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At some point in the 1940s, I came across a used copy of Superworld Comics, a short-lived periodical (three issues) published by Hugo Gernsback. We remember Hugo for Amazing Stories and its scores of descendents and imitators published since 1926, but Hugo was into all sorts of publishing ventures including a brief foray into the realm of comic books.

Superworld Comics featured a less than spectacular array of characters, the most notable of whom was Hip Knox, the Super Hypnotist. Small wonder that Superworld didn't last longer, despite the distinctive pen-and-ink stylings of the great Frank R. Paul. But what caught my attention most in Superworld was a feature called "Little Nemo in Slumberland," written and drawn by Winsor McKay. As a small child I had no understanding of publishing practices and no concept of the difference between new and reprinted material. It was all the same to me.

"Little Nemo in Slumberland" chronicled the experiences of a little boy in his dreamworld. Each night he would don his pajamas, climb into his brass bed, and soar off to fabulous adventures in marvelous cities populated by fascinating characters and weird monsters. Time and space were annihilated. Even Nemo's bed came to life, lengthening and stretching its legs and carrying the youngster away from his home.

Think "Calvin and Hobbs" meets "Flash Gordon," 1911 style.

"Little Nemo in Slumberland" ran in Sunday Hearst newspapers -- huge, magnificently drawn, color pages -- from 1905 to 1914. There was a second series, 1924-1927. I'm not sure which series the Superworld pages came from, but they were just marvelous. They enchanted me then and they are as wonderful now.

McKay created several other comic strips, and was also one of the pioneers of film animation. He personally drew the first Nemo motion picture in 1911. His "Gertie the Dinosaur" (1914) was the progenitor of every screen monster from King Kong to Fantasia to Reptilicus to Avatar.

And now, it seems, there is to be a full-length animated feature version of Little Nemo in Slumberland with a script by no less than science fiction superstar Ray Bradbury. The Subterranean Press edition consists of Bradbury's script; I have seen only an advance copy of the book so I have no idea what graphics, if any, will be included. I hope there will be a lot, because McKay's creation, while faithfully rendered into script form by Bradbury, really needs McKay's images.

Fortunately, there have been numerous albums of Little Nemo in Slumberland pages in recent years, and other Winsor McKay books as well. Publishers include Fantagraphics, Taschen, and Checker, and I recommend them all. Even to speak of Little Nemo in script form, with all due respect to Mr. Bradbury (whom I revere, and whose works have inspired and delighted me almost as long as Winsor McKay's) is like speaking of The Last Supper in script form or the Lincoln Memorial in script form. No words, no matter how passionately conceived and no matter how skillfully rendered, can do justice to the imagery.

Buy the reprinted Little Nemo albums and pray that the film is as good as the one Winsor McKay made in 1911.

Richard A. Lupoff is a prolific and versatile author of fantasy, mystery, and science fiction. His recent books include a novel, The Emerald Cat Killer, a multi-genre collection of stories, Dreams, and the forthcoming novel Rookie Blues. His chief contribution to Lovecraftiana is Marblehead: A Novel of H.P. Lovecraft, available at www.ramblehouse.com.