"Little Nemo in Slumberland" dated June 19, 1910:
Transcript of Tweets by @LittleNemo1905 (FEBRUARY 9, 2021):
This is my favourite strip so far in the Mars series, hands down. I absolutely adore the attention to detail in panel 6; it is just a masterclass is architectural and stylistic drawing. - 1/33
There is a lot to unpack here, so I'm going to go in, more of less, panel by panel order. - 2/33
The very first thing a reader's eye is drawn to as they begin is the green banner underneath the #LittleNemo title card: "Abandon Hope, All Ye Who Enter Here Without the Price". - 3/33
This is a (remixed) allusion to Italian Poet, Dante Alighieri's #TheInferno. In the epic poem, the inscription ("lasciate ogne speranza, voi ch'intrate" or "all hope abandon ye who enter here") adorns the gate of Hell. - 4/33
Clearly, for a reader with knowledge of the #DivineComedy this create a very… ominous tone for the strip. - 5/33
McCay's twist here is, of course, the addition of the tag, "without the price", which connects this moment to the many instances that we've seen of economic tyranny on Mars at the hands of Mr. Gosh. - 6/33
This warning *might* suggest to the reader that not all is as it seems in this strip; it certainly has influenced my reading of the strip including many of the things I'll talk about shortly. - 7/33
I just can't take anything at face value here… so when panel 5 includes a large poster declaring all of the wonderful things that Mr. Gosh is going to give away to the people in honor of the 4th of July, there's more to it then meets the eye. - 8/33
And, indeed, if no one can enter the playground without paying "the price" (of which it's abundantly clear the entire party that Nemo saved from the darkness cannot pay) then these gifts are being given to only the rich who can already afford to pay for all of the luxuries being offered. - 9/33
This altruistic effort by Mr. Gosh then isn't really all that kind at all as it continues to support structures of inequality; the rich get richer, and the poor get nothing. - 10/33
Before moving on, I'll also mention that this strip comes early in June for a 4th of July strip… I wonder what was going on with that? Possibly the tight continuity he was building made it impossible to be closer to the actual date? - 11/33
Also, not unlike other parts of the dreamscape, Mars is distinctly American. Unless there is some Martian holiday on July 4th (even using a Julian calendar… hmm…) that we don't know about, they're celebrating the American Independence Day. - 12/33
Now, back up to panel 2, I was initially horrified at watching all of these people silently plunge off of the airship into whatever abyss is below… but quickly remembered that they could walk on air (as long as they aren't too poor for that…). - 13/33
The groups costume change is playful and I enjoy it… but it always bugs me when the group changes their clothes, yet Impie doesn't get anything new. - 14/33
Certainly, it could be Impie's choice to remain clad in the garments of his homeland, but it could also simply be McCay's decision to keep emphasizing his caricature as a "savage/pickaninny". - 15/33
Either way, I wish Impie was receiving the same treatment as Flip and Nemo here. I, personally, don't think it reads well as is (especially today). - 16/33
Flip's new costume is pretty spot on (clownish) and I love the way he constantly questions how he looks in it. Though I love his traditional outfit, the momentary visual reflection of his persona in clothing is fun. - 17/33
It isn't spot-on (Flip is probably more of a trickster than a clown), but it's close enough that I take enjoyment in it. - 18/33
Nemo's costume is incredibly fascinating… He seems to be wearing a helmet that is definitely different, but decidedly similar to the one worn by the pagan deity, Hermes (Greek)/Mercury (Roman). - 19/33 [INSERT IMAGE]
This visual connection was immediately interesting because, according to Greco-Roman mythology, Hermes/Mercury was often the deity who guided deceased souls to the gates of the underworld. - 20/33
That allusion to the #DivineComedy seems even more important with this in mind… I'll be interested to see if/how McCay might remix this idea within upcoming strips. - 21/33
Besides this though, Hermes/Mercury was also the god of commerce, financial gain, communication, boundaries, luck, and a whole load of other things that we could draw connections to within this strip. - 22/33
The idea of "boundaries" interests me in particular because of the ending leap into the massive rose garden… it clearly signals leaving something behind and entering into something new. - 23/33
Again, we might bring this full circle and think about the idea of the gateway and how McCay has really built this strip around the Alighieri allusion. - 24/33
This penultimate panel has much to discuss, as well… first, the Martian policeman that jumps up "frightened" by the group. - 25/33
He says that he was "napping". This is very likely a fun little joke for long time readers of the strip who have seen earth policeman sleeping in #LittleNemo more times than we can count. - 26/33
But it also got me thinking of another famous field of red flowers and the powers that they possess… - 27/33
I'm of course talking about the "Deadly Poppies" in L. Frank Baum's "The Wonderful Wizard of Oz" (1900). - 28/33
"…in the magical Land of Oz, it is a well known fact that [the fragrance of poppies] is so… powerful, that anyone who breathes it in instantly begins to fall asleep, and if the sleeper is not carried away…they sleep…forever…until their dying day." (Baum, 1900). - 29/33
This could be nothing but a simple fun allusion to a work that has clearly influenced #LittleNemo throughout it's 245 strip run, or something more… - 30/33
Now, certainly poppies as a sedative make much more sense (because of the opium) than roses do, but does that really matter to young children readers? There seems to be enough clues that readers who knew Baum's work might draw a connection here. - 31/33
Between the field of red flowers, the policeman claiming to have napped, Impie's trepidation at jumping into the flowers after the others, and all the ominous allusions/hints that we've seen even if this *isn't* going to put the boys to sleep, I'm not sure I trust that diving in was a good idea… - 32/33
This is my reading of "Little Nemo in Slumberland" #245. What's yours? - 33/33