Now I remember what took so long… it wasn’t Andy in the Deer Trap , it was Andy at the Vet’s Office…

Still, this doesn’t hold a candle to the Space-time Continuum we were forced to endure in the Allen Era… 6 months in a cave? I don’t think I could do that again…

Well, Campers, 12 more days… Do we think there are 12 more days in this story? Well, 9 days, actually if we take Sundays off… Which makes me wonder what the Sunday panels will look like in the Rivera Era- HA! That rhymes!!

I know there are a lot of (not so) mixed feelings about this change. For what it’s worth, I think it’s exciting. While it’s been fun poking Mark in the ribs for all his foibles, predictability, and lack of continuity over the years <snark, I think we’d call it> this is a medium that is increasingly living on-line, even if it’s still being carried by Newspapers. It will also be interesting to see how many of the old characters make a return- Kelly Welly, Johnny Malot, Dirty Dyer, a supporting cast of federal agents, etc. and how many new characters are created to add a bit of depth to the story lines. I mean, how exciting can it be if it’s just a more woke and vulnerable version of Mark, a stronger and more self-determined version of Cherry and an angst-filled and perpetually coming of age Rusty to play with? Oh, wait, that pretty much describes Rusty today, except that soon he will get to wear hip sneakers, low-ride skinny jeans and sport a more contemporary hair-cut…

As Mark awakens from a brief slumber, Cherry is there with the strong, black coffee! Meanwhile, Squirrel, meet Baldy!

Fast forward to Mark spinning tails of Andy-past… I wonder if they go back to the war?

“Come through the crisis?” How about “Out of the Woods?” This is Mark Trail, after all…

Wait a gol-darned second! Is that Mark shedding a tear? Funny how no one has mentioned that Andy has a particular smell about him, a smell that would implicate Cherry in his banishment…

And what about that no-good Tabby? If Andy has learned anything, he knows now that he should let that little thing fend for itself!

Now it’s off to the Awards show… As if we had doubts.

Thanks to Mark, again, for this sneak peek at the coming age:

I don’t know, Cherry… I feel like I learned something…

First, to the story at hand… With the help of the operator, Cherry reaches Bill Ellis, who milquetoasts his way out of any responsibility…

But onto Breaking news!

Attention!! New Cartoonist in town!

Thanks to Faithful Reader Mark who pointed out in yesterday’s comments a sea-change in the offing – Mark Trail will be under a new pen come October!

I have to admit, to quote an MSNBC Anchor in 2008, “I’ve got a thrill going up my leg…“

Oh, this is going to be fun!! Such a departure from what came before. It’s interesting that in the NY Times write-up references appear to be limited to the Allen era (Caves, blowing shit up, etc…) so I wonder (hope) whether Ms. Rivera will dig a little deeper into the history and canon of Mark Trail…

Meet the new Scribe:

My name is Jules Rivera and I’m an illustrator, storyboard artist and graphic novelist, specializing in adventure and science fiction work. I am currently working my webcomic series, Love, Joolz, about hard truths, weaponized femininity, and screaming at the sky. I also do work in storyboarding and sci-fi design. On my off time, I go surfing and skating.

Hang on Campers!!

We have established that this story first published in 1981, but what year are we in really? Operator? When was the last time you could dial -0- and get an operator? I just tried it on my Vonage (VoIP) phone and got nothing. I will have to ask my mom, who still has a land-line… Great… Now I will have that Jim Croce song stuck in my head for the next week…

But really? Was there ever a time a person could pick up a phone and ask to be connected to a specific person, high up in a skyscraper in New York City? I am picturing a giant switchboard with an endless row of operators (standing by…) physically plugging cords into different jacks… “Bill Ellis? a-one a-moment, plee-uz…” And the lady (Lily Tomlin for sure) makes a connection that is almost out of reach… Amazing how many Operator references there are still… fading into history mostly, but what an invention, the telephone!

Now give him what-for, Cherry!!

No, Mark, technically, I think you just quit…

But that’s the way to show some backbone! Priorities in order!! Tell those suits how we do things in the woods!! That’s fine! You probably have options you don’t know about… And what? Are they going to NOT give you the award just because you aren’t there? Your market price is going up, Mark Trail! There’s a great article in what you are going through right now! Fear not, Nature Writer, these pricks will see the light!

