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Day #38: Little Nemo and the Sky Rocket

"Little Nemo in Slumberland" dated July 01, 1906:


Transcript of Tweets by @LittleNemo1905 (JULY 4, 2020):


This is a GREAT comic strip… I love it! There is so much going on here that I'm sure I wont touch on it all… but here are a few of the things that really stood out for me. - 1/26

In tier 1, three of our five most frequently recurring characters lament about how Dr. Pill's wares, again, failed to work on Nemo, but, more importantly, it's also suggested that Flip had something to do with this failed attempt… - 2/26

The fact that the Princess and Dr. Pill both suggest trying the pills on Flip, indicates to me that he somehow causes Nemo's awaking this time around. As someone who very much likes the character of Flip, this builds much excitement for me. - 3/26

The second tier is a long horizontal panel depicting Nemo travelling by litter to the throne of the Princess! - 4/26

Behind the litter is a parade of Uncle Sam's and (presumably) Colombia's, the male and female personifications of the United States of America. As they parade beside the litter, they sing "America". - 5/26

I say sing because it's impossible not to hear the music in your head (unless you don't know the song, which would make for an fascinating before and after transaction…); the music is encoded in the words so completely. - 6/26 [INSERT SONG LINK]

Obviously, this strip is meant to celebrate "Fourth of July", but I find it interesting that it doesn't dominate the narrative the way that we've seen holidays do in the past. - 7/26

Instead, the parade of American icons act as a backdrop to the actual dreamworld narrative; more of a bleed from the real world than a complete take-over. - 8/26

This is emphasized in the Taschen print collection where the balloons are actually coloured green, creating the effect that the balloons almost fade into the wall. - 9/26 [INSERT IMAGE]

It doesn't seem as though it was McCay's intention to smack the reader in the face with the July 4 notions, but rather to subtly remind the reader that Nemo too was thinking about the birthday of the country that he loved. - 10/26

A momentary aside: The fact that THIS strip landed on THIS day during the #WelcomeToSlumberland project is a complete and utter coincidence, but boy is it a really cool one! 🇺🇸 Happy Fourth of July to all my American participants, friends, and colleagues! 🇺🇸 - 11/26

Tier 3 (featuring panels labelled 2-5) formally replicates Nemo's trek down the stairs through the (now fairly conventional for McCay) spatial design of stair-like panels. - 12/26

Though a more common trope now, 38 strips in, it still works marvellously here as the bright glorious building that houses the Princess' throne comes more and more into view with every "step" down. - 13/26

This is affective because it culminates in the penultimate panel with a far-off distance view of the Princess herself! Again, the rug is pulled from under the reader's feet, but there is enough of a tease here to surely keep them going! "Maybe next week!", they might say… - 14/26

But how fantastic is Flip's entrance, here? I mean, c'mon! This is one dedicated Slumberlandian! If nothing else, the Princess should be flattered! - 15/26

Panels (labelled) 3-6 represent a short temporal reality; just enough time for the crew to get down the stairs and for Flip to make it from the distance in panel 3 to the ground in panel 6. - 16/26

The moment-to-moment transitions work brilliantly here, because with every eye movement across the page, we're bringing Flip closer and closer to us! I LOVE how the reader is implicated in his arrival! - 17/26

Because of his position in the panel, he's the first thing our eye (or at least MY eye) is drawn to… As everyone in panel (labelled) 4 wonders who it is that is riding the rocket, the reader already knows it is Flip. This is because of the principle of iconic solidarity. - 18/26

Thierry Groensteen (1999/2007) suggests that while comics do present the characteristics of separation (panels, gutter, etc.), they're also interdependent and rely on their "coexistence in praesentia" (p. 18). - 19/26

What this means is that the reader can't really help but see Flip's arrival on the page, before actually reading the moment where the rocket begins towards us; his stripped pants and cartoonishly large cigar give him away! - 20/26

Hence, we know that with every panel transition, it's Flip coming to spoil the journey once again! Personally, I really love this most about the strip! - 21/26

I find it a brilliant manipulation (intentional or not) of the spatio-topical system and, also, something *almost* resembling spatial foreshadowing! - 22/26

Speaking of foreshadowing… Candy tells Nemo that he "must give the Princess a nice kiss" when he finally meets her. Though it won't happen in *this* strip, it will soon. - 23/26

Aside from the promise that he will, eventually, reach the Princess, I think this is the first example of cross-week foreshadowing? At least, it's the first one that I recall… maybe others have noticed it before? - 24/26

Regardless though, this is a fun strip that is packed full of many fascinating communicative elements that enhance the strip's narrative enormously! - 25/26

This is my reading of "Little Nemo in Slumberland" #38. What's yours? - 26/26

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