Wait—what’s this? Mark is wearing a different type of shirt with a different color, to boot? Did the Earth change its rotational direction? At last! I have to admit, they both look like Fantastic Four cosplay characters.  In other news, it is now clear that it was Diana who flew into Mark’s town and checked into that “log cabin” hotel. “Welcome to Hollywood“, indeed!

Luckily, Mark not only has a snake to help work out his feelings of doubt, he has his life-mate, Cherry. And she is not going to let him slide by. While some might call this more classic story padding, it is really plot development: Not in action but in motivation and causation. The earlier version of Mark Trail tended to keep Mark’s concerns and feelings fairly basic and easy to figure out:  Aloof—check. Curious—check. Angry—check. Bemused—check. Now Mark’s feelings are more nuanced, if not sometimes stuck between shifting gears.

But a little bit of anguish goes a long way. As I have written before—and several others have also opined—we don’t want to see Mark become a basket case of emotions, neuroses, and self-doubts. Yes, it’s fine to make him more “realistic” and less of an idealized boy-man hero, but he is still a symbol for doing the right thing; for protecting nature against the predations of greedy humans; and for the notion that an individual can still make a difference. He has to rise above his doubts and fears and get the job done. That clearly did not happen in the California story, where Mark was more or less a passenger in a careening series of escapes and dubious activities. And we now have some of its after-effects (and some characters) infiltrating and affecting the the current assignment. As for that last part, I think it is an interesting and good story device.

As for the exploding boats riff, it’s a good rejoinder to Mark’s “time bomb” fear. If Rivera wants to inject her own jibes at some Mark Trail tropes, that’s fine. In his final year, James Allen clearly enjoyed taking swipes at his critics, the Internet, and social networking. And Stephen Pastis certainly enjoys taking potshots at his own persona.

Once again, where the heck are they? What building are they entering? It looks like a log cabin with glass doors. Is it some kind of boutique hotel?

The carping and sorting out continues from the previous two days. Some critics are crying “foul!” or maybe “fowl!”, and think this is merely more story padding. A bit, perhaps. But there is definite tension between these two and that cannot be glossed over. That is why Diana was placed in this assignment, right? Conflict sells.

It’s only natural that Mark finds himself overwhelmed by circumstances from time to time. However, Mark should be able to ultimately rise to the occasion and overcome his fears, not drown in them. When looked at in context, Professor Bee was more bully than brawn; more sociopath than psychopath; more Goofus than Gallant. Rivera has had plenty of time and space to assign foibles and doubts to Mark. Now, it’s time for Mark to “man up” and get on the offensive. This is Mark’s assignment and Daggers is merely his production crew.

I might be getting even pickier, but why does Mark have to recite Sharp’s full name and honorific to Diana? It would be more natural for Mark to refer to him as “Sharp”, or “The Professor” (unless he wanted to avoid a comeback remark about MaryAnn). If readers don’t already know who he is, what does his full citation serve? Could it be for the benefit of that ridiculous Canada Goose that keeps popping up? The least it could do is give some advice to Mark, like other animals.

But ending on a positive note, the landscaping in panel 1 is very well executed; and more than expected in a daily comic strip. The coloring may have something to do with it. But I appreciate the effort that went into it.

I’m pretty sure we’ve seen this setup in movies before, where the hard-bitten cop having to work with the just-released, cynical mouthy criminal. You remember that one, right?

Still, Diana Daggers has a point: Time to man up, Trail. You’ve been the All American Nature Boy Hero for decades. Sure, you’re decided to no longer be that monolithic symbol. That’s good. It’s okay to have doubts; just don’t let them rule you. Hang in there, Mark. Stay alert and don’t let Daggers psych you out. By the way, you should have kissed her, as I advised, and put Diana on the defensive!

Okay, I think this is one of the more interesting starts for Mark’s new adventures. Aside from Dagger’s “Welcome to Hollywood” remark, I’m still not sure where they are. If they are in California, why did Mark pick Diana up at the airport, rather than the other way around? Otherwise, what is the reason for Diana’s closing comment? I don’t think that Barn Owl knows (and remember, Rivera already covered owls on a Sunday in the early days of the California adventure, so I don’t think we’ll see it on Sunday).

