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Day #290: Little Nemo and the Princess Visit Saturn

"Little Nemo in Slumberland" dated April 30, 1911:


Transcript of Tweets by @LittleNemo1905 (MARCH 29, 2021):


As if we never went on airship rides to sightsee across the United States and Canada, this strip sees Nemo and the Princess kidnapped by a Roman God and taken to Saturn. - 1/20

This strip certainly doesn't ease us back into the zany surreal imagination that was so common in the early strips; we're expected to dive right back in! - 2/20

And, honestly… it works. It's a breath of really fresh air here. It's really delightful and fun strip that reminds you of why you love #LittleNemo! - 3/20

It's a really strict layout (regular panels in regular grid), but each panel has something fun about it. The narrative, though simplistic, doesn't let you down! - 4/20

Now, I found it quite funny that Mercury, a deity of the Roman pantheon who has a planet named after him, was bringing the kids to the planet Saturn, a planet named after another Roman deity. - 5/20

This is a fun dissonance. I'm not sure whether many young children at the time would know/care about it, but I certainly got a laugh. - 6/20

Now, if you recall, Nemo and the Princess have met (or at the very least been in the same vicinity with) Mercury before (strip #55 - Oct. 28, 1906): - 7/20

What's even better… is that SATURN was also present! - 8/20 [INSERT IMAGE]

This just adds to the fun for me… both the planets and the deities they're based on exist in Slumberland/the dreamscape… I love it! - 9/20

Swinging around on the rings and Mercury's nonchalance

about their falling off of it is also pretty great. - 10/20

He doesn't understand why they would be worried… I mean, why would he? He's a god. What does he have to be worried about? - 11/20

He fails to remember that humans have fears (though the Princess is pretty quiet on this front) and so takes a little longer than Nemo might want to catch him. - 12/20

Finally, we have another grinning moon! What a fun return to a beloved member of the very early cast! - 13/20

Except… this can't be *our* moon, can it? Sure it can! It's a dream! - 14/20

For anyone less inclined to accept the dream excuse, it could be a close relation to our moon. Maybe one of Saturn's 82 moons, perhaps? - 15/20

My bet would be on Titan, the largest moon of Saturn, if that is indeed the case: - 16/20

That penultimate panel features the wide-mouthed laugh of the moon really strikes home for me! It both makes me want to laugh alongside of him and remember the really fun early strips. - 17/20

If these strips were just left overs used by the editorial team to finish up the #LittleNemo run at the Herald that’s one thing… - 18/20

…, but what if McCay was intentional about his choices here… what if they were meant (or at the very least, *this one* was meant) to reminisce about the earliest days of #LittleNemo. Wouldn't that be something? - 19/20

This is my reading of "Little Nemo in Slumberland" #290. What's yours? - 20/20

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