"Little Nemo in Slumberland" dated July 26, 1925:
Transcript of Tweets by @LittleNemo1905 (OCTOBER 18, 2021):
It's so interesting that this strip is built on continuity from the last strip because we haven't seen that in… well, a very long time. - 1/19
It really was a nice breath of fresh air and reminded me of all the fun adventures (series') that we'd had in the past and how they seamlessly flowed from strip to strip. - 2/19
After being tossed off of the giant racing fish in the last strip, it would seem as though the boys have found themselves marooned on a floating raft, surrounded by mermaids. - 3/19
Unlike some of McCay's mermaids in the past, who seemed to be held up as special and provocative (not in a sexual way, but rather a mystical way), these mermaids are the opposite. - 4/19
McCay seems to be putting them down, almost. Nemo says, at the very beginning of the strip, that they "don't know they are alive," which seems like an insult (even if I don't entirely get it)… - 5/19
Then, Flip insults them by calling them "Flappers," which referenced a 1920s female lifestyle that many regarded as "outrageous, immoral, or downright dangerous" (history.com): - 6/19
This is sort of ironic because the Flapper lifestyle was generally considered to be one of "energetic freedom," which seems in contrast to the idea of not knowing one is alive… but maybe it reflects the discomfort that surrounded the movement. - 7/19
Anyway, as the mermaids descend in panel 2, so does the water… though at first, Flip thinks that it is the Princess' whale comes to save them, that turns out not to be the case. - 8/19
Slowly, the water which seemed to go for miles, begins to drain and an underwater city is revealed. - 9/19
I immediately began thinking of Atlantis, and I guess I wasn't *too* far off, because the city is soon revealed to be the palace of King Neptune. - 10/19
Of course, the Princess, Pill and Figures have all made their way to the palace and, by happenstance, the exhibition of Neptune's powers returns Nemo to her. - 11/19
I actually really liked this little twist… it reminded me, yet again, of strips from the past. This one would've fit in very well with some of McCay's mythological explorations in the earlier #LittlNemo strips. - 12/19
Yet, sandwiched between these two fun pieces of nostalgia is a little danger, as well. As the water descends and the boys tread water, it becomes clear that they are having some trouble keeping their heads up. - 13/19
Impie and Nemo bob in the water across panels, Flip slips off the palace into the water, and Slivvers seems to hold on the top of the roof as the water descends. - 14/19
Yet, when Flip and Nemo express their tiredness and fear of drowning, Slivvers decides to jump into the drink, as well, saying "I could never live without Nemo! IF he drowns, I drown too!" - 15/19
Certainly, this can be read as a pragmatic response; if Nemo were to die, so to would the characters of his internal dreamscape… but it is also interesting because Slivvers has been long depicted as having a closer relationship with Flip than Nemo . -16/19
Nemo and Slivvers relationship has not really been explored all that deeply and so this was a pretty revealing moment that caught me quite off guard. Anyone else have thoughts on what to make of it? - 17/19
Finally, I just want to mention that the colour hold in panel 9 is really, really well done. Not just that, but the gestural positions of the characters does a great job silently visualizing the danger (even if Nemo is somehow, again, speaking underwater). - 18/19
This is my reading of "Little Nemo in Slumberland" #474. What's yours? - 19/19