And Then I Read: LITTLE NEMO, DREAM ANOTHER DREAM

I worked on this huge book, that’s my logo on the cover, and I lettered about a dozen of the more than 140 pages of comics inside, so I am not an unbiased reader, but I find it a remarkable achievement both artistically and conceptually. Even Leo, above, finds it worthy of an action pose! Measuring 16 by 21 inches, each page is the size that the original “Little Nemo in Slumberland” Sunday comic strips ran when Winsor McCay was producing them early in the 20th century. Many people feel that McCay achieved a pinnacle of visual comics art that has not been equalled since, but Locust Moon Books invited dozens of their favorite artists to try.

While each artist did something relating to the original comic strip, the approaches are as varied as the individual imaginations of all those creators, and it’s remarkable how little similarity there is among them as far as the actual content. Yes, many did artistic homages to McCay’s own Nemo style, but equally as many went their own ways. A few artists used more than one page to tell their tale, but most used a single large page. You can call it a themed anthology, but the experience is a bit more like walking through an art gallery, as the entries are so different, yet contain a common theme. The ones I liked best told an actual story in panels, often numbered sequentially as McCay did, but even there the creators were very clever and playful, with some leading the reading in very unexpected directions. There are many artists represented I know nothing about, but also quite a few I recognized, including a few friends I wasn’t expecting, always a nice thing. The printing and production is stellar, and on a personal note, I have to say I’ve never seen a logo of mine reproduced as large as it is inside this volume. The entire reading experience brings out the child in me, the book is so large, it made me feel small again, in a good way.

If you’ve seen any of the books put out by The Sunday Press, it’s a very similar format, but this is the first book I’ve seen using it for new material. And what truly wonderful material it is!

Highly recommended.