Rivera makes several fast cuts in these four panels, changing the angles, space, and proximity, just to keep things moving along. The third panel, as seen from a space behind the two riders, but ‘outside’ of the car, is a nice inventive viewpoint, though I have to take issue with those front seats, which look like they were carved from wood. Mark must have rented one of the “base” models of that car. And though I did not mention it before, that shoulder belt in the last panel of Monday’s strip looks more like a towel or maybe even a large piece of tree bark. But, I’m carping over details again.

Still, I’m eagerly waiting to hear more specific plans about the assignment. I wonder, truly, if they’ll wind up back at Cricket Bro’s office building? That would be a hoot! (Sorry for the pun. Okay, I’m not).

Okay, did Rivera forget to publish about a month’s worth of strips? At what point did Diana become a cooperating (?) partner with the person she was seething to break in half just a few weeks ago? Are we to believe Mark’s assignment is local, so he just drove over to an airport to pick up Diana? Ah, so many questions and so few answers. This is like Cherry’s sudden turnabout with Violet Cheshire, right? Hey, at least Diana has something of a personality, which is more than could be said for the reptile kids.

I see that our “animal of the week”, known for loud honking, is no competition to Diana’s broadcasting voice. Maybe Mark can turn the tables on Daggers and plant a big passionate kiss on her lips when she gets in the car and say “Glad you could make it, Diana. I’ve missed you!” Now that could be interesting!

Here is a query: What and where is this “Tom Hill Airport”? I’m guessing it is fictional. There are lots of Tom Hills on Google, but I’m going to hazard a guess that this name refers to the 19^th century landscape painter who eventually moved to San Francisco and painted majestic scenes of American landscape, such as Yosemite, New Hampshire, and Utah. Hill preferred dramatic landscapes, as did many artists of the time, including Alfred Bierstadt and some of his colleagues in the so-called Hudson River School (Asher B. Durand, Fredrick Church, and Thomas Cole). Just a guess, mind you. Anyway, I don’t get to trot out my rusty art history background very often. So deal with it!

In closing, a note to Jules Rivera:  Traditions are just fine, but can Mark please change his shirt once in a while? Sure, I bet he has a closet full of red check shirts, but we’d still recognize him in a different shirt. For example, Dilbert changed from a shirt and funky tie to a polo shirt and badge. We still recognize him. Or, is Mark colorblind?

(Added some edits to correct grammar and clarity)

This past week continued Mark’s video conference (started the prior week) with Bill Ellis and Rafael Suave, Editor of the fishing rag “Hot Catch.” The hot assignment is an investigation of zebra mussels, which, for the laid back and smug Rafael means getting the goods on some big-time, evil companies that are exploiting the mussels’ spread for some nefarious purpose.

As commenters have noted, the only practical reason a company would do this is to help sell their own zebra mussel eradication solution. I suppose it would be a quite the coincidence if one of the companies turned out to be owned by Cricket Bro, given that Diana Daggers has somehow also wormed her way into this assignment as a videographer. That fact has naturally given Mark conniptions, based on his prior association that Rafael may or may not have known about. I’m guessing he did.

As Amy Lee did, Rafael patronizes Mark and goads him into taking the assignment. Mark is left to ponder his fate and consult his moral avatar, Ralph the Snake. Since Ralph is a stand-in for Mark’s conscience (filling in for both the “good” and “bad” avatars that pop up on characters’ shoulders in various cartoons and movies), it is no surprise to Mark when Ralph points out that Mark is no less a potential danger to himself than is Diana. DOH!

The former Mark Trail would never need to get in touch with a “Ralph” because the former Mark Trail did not have moral/ethical dilemmas; at least, none that were expressed. The former Mark was always steadfast, focused, morally grounded, emotionally conservative, and liked shirts with two pockets. And that is okay for a leading character. That is, after all, the genetic makeup of virtually all heroic types in American films, books, and comics for most of the 20^th century. That may be one reason why so many readers prefer the former Mark Trail, in the face of the current trend of heroic figures that expose warts, self-doubt, questionable ethics, and excessive vigilantism.

And with that, we move to Sunday’s nature talk.

As is expected, Rivera continues to create the title panel based on the Sunday topic. It is not a surprising solution, though showing the bees moving out of a hive to form the title might have added a bit of humor. Rivera’s exposition on “killer bees” plays down their lethal effect on humans, which is fine, though they can still be very harmful and painful. In fact, their real danger lies in the fact that they can attack in large swarms. I read that repellents, such as DEET, have no effect on them. So, take Mark’s advice to heart.

