"In the Land of Wonderful Dreams" dated September 22, 1912:
Transcript of Tweets by @LittleNemo1905 (JUNE 6, 2021):
Sticking with folk tales, though this time one of Middle Eastern origin, McCay has borrowed from "The Book of One Thousand and One Nights (Arabian Nights)". - 1/17
"Aladdin and his Magic Lamp" has an interesting history because even though it is one of the most famous tales from the collection, it actually wasn't one of the original stories included: - 2/17
The biggest disappointment (though not a surprise) is that the character of Aladdin is whitewashed (despite his clothing). Though you don't see his face very well, it is clearly white. - 3/17
Beyond this, we're also continuing with the more static grid that returned in the last strip. It actually sort of works for this strip because there is a *lot* to cover. - 4/17
The narrative is quite full; Aladdin and his lamp cause a dragon to appear that takes them for a trip in the sky before diving down for a nice cooling ride on the water. - 5/17
Flip jumps down causing the Princess to suggest that he is scared… this is not a character trait that Flip is known for, so even if she does think it true (for whatever reason) the reader knows differently. - 6/17
Instead, he continues his trend of stealing magical items that he desires. He jumps off the dragon to take the lamp only to wish that he would be back with the Princess and the group. - 7/17
So… there really can be no motivation for Flip leaving the dragon other than stealing the lamp, right? - 8/17
Impie, who follows Flip off the dragon's back, has a monumental moment in panel 6 when he speaks for the first time in literally ages. - 9/17
Not only does he speak, but he speaks in pretty good English. So even though he hasn't spoken in months (maybe years), he's not lost that skill… meaning that his silence of late is a conscious silencing. - 10/17
His observation is correct too, and after the snow comes the Bull Moose who is to take them back to the group… I find this choice interesting… - 11/17
The dragon is exotic, mystical, and surreal… a moose is… well… not. It speaks pretty well to the imagination of the two boys who held the lamps at the time of these creatures arrivals. - 12/17
Aladdin, as character of "The Arabian Nights" is filled with the same magical imagination as the story and the texts. Hence, he creates a dragon with his magic lamp. - 13/17
Flip is no less of a magical or surreal character and has lived in a particularly mystical land for his entire life… yet the creature he comes up with his a boring old Moose. - 14/17
Is this simply a reinforcement of Flip's position as extension of Nemo's unconscious? It seems a very American thing for Flip to call upon a mundane animal like a Moose to assist them. - 15/17
All that said, he probably doesn't completely understand the way the lamp works either because wishing for the snow to melt was probably not the greatest plan… the subsequent avalanche that it causes proves that. - 16/17
This is my reading of "In the Land of Wonderful Dreams" #356. What's yours? - 17/17JUNE 6, 2021):