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Day #545: Little Nemo Goes to Santa Claus' House or Bust

"Little Nemo in Slumberland" dated December 12, 1926:


Transcript of Tweets by @LittleNemo1905 (JANUARY 21, 2022):


I actually quite enjoyed this strip for the most part. I feel as though it took a lot of the best parts of #LittleNemo out for a spin as we reach the end of the series. - 1/16

We get a newly invented machine by Slivvers and Flip, a fairly whimsical mode of transportation (reminiscent of McCay's prime-era work with walking beds, buildings, or other architectural wonders), and a reminder of past experiences with Santa. - 2/16

The gang also comes together to have this adventure! No one is left out as the group piles into the moving house for it's departure towards the North Pole, which is really nice. - 3/16

I'm also visually drawn to the third tier where we see McCay return to the varyingly coloured backgrounds once again. It *feels* as though this hasn't been included in some, so it was nice to notice it today. - 4/16

Panel 6 also gave me a laugh because clearly Pill and Figures have been having a conversation off-panel that has been interrupted by the moving house. - 5/16

They're being startled is hilarious to me because McCay doesn't bother to provide us context about what stuff did not taste right that caused them to, I think the insinuation is, hallucinate. - 6/16

Speaking of the moving house, panel 5 also gave me a laugh because I was not expecting the house to be the mode of transportation. - 7/16

I think the subversion of expectation was intentional because McCay begins by showing off the engine, which looks enough like a tractor to help us assume will be the transport, too. - 8/16

I had wondered why the sign was on the house in the background, but didn't think too much of it. So, when it moved, I got a good kick out of it. - 9/16

Finally, this strip isn't without some trouble. In the penultimate panel, we do see some depictions of caricaturized Indigenous Northerners. - 10/16

The fellows poking their head out of the igloo are particularly simianized, which is unfortunate. - 11/16

I'm also wondering about Nemo's clutching of the Princess… it could be read innocently as him protecting her from the crash and any debris that might go their way or him shielding her from the cold as best as he's able… - 12/16

…, but it could also be read as him defending her from the potential danger of the Northern people. - 13/16

In truth, I don't think the latter is the case, but the reading is there and based on some of McCay's previous works, one can certainly understand if that is the meaning they create here. - 14/16

In the end though, the wake-up panel concludes the strip with a joke (Nemo calling back to Flip's concern over kindling), which also elicited a bit of a laugh from me. - 15/16

This is my reading of "Little Nemo in Slumberland" #545. What's yours? - 16/16

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