"Little Nemo in Slumberland" dated March 15, 1908:
Transcript of Tweets by @LittleNemo1905 (OCTOBER 1, 2020):
Well, things keep going from bad to worse for poor Nemo and his friends… Finally free of Befuddle Halls uncertainties and distortions, the boys find themselves spinning out of control! - 1/19
The top that the friends land on begins spinning almost immediately, which makes me wonder: "Why does the top start spinning?"… - 2/19
#OptionA: Someone/thing is spinning it.
#OptionB: It's activated by the pressure of their landing on it.
#OptionC: Centrifugal force caused by the boys landing on it.
#OptionD: ?? - 3/19
In all seriousness though, I'm not sure it matters… the narrative point is that they are flung in different directions; Flip and Impie seemingly in one direction and Nemo in another. - 4/19
While the strip begins with Nemo's now familiar confrontational approach to Flip, it ends with him desperate not to be separated from his friend! - 5/19
The relationship between Flip and Nemo has become fairly strained as a result of Befuddle Hall, but I appreciated seeing the farewell from Flip in panel 6, which is oddly emotional. - 6/19
I don't think we've seen Flip being this vulnerable before; not even when he was facing the firing squad was he so open and honest about his feelings. - 7/19
What begins with an edge of frustration, turns to shared assistance/support as they spin, and ends with a genuine farewell as they fly from the top. I must say that I actually really enjoyed this interesting glimpse into their friendship over the past few strips. - 8/19
One thing to note is that in panel 5, Flip and Nemo have changed positions… previously, Nemo had been to Impy's right shoulder, but in panel 5 he has moved to his left… - 9/19
I think it's safe to say this is a drafting mistake; Even I can't come up with any in-story explanation for how this would occur. It seems likely that McCay wanted Nemo in a particular position by panel 6 and just wasn't going to get there without a change… - 10/19
It doesn't really take away from the moment for me (you'd have to look *really* close to notice it), but it's worth noting. Similarly, there is some really poor lettering in panel 1. - 11/19
Again, we've spoken about how little McCay cared about lettering so, while I notice it, it really doesn't take away from the strip for me. - 12/19
Now the second half of the strip, tier 5 & 6 feels almost like an entirely different strip. - 13/19
First off, as Nemo flies through the air his police attire is fully transformed into a bright and vibrant costume. This happens before he even lands and just comes out of nowhere… - 14/19
It's almost as though he's entered a new space within Slumberland that has particular expectations about attire… and so changes it as he enters through the air? - 15/19
I don’t know… the costume change comes so unexpectedly that I wonder if there won't be an explanation later on. If not, it stands out as one of the most random moments of the strip so far for me. - 16/19
The haystack tells me that we're entering into an area of Slumberland that is wholly unique from the places we're been before… uniquely agrarian, it potentially signals we've entered into a working class area much different from the palaces and ivory halls of the palace. - 17/19
So… I guess, with that… we're onto Shantytown! - 18/19
This is my reading of "Little Nemo in Slumberland" #127. What's yours? - 19/19