"In the Land of Wonderful Dreams" dated October 08, 1911:
Transcript of Tweets by @LittleNemo1905 (APRIL 17, 2021):
A classic case of mistaken identity, this strip is a hoot. - 1/16
It's charm is in the plan's simplicity and the way it intends to use Flip's own behaviour and character traits to it's advantage. - 2/16
Flip is the sort of character who can't resist a fight and does not like having one put over on him… his pride causes him to react rather than think most of the time. - 3/16
Obviously, that was the intention here. Have Flip come upon the "Princess", get embarrassed, become furious, and chase the deceiver around while Nemo and the real Princess enjoy their time together. - 4/16
The plan sort of works… it just doesn’t last long enough to give Nemo and the Princess time to take in the show. Flip comes crashing on stage, declaring his intention to wallop Dr. Pill. - 5/16
My only qualm with this strip is that I wish we knew what happened to the faux-Princess. McCay decides to have them quarrel off-panel this go round, so I guess we’ll never know… - 6/16
Beyond the pure fun of the gag, the relationship between Flip and DP is becoming really contentious again! I love it! - 7/16
In panel 2, Flip is clearly fed up with DP's shenanigans; he doesn't even want to talk to him. Maybe he just wants to get to the Princess faster, but I think it's just disdain for DP that fuels the moment. - 8/16
It makes the penultimate panel so much funnier because we know that it was DP that turned him on to the faux-Princess… so it's DP that has to get his comeuppance. - 9/16
From a character perspective, I feel for Flip and this strip really amps up the pathos. - 10/16
Remember, that nowhere in the NY American strips has it ever been said that Flip wants to be the Princess' playmate. Nope, from the very beginning he has simply wanted to be included and has expressed a belief that the Princess feels the same. - 11/16
So, what are Flip's motivation exactly? He says in panel 4 that he "think[s] more of [the Princess] than anyone in this world"… - 12/16
It strikes me that this sounds less like someone who wants to be a playmate and more like someone trying to express their feelings. Is there a chance that Flip has developed romantic feelings (a crush?) for the Princess since leaving the Herald? - 13/16
It wouldn't be unfathomable to think that Flip's motivations had shifted if this was a soft reboot of sorts between newspapers. I'm not sure that I buy it, but this strip certainly seems to open the possibility. - 14/16
Of course, I could just be mis-contextualizing early 1900s language, as well. - 15/16
This is my reading of "In the Land of Wonderful Dreams" #308. What's yours? - 16/16