"Little Nemo in Slumberland" dated February 24, 1907:
Transcript of Tweets by @LittleNemo1905 (AUGUST 7, 2020):
This strip opens on one of the most visually stunning images in the entire series. I absolutely love this panel! - 1/26
Though I know little about architecture, I'm always struck by how wonderfully this panel is crafted… The gang in the bottom right-hand corner can be used to get a sense for how massive the palace really is. - 2/26
Remember, they are a ways off in the distance and it STILL takes up the entire panel content! Up close and personal, at the entrance way, this castle must be a tremendous sight for the three friends. - 3/26
Notice how the top tower breaks beyond the confines of the hyperframe? The height of the palace can't even be contained by the panels… who knows how high up that tower goes?! - 4/26
The colourful gleam emanating from behind it also emphasizes it's brilliance. Blue, purple, orange, yellow-orange, yellow, teal spray forth from behind it in an icy rainbow… as though the prize hidden beneath it isn't a pot of gold, but the palace of ice cream! - 5/26
Which brings us to the fantasy/surreal element of the castle's construction! While it looks as though it could exist in the waking world, we know that it surely can't because it is made of a highly meltable delicacy… - 6/26
Another example of juxtaposed realism/surrealism manifested within the same Slumberlandian object/person, this again enhances the magic of the moment for me, personally! Grounded as it is in realism, I can suspend my disbelief and appreciate the fancy of it even more! - 7/26
I do wonder what we've missed though; last strip, we were told that the group would end up back with Mr. Sleet at the end of their impossibly fast toboggan ride! - 8/26
Were we simply not permitted to see that exchange, or did Flip's ego help them reach the palace a bit sooner than expected? What has become of Mr. Sleet? Did he keep his job? … - 9/26
Tier two is meaningful for a couple of reasons. - 10/26
Narratively, we learn that, having been banned from smoking, Flip is planning a scheme… What exactly that scheme is we aren’t told, but the Princess fills us in on the fact that Flip is emboldened by his knowledge of what the dawn could do to the palace… - 11/26
That this represents a moment of pure group cohesion is meaningful for me! Flip whispers his plan to Nemo as if they are long-time buddies, and the Princess just sort of shrugs it off as another "Oh, Flip…" moment. - 12/26
I am becoming very fond of the dynamic that these three characters are building between each other am eager to see it continue! - 13/26
A momentary aside, this is one of the earlier strips that I ever read (mainly because I was so attracted by the architectural beauty of Frost's palace), so this is the impressions of their friendship that I had going into this project. - 14/26
It's been very interesting watching the development of the relationship as we've read these strips, and I think my focus on it stems mainly from the friction it was creating between my expectation and what we were reading. This strip gave me a nice moment for reflection! - 15/26
We also learn that the palace has previously burned down by fire (hence the no smoking ban). But… how does ice cream catch fire (which is different from melting)? Was the previous castle made out of a more flammable material? If so, what was it?... I'm curious! - 16/26
The final tier introduces us (finally) to the great Jack Frost! Who is… maddeningly disappointing from a visual perspective. - 17/26
He sits in his massive throne of ice, surrounded by his four massive (pet?) polar bears waving to Nemo and the Princess (Flip has since left to enact his scheme…). I think @Totter87 said it best when he mentioned a few days ago that he's just a frozen Morpheus. - 18/26
And, truthfully, aside from his somewhat larger scale, he is pretty much taken from the same mold as the King of Slumberland… though his pet polar bears ARE a cool touch. - 19/26
When I first read this strip, I was impressed by the whole thing (and, I suppose, I still am), but now I am also slightly frustrated that we weren't given something a little more visually spectacular for Frost here… - 20/26
Nemo's final question is a really silly one, but seems to serve it's purpose to set up the "wake-up gag"… - 21/26
Not only is the entire room is filled with skating Slumberlandians, but he was previously fitted with skates! It's a humorous reminder that though little Nemo is becoming braver, he's still not bold. - 22/26
That his father wakes him up in this strip (presumably so they can do out skating) fits with the line of questioning though. I would infer that Nemo's parents had promised to take him skating in the morning, hence his dream about it. - 23/26
Finally, this strip makes me wonder why we haven't seen a birds-eye view of Morpheus' palace, yet? - 24/26
We've seen Santa's Workshop and now Jack Frost's palace all resplendently presented for our mouth-watering pleasure, but never Morpheus'? Why do you think that is… Is believing more valuable than seeing? - 25/26
This is my reading of "Little Nemo in Slumberland" #72. What's yours? - 26/26