Editing Winsor McCay (section)

===Comic strips (1903–1911)===
[[File:Little Nemo in Slumberland (1908-07-26) panels 11 to 15.jpg|thumb|upright=2.25|center|alt=Six panels from Little Nemo comic strip. Nemo dreams his bed grows legs and walks through the city.|Nemo's bed takes a walk in the July&nbsp;26,&nbsp;1908, episode of ''[[Little Nemo|Little Nemo in Slumberland]]''.]]

From January until November 1903, McCay drew an ongoing proto-comic strip for the ''Enquirer'' based on poems written by [[George Randolph Chester]] called ''A Tale of the Jungle Imps by Felix Fiddle''.{{sfn|Canemaker|2005|p=60}} Before the last two installments appeared in print, McCay had moved to New York City to work for [[James Gordon Bennett, Jr.]]'s ''[[New York Herald]]'',{{sfn|Canemaker|2005|p=64}} at first doing illustrations and editorial cartoons.{{sfn|Canemaker|2005|p=71}} He worked alongside comic strip pioneer [[Richard F. Outcault]], who was doing the ''[[Buster Brown]]'' strip at the ''Herald''. A rivalry built up between the two cartoonists which resulted in Outcault leaving the ''Herald'' to return to his previous employer, [[William Randolph Hearst]] at ''[[New York Journal-American|The New York Journal]]''.{{sfn|Canemaker|2005|p=74}}

McCay's first continuing comic strip, ''Mr. Goodenough'', debuted in the ''[[New York Evening Telegram]]'' on January 21, 1904. The formula for the strip was that a sedentary millionaire would seek ways to become more active, with embarrassing results. ''Sister's Little Sister's Beau'', McCay's first strip with a child protagonist, lasted one installment that April, and his first color strip, ''Phurious Phinish of Phoolish Philipe's Phunny Phrolics'', appeared in the ''Herald''{{'}}s Sunday supplement that May.{{sfn|Canemaker|2005|p=75}}

[[File:Little Sammy Sneeze 1905-09-24.jpg|thumb|left|alt=Six-panel Little Sammy Sneeze comic strip in which Sammy Sneeze destroys the strip's panel borders with a sneeze|''[[Little Sammy Sneeze]]'', September&nbsp;24,&nbsp;1905]]

McCay's first popular comic strip was ''[[Little Sammy Sneeze]]''. The strip starred a young boy whose sneeze would build panel by panel until it was released, with explosively disastrous results, for which he was usually punished or chased away by those affected. The strip debuted in July 1904 and ran until December 1906.{{sfn|Canemaker|2005|p=75}}

McCay's longest-running strip, ''[[Dream of the Rarebit Fiend]]'', first appeared in ''The Evening Telegram'' in September 1904. The strip was aimed at an adult audience,{{sfn|Canemaker|2005|p=78}} and had no recurring characters. The characters that appeared in the strip would have fantastic, sometimes terrifying dreams, only to wake up in the last panel, cursing the [[Welsh rarebit]] they had eaten the night before, which they blamed for bringing on the dream.{{sfn|Canemaker|2005|p=79}} ''Rarebit Fiend'' was so popular that a book collection appeared in 1905 from publisher [[Frederick A. Stokes]]. It was adapted to film by [[Edwin Stanton Porter|Edwin S. Porter]], and plans were made for a "comic opera or musical extravaganza" for stage that failed to materialize.{{sfn|Canemaker|2005|p=78}} McCay signed the ''Rarebit Fiend'' strips with the pen name "Silas", as his contract required that he not use his real name for ''Evening Telegram'' work.{{sfn|Dover Publications|1973|p=ix}}

The McCays had been living in Manhattan, close to the ''Herald'' offices; before 1905 they moved to [[Sheepshead Bay, Brooklyn|Sheepshead Bay]] in Brooklyn, New York, a seaside resort on [[Long Island]]. It was an hour commute from the ''Herald'' offices, but they believed it to be a better place to raise children. They lived at a number of addresses before settling into a three-story house at 1901 Voorhies Avenue, where McCay resided for the rest of his life.{{sfn|Canemaker|2005|pp=125–126}} As his reputation grew, his employers allowed him to work from his home studio more often.{{sfn|Canemaker|2005|p=127}}

[[File:Little Nemo 1907-09-29 (borderless).jpg|thumb|alt=Comic strip of two giant characters wandering around a city|The most successful of McCay's comic strips was ''[[Little Nemo]]''<br />September 9, 1907]]

While still turning out illustrations and editorial cartoons daily,{{sfn|Canemaker|2005|p=87}} McCay began three more continuing strips in 1905. In January, he began ''The Story of Hungry Henrietta'', in which the child protagonist visibly ages week by week, and eats compulsively in lieu of the love she craves from her parents.{{sfn|Canemaker|2005|p=92}} ''A Pilgrim's Progress by Mister Bunion'' was another "Silas" strip for ''The Evening Telegram'',{{sfn|Canemaker|2005|p=94}} which ran from June 1905 until May 1909{{sfn|McKinney|2015|pp=2, 13}}<!-- McKinney explains why some sources state 1910 in the footnote on page 13 -->. Mr. Bunion spent each strip unsuccessfully scheming to rid himself of his suitcase, labeled "Dull Care".{{sfn|Canemaker|2005|p=94}}

