Little Nemo In The Palace Of Ice

This week I chose to read Little Nemo In Slumberland by Winsor McCay. The minute I opened the first pages I was engrossed in the color spectrum that was presented to me. Along with the colors some other aspects of the comic that stood out were the composition (how each panel lead my eye through the event) along with the perspective and the scale. Each character has a distinct placement in the scene. They appear as if they have been pasted in, and this style seems to give each character equal importance in any given panel. Winsor McCay, the author has created extravagant environments that I think has stemmed from extensive traveling or intense research. His manipulation of the environments takes the characters on wild journeys that in my eyes would be great to see in a movie.

Winsor McCay while using youthful characters conveys dramatic adult situations that bring excitement to the story. One example was a naval battle at sea.

The characters such as Nemo and his friends are all dressed in extravagant clothes that complement each panels color scheme. McCay must have been influenced greatly by the circus. In the majority of the stories I read, McCay had a ring master character that was rather large. He had his nimble acrobatic female characters and the children always seem to be being guided by a native of the region they are exploring.

I found it interesting that every time Nemo and his friends reach a new environment they encounter a creature that has a suitable creature with corresponding line work. For example Nemo and his friends explore an ice palace and in that palace they meet a monster (Jack Frost) that has the physical appearance of a bunch of icicles. These creatures that appear help to convey the tone of the environment and deepen the world that the characters and I were exploring.

A really neat story telling aspect that I encountered was that Nemo explores his dreams and that at the end of every wondrous journey he wakes up in his bed.

This consistent ending note keeps a running theme that helps to end the journey on a high note. In the future when I go to design a character in my animations I will keep note that McCay has some really neat character designs that I am sure will inspire me while in my design process.