As expected, this week we see wet-blanket Mark greeting his radioactive son at home, after a long day screwing around; and it’s not even dusk yet! Rusty helps justify why grocery stores tend to install restraints in their carts to prevent them being taken off the premises, or even as far as your car parked halfway down the parking lot.

Mark remains clueless about Rusty’s life, just like he was pre-Rivera. That, at least, hasn’t changed, even if Rusty has. But what’s with all of this sympathy for Sharp, anyway? Mark looks like he’s turning into a Bee Sharp Fanboy. It ain’t Sharp that can’t a break here. But now we have to suffer Rusty’s wokeness?

In Sunday’s comments, reader Mark linked to an Ed Dodd reprint in the Vintage Mark Trail section of the Comics Kingdom web site for a visual comparison with neo–Mark Trail. Boh. Va bene, but I’ve seen better from Dodd. This was originally drawn in 1978, so probably not Dodd or Tom Hill, his original assistant. I’m thinking it had to be early Jack Elrod. I’m willing to be corrected on that guess. The drawing looks a bit too wooden for my taste. In fact, Cindi looks like she died in panel 3. Still, it falls in line with the standard Mark Trail style we all grew up with and definitely contrasts with the present realization.

I wonder if anybody is reading this blog or even reading the actual Mark Trail strip who is under 50 years old? Or 30?