"Little Nemo in Slumberland" dated December 19, 1909:
Transcript of Tweets by @LittleNemo1905 (JANUARY 14, 2021):
So, this strip is sort of a fun inverse of last Christmas' strip! Check out that one (strip #167) from December 20, 1908 here: - 1/18
Last year, Nemo was suddenly taken from his bed, tossed into an air balloon-style sleigh, and presented for the Princess, under the tree, in the finest of clothes! - 2/18
This year, though Nemo agrees to leave with Good Ole' St. Nick (meaning no kidnapping), his arrival under (on top of, would be more accurate) the Princess' tree is far less staged. - 3/18
But, personally, I love that. This year, after all that Nemo's gone through to get back to the Princess, I like that it's messy. This past year *has* been messy, so it's a nice pay-off. - 4/18
Now, while the boys decision to stay back in the North Pole rather than fly to Slumberland with Santa is bonkers, the real story is Nemo's passionate feelings towards seeing the Princess again. - 5/18
I've never really got the sense (and, frankly, don't even now) that there is any hint of romantic love between Nemo and the Princess, but his declaration in panel 2 could certainly be read that way. - 6/18
"Flip." he says, "I have to leave you. But I'd walk through fire to see the Princess. I am going. I'll risk my life anytime for her". I mean… woah. - 7/18
This isn't the first time he's said something to the effect of "I miss her and I want to be with her again", but this is certainly one of the more passionate moments. - 8/18
He certainly *acts* like he's in love… jumping out of Santa's airship and sliding down the Christmas tree because even an extra moment away form her is too much does scream "romance". - 9/18
In spite of all this though, I still get a feeling more of *friendship* than anything truly amorous… but that could be my bias towards their (perceived) age, so… what do you all think? - 10/18
Formally, I wanted to draw attention to the stylistic framing that McCay has chosen for every panel in this strip. This is something I remember him using frequently in the past, but I don't remember the last time I've noticed it recently. - 11/18
I suppose you could count the top tier of last week/yesterday's strip… but it is different here. The frames don't simply denote the limitations of the panel content, nor are they just a unit of communication here; they are architectural structures. - 12/18
I feel as though this is important, knowing that Nemo will *FINALLY* reach Slumberland again… - 13/18
This stylistic flourish has been missing of late because Nemo and his friends have been lost in the wilderness… empty space… Jungleville… somewhere or another! These are places of uncertainty. - 14/18
Being back in Slumberland creates a feeling of comfort… of home… of certainty that we've reached our destination. - 15/18
While I worry about how Flip, Impie, and the Professor will find their way to the palace (is this the last we'll see of the Professor; he does continuously say he wants to go home?), in this moment all that matters is the reuniting of Nemo and the Princess. - 16/18
And I am so genuinely happy to see it finally happen! I do not want them to part again… at least not right away… I'm happy to have her back in the strip and I hope we stick around here with her for a while. - 17/18
This is my reading of "Little Nemo in Slumberland" #219. What's yours? - 18/18
Kommentare