…the one that I offered up a few days ago- about how Bill Ellis knew to call Mark at the Animal Hospital, about how he must have called Lost Forest and Cherry directed him, which also assumes that Mark sent Cherry home so he could await Andy’s fate in private… But apparently not…

Oh, J.R. Williams, you insensitive brute! Why, you could easily be one of the villains that Mark goes up against in another tale of Corporate Greed… But wait, you are sort of playing the Villain right now… The only thing that’s missing is a cigar in one hand (or maybe a glass of whiskey) and you’d be a dead ringer for “Big Mike” of arranged big game trophy hunting fame…

So, as Mark is about to tell J.R. to take this job and shove it, we see Mark’s jaw start to set as he steels himself for the conflict!

I mean, who is Mark’s competition, after all?

Apparently Bill hasn’t been listening… I guess enthusiasm can blind a person. And compare the “hospital” in these two strips… the first looks like a farm with a water tower and red barn, and the second (complete with a fallen tree in the foreground) looks more like a city skyline. What is going on here??

Oh, Bill, haven’t you ever seen an awards program? “Accepting for Mark Trail is his Editor, William Ellis…” Then you could go on an on about what a standup guy Mark is and how the world is a better place with him in it, blah, blah, blah… You could even read a prepared statement from Mark, explaining that he is bedside with a loved one struggling for life…

In a departure from more typical Mark Trail obliviousness, Mark inquires about the cat that has really brought nothing but despair, cost and potential tragedy to Lost Forest…

Yes, he is, Mark! One of a kind. Not that anyone else seems to understand that…

Uh, Bill…? Did you even hear a word Mark said?? “Andy’s still in serious condition!” “Mark, get on that damned plane, and get to the awards ceremony!”

I assume that Bill called Lost Forest first and Cherry told him to call the Animal Hospital… So many leaps of faith in this story line!

Sometimes things happen that bring everything else to a halt. It’s usually when a loved one is lost or in peril…

In this case it’s Mark oldest friend, Andy the St. Bernard, who saved his life when they served together in WWII… We really have to apply time bending to this, though… We established that it’s 1981 and WWII was in the mid ’40’s so that makes Andy close to 50 (350-400 in dog years) and Mark in his 60’s… I guess we get to live forever in the funnies…

As Mark ponders how hollow the award would be without his Dearest Friend to share it with, Cherry has to wonder where she fits in the pecking order- Would Mark be nearly as conflicted and paralyzed if it was her fighting for life?

What’s with the ‘P’ in P-neumonia? Like, what’s with the ‘h’ in diphtheria? As we name diseases, we need extra, confusing letters that add nothing to the phonetic pronunciation? While we are at it, then, why don’t we ‘pronunce’ as opposed to ‘pronounce?’

I thought for sure that Dr. Tom Davis, Cherry’s father, was a Vet! Maybe he just does large animal as opposed to house-pets… But isn’t Andy a large breed dog? Doesn’t that count for something?

I might help, Doctor, if you ran an IV or something…

Who is this “we?” For the last week there has been one- singular- Ranger “Checking his traps…” “You fellows?” Is Mark referring to the hedgehog in the foreground? And “The Hospital?” Do you mean the Animal Hospital? Or does everyone, man and beast, see the same doctor in Lost Forest?

Ah, the days before cell phone technology… when you had to rely on others to deliver messages! Cherry will be so relieved to find Tabby is OK! Did anyone even ask about the damned cat? Nope, cats always come back… whether you want them to or not!

This isn’t the first time I’ve been confused, by the Trailverse or other things, but I swear that Jr. Ranger Tom appears to have put Andy and Tabby back into the trap and closed the door… It was just a few days ago that Andy and Tabby were outside the trap, with the door open, and tags being inspected…

And the trap seems to have been moved away from the lake. When the trap was first being inspected, the waters where practically lapping against the box.

For all the grief I gave James Allen during his brief turn at the tiller, inconsistency and incongruity seem to be a feature of this strip… And as the comments suggest, we are being asked to understand that there was an awful lot of information exchanged off-camera in order for Mark to even know where to go! But then, we should be grateful that this story is wrapping up quite quickly as we are being spared those gory details.

