"Little Nemo in Slumberland" dated January 20, 1907:
Transcript of Tweets by @LittleNemo1905 (AUGUAT 2, 2020):
I'm very interested to hear what others have to say about today's strip, as I don't actually have too much to discuss… - 1/20
I'll start off by saying that I really like the top tier. Here, McCay is toying with our eye a little bit; we’re immediately drawn to the focal point (the Princess and Nemo), but before long we notice Flip's dialogue in the far left-side of the panel, almost hidden… - 2/20
Personally, I noticed it second because I started reading where the characters were and only after I began moving to panel 2 did I notice the word balloon, which (since it's white) could be nearly confused with just more snow. - 3/20
The effect here is really great though… The pair had left Flip behind with Granny Hag thinking that he would have to go back with her to get rid of her and, instead, Flip is persistent and drags her up to the palace. - 4/20
That he is so far behind that Nemo and the Princess don't even know he's on his way up is reflected by and emphasized through the fact that (at least for me) his dialogue is spoken off-panel. - 5/20
I'll mention that the insinuated roughness with which Flip has dragged the girl/hag up the stairs is a bit unnerving when you think about it… regardless of whether she is a witch or not, that is some abhorrent treatment of a woman. - 6/20
To boot, I find it a very counter-intuitive process… Flip wants to drag her to the Princess so that she can send her away… What I don't get is why he goes through the hassle? - 7/20
Why didn't he just leave her in the woods? Would she have followed? If so, then why would he need be so rough getting her to the Princess? - 8/20
If he'd left her there, and she didn't follow him, problem solved… so what gives? My theory is that the hag was putting up a fight so as to keep Flip away from the Princess and Nemo for as long as possible; increase their chances of losing him. - 9/20
This wouldn't have gotten Flip out of Slumberland, but it would've gotten him out of their hair (and maybe resulted in the Hag's reward anyway?). Regardless, she fails and… transforms into a monkey. - 10/20
This transformation is a bit of a strange one for me, and I wonder why a monkey was chosen by McCay? - 11/19
Does it signal that she is too wild for Flip? Is it a subtle insinuation that she could clobber him if she wanted to (monkeys are notorious strong…)? Is there something else? - 12/20
I really love the look of surprise plastered on the Princess, Nemo, and Snow's faces. It's actually quite humorous to see their stunned looks for three panels as the hag transforms and Flip demands he be free of her. - 13/20
The penultimate panel is really fascinating and I'm wondering what other readings people have of it… maybe we can piece together what's happening here… - 14/20
My reading is that Flip, seeing the monkey, decides he's had enough and so is going to… wake himself up? He says, "I'll go back to daytime" as though he has a say in when and how he enters and leaves Slumberland… - 15/20
As the son of the sun, does he have some ability that we're unaware of? Can he just find wherever it is nighttime in the globe and enter Slumberland 24/7? And, vice versa, find daytime wherever it is on the globe and leave Slumberland as he pleases? - 16/20
The handshake at the end between Nemo and Flip is a really good indication that the hatchet has been buried between the two of them! It also serves as the "external force" that wakes Nemo up. - 17/20
Presumably, his dad has taken his hand to pull him up into a sitting position and that hand-to-hand connection bleeds into the final seconds of his dream. - 18/20
I really love those moments! They're a quite excellent way to bridge the uncertain divide between dreaming and waking! - 19/20
This is my reading of "Little Nemo in Slumberland" #67. What's yours? - 20/20
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