"Little Nemo in Slumberland" dated March 17, 1907:
Transcript of Tweets by @LittleNemo1905 (AUGUST 10, 2020):
Well, you've gone and done it now, Flip… The High Price Ice Company has come and demolished Jack Frost's beautiful palace (what're the implications to the North Pole, I wonder?)… - 1/18
…now all that's left is a vast and endless ocean and some floating blocks of ice. This begs to the question: Was his castle built over an ocean or did the melting of the castle create it? - 2/18
Personally, the latter is more fun and magical so I'm going with that. It also makes the arrival of the pirate ship so much more fantastical… how would a pirate ship be sailing on a brand new ocean? - 3/18
Before we get to the pirates though, let's talk about our trio! - 4/18
The top tier works really well to show us the emptiness of the space that the three friends find themselves in. A starless black sky and an empty ocean emphasize the loss of JF's palace. That the three just stare at it is unsurprising... - 5/18
Flip's comment might relate back to a conversation we had yesterday, as well. He again repeats the "these men didn't do a thing" sentiment that came last week… - 6/18
It's an interesting linguistic negation… it's clear that they have, indeed, done "a thing" because the castle is gone, but the absence of the evidence (the ice is lugged away) sort of support's Flips point. - 7/18
But, because McCay seems to be drawing attention to the point of erasure in this top tier, it makes sense to also erase the act itself (maybe JF's palace will pop up somewhere else now? If It is still *somewhere* in Slumberland, then the ice men didn't destroy it…). - 8/18
As if to further put distance between the reader and the location of the incident-that-never-was, the trio break away from the mainland and begin drifting off into the emptiness… - 9/18
From this point on, it's worth noting the Flip has a really excellent prescience about the situation… Not only is he first to notice the ice breaking away, but he is also the first to suggest a way home (swimming) and the first to get a bad feeling about the pirate ship. - 10/18
Seeing as how the three are now, most certainly, in a situation that is far more firmly positioned within Flip's domain (chaos, not order) it makes sense that he be centre stage here. - 11/18
It's as though Nemo and the Princess (used to more orderly and structured adventures with guides and support) become frantic, and Flip becomes level-headed. - 12/18
He doesn't suggest anything crazy or wonky (swimming makes sense in this situation, actually; they can't be too far out from the shoreline and, though it would likely be very cold, they'd be alright), and seems to know how to carry himself in a crisis. - 13/18
I do find Nemo and the Princess' protests about swimming to be interesting considering the Rose Water Ocean strips back in Aug/Sep 1906… I guess they were *bathing* back then (and the water could be walked on), but still a bit strange. - 14/18
When the three eventually make it to the pirate ship, the Princess (of course) addresses and thanks them for rescuing her and her friends… which immediately turns into the pirates planning to chain them up and ransom their freedom. - 15/18
Do the pirates know how valuable of a ransom they now possess? Do they know it's the Princess of Slumberland, her playmate, and the son of the sun who they've trapped? … Thing's could go badly for them if they aren't careful… - 16/18
Though, that said, things could go just as poorly for our friends if *they* aren't careful… so only time will tell, I suppose! - 17/18
This is my reading of "Little Nemo in Slumberland" #75. What's yours? - 18/18