Additional Images:
Carl Barks, WDC&S #249 (1961)
Artwork Details
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DescriptionMcCay, born in 1869, had a strong distrust of technological progress, of automobiles in particular, which he refused to learn to drive. Many other modern inventions are lampooned in Dream of the Rarebit Fiend, and the telephone is no exception, several telephone gags reflecting McCay’s distrust of the new gadget:- A man attempts to call his wife but he cannot get a nickel to go in the slot (Feb. 7, 1907) - A woman melts in a hot phone booth (Jan. 16, 1908) - A woman is bombarded by numbers and letters that emerge from a telephone speaker (Jan. 19, 1913) In the present strip, first published in the New York Evening Telegram on Feb. 15, 1906, the man on the phone is talking to James Jeffries. Jeffries (1875–1953) was a boxing champion who is also mentioned in two other Rarebit Fiend strips. This is one of only 13 Rarebit Fiend strips (out of more than 800) presenting a child dreamer instead of an adult protagonist. A possible inspiration for this strip is “The Man Without a Body” by Edward Page Mitchell from 1877, the earliest known story about matter transmission or teleportation. It tells the story of a scientist who invented a way to transmit objects by wire and who tries the experiment on himself. The process of rematerialization however is interrupted because the scientist has forgotten to recharge the batteries, which causes him to end up as a head without body. Parts of Carl Barks’ story “Stranger than Fiction” in Walt Disney’s Comics and Stories #249 of 1961 may have been inspired by this Rarebit Dream: Donald Duck gets stuck in Gyro Gearloose’s teleport machine while fooling his nephews (see additional image). As Barks stated in several interviews, he was an avid reader of the San Francisco Examiner’s comic section when he was young, and he was particularly impressed by McCay’s Little Nemo. He did not mention Dream of the Rarebit Fiend in those interviews, but he must have known it, as the San Francisco Examiner was one of the papers publishing the strip, and as Barks quoted often from Rarebit Fiend on many other occasions. Social/Sharing |
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Comments on this Artwork
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Jeff Singh 
Member Since 2004
Posted on 8/4/2023
A really fun Rarebit with a great analysis/write-up.
Rob Stolzer
Member Since 2004
Posted on 8/5/2023
A truly terrific example my friend. Congratulations! And thanks for the excellent context!
Carl Linich
Member Since 2011
Posted on 8/5/2023
Fantastic and beautiful. Congratulations and thank you for sharing! It's my own rarebit dream to own one someday...
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