"Little Nemo in Slumberland" dated December 25, 2021:
Transcript of Tweets by @LittleNemo1905 (MARCH 11, 2021):
Well, this strip really is a gift; there is a lot to like here. McCay really nailed his work this Christmas! - 1/19
Let's start by discussing the really wonderful idea that Flip has about donating the remainder of the gifts they procured bumping into Santa last strip to the most needy children. - 2/19
This is a rare, but really wonderful, moment of kindness and consideration from Flip! It isn't that he's often cold or callous, but he isn't normally *this* generous! - 3/19
The plan is simple: Flip will dress as Santa, bring the gifts down the chimney while tied to a rope and the airship can yank him up when he's done. It's fool-proof! - 4/19
And, actually, everything goes off without a hitch! He makes it down, delivers the gifts, and is yanked out (covered in soot) in the penultimate panel. - 5/19
I absolutely LOVE the return of our emotive moon! He just can't help but howl in laughter at the dirty, soot covered Flip as he emerges from the chimney. - 6/19
I do wonder why it's Flip, and not Nemo, who ends up being faux-Santa. There is most certainly an element of dream fulfillment here, right? - 7/19
Lots of stories deal with others having to take up the mantle of Saint Nick, and (for a child) experiencing what it's like to be/ride with Santa might be a particularly thrilling wish. - 8/19
I think that I reconcile this by acknowledging Flip's position as Nemo's subconscious. In this way, Flip acting as Santa is similar to Nemo acting as Santa; the thrill and experience of the dream is still *felt* by out sleeping dreamer. - 9/19
Some formal elements to discuss, as well, in this strip include the stylized title card and the panel corner decorations. - 10/19
The title card is a really nice cursive. I'm not sure why, but this screams Christmas to me… much more so than the large block letters from yesterday. - 11/19
While they both begin with red, the "Slumberland" is two different colours between the two strips and I wonder if the deeper, golden tone of the colour on this strip plays a role in this. - 12/19
The decorative panel corners are especially interesting in this strip because they've shifted from their position "on top" on the spatial layout and find themselves integrated within the panel content. - 13/19
Notice how each frame only features a quarter of the wreath that is divided amongst other panels. Only when viewing the panels together is one able to see the Christmas decoration. - 14/19
This changes the way that we need to read these decorations from non-diegetic to diegetic… I say this because, of course, anything considered panel content would be considered to exist within the diegetic world of characters. - 15/19
So, how do we explain the random pieces of wreath hanging around? I recognize that this was likely an experimental offshoot resultant from the success of last strip's decoration… - 16/19
… and that the polyptych design that they create is actually visually appealing, from a formalistic perspective, it just doesn't work as well for me. - 17/19
That's not to say that I don't like it, I just preferred the style McCay used in the previous strip. Either way, I'm happy to see this experimentation occurring at all! - 18/19
This is my reading of "Little Nemo in Slumberland" #272. What's yours? - 19/19
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