Don’t ask me what steps one and two are… but this is where it’s bound to get, uhmmm… interesting.

… As interesting as things get in the Trailverse.  No idea what Mark wants to talk to Dr. Carter about- his past, illicit relationship with Cherry?  His business model? Where to get a good street taco in these parts??

Sounds like Joe suffers from a medical condition… probably why he is now making his way on the Yucatan…  Culturally OK to take a siesta!!

And the look on Rusty’s face tells all- that he knows what’s next- he and Mara will no doubt fall into some kind of a trap!

What would be great now is if that little doll would leap up and bite Rusty’s nose off!   I am sure he could be fitted with a prosthetic schoz- I mean, look at Michael Jackson!

…or maybe one of his Dopey-Style ears.  Either way, little guy, take your pick!!  Man does not live by margaritas and cigars alone…

Actually, I think that the Black and white version is a little bit creepier!

And it’s another long walk for a short drink of water…

Yea… I am sure it’s just Bill and Ted having an Excellent Joke on everyone!

The battle in the foreground seems a bit far-fetched, until you see this…  It’s surprising that the Jag can get the upper hand, especially when it’s chosen to go in the water!!

Good lord, how gullible can these three be?  Of course I am assuming that Mark is being taken in by all this, too…  And Rusty is offering up his disbelief…

I think Dr. Carter also majored in pulling legs…  A BS Artist from way-back…

For the love of Mike, Mark, haven’t you been paying attention?!

The doll keeps local robbers away!  That’s the point!!

And it would seem that a shit-faced doll is more effective…  Shaken?  Stirred?  Blended?  Salt on the rim?  Top shelf or rail?  I wonder.

And the Jaguar goes, “Really?”

What is with all the withering, awful renderings of the human hand?

And since when are Rusty’s eyes blue?  I guess I have never noticed that before…  And would confirm that his genes lie outside of the coal darkness that Mark represents…

So, I get it… the unsophisticated and hyper-super-stitious locals are kept at bay by this little warrior doll steeped in legend.  OK, Rusty, you realize that your words are highly prophetic and you have now pretty much guaranteed that you will be spending the night in the trailer with the little man?

Is Dirty behind this somehow?

Boy, you really can’t miss a day of this riveting storyline, can you?  I’ll tell you what, though… if this little doll animates and attacks, I’m done.

And apparently we are now sampling further into the realm of animated, lethal wooden dolls…  and a 1975 production called “Trilogy of Terror.”  Here’s more about it…

It would seem that Mr. Allen’s “muse” is the internet coupled with questionable tastes in movies.

What would you say it is, Rusty?

Once viewed, this little figurine cannot be unseen… and will haunt the viewer for the rest of his born days.  Many people have remarked similarly upon viewing your face, Rusty Trail…   its misshapen and transmogrifying nature has left many a reader looking nervously away, hoping that they don’t have to encounter it in the future…

In case anyone wants to make the connection between this awful strip and a timeless Movie Script, here’s your reference…

And what were two students doing at Faculty parties?  Besides, this all supposedly went down in the mid-to-middle 30’s, which is eighty-plus years ago!  This timeline is getting squishier by the day!

I’d love to be going along with this, but like I said, it’s really annoying when this “story” relies on all that has gone before it.  It’s one thing to stand on the shoulders of giants, it’s another to plagiarize.  There’s no “homage” going on here, just theft.  Seriously.  Knock it off.

Seriously- invest in a writer, before you start getting into serious trouble with all your “sampling” of existing story lines…  Not that anyone even reads this strip anymore…

The wince on Dr. Carter’s face reveals the pain he feels when he realizes he has no actual stake in the value of any of these artifacts… …and while you are at it, learn how to draw hands…

Indiana Jones…

Check out the wings he sprouted in the first panel!  What th…?!

