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Little Nemo: Return To Slumberland #1-4
Little Nemo: Return to Slumberland
Pub 2018-11-01 96 World Book Publishing Company Dream Kingdom is a fantasy country that exists in your sleep. The king here loves his daughter. He makes the crystal ball master divination of the princess. Partner. this selected child is Little Nemo. The king sent the candy doll to Nemo's dream to lead him to the kingdom. Every night. Nemo will...
88 pages, Hardcover
First published June 23, 2015
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 80 reviews
June 19, 2015
'Little Nemo: Return to Slumberland' is an attempt to update the Winsor McKay classic comic strip. I think Eric Shanower and Gabriel Rodriguez have done a fine job with what could have been pretty dated material.
King Morpheus' daughter is bored and demands a new playmate. When they find a young boy with the middle name of Nemo, she's reminded of a previous boy named Nemo. Only this Nemo is a bit resistant to join her. First off, he keeps having accidents and waking up on his way to the kingdom of Slumberland. Then he's a bit reluctant to have a playdate with a girl. Finally, he gets sidetracked by troublemaker Flip Flap and winds up being chased through a strange tower that seems like something out of an M. C. Escher painting. Will the princess find a new friend or will Nemo keep waking up and never meet her?
The first amazing thing about this series is the gorgeous art by Gabriel Rodriguez. The detail is just incredible. Eric Shanower's script is fun, but it might still be a bit dated for today's kids. It's a nice nostalgic romp for those who remember the decent animated film based on Little Nemo or are familiar with the McKay strip. If the cover draws you in, I don't think you'll be disappointed.
I received a review copy of this graphic novel from NetGalley, IDW Publishing, and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you for allowing me to review this find graphic novel.
King Morpheus' daughter is bored and demands a new playmate. When they find a young boy with the middle name of Nemo, she's reminded of a previous boy named Nemo. Only this Nemo is a bit resistant to join her. First off, he keeps having accidents and waking up on his way to the kingdom of Slumberland. Then he's a bit reluctant to have a playdate with a girl. Finally, he gets sidetracked by troublemaker Flip Flap and winds up being chased through a strange tower that seems like something out of an M. C. Escher painting. Will the princess find a new friend or will Nemo keep waking up and never meet her?
The first amazing thing about this series is the gorgeous art by Gabriel Rodriguez. The detail is just incredible. Eric Shanower's script is fun, but it might still be a bit dated for today's kids. It's a nice nostalgic romp for those who remember the decent animated film based on Little Nemo or are familiar with the McKay strip. If the cover draws you in, I don't think you'll be disappointed.
I received a review copy of this graphic novel from NetGalley, IDW Publishing, and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you for allowing me to review this find graphic novel.
October 31, 2015
This is a beautiful volume, and a worthy update on the original Little Nemo comics. Gabriel Rodriguez' art disturbed me a great deal in Locke & Key, but he employs the same talents in far more whimsical fashion here. I loved the plants and the Escheresque tower and the princess and the gnome/fairies.
August 24, 2017
Quick read, predictable story and awesome graphics. The story is fantasy somewhat in the vein of Lewis Caroll.
March 23, 2025
it does seem weird to dablle in these retelling/renewed comics of nemo in slumberland without having read more of the originals, but I've read some of them enough to know the basics.
i loved the art, and any story that takes place in dreams has my heart, but i'm defintely interested to go back to the classic comic and read it
i loved the art, and any story that takes place in dreams has my heart, but i'm defintely interested to go back to the classic comic and read it
April 28, 2015
An Interesting and Rewarding Homage to Winsor McCay
Winsor McCay's signature comic strip, "Little Nemo in Slumberland", ran from 1905 to 1914 and then 1924-1926. It was drawn in an Art Nouveau style and recounted the adventures that Nemo had in his dreams. Of greatest interest, to quote his Wikipedia bio, "The strip demonstrated McCay's strong graphic sense and mastery of color and linear perspective. McCay experimented with the formal elements of the comic strip page, arranging and sizing panels to increase impact and enhance the narrative." If you look over the original strips now you can entertain yourself just by appreciating all of the novel and creative twists McCay introduced to the layout and arrangement of the Nemo strips. Pretty much anything you find in advanced graphic novels like the "Sandman" series, appeared in the Nemo strips a century earlier. Volumes have been written about the profound influence McCay had on graphic novels, animation, popular culture and even urban architecture.
The author and the illustrator of this new Nemo book make no secret of their admiration of McCay's work, and they add a new and vibrant spin to his style and to the Nemo story. As was the case in the original, each chapter begins with Nemo falling asleep, "waking up" in a swell dream, having an adventure with a perilous cliff-hanger ending, and then waking up back in his bed, safe but tangled up in the same position he was in at the end of his dream. Here, the King of Slumberland is trying to get Nemo back to Slumberland to be his daughter's new playmate. After a few nights of dreams and failed attempts, Nemo finally successfully dreams his way to Slumberland, and the rest of the book involves the disorienting and fantastical things that Nemo experiences in Slumberland.