Colorizing the past and punctuated with older technology… I wonder if that phone is hooked up to a party line? News of Andy’s Lazarus-like return will travel fast…

With the news of Andy still breathing, Mark and his pink chamois-cloth shirt and jeans make like Clark Kent heading toward a phonebooth! Cherry continues to look on in disbelief, hoping against hope that her side of the story will never have to come out!!

Why aren’t they calling for Doc Davis? He might actually be able to do some good here…

Tom the Jr. Ranger makes a startling discovery! And let’s the world know about it!! I wonder if this is the first time he has found something other that a deer in his deer trap? Or is there a sign on the trap that says, “Deer Only?”

Vocalization, as compared to thought balloons, is a feature of the Trailverse. Why leave people wondering what’s on your mind when you can just spit it out?!

Another thing comes to mind- This story is wrapping up in a decidedly non-Allenesque timeframe… What’s it been? A week? If this were driven by the latest, now former steward of the franchise, we would have had to endure weeks of (non) action while Andy moldered in the dank box…

And it’s a good thing that there is a Veterinarian in the house… Doc Davis! Well, he’ll have Andy pumped full of fluids in no time…

…or at least were… back in the day…

If Mark wins? Please! Don’t go spoiling things with lack of faith and sincerity- sort of like Linus in the pumpkin patch… not if the Great Pumpkin shows, it’s when he shows!

Poor Mark! He is despondent! On the verge of breakdown! Cherry floats in the background unsure what to do about all this- this situation (which some have pointed out in the comments) brought about as a result of her banishing poor Andy after his tangle with the Skunk!

…but note the plural on traps. Is this the trap that Andy and Tabby wandered into to escape the rain? Or one of many set up to trap unsuspecting animals? I mean, these are not discriminating! Anything with enough weight and curiosity could find themselves trapped… a bear even!

Talk about picking things up in the middle… For those of you new(er) to the Trailverse, the “Bill” Mark is talking to is none other than Bill Ellis, Editor of “Woods and Wildlife” magazine, Mark’s primary source of work and, I would imagine, income… Although it’s never made clear whether Mark is a contractor or on the payroll…

Oh, poor Mark! He is really down!! Will he be able to go on with life? His literal and virtual right hand taken from him?! Only in the comics, though, can man and beast be frozen in time, never age, and never succumb to the natural forces of life… Mark and Andy (and Cherry for that matter) in their prime, not having to yield…

Speaking of Frozen in Time, I stumbled upon this site featuring original Dodd artwork… Interesting!!

Must be a slow news day in and around Lost Forest…

Seriously! How can Mark, in good conscience, put on his one and only travel suit and board a plane for New York City to accept some cheesy award while his canine-brother-in-arms is missing? Do we not remember how Mark and Andy came to be? That look on Mark’s face tells us all we need to know, campers.

Also, we know that we are back in the “Elrod” era as all of the dailies devote at least one panel to a furry or feathered friend!!

Wow! The tension has really been building in my absence…

Doesn’t the owner of the “trap” ever check his traps? Is this a DNR trap? A Poacher trap? One might think I’d remember how this story ends up, other than Andy be recued, of course… but this is all new to me, again…

There’s Doc Davis! Returned from the wood-shed or some such thing!

Fans of the strip know that Rusty’s face can take on frightening transmogrifications… that third panel is almost too much to look at… Way to soothe his fears, Mark!

DAYS pass… And so now it’s sinking in… using the past tense… <Andy> WAS so much part of our lives… Goodness! Mark, are you getting ready to bawl?

With Andy and Tabby caught in the deer trap, we see them from inside. The dimensions of the trap have grown enormously, looking more like the inside of a cabin than the 4x4x8 foot deep enclosure that sprang closed on them…

Tabby, you really are useless. Is it any wonder your former owners abandoned you to a new fate? Other than the smile on your face, what good are you? Tell me whose life is better since your arrival… Certainly not Andy’s!

Meanwhile, back at Lost Forest…

“Crawled under a rock?” That’s interesting phrasing Mark… How about “They probably found shelter” or something like that…

Cherry is doing her job – worrying. Mark is doing his job – maintaining denial. Andy is doing his job (important for a working breed) – staying trapped and raising the level of anxiety. Well done, Everyone!