Abstract
In his Little Nemo in Slumberland series, published in the New York Herald from 1905 onwards, Winsor McCay (1869-1934) used the world of dreams to give free rein to the most dazzling visual transformations. Each Sunday page had to be spectacular enough to catch the eye of the casual reader, yet intriguing enough to entice him or her to read on. McCay plays virtuoso with the possibilities of the comic strip. There are staircase compositions, others based around a large round image. Some pages feature vertical boxes, others only horizontal images, always in a remarkably inventive way. As for the use of color, it's one of the most accomplished in the history of comics. McCay's use of color is one of the most accomplished in the history of comics, and he never allows himself to be stifled by realism.