McCay got "an idea from the ''Rarebit Fiend'' to please the little folk",{{sfn|Canemaker|2005|p=87}} and in October 1905 the full-page [[Sunday comics|Sunday strip]] ''[[Little Nemo|Little Nemo in Slumberland]]'' debuted in the ''Herald''.{{sfn|Canemaker|2005|p=97}} Considered McCay's masterpiece,{{sfnm|1a1=Harvey|1y=1994|1p=21|2a1=Hubbard|2y=2012|3a1=Sabin|3y=1993|3p=134|4a1=Dover Publications|4y=1973|4p=vii|5a1=Canwell|5y=2009|5p=19}} its child protagonist had fabulous dreams, interrupted each week with his awakening in the final panel.{{sfn|Harvey|1994|p=21}} Nemo's appearance was based on McCay's son Robert.{{sfn|Crafton|1993|p=97}} McCay experimented with formal aspects of the comics page: he made inventive use of timing and pacing, the size and shape of panels, perspective, and architectural and other details.{{sfn|Harvey|1994|p=21}} The ''Herald'' was considered to have the highest quality color printing of any newspaper at the time; its printing staff used the [[Ben-Day dots|Ben Day process]] for color,{{sfn|Canemaker|2005|p=94}} and McCay annotated the ''Nemo'' pages with precise color schemes for the printers.{{sfnm|1a1=Harvey|1y=1994|1p=22|2a1=Canemaker|2y=2005|2p=107}}

Impresario [[Frederick Freeman Proctor|F.&nbsp;F. Proctor]] approached McCay in April 1906 to perform [[chalk talk]]s for the [[vaudeville]] circuit.{{sfn|Canemaker|2005|p=131}} For $500 per week he was to draw twenty-five sketches in fifteen minutes before live audiences, as a pit band played a piece called "Dream of the Rarebit Fiend".<!-- Canemaker says it was written by Fred Day, but all other sources I have say it was by Thomas W. Thurban. Were there two such pieces? -->{{sfn|Canemaker|2005|p=132}} In his ''The Seven Ages of Man'' routine, he drew two faces and progressively aged them.{{sfn|Stabile|Harrison|2003|p=3}} His first performance was on June 11, 1906,{{sfn|Canemaker|2005|p=132}} in a show that also featured entertainer [[W.&nbsp;C. Fields]].{{sfn|Canemaker|2005|p=132}} It was a success, and McCay toured with the show throughout 1907,{{sfn|Canemaker|2005|p=135}} while managing to complete his comic strip and illustration work on time, often working in hotel rooms or backstage.{{sfn|Canemaker|2005|p=137}}

[[File:Little Nemo score cover.jpg|thumb|left|alt=Little Nemo characters ascending a staircase|Cover to the score of the extravagantly expensive ''Little Nemo'' stage musical, 1908]]

As early as 1905, several abortive attempts were made to produce a stage version of ''Little Nemo''. In mid-1907, [[Marcus Klaw]] and [[A. L. Erlanger]] announced they would put on an extravagant ''Little Nemo'' show for an unprecedented $100,000, with a score by [[Victor Herbert]]{{sfn|Canemaker|2005|p=141}} and lyrics by [[Harry B. Smith]].{{sfn|Canemaker|2005|p=141}} It starred midget Gabriel Weigel as Nemo, [[Joseph Cawthorn]] as Dr. Pill, and [[Billy B. Van]] as Flip.{{sfn|Canemaker|2005|p=143}} Reviews were positive; it played to sold-out houses in New York and toured for two seasons.{{sfn|Canemaker|2005|p=148}} McCay brought his vaudeville act to each city where ''Little Nemo'' played. When the [[Benjamin Franklin Keith|Keith]] circuit{{efn|Keith had partnered with Proctor in 1906.}} refused McCay to perform in Boston without a new act, McCay switched to the [[William Morris Endeavor|William Morris]] circuit, with a $100-a-week raise.{{sfn|Canemaker|2005|p=149}} In several cities, McCay brought his son, who as publicity sat on a small throne dressed as Nemo.{{sfn|Canemaker|2005|p=151}}

As part of an improvised story, Cawthorn introduced a mythical creature he called a "[[Whiffenpoof]]". The word caught on with the public, and became the name of a [[s:The Whiffenpoof Song|hit song]] and a [[The Whiffenpoofs|singing group]].{{sfn|Canemaker|2005|p=143}} Despite the show's success, it failed to make back its investment due to its enormous expenses{{sfn|Canemaker|2005|p=149}} and came to an end in December 1910.{{sfn|Canemaker|2005|p=151}}

McCay displayed his [[Social consciousness|social awareness]] in the last strip he created for the ''Herald'', ''Poor Jake''. Its title character was a silent laborer who worked thanklessly for a Colonel and Mrs. Stall, who exploit him. The strip ran from 1909 until spring 1911.{{sfn|Canemaker|2005|p=121}}

McCay was approached in early 1910 to bring his vaudeville show to Europe. McCay requested the ''Herald''{{'}}s permission, but the plans never materialized. His show stayed within the Eastern United States until he ceased performing in 1917. Biographer [[John Canemaker]] assumed McCay's request to tour Europe was turned down, and that the refusal added to McCay's growing frustration with the ''Herald''. A distrust of big business became pronounced in McCay's work around this time, including a [[story arc]] in ''Little Nemo'' in which the characters visit a Mars oppressed by a greedy business magnate.{{sfn|Canemaker|2005|pp=151–153}}