I noticed that Rivera avoids using the commonly preferred name, “Africanized honey bee”, unless she is suggesting (by its absence) that the term “Africanized” is pejorative. That could be why she uses the terms “European” and “Hybridized” as descriptive labels. Interestingly, the hybridization of the African honey bee with European honey bees took place in Brazil back in the 1950s, and their distribution seems to be confined to the Americas. Since this particular species was created in Brazil, maybe we should just call it the “Brazilian killer bee” and go with that, though “Americanized killer bee” is fine, too. “Hybridized honey bee” is really not descriptive, but does sound like something a corporation would come up with, to distract from their harmful effects on other bees and people.

As Jules Rivera channels Stephen Pastis (note panel 4), I have to wonder how the logs of that log cabin got to be so flat. Or, is Mark leaning against his house, lying “on” it, or what? But Ralph the Snake looks cool. And Mark looks so, so pink. As an outdoor person, I wonder why he doesn’t have a bit more tone in his skin by now.

Well, dear Readers, we wrap up the week with Mark continuing his dialog with Ralph the Snake over how his new assignment is going to be a really bad thing. Mark is turning out to be an even bigger complainer than I am! Anyway, Rivera has decided to draw out this tease to stoke Mark’s fears and our anticipation. Will he go? Of course! He’s Mark Trail.

It’s interesting how quickly the villain in the California story changed from the immature Cricket Bro (childhood foe Rob Bettancourt) to the more psychotic Professor Bee Sharp and his muscle, Diana Daggers. Like so many others in the history of Mark Trail, we may have seen the last of Cricket Bro, as well as Reptilionnaire. Can’t say that I’ll miss them.

But if Diana and Professor Bee are actual Trail villains, how are they supposed to be on the same team with Mark? Mark may have real cause to wonder. Yet, I predict (my correspondence course in Becoming A Prophet may finally be paying off!) that Professor Bee is just a red herring. Diana will confess to having been coerced into a bad relationship and forced to take on the role of a “heavy”; a role that she now disavows. In short, she has taken a liking to Mark and will become another one of those vulnerable women who can’t help throwing themselves at him. Not that we’ve seen any of those women since Rivera took over.

Will this vision pan out? Truth be told, I only audited that Prophet course. And I dropped out.

Ralph the Freudian Snake makes his triumphal return to the strip, signaling to Mark that his problem might be closer than he thought; or so the snake implies.  He’s got a sharp tongue that snake.

This is a more interesting take on a comic strip character having a conversation with himself than the usual series of thought balloons. Ralph brings up some interesting questions, such as: What is his purpose; why the name “Ralph”; and why not a beaver or fox? You may recall that Mark’s first re-appearance under Rivera’s pen (October 13, 2020) is him making a video about scarlet king snakes. Coincidence? Maybe a favorite animal for Rivera? Nevertheless, it’s an engaging feature.

These animal talks seem to occur during a crisis of conscience, rather than just small talk, such as the conversations Mark had with some sharks and gulls while running off with Daddy’s boat back in January 2021. And we have another crisis of conscience today. It’s surprising that Rivera didn’t take advantage of that in the Cricket Bro story that just completed, given Mark’s “bedroom” full of reptiles.

And Ralph shows he can be quick with the sarcastic remark when called for, as Mark’s expression in panel 3 suggests that he realizes Diana is not the only dangerous person going on this assignment.

Well, when humiliation and embarrassment won’t work, make an appeal to vanity! And Mark must have a lot of that, based on his fantasy-fed decision-making process in panel 3. I still think he better have a chat with his snake buddy before signing on. This looks like it’s going to be a take on the popular “Yin/Yang” partner format, especially popular in cop TV shows and movies. But please, no dancing and singing, okay!?

Now, what’s this about a conspiracy of “scary-powerful companies” helping to spread zebra mussels!? What’s in it for them? Are they the ones marketing solutions for expelling or reducing zebra mussels? That would make sense, of course. In any event, since this is not a normal role for companies to take (those that interact or depend upon public sales, for example), then it looks like we have the makings of an interesting adventure. I admit that the “scary company” angle is intriguing. Do you think so?

