"Little Nemo in Slumberland" dated August 19, 1906:
Transcript of Tweets @LittleNemo1905 (JULY 11, 2020):
This strip fulfills the Princess' promise from the last one to take Nemo both a) to the Rose Water ocean and b) bathing. - 1/17
The two seem very familiar with one another already (as if they have known each other for a long time), which I really think speaks to their connection. - 2/17
As the pair descend the stairs down to the beach, we meet a group of acrobats who are to give a show for them. Again, we see the influence of the "circus" on McCay's narrative. - 3/17
I do find it interesting that they must walk to the pavilion before the show can begin… I wonder what sort of show one would want to watch from a distance when you could be in a front row seat? - 4/17
Of course, tier 3 and the walking on water serves to fulfill the primary gag of this strip. Nemo's unfamiliarity with walking on choppy, wavy water causes him some trouble requiring the mermaids come to help him. - 5/17
I really love the central panel (5) that depicts the Princess in a near perfect pose, having no trouble at all with the water, as compared to Nemo's off-balanced position. - 6/17
It's a wonderful juxtaposition; Nemo's waking world sensibilities have yet to fully comprehend the magic and wonder of Slumberland, but the surreality is all second nature to the Princess. -7/17
Her attempts to soothe Nemo and reassure him that he won't drown clearly go unheard (at least as indicated by his comment in the final panel, anyway), but her call to the mermaids do not. - 8/17
This is an uncomfortable moment… when the Princess declares the mermaids her "slaves", we get another hint at the comic strips age… - 9/17
We've discussed previously about the ethnic and racial problems associated with #LittleNemo (and we will again). Though these creatures are mythical and not based on waking world cultures or ethnicities, it's clear that Slumberland, too, deals with it's share of prejudice. - 10/17
That the mermaids of the Rose Water ocean must serve the Princess as slaves answering at the call of a horn and not as free citizens, is a reminder of her position of power as the King's daughter. - 11/17
I think that it is easy to sometimes forget who she is in Slumberland because Nemo is such an "every person"… but we can't forget that her status, and the privilege that comes with it, dictates Nemo's journey. - 12/17
It's one of the reasons that I like Flip so much; his experience is the opposite of this and he has no privileges in the dreamscape. His experiences and journey are a much more authentic representation of Slumberland than Nemo's or the Princess'.- 13/17
Nemo's experiences, in particular, are influenced by his association to the Slumberland royalty and his status of perceived importance, which has been set-up literally from strip #1. - 14/17
I find the mermaid/Rose Water ocean series of strips (that this one begins) an interesting juxtaposition of Flip and Nemo's experience. Across three strips, we'll soon see how different the two actually are. - 15/17
Finally, we see another wonderful gestural bleed from the dreamscape into the waking world (or maybe vice versa) as Nemo slips head over heels out of bed. - 16/17
This is my reading of "Little Nemo in Slumberland" #45. What's yours? - 17/17