You all remember Duck Duck Goose Shipping, that capitalism-is-all company introduced in the illegal zebra mussels adventure (category Zeeba Mussels) two years ago, yes? Back then, CEO Chet Chedderson and his female assistant were forced by Mark and his allies to clean up his company’s cargo ships. Chedderson then made a brief cameo appearance in the more recent Bear Necessity adventure.

I think we have to give Jules Rivera credit for planning ahead with her storylines. During the epilogue of this story (25 May, 2023), Chedderson got in touch with the convalescing faux professor Bee Sharp and hired him to be the company Point Man on train safety. Little did we know back then! We now see Chedderson’s investment paying off.

I mentioned a few years ago that a big corporation like this (with lots of resources) could become a new and really significant adversary for Mark, in addition to the usual small-fry lunatics he deals with. (Parenthetically, these second-stringers are not much different in scale from the poachers, kidnappers, and arsonists the old Mark Trail often tangled with.) Now we have a big, national corporation that won’t take kindly to the interference of a relatively obscure wildlife journalist.

I just hope that Rivera makes this story a real test of wits and courage for once, and not the usual rapid descent into farce. However, I do have one complaint:  Once again Rivera relies too heavily on her limited stable of clown-car bad guys. I’m looking at you, Sharp! I would have hoped Rivera could move forward with Chedderson and his own posse of thugs. Well, maybe Sharp’s appearance in this story will be happily brief.