - 4/22
Even if the King will not feature prominently in all of the strips to come, his presence in the first tier of this first strip acts as a reminder of his power and influence over both Nemo and the reader. Without him, we'd have no comic strip to read. - 5/22
I initially stumbled on the reading of tier 2. My modern sensibilities expected "caption" boxes containing narrative text to be at the top of a panel. The fact that they are presented beneath the diegetic material caused me momentary confusion. - 6/22
I actually read both of the comics panels (L2R) before recognizing the numbered captions below and re-reading them as I believe was intended. - 7/22
This strikes me as possessing an interesting arthrological effect; there is exquisite braiding at work between the diegetic content of the panel and the caption (Groensteen, 1999/2007). - 8/22
If you, as I did, read the panel content first, the new information presented within the caption causes you to re-interpret the content that you've just read within the panel in light of the new information. - 9/22
It's hard to read them any other way, meaning that the braiding phenomenon presented here was a meaningful, and intentional, addition. - 10/22
In comic strips, this type of arthrological impact is usually left for the end of the strip; the "gag". Of course, Little Nemo has a "gag", as well (his waking up), but it's interesting and unusual (?) to see this effect included within the interior of the strip. - 11/22
I love the allusion to Roman mythology in naming the horse Somnus after the Roman God of Sleep. - 12/22
Tiers 3-5, depicting the commencement of Nemo's journey to Slumberland, are beautifully crafted. - 13/22
First, the single colour backgrounds are wonderful. Rather than rendering landscapes or cityscapes as Nemo rides towards Slumberland, the journey takes on a mysterious or otherworldy feel as the colours change from panel to panel. - 14/22
Second, the inclusion of all the fantastical talking animals who join the race signal to us the type of surrealist experience that is waiting for us in Slumberland. If the giant King and Oomp hadn't yet prepared the reader, the green kangaroo certainly does. - 15/22
I love the sense of movement (both physical and temporal) that is created by the inclusion of the stars in the third and fourth tiers. By having them be introduced at the end of the sixth panel into the seventh, there is a sense of forward progression. - 16/22
It subtly creates a sense of urgency through the iconic inclusion (Stars) by visually feeling the speed of the race, which culminates in Somnus' tripping over the star in panel nine and Nemo's tumbling off of her. - 17/22
The final four panels are, in my opinion, the most crucial to the whole strip. - 18/22
In panels 1-3, the motion of Nemo's tumbling body makes perfect gestural sense; you can visualize his fall occurring in exactly that way. But, in panel four, the final panel of the comic, that natural tumble is abruptly halted. - 19/22
Here, the position that Nemo finds himself in is not at all a natural progression. Instead, he is contorted almost a full-rotation forward/180-degree twist to the left of his position in panel three. - 20/22
The brilliance here is that as one reads, the smooth, gestural motion projected in panels 1-3 comes to a screeching halt as Nemo's face hits the floor. Our reading of his body then, abruptly altered as it is, imitates the physical act of falling out of bed. - 21/22
This is my reading of "Little Nemo in Slumberland #1". What's yours? - 22/22
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