"In the Land of Wonderful Dreams" dated April 21, 1912:
Transcript of Tweets by @LittleNemo1905 (MAY 13, 2021):
In yet another attempt to bury the hatchet and move onwards together, Flip has returned the magic wand to the Magician and is prepared to be on his best behaviour as the group goes on a field trip to the floating Island! - 1/26
With that, McCay has moved away from the primary narrative thrust of the first two dozen #InTheLandofWonderfulDream strips. I'm grateful for this and am looking forward to new and exciting gags. - 2/26
This strip doesn't entirely disappoint either. It's set in a really whimsical and wonderful little place filled with whimsical and wonderful little things. - 3/26
That pie and donut tree is just awesome! If only pie and donuts grew on trees! Truly, this surreal tree alone feels like it's come straight from Nemo's unconscious mind. - 4/26
A floating island might not be that original (or maybe it was in 1912?), but the idea that a floating islands greatest weakness is that it might tip over is quite funny. - 5/26
It actually takes a pretty sophisticated understanding of physics to dream this up, so I'm thinking that Nemo might be a pretty smart cookie! - 6/26
Character is an interesting element of this strip. - 7/26
First, let's note that the represented relationship between Flip and Doctor Pill is much better. It seems as though Pill has simply accepted that Flip is going to be around and has changed tactics. - 8/26
He actually *celebrates* Flip with a "hooray" in panel 1 when he declares that he's given back the staff. It's a pretty good foundation upon which to build a tenuous relationship on, I'd say. - 9/26
Which shows that, at least for the first time in a while, Doctor Pill might genuinely be trying to accept Flip? - 10/26
As further evidence, when the island does tip over and the group is free-falling in panel 11, he doesn't just pounce on Flip, but he asks him to explain what happened. - 11/26
The benefit of the doubt must be a really good feeling for Flip; it isn't something he's been granted much of throughout the early NY American strips. - 12/26
The characters of the King and his jester are also intriguing. Is this gluttonous, ever-eating King a deity like Morpheus? Does he belong to the same pantheon? Or is he just a king? - 13/26
I subscribe to the later, though his domain is a surreal one filled with wonders that seem impossible (though it fits perfectly within a dreamscape). - 14/26
It actually brought me back to one of my earliest readings about Slumberland… As we know, Morhpeus is King of Slumberland, but there are many domains within the dreamscape. - 15/26
It's entirely possible that this is another domain in the same vein as Jack Frost or Santa Clause's palaces, the Confectionary Queens or the Glass Caves. - 16/26
In fact, I'd go as far as to say that I certainly read it as such. I'd love to hear what others think. - 17/26
Now, this go around, it's the darned Jester that causes all of the trouble. Why he winds up and whacks Flip's hat off, I really can't say… - 18/26
He seems to target Flip; he gets him up from the table to "show him the sights". Why? Is he annoyed tat Flip called him a "boob" in panel 3? Seems like an awful lot of trouble for that… - 19/26
Did Pill pre-plan this? Is he at fault? It's possible, I suppose, but I don't buy it. Maybe I'm naïve, but I sort of trust Pill in this strip. - 20/26
Whatever the reason, the jester is entirely to blame here. - 21/26
Finally, I must note that Impie is entirely missing from this strip. Why he isn't with the group or Where he has gone is never addressed; he is completely ignored. - 22/26
In this sense, Impie's absence feels meaningless to the characters, even if it is recognized by us (the readers). The implication, of course, is that his absence deserves or needs no explanation. - 23/26
Again, this has the effect of making the "NY American" Impie feel like nothing but a prop to be wielded within the strip… to serve a particular narrative purpose that is far from being a core member of the group. - 24/26
Even in absence, Impie is mistreated. - 25/26
This is my reading of "In the Land of Wonderful Dreams" #333. What's yours? - 26/26