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The Complete Little Nemo in Slumberland #4
The Complete Little Nemo in Slumberland, Vol. 4: 1910-1911
A collection of Little Nemo's fantasy adventures, reprinted from the vintage comic strip.
- GenresComicsComic Strips
Hardcover
Published January 1, 1990
51 people want to read
About the author
Winsor McCay
160 books94 followersWas an American cartoonist and animator, best known for the comic strip Little Nemo (begun 1905) and the animated cartoon Gertie the Dinosaur (1914). For legal reasons, he worked under the pen name Silas on the comic strip Dream of the Rarebit Fiend.
A prolific artist, McCay's pioneering early animated films far outshone the work of his contemporaries, and set a standard followed by Walt Disney and others in later decades. His comic strip work has influenced generations of artists, including creators such as William Joyce, André LeBlanc, Moebius, Maurice Sendak, Chris Ware and Bill Watterson.
A prolific artist, McCay's pioneering early animated films far outshone the work of his contemporaries, and set a standard followed by Walt Disney and others in later decades. His comic strip work has influenced generations of artists, including creators such as William Joyce, André LeBlanc, Moebius, Maurice Sendak, Chris Ware and Bill Watterson.
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
January 30, 2022
Sad how this brilliant series fizzles out at the end, but a good portion of this final volume still showcases McCay’s artistic imagination.
January 22, 2022
This collects the final two years of strips from McCay's main Nemo run. There are a lot of gems in this collection, but it's clear that McCay was losing his passion and running out of ideas.
The first half primarily consists of Nemo's adventures on Mars, which contains many creative dream sequences, some of which hearken back to the early days of Nemo. Once they escape Mars and return to Earth, Nemo embarks on an airship tour of the United States, which makes up most of the second half.
At first, the detailed architectural sketches are breathtaking and McCay develops some interesting scenarios, but as the tour goes on, it's clear that McCay is just coasting. By the end of the run, there is barely anything dreamlike, the dialogue reads like a tour guide, and the cities all blend together. They visit small cities like Wheeling, WV and Toledo, OH, and the strip becomes fairly boring.
This was obviously perceived by the newspapers, as Nemo became sent back from the front of the comics section, requiring McCay to go from a full color palette to just one color. This became a challenge for the artwork for his city tour, so he quickly abandons it for a series of solo Nemo dreams. McCay rediscovers his creative spark and some of the final steps recapture a part of the original magic. However, without a full range of color, there's only so long the strip can last.
It's kind of sad that Nemo never gets a proper farewell, something the series deserved. Perhaps it does in the revival strips, which I have only read a handful of.
One thing I did appreciate in this volume is that the inexcusably racist Imp takes a back seat, especially in the city tour. I continue to reckon with reading the Nemo strips. The creativity and wonder is unparalleled. The influence this strip has had is unquestionable. But the presence of the imp really sours everything.
The first half primarily consists of Nemo's adventures on Mars, which contains many creative dream sequences, some of which hearken back to the early days of Nemo. Once they escape Mars and return to Earth, Nemo embarks on an airship tour of the United States, which makes up most of the second half.
At first, the detailed architectural sketches are breathtaking and McCay develops some interesting scenarios, but as the tour goes on, it's clear that McCay is just coasting. By the end of the run, there is barely anything dreamlike, the dialogue reads like a tour guide, and the cities all blend together. They visit small cities like Wheeling, WV and Toledo, OH, and the strip becomes fairly boring.
This was obviously perceived by the newspapers, as Nemo became sent back from the front of the comics section, requiring McCay to go from a full color palette to just one color. This became a challenge for the artwork for his city tour, so he quickly abandons it for a series of solo Nemo dreams. McCay rediscovers his creative spark and some of the final steps recapture a part of the original magic. However, without a full range of color, there's only so long the strip can last.
It's kind of sad that Nemo never gets a proper farewell, something the series deserved. Perhaps it does in the revival strips, which I have only read a handful of.
One thing I did appreciate in this volume is that the inexcusably racist Imp takes a back seat, especially in the city tour. I continue to reckon with reading the Nemo strips. The creativity and wonder is unparalleled. The influence this strip has had is unquestionable. But the presence of the imp really sours everything.
February 15, 2022
This final volume of the original run has some great moments, but towards the end, the strip got relegated to the interior of the paper so the fabulous inking was reduced to black and a single color, quickly followed by the cutting off of the storyline of the airship tour of America mid-arc :(
I'd call it 4+, just for the memories.
I'd call it 4+, just for the memories.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews