Miss this week’s strips? As the Fugitive Four stood around their campfire, Mark Trail continued to agitate about his failed attempt to get to the bottom of the train explosion and make sure people knew what was really going on. I’m not convinced Mark knows, either. There was a lot of talk about having to “get the truth out to the world”, or “It’s a smear campaign”, and “We got way too close”; all sounding overly conspiratorial, like what you would hear at a fraudulent election symposium. Realizing he had virtually no online presence, Mark came up with a completely weird idea to stream a live report while sitting in the back of Rex Scorpius’ car, speeding down a highway in the night. That was the hook:  Speeding car = massive online curiosity = opportunity to get the word out.

While they were underway, Mark made his presentation, while Happy kept Mark updated on viewer counts. Surely, if it wasn’t for Mark Trail’s online oratory, nobody would know what’s going on, right? But how can Mark even know what’s going on back in Ohio when he’s on the run in a speeding car, very likely in another state? Oops, perhaps I’m not supposed to bring up finicky details like that.

Suddenly, faux “professor” Bee Sharp texted in (I suppose) and requested live access to Mark’s stream. Sharp declared that his image and presentation had been faked by Duck Duck Goose (DDG) using A.I., made to falsely testify that the trains were safe. Conman Sharp had been scammed! Oh, the irony! He added that state senator Smalls was bribed by DDG, not with money, but with a wildebeest, of all things.

Well, it seems that Mark’s idea must have had some merit, because his viewership increased, and Bee Sharp was even swayed enough to jump in. Such is the crazy world of Mark Trail.

I don’t believe today’s title panel meets Rivera’s usual standard for creativity and style. I really don’t mean to be negative. However, while the information is good, the execution of the panels looks rushed: the environment is really abstracted. Even the animals—where Rivera normally spends more time—look very simplified. That bobcat eating dinner in front of a bush in panel 5 has that highlighted outline that is so obtrusive. It adds nothing to the animal’s verisimilitude or relationship with the environment. In fact, the outlining helps flatten the image. However, it’s nice to see that Mark does have more than one shirt!