But, yeah. I can see that people still find it difficult to accept this new version of Mark Trail. It’s sometimes wacky world, flexible drawing style, and anti-hero values can look like a slap at old-time readers. Maybe they are. And I know that it can be painful. I was depressed when the old Popeye cartoons got taken over by studios that had lesser talents and smaller budgets. And it sure showed! I just had to stop watching them. Joseph Nebus’s Another Blog has been posting discussions of these later Popeye cartoons, discovering interesting techniques, jokes, and actions Nebus theorizes (if I understand him correctly) the artists and writers sometimes put in to help make up for the poor animation and weak stories. Okay, I see that and I get it. But it’s hard to watch them, all the same.

On the other hand, here we are getting a more in-depth, complex personality for a leading character than before (I’m not sure we can exactly say that Mark had much of a personality before), and a leading character that is not always on top of the situation (okay, maybe he is on the bottom a bit too often). He also has a more interesting family who have their own issues, as well. And remember, these were things Trailheads use to complain about for not being in the comic strip! We used to laugh at Mark’s face always looking the same (probably due to tracing one of the character sheet reference drawings over and over). Now we complain that Mark’s face keeps looking different. We Trailheads are a fickle lot!

That Rafael is clearly invested in Diana Daggers. Is she like a second cousin or something? And something else that has not been clarified this entire time is why Diana—an apparent ecology activist—is so rabidly against Mark, an avowed environmentalist/nature writer. From the moment she was introduced to Trail at Cricket Bro’s party, she has been overtly hostile. Her directing one of the famous “2 Fast 2 Explode” movies (clever title, that!), certainly reveals her relish of hot pursuit chases in hot muscle cars (and explains her driving in Mark’s L.A. adventure). It’s quite a career arc for Diana we’re seeing: A big jump from self-made eco films to directing a big-budget Hollywood action movie, and then an apparent fall from grace to a mere chauffeur and bodyguard to the narcissistic poser Professor Bee Sharp. So, is this Zebra Mussel assignment a means for her to get back into the directing game?

And speaking of action nuts, do we excuse Mark’s outburst in panel 4, even though it is a bit over-the-top and an ironic claim, given Mark’s own “action-packed” past? His expression shows his anguish at what must be a nightmare-come-to-life-situation for him. However, I do agree with his comment “What kind of assignment is this?” Indeed, I (and other critics) have already wondered what the big deal is here over zebra mussels (hardly a new threat, as Rafael implies) and why it warrants not only Mark’s attention, but that of a flamboyant, violence-prone producer. His outburst might give an editor pause to reconsider; but somehow, I don’t see that happening here. Just the opposite, it seems, as both Bill and Rafael have already shown their enjoyment at embarrassing and humiliating Mark. And humiliation is something that Mark has been running into a lot this past year! Get over it, Mark! This is your new world, so learn to deal with it!

On another topic, I think there is a bit of Jules Rivera in Diana Daggers. Not the threats and attempts at violence (I think). But from her online messaging, I see that Rivera surfs, is an activist, and doesn’t mind being controversial or confrontational. But that’s probably about as far as this comparison will go. Am I making too much of this? Writers and artists often find inspiration in people they know, including themselves. The 17^th Dutch painter Rembrandt, for example, used himself, followed by his wife, as his most frequent models.

Dear reader, do you have a different point of view? Add you comments to share with me and other readers!

Funny, I didn’t realize how many people must read Mark Trail! They seem to always be one step ahead of Mark, aware of his past incidents and escapades and ready to use them against him at any time. Or shall we blame Bill Ellis for “talking out of school” and working against the man he constantly depends on and calls a friend? Let’s see….

I fail to see how Mark’s history of water vessels has anything to do with working alongside of somebody who has threatened and assaulted him. Is this all just a joke between Rafael and Bill, at Mark’s expense? I can see Bill advising before the call: “Sure, Rafael. Just bring up exploding boats and you can get Mark to agree to just about any idiotic assignment you want. I did that with him for years, thus getting him to accept assignments no self-respecting writer would touch!”

Then again, Rivera, must you continue to use this hackneyed meme every time a new story line is introduced? Are all of these magazine editors going to be narcissistic sociopaths who blackmail Mark into accepting outlandish assignments? Or perhaps this is really Bill’s long-term act of revenge against Mark for bankrupting his magazine after paying off lawsuits and having to cover all of the property damage Mark caused in his career. That, and forcing Bill’s magazine to sell out to a conglomerate and reducing Bill’s job to a meaningless, impotent intermediary.

