As a dad, I suppose Mark has a point for his protective behavior here, what with him putting the arm on that guy, who be Tad Crass or a die-hard fan (check out his shirt). Has he been surviving on magic mushrooms in Lost Forest?

I’m guessing that Tad’s characterization is a paraphrase of the “Chuck Noland” character played by Tom Hanks in Cast Away. So the horse head substitutes for Wilson, the basketball? Maybe I’m projecting a bit.

But as I feared, we have another weirdo coming out of the bush. I think Mark could start a successful business running a halfway home for lost nut jobs. Speaking of business, when is he going to get back to work? The Sunny Soleil Society must pay Cherry pretty well.

On Saturday’s strip we might find Mr. Lost Camper settling down to tell his story. Or maybe Mark gets the guy into a hospital. But we’ve now had three weeks dedicated to Rusty’s story. Will Rivera jump back on Monday for a week with Cherry or will she allow this adventure to continue?