Little Nemo in Slumberland

I remember quite clearly that the first thing that had come into mind when reading this book was if Alice from "Alice in Wonderland" were a boy. Though back then it was a weekly comic page and the book I read it from compiled most all his adventures in "order".

Little Nemo in Slumberland is composed so it shows this amazing surreal adventure with the last panel always being some sort of abrupt awakening. (Which is relatable to those who dream and wake up when they do not want to) I don't know if McCay did this intentionally but the concept of the boy waking up at the end and signifying it's end makes it feel like the reader is Little Nemo. A boy who just wants to know what happens next? What does it mean? That's what I feel like really compels the readers to keep wanting to read more in anticipation of what comes next.

McCay really hit it out of the ballpark not only during his generation, but to people who appreciate the classics to this day. His use of colors, narrative, and consistency really showed he knew what he was doing. His work did not go noticed. Before ever coming to this class I remember the title vividly from childhood where there used to be an anime my mom would put on. It was not from my time (1989 to be exact) but after rewatching the animation studio tried it's very hardest to mimic that dream like aesthetic though it did have a darker color palette. In 2014 as well Eric Shanower attempted to make a continuation tribute by making "Little Nemo Return to Wonderland". It was about Little Nemo and touching base to those he met along the way. But personally I think it fell flat because everything that McCay worked for almost seemed in vain. They did not keep the tradition of him waking up in the end rather it was one consistent dream until the last page of the comic. The concepts were even there (Ie. Dragon chariot, clowns, and princesses) but the more modern dulled out colors really made it uninteresting and no longer this spectacular feeling in contrast to Mccay's bright saturated colors.

Overall Winsor McCay's Little Nemo in Slumberland is a timeless comic that will be appreciated in both comic and art world.