"Little Nemo in Slumberland" dated August 24, 1924:
Transcript of Tweets by @LittleNemo1905 (AUGUST 21, 2021):
This strip is so awesome! It is a nostalgia trip that recalls so many of the most fun early ideas that McCay had for #LittleNemo and features some techniques that we haven't seen in a long time. - 1/13
So, first… the single coloured backgrounds that alter panel by panel for the first five are beautiful! It immediately recalls the very first #LittleNemo strip where he soars through the multi-coloured night sky upon Somnus' back: -2 13
This was such a common technique in the earliest years of McCay's work on Nemo and it's nice to see it back in use. As we know, the inferior printing process at the NY American likely played into the lack of this techniques usage there. - 3/13
We also have the return of an old friend in this strip: the moon! - 4/13
In the early years, the moon would very often hang out in the distance making faces at the events that transpired around Nemo. It is really fun to see McCay bring him back here! - 5/13
Finally, the idea that Slumberlandian giants are holding the bridge in place is a very McCaydian trope; he introduced this idea a long, long time ago, as well: - 6/13
Take all these pieces together and you get some great benefits. First, new readers are treated to the same magic that made #LittleNemo so successful way back when and, second, old readers get a dose of nostalgia and remember why they loved the strip in the first place! - 7/13
Narratively, Flip's stubbornness continues to cause some problems and is actually what causes the giants to pause from their jobs so they can chastise him. - 8/13
They actually plan to prevent Flip from joining the group (which, I do not believe will work in the least), but that plan causes Pill and Figures to get tossed around a bit, as well. - 9/13
This leads to Dr. Pill commenting: "Next Sunday I will have you put in irons Flip!" - 10/13
The metacommentary and self-recognition that the group was part of a comics supplement was really toned down at the NY American. Again, this smells like editorial intervention to me… Was there that much more artistic freedom back at the Herald Tribune? - 11/13
Overall, this strip is a really excellent one! It's one of my favourites in a long time, So far, I'm enjoying McCay's return to #LittleNemo. Let's hope that the quality remains for a while! - 12/13
This is my reading of "Little Nemo in Slumberland" #425. What’s yours? - 13/13