In case you missed this week, Mark fell back on old habits. If, for some reason, you thought that an adventure comic strip that focused on preserving nature and the environment was a proper example of professional and ethical behavior, this week’s strips might alter that perception.

Mark and Happy attended an official press conference run by some caricature of an Ohio state senator. Not to be overlooked, Mark and Happy made their way up front and immediately started throwing accusatory and leading questions at the senator. The over reactive senator felt obliged to call on a squad of transit police—who were present for no apparent reason—to arrest Mark and Happy.

Mark decided he wasn’t leaving peacefully without getting answers to his questions. Thus, he and Happy squared off against the cops, in full view of everybody. Fists met jaws and Mark and Happy quickly fled the building, only to be met by Rex Scorpius and his mother, idling by the curb in his muscle car. How convenient! Seems they somehow knew Mark and Happy would be there, would get in trouble, and would need rescuing. Maybe they were reading the comic strip, too.

The police chased the quartet of scofflaws as they sped away, out of town. Along the way, Happy and Rex’s mom shared a nostalgic moment about the ’70s. The chase culminated in a cinematic car jump across a missing section of bridge. Such an attempt would spell doom to any other vehicle not equipped with a JATO rocket. There you have the week! And here you have the Sunday lesson!

Gawd, another invasive species found in Florida. We need to build a wall down there! Anyway, today we have another clever title panel. The topic is not relevant to the current story this time. In fact, it harkens back to Cherry’s and Georgia’s story about beehives depleted by an invasion of Varroa mites (June 2023). Since Mark and Happy’s train adventure was just “leaving the station” at the time, the following Sunday strip of June 18 was about the impact of trains on wildlife. I wonder if today’s topic suggests that we’ll return to Cherry for a week to see what’s going on with her?