And where is Ralph, the talking rat snake? Surely, he has some words of wisdom for Mark at this important juncture!

As for that fish in the foreground and its relevance to next Sunday, I refuse to take the bait.

A flashback!? We need a flashback for something that just happened a few weeks ago? Well, I better not say too much. After all, I do weekly “recaps” which are not too different, right? <Ahem!> Still, this doesn’t serve much purpose. Now, had panel 4 actually been panel 1, this so-called “refresher” could have represented Mark’s explanation to Rafael about Diana Daggers. But, no. Rivera missed the opportunity. Ah, I was truly hoping I’d seen and heard the last whine from Reptilionnaire, too!

Mark instead wastes his breath in panel 4 trying to build up suspense before he reveals his information. I’ve seen too many characters in movies do this kind of time-wasting build-up, rather than getting right to the point: “Guys, Daggers is a psychopath and has threatened to kill me!” Time-killing speech like this usually gives the listener time to cut off the speaker with some self-important response, such as “No time to listen to your fanciful stories right now, Trail! Just get to the airport as quickly as possible. Your ticket is waiting for you! Good-bye.” And it’s off to the races.

One alternative suggestion here is that Rafael admits to Mark that Daggers already spoke to him about their relationship, but gave a different story. Don’t think she can come out and admit the truth, but she would have laid the groundwork for Rafael to believe they can work together, thus giving Diana the opportunity to eventually make good on her threats.

So this week saw Mark canoodling with Cherry on their morning exploration of nature. Cherry then efficiently disappeared to take Rusty to a scout meeting she forgot about. Mark quickly tuned into a video meeting with his new assignment editor, Rafael Suave, of “Hot Catch” magazine. I’m glad to see Rivera move beyond Amy Lee, not because of any problem with her, per se, but that Mark is supposed to be an on-call writer for any and all of the magazines of a magazine empire. But Suave’s assignment has had many Trailheads rubbing their collective chin:  Researching the origins of, and solutions for, Zebra mussels in our lakes? Really!? Known since the late 1980s, their origins are now well documented, as is how they often spread. There are even known treatments to minimize their impact and spread, though some people think they can be helpful. I also noted that the story assignment—in which Mark is questioned whether he knows about zebra mussels—was diluted by the prior Sunday strip of Mark discussing zebra mussels (see my blog post of August 8, 2021 strip)! This seemed like an editorial slipup that KFS should have caught.

Zebra mussels are not exactly the kind of hard-hitting, state-of-the-art nature/environment issue that I would have expected Rivera to put into Mark’s hands. In an interview (go to https://www.comicskingdom.com/trending/blog/2020/10/07/an-interview-with-jules-rivera) Rivera gave to Comics Kingdom last year, she noted that “Coming up with new storylines isn’t even that hard.” Perhaps she should have tried a bit harder for this story. But, we’ll have to see how it unfolds.

If Rivera continues with her usual strategy, we should also see a parallel mini-story. The last two times it starred Cherry, in order to establish her backstory and character identity. Perhaps this time, Rivera will reveal more about Rusty or Doc. But for now, on to the Sunday nature talk!

Mark clearly has his “I’m really concerned!” face on in today’s strip. It may not be groundbreaking, but it is timely and well drawn. I think Rivera’s style keeps the subject matter entertaining as well as informative. And today’s installment makes the valuable point: Thanks to our reckless and criminal use of oceans and rivers as toilet bowls, we continue to damage sea life, water, and our food. At first, I was thinking (as I do once in a great while), “Why couldn’t Rivera have made this issue the basis for Mark’s assignment?” But then I remembered:  Mark is not a scientist. He doesn’t even have a staff of researchers and interviewers. He’s just a nature photojournalist and part-time vigilante.

Finding poachers, animal kidnappers, and two-bit bank robbers are in Mark’s wheelhouse. How could we possibly expect Mark to single-handedly take on criminal or reckless activity in a big corporation (for example) with its army of attorneys ready to bury him in law suits; or security thugs, ready to bury him in a landfill? Poor Mark couldn’t even find anything illegal with Cricket Bro or his corporation; and he had his hands full just trying to evade Professor “Killer” Bee Sharp and his security thug, Diana Daggers, who is now Mark’s newly-assigned collaborator! How is that for two fists of justice?!