The new stories and adventures here are old-fashioned but a bit brisker and faster paced for a modern audience. The drawing is detailed and colorful, but maybe not quite as intricate as in the McCay originals. This makes everything a bit brighter without sacrificing the feel of the originals, and you still get the colorful psychedelic vibe McCay had mastered. (As you might expect, McCay's ethnic characters would be laughably offensive to modern sensibilities and that aspect has been cleaned up in this volume.)
So, this is a change of pace sort of book, with appeal for the deeply committed fan but also with rewards for the reader with a passing interest in the genre. It's a fun trip.
Please note that I received a free ecopy of this book in exchange for a candid review. Apart from that I have no connection at all to either the author or the publisher of this book.
Winsor McCay's signature comic strip, "Little Nemo in Slumberland", ran from 1905 to 1914 and then 1924-1926. It was drawn in an Art Nouveau style and recounted the adventures that Nemo had in his dreams. Of greatest interest, to quote his Wikipedia bio, "The strip demonstrated McCay's strong graphic sense and mastery of color and linear perspective. McCay experimented with the formal elements of the comic strip page, arranging and sizing panels to increase impact and enhance the narrative." If you look over the original strips now you can entertain yourself just by appreciating all of the novel and creative twists McCay introduced to the layout and arrangement of the Nemo strips. Pretty much anything you find in advanced graphic novels like the "Sandman" series, appeared in the Nemo strips a century earlier. Volumes have been written about the profound influence McCay had on graphic novels, animation, popular culture and even urban architecture.
The author and the illustrator of this new Nemo book make no secret of their admiration of McCay's work, and they add a new and vibrant spin to his style and to the Nemo story. As was the case in the original, each chapter begins with Nemo falling asleep, "waking up" in a swell dream, having an adventure with a perilous cliff-hanger ending, and then waking up back in his bed, safe but tangled up in the same position he was in at the end of his dream. Here, the King of Slumberland is trying to get Nemo back to Slumberland to be his daughter's new playmate. After a few nights of dreams and failed attempts, Nemo finally successfully dreams his way to Slumberland, and the rest of the book involves the disorienting and fantastical things that Nemo experiences in Slumberland.
The new stories and adventures here are old-fashioned but a bit brisker and faster paced for a modern audience. The drawing is detailed and colorful, but maybe not quite as intricate as in the McCay originals. This makes everything a bit brighter without sacrificing the feel of the originals, and you still get the colorful psychedelic vibe McCay had mastered. (As you might expect, McCay's ethnic characters would be laughably offensive to modern sensibilities and that aspect has been cleaned up in this volume.)
So, this is a change of pace sort of book, with appeal for the deeply committed fan but also with rewards for the reader with a passing interest in the genre. It's a fun trip.
Please note that I received a free ecopy of this book in exchange for a candid review. Apart from that I have no connection at all to either the author or the publisher of this book.
July 27, 2015
Probably all I really wanted was this:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5Ku-j...
But this is an OK substitute. It seems like much of the book is straight-up homage (although I'm not too tied into the source material.)
It's a strange question who would like this book. It really seems to be targeted at children, but the references to the 100-year-old source material won't resonate with them. Or their parents.
It's a perfectly fine introduction to the world. There are some nifty visual tricks.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5Ku-j...
But this is an OK substitute. It seems like much of the book is straight-up homage (although I'm not too tied into the source material.)
It's a strange question who would like this book. It really seems to be targeted at children, but the references to the 100-year-old source material won't resonate with them. Or their parents.
It's a perfectly fine introduction to the world. There are some nifty visual tricks.
January 30, 2017
Little Nemo: Return to Slumberland is cute and good for the kiddies. There's not much story in this short volume to lure in adults, but the art is great and it will amuse younger readers. It would have been benefited from a few more pages to decompress the narrative a tad, but it's a cute start to a potential reboot of the original series.
January 16, 2016
My favorite pages are a series of two-page spreads that feature symmetry in their twinned six-panel designs.
Highly recommended.
Highly recommended.
November 13, 2018
uno de los mejores cómics que he leído. La trama te engancha desde su inocente inicio ♡ y las ilustraciones son impresionantes, llenas de detalles hermosos!!
April 29, 2017
Una historia bella, a la altura de la obra original, superandola en varios pasajes.
August 29, 2020
While I've not read a lot of the original Little Nemo, I have seen enough of it to be amazed at Winsor McCay's exceptionally detailed art and boundless imagination. Those are big shoes to fill. Eric Shanower and Gabriel Rodriguez turn in something that is a small step short of the original greatness, but still worth the read. Rodriguez's art in particular, while feeling like it's a step down in detail from McCay's style, is still beautiful and imaginative, especially the Tessellated Tower, which is a masterpiece of fusion of McCay and Escher. Oddly enough, the style reminded me as much of Steven Kellogg as it did McCay.
