Week 3: The Comic Strip


Little Nemo by Windsor McCay

The very first thing that really popped out to me when reading Little Nemo, is the art itself. As a person that love to draw and doodle with a pen, I found his penmanship to be really expert and inspiring. However it is not only the line work that stands out ot me, but the art nouveau style that he brings with it. 

That characters of the the Little Nemo universe are very likable and manage to be interesting despite there being very little character development with them. I also found the dynamic between them to be very familiar and they work together very nicely. Little Nemo is a good character for any child to latch onto and flip functions as a great comic relief. in a lot of ways, these character "roles" remind me of the kinds of character dynamics that often pop up in kids movies to this day. This makes me think that Windsor McCay is also probably a pioneer of modern character archetypes in some small way. 

However, i don't think that the character alone could have made much of an impact on me alone, its the rich world that McCay creates that really takes this comic strip to a new level. On one had he captures a dream-like feeling perfectly... while still creating things that are familiar (one example is the ongoing circus themes, character and architecture that inhabit the world). Things feel suitably dated, in the manner that makes it feel like something more akin to a fairy tale than a modern comic strip or comic book. This also works to the comic's benefit by allowing it to age very nicely. While there could be some insensitive caricatures, even that doesn't taint the strong, innocent quality to the whole thing. This innocence also, lends tot eh child-like qualities of the strip. 

In the end I found Little Nemo to be an excellent read, but an even more impact visual treat. What it proves to me is that Windsor McCay is a true master of his craft in so many aspects. 

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