"Little Nemo in Slumberland" dated November 15, 1925:
Transcript of Tweets by @LittleNemo1905 (NOVEMBER 3, 2021):
I'm not entirely sure what to make of this strip… part of me wants to take it and think through a psychoanalysis of Nemo's subconscious, but there are other elements of interest here too. - 1/17
For starters, this strip is really about pure destruction. From panel 5 onward, something is destroyed in every panel (with the exception of 9 which sets up the most catastrophic destruction). - 2/17
If applying dream analysis, one might wonder if Nemo has lost control of something in his day-to-day life thus causing this destruction to the dreamscape. - 3/17
One thing we've talked *around*, but never really talked *about* is the way that Nemo's waking world has a direct impact on the lives of his friends in Slumberland. - 4/17
There is a power dynamic worth interrogating (later) when we consider the implications of how these fictional, dreamworld characters lives are influenced by Nemo. In this sort of reading for instance, Impie really wouldn't be at fault at all. - 5/17
That said, he is the character that causes the derailment and ensuing destruction. Interestingly, none of the characters berate or belittle him in this strip (as we might have come to expect). - 6/17
He abandons train fairly early in the situation (panel 6), which would certainly have hurt and might be punishment enough for the trouble, but I found it interesting that Flip didn't call him any names or throw coal at him or anything of that sort. - 7/17
Maybe I shouldn't look a gift horse in the mouth here, but I wonder if he'll get away scott-free from this situation? I mean… we know continuity isn't what it used to be so will this be something remembered in tomorrow's strip? - 8/17
Also of note is the fact that Pill and figures take a DIRECT hit from the train and live to tell the tale. This is fodder for our discussions about the lack of mortal danger in Slumberland/the dreamscape. - 9/17
But that doesn't stop other characters from being fearful of the train… panel 8 is chaos; the police officer is screaming, "run for your lives!!!" Doesn't he know they're all but immortal? *ARE* these nameless characters safe? Or is it just Nemo's closest friends? - 10/17
Lastly, I just want to discuss Flip's comment in panel 1. He says, "I drove engine before you were born, your majesty!" - 11/17
Relating this back to Flip's age fluidity, and suggesting that he is much older than the Princess, one must wonder why McCay made these decisions to play with his age. - 12/17
I mean… renegotiating the earlier strips with this knowledge of his age (and those that have come before; whether he is 23, 26, 29, or some other age) makes the earliest days feel… creepy. - 13/17
In retrospect, one can challenge the age fluidity by simply remembering that Flip is a partial-deity (son of the sun)… maybe gods/demi-gods age differently than regular Slumberlandians? - 14/17
This would also force us to begin seeing the Princess in the same way (as the daughter of the god of dreams). In this way, the age disparity or the shifting of age feels less important. - 15/17
I wonder if McCay was conscious of this when playing with Flip's age? Likely, he was simply doing what he felt he needed to do with the character; continuity be damned! But, it intrigues me… - 16/17
This is my reading of "Little Nemo in Slumberland" #490. What's yours? - 17/17