"Little Nemo in Slumberland" dated October 13, 1907:
Transcript of Tweets by @LittleNemo1905 (SEPTEMBER 9, 2020):
First, I just want to thank @pfxbryan one more time for taking on the first set of #GuestCurator threads! Remember, there is an open invitation for ANY participant who wants to do something similar (DM me for details). - 1/17
This strip begins right where we left off, with Nemo, Impy, and Flip running away from a very angry Navy. - 2/17
If the young reader had forgotten the predicament that Flip had gotten the trio into after a week away, the mangled and distorted, half-burnt buildings in the background are likely enough of a visual aid for them to remember. - 3/17
I love the continuity that it creates. Unlike many of the other strips in the #LittleNemo run, this one brings us *right* back into the action; did Nemo fall asleep on his comfortable pillow only to immediately resume running for his life? - 4/17
Why not? Dreams rarely have a "beginning" so why isn't the middle of a chase as good a place as any for Nemo's unconscious to drop us into? Not only does it reflect the dreamscape well, but it also is fantastic serial storytelling. - 5/17
Panels 2 and 3 are visually propelling; I get a real sense of movement as the three run from the bullets (cannon fire?). I would've like to see their legs in a different stride in panel 3 than panel 2, but that's a small quibble. - 6/17
Ultimately, it doesn't really impact the feeling of propulsion across the tier for me; the excitement is there even without the added gestural nuance. - 7/17
I really like the way that the trio's physical appearance demonstrates how brutal, violent, and ruthless the Navy has been in chasing away these hooligans… or hooligan and his friends. - 8/17
Notice in panel 3, Nemo's ear is bright red (struck by a projectile, no doubt) and their costumes in panels 4-8 are riddled with bullet holes and buckshot. - 9/17
It's a wonderful visual detail that I appreciate and *almost* makes up for the fact that the entire strip makes it seem as though the trio of giants are walking on water. - 10/17
I must admit that Nemo's presence in this strip is a bit irksome to me… he is… really whiny. He complains through the entire strip! - 11/17
Now, to be fair, I'm probably being hard on the kid; he did just watch his Kaiju friend Flip burn down an entire city by his carelessness and be forced to run from a Navy intent on removing the threat… I guess, I understand why he's frustrated. - 12/17
The mountain climb to end the strip should be reassuring; they've removed themselves from the immediate danger posed by the angry Navy and are set to embark on the next part of their journey back to the palace… - 13/17
In this way, I think the mountain is a stroke of genius by McCay. Anything could be waiting for them at the top of that mountain… It's a near literal cliffhanger; where will the journey take them next week? - 14/17
If I were a child reader in 1907, I'd be hardly able to contain my excitement! Flip's comment about reaching the top to "sit down and pick the bullets out of us" really rings as possibly ironic foreshadowing to me… - 15/17
Will the three really get respite at the top of the mountain, or will there be some other danger lurking above? … I guess, we'll have to wait and see! - 16/17
This is my reading of "Little Nemo in Slumberland" #105. What's yours? - 17/17