Little Nemo Return To Slumberland

If you've been reading IDW's Little Nemo: Return To Slumberland, then you already know that the sleepy kid of the title is having a pretty rough time. First he could barely even get to Slumberland before he woke up, then he got caught up in a big parade on his way to the castle, and then everyone fell asleep and he had to make his way through a mind-bending tower of optical illusions. Now, things are getting even worse, as the sleepy young man runs afoul of a giant woman. Or... maybe he's a tiny kid? Listen, Slumberland gets pretty weird. If you're not reading it, well, maybe you need a little more convincing that Eric Shanower, Gabriel Rodriguez and Nelson Daniel are producing one of the most beautiful comics on the stands, which is why we've got a preview of next week's fourth issue. Check it out below!

At this point, I honestly hope you're all reading Little Nemo: Return to Slumberland, because if you're not, you're missing out on one of the most beautifully drawn, cleverly constructed comics on the stands right now. No to be confused with Locas Moon Press' Little Nemo: Dream A Little Dream anthology, the next issue of Eric Shanower, Gabriel Rodriguez and Nelson Daniel's IDW book asks one of the most soul-sizzling questions in comic book history: What happens when Slumberland sleeps?! Okay, so maybe it's not quite "Who Watches The Watchmen," but when Nemo starts exploring Slumberland while the rest of the residents are snoozing, he comes across the Tessellated Tower, and with it, one of the most beautiful pages of the year.

As we mentioned back when the first issue came out, IDW's Little Nemo: Return to Slumberland is a comic you really need to check out. In case you've been sleeping on it (ha HA!), Eric Shanower, Gabriel Rodriguez and Nelson Daniel are reviving Winsor McKay's beloved newspaper strip in the form of one of the most beautiful comics on the stands, full of lavish backgrounds and innovative layouts that are every bit as visually engaging as the original.

Just in case you're not up to speed on classic newspaper strips, Winsor McKay's Little Nemo is one of the most innovative comics of the 20th century. Originally running in newspapers from 1905 to 1926, it was arguably one of the first real masterpieces of the form, with McKay's surreal dreamscapes taking the form of beautiful imagery and page layouts that creators are still trying to recreate today. Now, Nemo is returning to the comics page in Return To Slumberland. Not to be confused with the forthcoming Dream Another Dream anthology, this new series from Eric Shanower, Gabriel Rodriguez and Nelson Daniel launches this week from IDW Publishing, and it is beautiful. Seriously, just hands down one of the prettiest comics I've seen in a long time, and even though the first few pages don't quite get into the strangeness of walking beds and stair-step city skylines, I get the feeling that all of that stuff shows up right where the preview ends.