Well, be careful what you wish for, I reckon. I wondered if we’d get more of Rusty, and here he is. That must be Ian in the middle, who balances the composition of the panel and the sleepover arrangements.
Aside from a comics syndicate that scrimps on proofreading, we have another “here’s looking at you” member of the animal kingdom checking in. I suppose this episode falls under the category of story padding, as it would be more interesting if this sequence had anything to do with the main event, whatever that turns out to be. This certainly does not look like it will lead to anything more than three kids staying up until 3 AM. On the other hand, a little bit of home life is one of the things we were just starting to get during James Allen’s tenure, so it’s good to see that continue under Rivera. And let’s face it: This Rusty is not the clueless sheltered kid we have endured for so many decades.
I reckon that Rivera is on some kind of “animal in your face” kick, since she has consistently introduced animals into the foreground that “break the fourth wall” to look at us; they are often not even integrated into the scene. It’s a gimmick that I believe has run its course and I’ll be happy to see our animal friends return to their proper place as normal components of the landscape, where they can be shot at or run over.
Apparently, Mark is on his way to Florida to get Pops, so Rusty takes the opportunity to get some palling around time with his friend, Robbie. Cryptids, as some of you know, are mythical creatures that most of us recognize as not real, such as the Loch Ness Monster, Bigfoot, the Yeti, or Huckleberry Hound. But there are plenty of people who do believe (Recall Mark’s Yetiadventure with Dr. Camel, the “cryptozoologist”, starting back in September 2019.). There is also an actual active market in cryptid kid-lit, just as Rusty says.
(Note: If you missed out on Mark’s “Hunt the Yeti” adventure, just click on the September 2019 link in the Archives section and begin your education!)
As this nail-biting adventure ends (okay, I heard some people were biting the heads off nails after reading Mark’s latest adventure), Mark and Diana’s zebra mussel video went viral. Rafael chided Mark for his arrest, then praised it as a plus for both the video and Mark’s popularity (Ed. note: Wonder if it will help when his case comes to trial). Mark indicated that he is taking his family—and his Dad—to Oregon for a two week vacation.
The zebra mussel adventure had its share of kooky characters, some deserving more attention. Perhaps they will appear in later stories. The issue of zebra mussels is real and worth a story, although the tale Rivera spun was quirky, if incomplete. I think more detail and depth would have been worth a longer story time. Of course, if this was a pre-RiveraMark Trial story, Mark would be chasing down some loutish fishermen happily moving their boats between lakes, while ignoring zebra mussel procedures. There would also be a pretty sister who helps Mark bring these boobs to justice and falls in love with him, only to be spurned like all other women, as Mark returns to his devoted, but boring, Cherry.
Rivera apparently was riffing on the fact that it actually was cargo ships passing through the Great Lakes that initially imported the zebra mussels. Relocating these ship(s) to Lost Forest seems pretty crazy, at first. Rivera could have sent Mark up to Lake Erie, but then Rivera would not have been able to weave Mark’s and Cherry’s separate storylines together as she likes to do. So, some historical sleight-of-hand took place. It’s nothing that other writers have not done. Still, there are many imponderables! While you ponder them, check out today’s nature strip:
I grew up on the East Coast and went to the beach many times. We’d always find horseshoe crabs on the beach, many of them expired for one reason or another. Didn’t realize they are only found along the Atlantic coast of North America! But three other species can be found in the waters of S.E. Asia. How interesting that they are not found in most other locations! Although I have not seen this event, horseshoe crabs congregate by the many thousands along the Maryland and Delaware beaches in May and June during full moons and high tides for mating season.
Okay, everybody: Stand up and take a slow, deep breath. Hold it for three seconds…now exhale slowly while extending your arms outward. Now wave them around like a crazy person for a bit, and whoop if you like. Why? Because we’re done with the zebra mussels and starting a new adventure.
But just a two week vacation? If Mark is driving down to Florida and back to get Dad, that’s one to two days right there. It will take three to four days to drive to Oregon, meaning it’s also an additional three to four days days back. And there goes the first week and some of the second. They could do it faster if they drove non-stop, in shifts. But if they want any hope of enjoying the trip, they should fly (business class).
We should expect Doc and Rusty to join in. That’s a lot of airline tickets! But wait…will he have to get permission from the County to leave the state before his trial comes up?
Okay, another happy ending. Apparently, events were taking place behind the scenes, just like in the pre-Rivera era. We need not be bothered with the details, such as what secrets did Duck Duck Goose have that caused them to sic two thugs on Mark and Diana. Maybe in another story we’ll learn more…or not. As for cleaning those ships, it’s a little late in the game for that, Pops.
Mark strikes a pose in panel 4 that looks like he’s been taking lessons from Violet Cheshire. We have to wonder why “wavy hands” Rafael is asking Mark about his future plans instead of offering him another assignment. Is this Rafael’s way of waving Mark out the door? Will Bill Ellis make another memorable appearance in Saturday’s panels? Stay tuned!
Under the spreading bees nest tree sits a lone house on the prairie. It sure doesn’t look like Mark and Cherry’s house, based on prior drawings by Rivera. However, I’ll award credit for a nice composition, even if the colors are largely and darkly monochromatic.
I notice that Rafael’s pep-talk is all about the video, not the article. Wonder why? No concerns about its facts, conclusions, or validity? Well, I reckon people just don’t read much, anymore. Just make pretty videos. Add comments.
So, Mark has got a long way to go until…what? Is there some specific readership count that constitutes success? Mark reacts like a cross between a day stock trader watching the ticker and a teenager fussing over his Instagram account. He is quickly mutating from a traditional writing-based journalist into an “Internet activist celebrity”, where fame is based on the current NAZDAQ INDEX count of anonymous online followers. Clearly, Mark is going after the youth market, just as this comic strip seems to be doing.
Okay, I have no idea what those marks are under Mark’s eyes, and no other commenters do, either. Clearly, Editor Rafael makes no bones about advocacy (or tabloid) journalism. I wonder if “Hot Catch” magazine also features risqué pictures of female fish on page 3, like the women in the English tabloid, “The Sun”.
Although I admit to being a booster for Rivera and her interpretation, overall, I am uncomfortable with how she portrays Mark now and then, such as the insecure, whiney putz in panel 3. Why would Mark need street cred when he works mostly outside of cities? I reckon it might matter if he happened to run across a resurrected version of TheMonkey Wrench Gang.
So, c’mon, Rivera! Give Mark a little more self-confidence and “street smarts” (deliberate ironical remark) to go with it. As for that “It wasn’t exactly my plan to get arrested” remark in panel 1, who is he kidding, besides himself?
As Ralph the Rat Snake looks on, Rafael properly slams Mark for going outside of his journalistic mandate, if there ever was one. Mark is a modern muckraker, an investigative journalist, I suppose. He probably always has been, but the journalistic side of the old Mark Trail always took a back seat. All we saw was Mark bustin’ heads, exposing petty crooks, and talking to Bill Ellis. So kudos to Rivera for making his job a more explicit part of the stories.
Yet, one cannot claim, based on what we see and read, that Mark is any kind of objective journalist., which seems to be what Rafael expected. His original instructions to Mark failed to spell out his expectations on what to include, like getting all sides of the story.
Anyway, will we ever find out exactly what Duck Duck Goose Shipping is hiding? Had Mark and Diana taken the time to interview anybody in the company or on the ships, things might have gone differently. At least, it would have added more drama to the story.
The Daily Trail 