"In the Land of Wonderful Dreams" dated May 25, 1913:
Transcript of Tweets by @LittleNemo1905 (JULY 6, 2021):
First off, I want to say that I really appreciate the varying panel sizes that McCay uses in this strip… I'm so used to a unchanging gridded structure recently, that this immediately stood out as a neat and interesting spatial moment. - 1/17
I wouldn’t call it a productive layout (it doesn't really enhance the narrative all that much), although the moments in panels 6 and 7 are certainly nice to see depicted in a larger panel size. - 2/17
Panel 6, in particular, is really great! Although, it illustrates a prominent issue that the NY American strips have reinforced for me… Flip really is the protagonist of the series. - 3/17
Sure. Nemo is our entry point and the vehicle by which we get to Slumberland, but Flip is the centre of all the action… look at the way that he is positioned (standing triumphantly) at the bow of the boat, while Impie and Nemo fill the background. - 4/17
This isn't new at all; we've talked about it many times. That said, I felt the need to bring it back up here because it is so obvious in that panel. Flip is definitely "steering the ship", if you will. - 5/17
Now, with that said, I have to admit that I'm also enjoying Nemo's new found sense of adventure. Even though he jumps into the battle maybe a little *too* eagerly for me, it's much better than his more (recent) characteristic passivity. - 6/17
He seems to genuinely enjoy wading into the water and toying with the Runt navy. He says, "it was the greatest naval battle I was ever in!"… let's also hope it was the *only* one… although, who knows what happened in the waking world during playtime, right? - 7/17
Even Impie is permitted to help! Not only does he catch cannonballs (which, intentionally or not, prevents them from destroying Lilliput), he also wrangles the boats to the dock! - 8/17
Though it's true that Flip gives him a direct order that he expects to follow, at least he doesn't call him names or anything like that. - 9/17
Sticking with Impie, it's a bit bothersome that he is left out of the top tier… is it because he isn't permitted within the inner sanctum of the Royal palace? I've wondered this before in Slumberland, as well, so it might track… - 10/17
That's frustrating given a) how he saved the palace/city from a fire last strip, and b) gets out there and runs into the battle again this week… of course, Impie can wager his body for the Lilliputians, but they won't let him into the palace. - 11/17
Beyond that, I have to say, it's been a whirlwind experience for the reader lately… Not three strips ago, the King arrested Flip and now he's Duke of Gulliver?! That is a crazy change of luck! - 12/17
It seems like even Flip can't really believe it… when they ask him to recount his victory in the battle last strip, he hesitates and asks, "you're not kidding me, are you?" - 13/17
True, the Princess' request did sound a little condescending ("tell us in your own simple little way…"), but I'm not sure if it was meant to sound that way, or if the tone is just off to a present-day reader. - 14/17
That said, Flip does seem to have taken his new job seriously… after what I consider to have been a really bad start to the job in his handling of Impie, he's gone on to roundly defeat the Runt army and navy… - 15/17
Is the air force next? - 16/17
This is my reading of "In the Land of Wonderful Dreams" #385. What's yours? - 17/17