I can see it now.  Total ripoff from Raiders of the Lost Ark…  Right down to the melting faces…

I’m not even sure what that means…

Individually?  Each one worth several hundred thousand dollars?  To whom?  King Tut?  And why are we continued to be fixated on the MONEY?!  What about the historical and or cultural significance of all this?  Or are we just all mercenaries?  I know that it’s a balancing act to keep the grant money flowing, but seriously.  And Rusty is caught up in the middle of all this, heavily influenced by the adults in the room, not the mention the writer that is putting words in his mouth…

I love the first panel… Mark is cradling probably half a million dollars in his hands…  and since he isn’t on Woods and Wildlife business, (where is Editor Bill Ellis, anyway?) he probably couldn’t get the magazine to cover for his clumsiness this time…

I think this might be a new look for Mark!  What’s he implying, I wonder?  I am sure that “Professor” Carter hired Becky simply because she was the most qualified candidate… it certainly couldn’t have been her movie star looks!!

So, hide your disappointment Mark, she’ll turn up sooner or later…  with any luck, you’ll get trapped in the temple with her, alone, where you can (again) proudly proclaim your “happily married” status… Just like in the Cave Odyssey a few years back…

Tomato / Tomahto…

Who is this Dr. Carter, anyway?  Where did he get his Advanced Degrees?  His attitude and technique are both suspect… along with this story line.  I mean, where is this going?  I don’t find much tension in listening to a Peevish Professor!

Oh, the thought of earning “top dollar” for the items “provided” by this site has Mark creaming himself!  What about anything related to the “Antiquities Act?”  What gives Carter the right to profit from this activity?  Does he have investors beyond the usual academic funding that are demanding a return?  Is he more mercenary than truth seeker?

And thanks, George, for pointing out Mara’s head/neck configuration.  It gets more disturbing from every new angle…

Boy that trailer sure does look secure!  Even has a locking doorknob!  And look!  Pottery!  Are we sure that we haven’t stumbled onto some ancient Artisan Commune?  Mass producing authentic (looking) items to be sold to gullible tourists visiting Chichen Itza?

Or perhaps Dr. Carter is referring to the number of weeks he has been looting this sacred site…

I can’t help but think that both men are extremely uncomfortable in their long sleeved shirts…  And as we are afforded a longer view of the temple, we are treated to a large face of sorts- not particularly scary, just unfinished.

Hey Campers, I’m back… did a little campling myself over the holiday week and now I am back on the grid!  LOVED the comment about Rusty having nothing to fear from virgin sacrifices… ha!!  Speaking of virgins, the movie “The Virgin Suicides” comes to mind for no particular reason.  An early Kirsten Dunst vehicle… before all the Spiderman nonsense…  Not to mention James Woods and Kathleen Turner as the parents…  definitely worth a look.

Yea, Mark, if you had anything at all to bet, we might take you more seriously than we do.  But seriously, look at the doe-eyed Marla, still with the strange head perched forward on the too tall neck!  She’s even got the goth lip color going on…  How old is this young(?) lady, anyway??

Aww!  That’s a rip-off!  Shoved into the stoner-van and dragged through the jungle only to be shown items from the gift shop!!  But yes, taking Mark inside and leaving the youngsters to fend for themselves should allow for a little hyjinx! (WHICH WOULD BE A FANTASTIC SCRABBLE WORD, BTW…)

Leave it to the experts, please… I am sure your conjectures will be front and center when you write your “article,” but for now, please leave the learned stuff for those who are actually learned.

Rusty is riveted to every word coming from Dr. Carter.  But Dr. Carter, do you mean the local diggers like “Bill” and “Ted?”

Dark Rituals?  Virgin Sacrifice??  Please, do go on in GREAT detail…

Riveting stuff… really…

‘Guessing’ is always is a good substitute for ‘knowing…’  What’s your source, Mark?  Upon what are you basing this conjecture??  You will never be more than a hack writer unless you engage in some kind of critical inquiry!  At least there is a question mark at the end of that otherwise declarative statement… perhaps Dr. Carter will respond, or politely ignore your supposition.