We readers have heard/read Mark’s “NFT lecture” several times already, including a Sunday installment; so, we really don’t need to go hear it again. Cherry’s interruption is a hopeful sign that we’ll depart with her and not have to hear Mr. Morality issue forth from his pulpit, yet again.

If Pappy Happy is sharp, he’ll immediately surrender his plan and fall in behind Cherry, while he can. On the downside, looks like we are going through more story padding. Certainly, the trip to Portland will provide plenty of opportunity for incidents, not to mention what happens after they get there. Why do we need four weeks of diddling around the Happy Trail house gunning our engines and not getting anywhere?

You see, I’m trying to find some purpose here, other than a) picking up Happy for the vacation; b) having Rusty meet Reptilionnaire; c) getting the family together; d) getting Rusty a Cryptid adventure helmet; and e) confirming Happy and Jolly are still friends. Hmm…that is a lot of things.

So, okay. Maybe I’ve become a victim of modern mass media tropes, which emphasize quick edit cuts and non-stop action over story development and character interaction. Perhaps I should be applauding Rivera for a slower-paced story that lets characters breath and is something other than a sequence of conniving crooks, car chases, forest fires, kidnappings, avalanches, fights, and cave escapes. But we will get something along those lines soon, right, Rivera? Remember, Jules, there are already plenty of soap opera and family strips around, but too few adventure strips.