"Little Nemo in Slumberland" dated June 30, 1907:
Transcript of Tweets by @LittleNemo1905 (AUGUST 25, 2020):
Tell me if you've heard this one before… a Lion, a Tiger, an Elephant, a Monkey, and a… kangaroo… are chasing after this car, right? - 1/12
Ok, aside from the beautifully composed animals, and Flip's lack of concern for dynamiting them, there really isn't a lot to discuss here I don't think… - 2/12
I guess one question that I have is: Why are the animals so angry at the automobile? - 3/12
This could lead to some different inferences. Maybe 1) they resent the intrusion of people in their jungle, 2) they resent the intrusion of technology in their jungle, or 3) they're predators hunting for prey. - 4/12
I think "1" is a bit far-fetched considering we've seen them walk through the jungle before (strip #84 - May 19, 1907), and "3" probably doesn't hold up because they aren't all predators (assuming they all behave like their "real" counterparts, that is). - 5/12
"2" has promise though. I think this could lead to a potentially fruitful discussion about technology and it's disruption of the "natural" world. This strip could be said to demonstrate technology's superiority over nature as the animals are foiled by its "mite" (see what I did there?). - 6/12
Almost certainly not a reading implied by McCay, but one that I think has merit. In fact, I'd almost argue that the technological reading is the most interesting (at least from what I can see so far; maybe others want to challenge that notion??). - 7/12
Beyond that, I will say that we (again) have a holiday being jammed into #LittleNemo. It barely even works here… maybe if they were fireworks, sure, but dynamite? And what does the 4th of July have to do with blowing up animals?! - 8/12
Thankfully though, what might have been a gruesome and horrific death for the animals seems to be little more than a concussive "boom"… I'm grateful for this at least, and I'll bet the children of the time were, as well! - 9/12
A final pet peeve on panel 4. Another example of poor lettering, Flip answers Nemo's question before it's even asked… Sure, it's a simple enough process to re-negotiate Flip's comment in light of Nemo's (his balloon is assuredly read second), but it's peculiar. - 10/12 [INSERT IMAGE]
I know we've talked about McCay's lackadaisical attitude towards lettering in the past, and come to many conclusions about it, but I can't help but bring it up when I see it. It irks me. - 11/12
This is my reading of "Little Nemo in Slumberland" #90. What's yours? - 12/12
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