"Little Nemo in Slumberland" dated July 15, 1906:
Transcript of Tweets by @LittleNemo1905 (JULY 6, 2020):
Another wonderful strip with so much to talk about! There is some recurring narrative bits, but there is also some new and exciting information shared with us about how Slumberland works (potentially). - 1/28
First, I am so incredibly happy to see the familiar Slumberlandian clown crew return to the top tier! Their happy dance, caught mid-motion, signals the wonderful news that Nemo and the Princess are together at last! - 2/28
The bright yellow background bathes the entire moment in a warm and happy glow and I couldn't help but smile and celebrate along with them! Their lovely rhyming song helps, as well! - 3/28
The party doesn't last long however… almost immediately, the moment is juxtaposed with Flip begging his Uncle Dawn's help to thwart Nemo's evening with the Princess… - 4/28
Flip leans into his mistreatment, declaring that he is treated "awful mean" by everyone, which I can't fully disagree with, though it seems Flip still doesn't want to take responsibility for the antics that cause his sour reputation. - 5/28
That Dawn agrees to help (just this once; like the "phone a friend" lifeline in Who Wants to be a Millionaire) leads to the primary narrative momentum of the strip. From this panel forward, it is just a matter of time before Nemo is awoken… - 6/28
For me, this initiates a conscious shift in reading… now that I knew how the strip ended, I was focused far less on the narrative thrust and more on the aesthetic moments that pop off the page. - 7/28
Panel (labelled) 3 is just a wonderful image! Dawn and Flip in profile on horseback with the sun riding along beside them (and visually siding with them; even if it has no choice). - 8/28
Panel's (labelled) 4 and 5 are also wonderful! They are nearly identical, but the biggest difference (aside from the kiss), is the changing colour in the sky! - 9/28
The blue and purple sky of panel (labelled) 4 are replaced by the yellow entrance of the sun and the blue sky it brings with it in panel (labelled) 5. - 10/28
The penultimate panel that sees the sun rise and Slumberland "melt away" is just a thing of beauty! - 11/28
Here, everyone (except for Nemo) and everything is faded; both colour and thick black outlines of their figure/architecture are obliterated by the rising of the sun! - 12/28
The comment that "Slumberland must melt away now" really caught my eye because I've been desperately trying to piece together the logic of the dreamscape for weeks now… - 13/28
Here, we get a really juicy tidbit of information about what happens to Slumberland during the daytime… it just doesn't exist. - 14/28
It almost takes the notion of a "resurrection/dying-and-rising god" and applies it to the entire dreamworld… Though there are plenty of examples of this among singular deities in mythology, has it ever been applied to an entire geographical location? I'm not sure… - 15/28
Either way, when coupled with the Flip scene from last week ("He's sound awake"), it's finally completely clear that Slumberland and Nemo are inextricably linked. - 16/28
It's vitally important to note that in the moment the sun rises, Nemo is the only one who does not "fade" away. - 17/28
Yesterday, I wondered if Nemo's body remained in Slumberland when he woke up, but now we know that Slumberland itself disappears at the moment of waking and Nemo's corporeal form resumes it's presence in the waking world. - 18/28
The fact that he is visually presented in the exact same pose in both panels (labelled) 6 and 7 suggests, in true dream fashion, that Slumberland is nothing more than a figment of *his* dreaming mind and that he only travels there within his unconscious. - 19/28
Maybe I'm just naïve to have been not totally sure of this before, but now it's clear that when Nemo wakes up, Slumberland ceases to exist. This not only clarifies mechanics of the dreamworld, but also why Nemo was the Princess' chosen playmate in the first place. - 20/28
The last point that must be considered is the implication of the kiss between Nemo and the Princess in panel (labelled) 5. - 21/28
I don't think there are many people who've maintained this type of continuous dream journey, populated by the same dreamworld characters, across this many weeks; though we all have recurring dreams, am I the only one who has never had any experiences remotely like Nemo's? - 22/28
It makes me wonder how Nemo is able to keep his dreaming and waking worlds separated? It's often difficult to discern between dreams and reality in the most simplistic of instances, but these are far more complex… - 23/28
Though I view this kiss as a harmless greeting more than anything else, I also wonder how Nemo handles the attachments and feelings that he must by now be developing for these "friends" during his waking life? Does Nemo tell the people in his waking life about them? - 24/28
While we've no way to know what Nemo's waking life is like (beyond the obvious "he doesn’t have one; he's a comic strip"), it seems hard to believe he could maintain a strict divide. - 25/28
I can't help but recall a song that I loved in high school by The Spill Canvas about the trials and tribulations of a man who falls in love with a woman, but can't tell the difference between reality and dreams… is she real or is she a figment? - 26/28
I find this one of the most fascinating and monumental strips of the entire series so far… I'd love to hear your thoughts, as well! - 27/28
This is my reading of "Little Nemo in Slumberland" #40. What's yours? - 28/28