The story isn't particularly deep, and the challenge of putting a modern child into Slumberland without changing the location's charm and period feel is perhaps the biggest stumbling block of the series. But even so, most of it works; the first issue in particular is charming, as Jimmy stumbles through multiple approaches to Slumberland before finally arriving.
All in all, this is a beautiful book with an average story, and the combination is strong enough and unique enough to recommend.
The story isn't particularly deep, and the challenge of putting a modern child into Slumberland without changing the location's charm and period feel is perhaps the biggest stumbling block of the series. But even so, most of it works; the first issue in particular is charming, as Jimmy stumbles through multiple approaches to Slumberland before finally arriving.
All in all, this is a beautiful book with an average story, and the combination is strong enough and unique enough to recommend.
March 14, 2021
Winsor McCay was a genius so it had to be a daunting task to reimagine his work for a modern generation. This book succeeds surprisingly well. The story follows the same basic plot of a boy visiting Slumberland to be the playmate for a princess. Despite keeping the old fashioned clothes, the characters and dialogue are more modern. The illustrations are imaginative and colorful if not as intricate as some of McCay's stuff. I've read the original comic on GoComics.com and while the art is incredible, the writing is very much of its time. This is a great book for someone who is interested in trying Little Nemo but who might find the original difficult to read.
July 29, 2022
Esta novela gráfica es buenisima, lei una edición moderna con información adicional y me hizo apreciar mejor los detalles que tienen los comics, recuerdo principalmente el uso que le dan a las viñetas para acentuar tamaños como las patas de la cama, o caídas del personaje. De ahí quedé mas atenta a ese y otros detalles de los demás comics que leía, incluso buscando información adicional en páginas y otros libros respecto a la creación de comics
October 4, 2024
As homages to great works go — even counting the Oz comics written and sometimes drawn by Shanower — few capture the spirit of the original quite like this. Gabriel Rodriguez’s McCay-inspired art is a sight to behold; there’s not one false beat. Little Nemo was a highlight of my youth — both the strip compilations, now consolidated by Taschen, and the underrated NES game — and I’m glad to see that it received a brief and worthy revival here. Highly recommended.
January 18, 2022
Little Nemo tribute. Short but complete, nice story, terrific art. I’m not an expert, but seems good for fans of Oz (actual Baum novels, but also Shanower/Young comic adaptation), fans of Möbius (level of detail in art). There is a character smoking a cigar who will make you think you are in 1930. Ages 6 to adult.
April 20, 2018
85/100
A really enjoyable tribute to Little Nemo which plays with the structure and props in Slumberland in enjoyable ways. There's also a tribute to MC Escher which works nicely in McCay's world. I'd definitely read more issues of this.
A really enjoyable tribute to Little Nemo which plays with the structure and props in Slumberland in enjoyable ways. There's also a tribute to MC Escher which works nicely in McCay's world. I'd definitely read more issues of this.
December 24, 2020
Un maravilloso regreso y homenaje a la obra original, con un arte insuperable y una trama entretenida. Lo tuve en el librero de pendientes durante mucho tiempo pero debí haberlo leído antes. De verdad, visualmente es un libro perfecto.
December 9, 2021
Windsor McKay's Little Nemo was one of the first masterpieces of the comic medium. This book is kind of updating the comic to a modern sensibility with a longer storyline.
It's cute, predictable and art is pretty stellar.
It's cute, predictable and art is pretty stellar.
November 30, 2016
Leído en Noviembre del 2016
Nah po, me encantó!
Donde puedo conseguir una oruga real pq es lo más bello <3
Nah po, me encantó!
Donde puedo conseguir una oruga real pq es lo más bello <3
July 29, 2017
Writing is questionable but the drawing is incredible. Beautiful book.
September 21, 2017
The drawings by Gabriel Rodriguez in this reinvention by Eric Shanower. It was fun to read the story and the pacing of the panels were brilliant.
October 8, 2017
A great, exciting update to Nemo. It reads like a big ole hug to fans and newcomers.
October 21, 2017
Původního Nema jsem nečetl a toto jde mimo mě.
June 27, 2018
Note: I received a digital review copy of this book from the publisher through NetGalley.
August 25, 2018
i thought that the pictures were great and told a story on their own. I liked the book over all.
September 10, 2018
Wonderfully written with gorgeous art. A great modern take on Little Nemo and a beautiful little graphic novel. Wish there was more.
September 22, 2018
Ridiculously beautiful artwork. And a darn fun read! Enchanting.
October 20, 2018
Excellent.
Eric Shanower captures Windsor McCay and Gabriel Rodriguez's art is flawless.
Highly recommended for any McCay fans.
Eric Shanower captures Windsor McCay and Gabriel Rodriguez's art is flawless.
Highly recommended for any McCay fans.
December 27, 2018
Art: 7/5
Story: 3/5
Story: 3/5
February 8, 2019
A cute little read with a throw back feel.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 80 reviews