"In the Land of Wonderful Dreams" dated February 11, 1912:
Transcript of Tweets by @LittleNemo1905 (MAY 05, 2021):
This strip features some fun and wacky surrealism, displays excellent technical prowess, and even includes a neat formal experiment at the end! - 1/16
The narrative is straight forward: a Magician transforms the group into birds and is instructed to keep Flip on the group… but fails. Then, the usual calamity ensues! - 2/16
Of note here is that Pill completely ignores Impie in his directions to the Magician. In much the same way that he was during the old NY Herald strips, Impie is considered an extension of Flip. - 3/16
Neither are *wanted*, but only Flip is actively *un*wanted… in what might be worse, Impie is just simply not considered here at all. - 4/16
Visually, the newly re-united pair also continue to be othered… While the Princess, Nemo, and Doctor Pill become brilliant birds, Impie becomes a goose and Flip turns into a flying donkey… - 5/16
While Flip controls what he turns the magician into (a barber pole is an interesting choice…), it isn't clear if Flip chooses what he turns himself and Impie into. - 6/16
The transformations are the technical piece that I really love. The colour holds combined with the thick art nouveau lines create a really strong effect! It makes the transformations *feel* very magical! - 7/16
Compare this to the transformations presented during the "Granny Hag" series way back in 1906: - 8/16
What took multiple panels and timed fades previously is depicted in a much more efficient and meaningful way here in a single panel! I think it's brilliant… - 9/16
As we've discussed, the process over at the American is a much more… hit or miss style of colouring. This time, they really seemed to nail it! What do you think? - 10/16
Finally, I can't help but mention my love for panels 11 and 12, which from a diptych, and include Doctor Pill holding onto a "flagpole" for dear life! - 11/16
Except the flagpole is actually the gutter between panels! - 12/16
In a really cool use of formal function as narrative tool, McCay uses the gutter to support the narrative. Together, the diptych and the gutter work to create the *sense* of a single panel across two. - 13/16
Both the Doctor birds talons and tail feathers cross between panel 11 and into panel 12. I really like how it creates a visually seamless flow between the panel content, yet also adds to the chaos of the moment. - 14/16
Because we aren't quite used to seeing it, it takes you a moment to really figure out what is going on… I stared at those two panels for quite some time and really responded to the frenetic nature of the moment. - 15/16
This is my reading of "In the Land of Wonderful Dreams" #326. What's yours? - 16/16
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