Week Three: Little Nemo In Slumberland by Winsor McCay

Little Nemo in Slumberland was personally the most amusing read for me yet (sorry Peanuts, I'll always love you). It immediately gave me a Peter Pan and Where the Wild Things Are vibe with little Nemo ultimately being an adventurer. However, upon reading the comic, I did not realize his adventures where all just dreams for Little Nemo (so the Where the Wild Things Are reference kind of becomes dead, but hey good immediate thought, right?).

In a weird way, I felt like I could relate to the Little Nemo comics due to the fact that I am a big dreamer. Winsor McCay does a great job at primarily portraying the comic as a realistic event in Little Nemo's esoteric life, as there is no indication that he is dreaming until the very last comic panel. It is clear that this boy in the comic has a considerable imagination through what his dreams are dramatically portraying. For instance, Cupid, who is not actually realistic person, wakes him from bed and takes him on a journey to find his Valentine and or the love of his life.

One thing I noticed between the two different comics I read of the Little Nemo in Slumberland collection, was that the endings of each of the comics, right before Little Nemo awoke from his dream, he was emotionally stressed and distraught. For instance, in the comic about finding a Valentine, Cupid tricks Little Nemo into thinking he was actually choosing the love of his life, when the girls were really just paper statues. In this moment, we can depict from the artwork of Little Nemo and the wording that he is yelling at Cupid out of anger and frustration.

It is certainly clear why any optimistic person would enjoy and indulge in the Little Nemo Comics.