"Little Nemo in Slumberland" dated August 10, 1924:
Transcript of Tweets by @LittleNemo1905 (AUGUST 19, 2021):
The last strip boasted one of the more complex spatial panel structures that we'd seen in quite some time and, while this one is less eccentric, it certainly differentiates itself from the boring commonplace 12 panels we were becoming accustomed to with Hearst's paper. - 1/22
Formally speaking, I really like the way that McCay presents Flip's voice in panel 3. - 2/22
It's true that cloud-like balloons traditionally represent thought less than speech, but it wasn't an entirely unheard of practice to use iconic substitution for word balloons. - 3/22
Here, I don't read them as clouds (which, in itself, separates them from thought) but as "echoes"… since the pair have clearly made their way deep into the tunnel, the equally spaced whisps of speech feel very echoey to me. - 4/22
I do wish we'd had some "rumbling" or something else before the water *and* the boys come gushing out of the tunnel… it would've made the closure between panel 3 and 4 a bit cleaner. - 5/22
I also really like the interaction that the Princess has with the mermaid in this strip! One of the common complaints about #LittleNemo is that it fails so miserably the Bechdel test… here, we have an example of two female characters discussing the baby! - 6/22
Listen, I know it isn't much, but it's something… it still fails the test based on both being unnamed and the fact that discussing babies isn't much of a step better than discussing a man... - 7/22
I'm not going to fight the fight that this proves anything because it surely doesn't… but it was immediately noticeable to me that the Princess was speaking with another female character; I'm not sure how frequently (if ever) we've seen that in the past? - 9/22
Speaking of the baby, the Princess looks absolutely smitten by her in panel 3! I can't remember ever seeing the Princess blush and yet here she is, red in the cheeks while holding on to the baby. - 10/22
At first, I wondered if it was a colouring error, but it surely isn't… it was intentional. Is she embarrassed by her impulse to steal the baby? I'm not sure… - 11/22
Either way, the baby mermaid (alongside the other mermaids more generally) continue to be a fascinating return to folklore and myth. - 12/22
Though still somewhat in the realm of "fairy tale" it feels much more closely aligned with the types of stories that were told in the original #LittleNemoInSlumberland than it does ItLoWDs. - 13/22
Of course, maybe that's just me… I'd accept the criticism. - 14/22
I really don't understand what Flip is all cheesed off about at Impie. He literally did exactly what they had intended; he refilled the reservoir so that they could get out. - 15/22
Sure, Flip *might* have done it differently (though I'm not entirely sure that’s true), but he still got the job done. - 16/22
I'm glad that Nemo came to Impie's defense and kept Flip from getting to handsy with him. I mean… how do you ruin the excitement he displays in that penultimate panel!! Look at how excited he is when he sees the Candy Kid! - 17/22
I wonder what is causing him all the excitement, though? The car? Knowing that he is going to into the city? Being included? I'm not sure… - 18/22
Finally, the "wake-up" panel features Nemo's father again! Another element that was rarely seen at the NY American was the presence of additional characters in Nemo's waking world. - 19/22
I think this is a solid return to form. It's good to see these moments because it reminds us that Slumberland is a fiction and that Nemo's everyday life is a mystery to us. - 20/22
The fact that it is populated with many people, some of whom might even be the inspiration for his nighttime companions, is something that I find particularly interesting to consider. - 21/22
This is my reading of "Little Nemo in Slumberland" #423. What's yours? - 22/22