"Little Nemo in Slumberland:" dated January 27, 1907:
Transcript of Tweets by @LittleNemo1905 (AUGUST 3, 2020):
This strip features our first look into Jack Frost's glorious Palace of Snow and Ice… and what a look it is! - 1/15
The final tier of this comic is, without a doubt, the highlight of the strip. Not only does McCay render a stunning triptych that provides a nice view of the entire main area of the palace, but it's architectural splendor is on display, as well. - 2/15
Simplistic but also stunning, this nature/architecture mash-up has a ton of character… Is the palace made of ice or does the ice simply accentuate the furnishings? I can't say for sure, but it's breath-taking to see the icicles as they hang from everything. - 3/15
This character affect is coupled with the affect of scale produced through the tall vertical panels that McCay uses in the construction of the page. It's easy to recognize how large the palace is in relation to the smaller characters on the stairs. - 4/15
In the first panel, we see Flip come up with quite the clever plan to get rid of Granny Hag… he simply threatens to call the sun and melt the palace, which causes Snow to send her away! - 5/15
This is juxtaposed is the following panel with Icicle, the Princess and Nemo bundled up for the cold. As one is being sent away, the others are about to embark on the journey to Jack Frost! - 6/15
When Flip catches up to them in the second tier, there is a subtle hint that the chill is real within the palace… The Princess has her hands in her muff, Nemo's hands are buried in his pocket, but flip's hands are fully visible. - 7/15
The fact that Nemo mentions "He'll freeze in here!" signals that Flip's uncovered hands might be problematic… It also demonstrates his concern for Flip, which is welcome! - 8/15
Back to the third tier. We get such a wonderful effect by having the triptych panelling and the characters progression panel by panel. Sure, it's a bit crowded, but I think it still works! - 9/15
Though Flip does his best to stay warm, he ultimately has to bring out the threat of the sun again! In this moment, Flip does seem like a spoiled brat willing to play the trump card to get his way… but I understand why he feels it necessary to do so… - 10/15
While the Princess seems to be no longer willing to conspire against Flip, she also isn't willing to do him any favours to encourage his staying… Flip so desperately wants to be a part of the gang that he feels he must use everything at his disposal to be included. - 11/15
Finally, we get another example of the blurry waking/dreaming world. We see in the last panel that Nemo's mother has entered the room and is trying to recover Nemo after he has kicked off his blankets. - 12/15
It would follow then that the chill felt in Nemo's dream might be the January chill his waking-world body is experiencing in bed. Another example of external influence that has bled into the dreamscape and shaped Nemo's experience there. - 13/15
I continue to be fascinated by these moments in particular, and coupled with the beautiful final tier, I really enjoy this strip. - 14/15
This is my reading of "Little Nemo in Slumberland" #68. What's yours? - 15/15
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