"Little Nemo in Slumberland" dated September 18, 1910:
Transcript of Tweets by @LittleNemo1905 (FEBRUARY 22, 2021):
This is a bit of a slower strip as compared to the sights we've seen in the last two, but there are some really interesting things about it. - 1/10
First, I'll say that the inclusion of a passenger train was probably a sight that many young children would have absolutely adored! - 2/10
According to #AmericanRails, the American railroad industry reached it's zenith between 1910 and 1920! It would be an exciting event then to have a passenger train in the strip/Nemo's dream! - 3/10
That said, McCay depicts the train circling around a precarious ledge… one that I immediately noticed when Flip advocated for the train to "jump the tracks" as entertainment… - 4/10
That's dark, Flip… because if that train came off it's rails, it would be plummeting a loooooong way down. - 5/10
While the narrative of this strip is less interesting than most (they don't even get an answer from the engineer who can't hear them) the last two panels are worth discussing. - 6/10
First, FLIP ACTUALLY USES REAL GRAWLIXES HERE?! - 7/10
This is *huge*! We've talked in the past about some proto-grawlixes that McCay was toying with, but there hasn't been anything as concrete as these ones! - 8/10
Now, I know we determined that it was most likely Rudolph Dirks (of #TheKatzenjammerKids fame) who first used symbolic swearing (back in a 1902 strip), but this is still neat. - 9/10
This is my reading of "Little Nemo in Slumberland" #258. What's yours? - 10/10
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