"Little Nemo in Slumberland" dated April 29, 1906:
Transcript of Tweets by @LittleNemo1905 (JUNE 25, 2020):
A really beautiful strip that does *some* fun things and one really monumental thing! While we won't see any fireworks until tomorrow, this strip is certainly cause to celebrate… 1/21
Ding dong the box is dead! Which old box? The caption box! … Though it's presence is certainly still felt here as the Slumberlandian fellow gives a full account of what we witness in the tiers that follow 😅 - 2/21
Joking aside, this is a really meaningful moment. McCay now begins the move away from synoptic content in earnest and it's a really welcome change, imo. - 3/21
The move seems natural for the strip and, I think, has been really wanting to do it for a while (whether McCay was consciously aware of it or not). - 4/21
To me, the fact that it occurs right above a tier depicting the Condor "spreading his wings" is very telling. Without the cumbersome linguistic elements at the beginning of each strip, the other modal actors can really shine. - 5/21
One of the most impressive moments for me is how McCay uses scale to great affect. - 6/21
In tier two, Boko takes up the entire horizontal panel. His massive figure is juxtaposed against the seven other characters that fit on or around him. Here, his size is very clearly defined in relation to those that we know. - 7/21
By the penultimate panel, the strip uses this newly acquired knowledge about "scale" and juxtaposes the previously acknowledged massive bird against the even *more* massive Servant's quarters of Slumberland! - 8/21
The tiny specks (presumably people) below only reinforce the moment. Already stunned by the immaculate rendering of the Slumberlandian architecture, the reader must also grapple with the distance/scale, as well. - 9/21
This visual spectacle really strikes a compelling note when coupled with the rider's comment that Candy is wrong in the "500 miles" claim… by a good 4,500 miles… - 10/21
It's no wonder that Nemo wakes up here! There is a lot to take in at that moment and much of it revolves around the fact that they still have a gargantuan distance yet to travel before Nemo reaches his destination. - 11/21
And yet, both King Morpheus and the Princess still wait diligently for his arrival. It's easy to take this for granted since we're reading a story that revolves around this conceit, but it's important. - 12/21
Clearly, Nemo is a very special young man. Why else wouldn't they just give up on him and find someone else? I mean, let's face it… Nemo isn't exactly the bravest of the brave. - 13/21
As Maurice Sendak mentions in his foreword to Canemaker's biography, "Nemo…is afraid" of Slumberland (2018, p. 11): - 14/21 [INSERT IMAGE]
This is even demonstrated in this moment. Boko's rider does many fantastic feats of brave acrobatics/gymnastics while flying, but rather than being awed and entertained, Nemo wishes that he would stop. - 15/21
All of this wrapped into a young man who has difficulty staying asleep! For instance, he wakes up in this strip (at least in my reading) for no reason other than the recognition of the sheer magnitude of his remaining journey. - 16/21
For King Morpheus and the Princess to wait this patiently for a young boy who can't stay asleep and is (mostly) afraid of Slumberland/it's residents means that he must be something special. - 17/21
Finally, the interior tiers (panels 2-6) that depict the flight of the Condor are truly remarkable. Boko takes off and glides, pivots, soars and then flies off into the distance… - 18/21
The moments here are very cinematic to me and I could see them being used in a film (particularly the third tier where the team flies at the reader before we are behind them in panel 5 and 6; perspective shift). -19/21
My only aching desire throughout this scene is to feel Boko's wings flap as he flies… That gesture isn't really integrated into the moment (in fact, we never see Boko with his wings down/pumping) and I would've loved to have felt and experienced that rush. - 20/21
This is my reading of "Little Nemo in Slumberland" #29. What's yours? - 21/21