"Little Nemo in Slumberland" dated August 12, 1906:
Transcript of Tweets by @LittleNemo1905 (JULY 10, 2020):
This strip is an absolute delight. It's a peaceful respite from Flip's shenanigans; a moment fully dedicated to the new playmates, Nemo and the Princess. - 1/20
The strip begins with that gorgeous top tier! Six massive butterflies surround Nemo and the Princess. Their presence indicates (or at the very least suggests) that the pair have arrived at the garden discussed last strip. - 2/20
This sets the mood for me. Even before they fly away to the Umbrella tree and reveal the lush green foliage (panel 2) and flowers (panel 3), I have a sense of tranquility. - 3/20
I admit that I believe iconic solidarity has something to do with this; it's not really possible to see the top tier without taking in the entire page (in print anyway) and this phenomenon likely influenced the affect of my reading. - 4/20
But there is also something to be said about the soft colours. Sure, the sky of panel 2 is red, but compared to the harsh reds that we've seen in the past two strips, it feels much less forceful… the muted tone is fitting. - 5/20
The same can be said for all of the colours in this strip; none of them are loud and in your face. - 6/20
Nemo, too, seems a muted version of himself. Though he is still a bit uncertain (he questions whether the butterflies will bite or if they'll get wet from the rain), it too is a far calmer fear than we might be used to seeing from him. - 7/20
Again, it's possible that the garden setting is affecting him as much as it is us in these moments. - 8/20
All of that said, I really enjoy Nemo's curiosity. It makes the dynamic between him and the Princess a much more interesting one as she proudly guides him through the garden. - 9/20
This curiosity also becomes a vehicle of foreshadowing for the strip as Nemo looks out to the giant Rose Water ocean and the Princess promises to take him there; a promise that she will keep in the next strip. - 10/20
I find it fascinating that the garden has a scheduled 5 min. rain. Is this something the garden itself dictates? Is it dictated by King Morpheus? Does anyone internal to the dreamscape control it or is it something else? - 11/20
Of course, we learn that (at least in this moment), the rain is caused by the waking world pan of water and brush that his father is splashing Nemo with as a way to wake him up. Another example of the permeable boundary between surreality and reality. - 12/20
Either way, the declaration of the 5 min. rain signals that Slumberland functions on a very scheduled temporal system. Which makes sense some considering everything must happen during the nighttime before it melts away in the morning sun. - 13/20
Speaking of this, I find it curious that, in panel 3, the Princess says that it rains every "day" as opposed to every "night"… - 14/20
I suppose I had previously assumed that the Slumberlandians knew and recognized that they were in a "night time" realm (particularly considering the role the Moon has played before)… - 15/20
Indeed, we've even been witness to the devastation that the rising of the sun brings to Slumberland… But if the rising sun signals nighttime in Slumberland then our logic simply has to be reversed. - 16/20
Based on this simple use of the word "day" here, I suppose we can assume that when the moon is out it is daytime in Slumberland, and when the sun is out (they don’t exist so) it isn't daytime. - 17/20
Obviously, there's something to be said about not over-analyzing the fluidity of the boundary between the waking and dream world (especially through comparative differences), but we already know how porous the division is so I think it's worth it… - 18/20
If anyone else has a different way to read this moment, I'd be very interested! - 19/20
This is my reading of "Little Nemo in Slumberland" #44. What's yours? - 20/20
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