"In the Land of Wonderful Dreams" dated September 17, 1911:
Transcript of Tweets by @LittleNemo1905 (APRIL 14, 2021):
I wonder what the *new* readers of #LittleNemo's adventures were thinking of Flip by the time they got to this third installment at the American? - 1/20
He is yet again positioned as intruder both on the title card and within the narrative, yet he is far less menacing than he was when these sorts of things were happening at the Herald. - 2/20
I know that there is a twisted irony to that when this strip features him battering a poor elephant to a bruised pulp (so much for animal activism…), but the Dawn Guard and his threats to "melt" Slumberland aren't anywhere to be found. - 3/20
Rather than forcing the pair to embrace him through threats, Flip seems to just believe that he belongs with them and that "the Princess expects [him]". - 4/20
Panel 2, in particular, establishes a lot of pathos for his character… as Nemo sits in the bushes telling the reader that "the Princess cant bear to have him around", he is feet away thinking that she will be upset by his absence. - 5/20
So, when the door clobbers him and the elephant clamours out, I felt nothing but sadness for Flip. I wonder if that is largely because of our/my previous history with him. - 6/20
Would this moment of physical comedy be more palatable to someone with less of an established relationship with the character? It's an interesting question. - 7/20
All of that said, this strip is quintessential Flip. His character shines through, warts and all, in a way that really reflects who he is. - 8/20
He is desperate, loyal, rough, reactionary, relentless, determined, and certain all at once. Though the strip *wants* Flip to be the butt end of the joke, he simply refuses to be. - 9/20
It's actually what I love the most about the new direction of this series right now. The utter shock that Nemo and the Princess (and the reader) experience when Flip beats the odds and ends up where he wants to be in each penultimate panel. - 10/20
It feels like he is defeating the comic (or McCay, even?); the machinations of the strip, designed to keep him away, fail at every turn as this fictional character takes on a life of his own. - 11/20
This series is meant to be a continuation of #LittleNemo's world from the Herald, but it's quickly being established that this is Flip's domain and everyone else is just living in it. - 12/20
Even the fact that he wrangles the elephant (the Princess' favourite) and bends him to his will exemplifies this. His unstoppable and indomitable will is really Flip's defining character trait (for me). - 13/20
There are a lot of visual things to love about this strip, as well. - 14/20
While I don't condone beating up animals, the enamata (red stars) in panel 6 are delightful. McCay seems to be experimenting with these again; recall the dotted lines to indicate bouncing two strips ago. - 15/20
The elephants are also quite beautiful. Surprisingly, these are the most unnatural elephants that McCay has yet used in #LittleNemo's adventures. Recall that all of our previous exposure to elephants were of more naturally depicted ones. - 16/20
A white, red, and blue elephant is, of course, impossible (outside of Slumberland), making them wonderful additions to the dreamscape menagerie, but it does make me wonder why he depicted them so realistically in the past? - 17/20
A final point: I wonder if Nemo's sudden return to abandoning Flip is simply one of necessity? Maybe the condition that caused him to "wake up" returned and, as such, he simply had to begin avoiding him more? - 18/20
I feel like I might be trying to make excuses for Nemo's callous response when questioned about "being rid of Flip"… I'm not sure. - 19/20
This is my reading of "In the Land of Wonderful Dreams" #305. What's yours? - 20/20