The boys have arrived at the Love Wildlife Center, a theme that reminds me of the earlier story where Reptilionnaire drove Mark to the Herp Hacienda. Borrowing the sentiment, above, from Pete Seeger, I wonder how much longer Rivera will revel in denigrating Mark.

With today’s strip, I have to agree with critics regarding the quality of the drawing, especially in panel 1. Not only are the figures stick-like and awkward looking, but the house looks out of scale. The whole panel just looks too crowded.

On the other hand, panel 3 offers a nice worm’s-eye view of Cricket Bro and Mark. The view allows us to see just these two framed against an empty sky. No crowded panel here! The foreshortened head of Cricket Bro is also very well drawn.  I have to believe that the arrangement of Mark’s fingers reflecting the design on Cricket Bro’s sweatshirt is deliberate. All in all, a really good job, Rivera.

With their two heads looking into the center of panel 4, we have a symmetrical compositional device that Rivera has used several times in the past. It’s a tad busy, but still an effective design. In summary, comparing panel 1 to panels 3 and 4, I can almost believe I’m looking at a strip drawn by two different people.

Even if this operation and their support are legit, so what? It’s a deflection, having nothing to do with their business. Look: Autocrats, warlords, and criminals used to purchase papal indulgences during the Renaissance in order to pave the way for the salvation of their souls. But indulgences didn’t justify or stop their earthly activities.