"Little Nemo in Slumberland" dated January 02, 1910:
Transcript of Tweets by @LittleNemo1905 (JANUARY 16, 2021):
This strip is very exciting for a few reasons! First, I really enjoy the tight continuity that it promotes. - 1/15
The abandonment of Dr. Pill and the Dancing Missionary occurred months ago (back in late November 1909), but here it is being recalled as an important plot point that not only impacts this strip, but thrusts the narrative of the strip for a very long time to come. - 2/15
Secondly, this strip sees the introduction of the famous and grand Slumberland airship, which will remain a common sight in #LittleNemo for the foreseeable future… - 3/15
I see this strip as a transitional space. I'm equally excited for the grand adventures that I know are still ahead, but I'm also quite sad that we're left behind so many other wonderful ones. - 4/15
Of course, this might be the material impact… it is this strip that begins the second Taschen volume of #LittleNemo strips. - 5/15
As I was saying, this strip builds off the continuity laid months ago when Nemo and the gang left Dr. Pill. King Morpheus is fighting a wicked bout of gout and is in an immense amount of pain… without Dr. Pill here, the pain seems as though it will never end. - 6/15
I absolutely LOVE the spatial elements of the King's booming agony. Not because he is in agony, of course, but because they are visually represented almost as though they were balls of smoke bellowing from a nearly boiled over kettle. - 7/15
The King's face is bright red when we see him in panel 4! But even though this is the only time he physically appears in the strip, his presence can never be forgotten as it is spatially and linguistically present in every panel. - 8/15
In some panels, 5 and 6 especially, it seems as though there is no room for anything *but* the King's shouts of pain. This creates a faux-sense of claustrophobia; we're seeing the screams as the characters are hearing them. - 9/15
In this way, while their concentration is likely being tested by the cacophony of his voice, ours is being distracted by the dominance of their presence. The effect, though mediated, is quite impressive! - 10/15
Not even when the airship takes off, and Nemo, the Princess, and the crew are on their way back to the North, do the King's screams subside. He's either in terrible agony… or quite the drama king… - 11/15
The final panel is quite wonderful as it introduces us to Nemo's new puppy, Minnie! Surely, a character that we won't be able to see much of (unless she somehow infiltrates Nemo's dreams). - 12/15
The blurring of waking world-dream world here sees Minnie's yelps for attention being equated to the King's dominant cries. Nemo can't sleep and the reader has a hard time focusing on anything but the King as a result. - 13/15
Thankfully, we leave the King behind here while our new journey begins! This time, the Princess is coming along and new adventures surely await our hero and his companions! - 14/15
This is my reading of "Little Nemo in Slumberland" #221. What's yours? - 15/15