"Little Nemo in Slumberland" dated January 18, 1925:
Transcript of Tweets by @LittleNemo1905 (SEPTEMBER 11, 2021):
First, a big thanks to everyone for sharing their thoughts about yesterday's strip! You really came up with some incredible readings! - 1/20
Quickly sharing behind the curtain: when I read yesterday's strip, I had absolutely no idea what to say… for whatever reason, nothing was coming to mind! - 2/20
Thanks to all of you and your contributions (which were really awesome), I started to see some of the cool things that the strip was doing! It was a good transactional day (at least for me)! - 3/20
Now, I certainly have some thoughts about today's strip! Let's start with the most important… - 4/20
I'm not going to lie… I sort of thought Nemo was going to win the fight from the beginning (we've seen him wallop Flip before), but I did *not* expect it to be a one-punch knockout! - 5/20
It's particularly interesting that McCay has chosen to give Nemo *this* moment of victory… we've talked a lot in recent months about how it feels like Flip is taking over the central role of the strip. - 6/20
Here, I read this moment as a no-holds-barred, winner-take-all sort of battle for the central role… and I expected Flip to put up more of a fight. - 7/20
That said, it also makes sense that in Nemo's dream, Nemo is the victor… it's a subtle reminder that no matter how fall back in the narrative Nemo falls, he will always be the most central character because they are *his* dreams… - 8/20
Even if he isn't the star of his dream, he is in control and the source of everything that we see… In this way, Flip can never really steal centre stage from Nemo. - 9/20
[Side note: Has anyone ever had a fight in their dreams? The sensation of punching is just so strange in a dream… it feels like your punching underwater. Is that just me?] - 10/20
Both the Princess and Flip himself try to discourage Nemo from a sparring match, which signals a lack of faith in him and his abilities (or simply fear of seeing their friends hurt). - 11/20
From Flip, this bravado (and self-awareness that he can't control himself when he gets worked up) is exactly within character and makes panels 7-9, when he's knocked out cold, much funnier. - 12/20
When he finally comes too in panel 10, he does so in a fervor! He is so riled up by the experience that he is ready to take on the Heavyweight Boxing Champion, Jack Dempsey (1919-1926) and other big name fighters! - 13/20
Which is hilarious because is Nemo just knocked him out, I don't think even his temper will save him in the ring with the professionals! - 14/20
Does anyone know the allusion to "Casey the lion?" I don't recognize that one and a quick google search didn't reveal anything. - 15/20
There are some Impie points worth noting in this strip, as well. - 16/20
Tier 2 features some subtle, but nonetheless caricaturized, simianization as McCay depicts Impie swinging across panels on the gymnastics rings (which draw an uncomfortable visual connections to monkeys swinging on branches/vines). - 17/20
The fact that Impie rummages through Pill's medicine case and has a negative reaction to some pills he ingests (and it looks like Blutch does too…) is a big bummer too… - 18/20
And all of this just because Dr. Pill and Figures wanted to work out… if this doesn't make you wanna stay away from the gym… - 19/20
This is my reading of "Little Nemo in Slumberland" #446. What's yours? - 20/20