McCay left Hearst in May 1924 and returned to the "Herald Tribune". He began "Little Nemo in Slumberland" afresh that August 3. The new strip displayed the virtuoso technique of the old, but the panels were laid out in an unvarying grid. Nemo took a more passive role in the stories, and there was no continuity. The strip came to an end in January 1927, as it was not popular with readers. Hearst executives had been trying to convince McCay to return to the "American", and succeeded in 1927. Due to the lack of the 1920s Nemo's success, the "Herald Tribune" signed over all copyrights to the strip to McCay for one dollar.