Daily Graphic Novel Recommendation 39

Little Nemo: Dream Another Dream

by 100+ creators including:
• Michael Allred
• Paul Pope
• Yuko Shimizu
• J.H. Williams III
• Charles Vess
• David Mack
• J.G. Jones
• Craig Thompson
• Paolo Rivera
• Carla Speed McNeil
• Bill Sienkiewicz
• P. Craig Russell
• Ronald Wimberly
• Denis Kitchen
• Jill Thompson
• Stephen R. Bissette
• Gabriel Bá & Fábio Moon
• Farel Dalrymple
• John Cassaday
• Peter Bagge
• Cliff Chiang
Genre notes: fantasy, social critique
144 pages
ISBN: 0989907694 (Amazon)

This is a huge book at 16" x 21". It's a modern-day tribute to the whimsical work of Winsor McCay. There are a lot of different artists on deck and so a lot of different styles employed. It's wild and wonderful - especially for fans of Little Nemo.

The creators involved seem pretty variously familiar with Little Nemo. Som might have well-versed experience with the strip while others seem like they might have only read the first ten (because they don't show much familiarity with character development).

Because this is a book paying homage to a comic strip that's now over a century old, many of the contributors engage in some social critique of McKay's use of the common racially charged tropes when it comes to characters like the spear-carrying dark-skinned tribal named Impie (like critique is applied to cranky Irishman, Flip). Some of the critique is insightful, while some seems more in place to let the reader know that a particular creator does not wish to be complicit in the troublesome expressions of several generations passed. There's also the occasional investigation of Nemo's early-series quest object: appearing before the Princess, daughter of Morpheus.

Like Little Nemo itself (also best appreciated in one of the luscious oversize volumes available), the best experience is not to burn through the pages but rather to take a strip or two a week. Enjoy it for its momentousness.

Dream Another Dream makes for a gorgeous coffee table book. It's a wonderful conversation starter and a great way for guests to occupy themselves for a few spare minutes. It's a pricey book and I recommend purchasing from it's publisher directly rather than through Amazon. $160 from Amazon vs $125 from Locust Moon.

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