"In the Land of Wonderful Dreams" dated September 01, 1912:
Transcript of Tweets by @LittleNemo1905 (JUNE 2, 2021):
This strip marks the first of two that were published on September 01, 1912! I'm beginning with this one because I'm following Alexander Braun's lead (the Taschen includes this one before the other)… - 1/16
…, but also because I think that the other one is probably the best #InTheLandofWonderfulDreams strip ever published and I want to build some suspense for tomorrow! - 2/16
There really isn't much to talk about here. The gang are returning home to the palace of Slumberland and all but King Morpheus have decided to parachute the forty-million miles down. - 3/16
As is to be expected, Flip's bravado and showmanship get him into a little bit of trouble and bring Nemo down with him! - 4/16
It is nice to see Nemo get back in on the action (even if that action is falling). He and Flip together form the primary focuses of this strip and it's a welcome change from Nemo's recent inactivity. - 5/16
Not that he's really all that active in this strip. He is excited to take the leap in his parachute before Flip tangles them up and they land together on Jack's beanstalk. - 6/16
Jack's inclusion signals a move from the nursery rhymes we saw in Mother Gooseville to fairy tales. The legendary beanstalk saves them while Flip comments on the "pumpkin" sizes of the beans that come off it. - 7/16
In the end, everyone makes it down to the Palace safely, whether by beanstalk or by parachute. - 8/16
I do think McCay missed an opportunity to mess around with layout and spatial function here. The beanstalk seems primed for responsive panel sizes and manipulation. - 9/16
Of course, I can't be *too* mad about it… tomorrow's strip plays with those elements very well. - 10/16
I'll end with something that made me really happy and that was the inclusion of Impie throughout! - 11/16
Sure, he wasn't spoken to, but he was present and included in panel 1 during the conversation about going home and has a parachute in his hand, ready to go, in the next panel! - 12/16
McCay could have simply left him out of this strip and left it up to the reader to figure out how Impie got back to the palace the next time he was included in a strip, but instead, he made sure he was treated like the others. - 13/16
Interestingly, he wasn't even caught up in Flip's chaos, either! That means that Impie landed safely in Slumberland alongside Pill and the Princess while Nemo and Flip were showered with giant beans. - 14/16
This isn't to excuse the racism that the strip has (and continues to) unconsciously (or consciously) promote, but rather to signal a moment that, is still problematic because of his caricatured representation, stands out amongst the others. - 15/16
This is my reading of "In the Land of Wonderful Dreams" #352. What's yours? - 16/16
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