Yeah, I agree with Mark’s abasement; he did do a crummy job. Mark’s got no reason to console himself, either, as he agreed to include the “share your feelings” component in his so-called retreat. Thank goodness, it looks like this “adventure” is rounding the final turn and heading for the finish line.
Art Dept. The drawing is somewhat better today and more consistent: more, but not completely. I won’t belabor the point, but simply suggest you inspect panel 3.
Regular reader and commenter, Mark (no relation), brought up a comparison between Rivera’s work and that of Ed Dodd, the creator of Mark Trail. It’s a stark comparison, to be certain; but they come from totally different times, artistic traditions, and visions. I have an equally dramatic comparison between Early Rivera and Current Rivera. Here is an early example I quickly grabbed from our 2020 archive (the screen capture quality is not great):
It’s a dramatic difference from today. This attention to detail, composition, and naturalism did not last long. I have no real idea why Rivera changed from this more polished and impressive style. These early strips glaringly emphasize how simplistic and even amateurish the current strips sometime appear. Heck, there is even a difference in quality between panel 1 and panel 2 in today’s strip, where panel 1 looks like it was inspired by a cartoon wrapper of Bazooka Bubble Gum. Why this change? I have no real idea.
Gawsh, ain’t it just swell how chummy everybody has become!? I know, I shouldn’t be so cynical. Still, Rivera’s scripting doesn’t help. Mark’s acceptance of blame in panel 3 is minimally appropriate, but panel 4 gets me. I’m not sure if it’s the strange “You’re not my dad” statement or Rivera’s pandering, specious comment that “Mark is everyone’s dad!” Since when? In what way? I don’t think Mark is quite that prolific. Still, Mark reacts as if Eli told him he’ll sell him revealing photos of Cherry. Otherwise, just what is the point of Mark’s over-reactive expression, anyway?
Let’s give Rivera points for continuity, as Connor shows a bandage on his right thumb, something that would be difficult to see when printed in a newspaper. Otherwise, the drawings look cluttered and stiff.
Hmmm, yet another week with Mark. Frankly, I’m surprised to see this story continue. Mark’s comment in panel 4 is questionable, at best, and can lead to a person’s injury or death. Usually, the best way to help a wild animal in need is to call the proper authority and let them take care of it. For example, picking up a bat is not an honest mistake; it is reckless and dangerous, as we just saw. Wear gloves first!? How about “Don’t touch it”? As a survivalist teacher, Mark is guilty of providing bad and misleading information similar to the bad information in Connor’s fake survival book that Mark raged against.
NB: The CDC and Mayo Clinic state that a potential rabies patient must actually undergo a series of shots. Better than dying, however, as untreated rabies is almost always fatal! Bats are the number 1 cause of rabies in the Americas.
Getting back to the strip, I wonder where Rivera is taking this story? I’m no writer (as you can tell), but since Rivera seems reluctant to include actual survival/camping lessons in this story, what is left to do? I think it is time for Mark to get that old, familiar phone call from Bill Ellis and go back to work.
The week-before concluded with Cliff and Mark at the hospital so Connor could get his finger fixed from a hooking accident. They ran into Cherry and Violet, who were there with Honest Ernest. This ER meetup saw Cliff pushing the “express your feelings!” mantra on Mark, while Connor and Ernest were literally out of the picture and forgotten for the week. Mark started to wonder whether he was suppressing.
This past week, we found Cliff and Mark back on the job taking Eli, Ranger Shaw, and a repaired Connor on a hike. What survival techniques were discussed or demonstrated? Oh, dear readers, don’t be naïve!
On the hike Connor had a mini-meltdown that turned into an impromptu group hug around Mark, who was decidedly uncomfortable with this forced situation. Can’t blame him. As they broke to return to the fishing lodge, Eli had his moment in the sun when he spotted a bat (order: chiroptera) lying on the ground, so he touched it and got scratched on the hand…sound familiar? What are the odds!? This week ended like the prior one, with Cliff and Mark (back) at the ER.
Was this Adventures in true feelings meant to poke fun at the presumed troglodyte Trailheads who miss the old strip? Rivera should know that males and females do not always express emotions the same way. But it never seemed to me that Mark has had problems expressing his true feelings, even to Cherry; at least since Rivera took over. So I hope this week puts an end to Mark’s survival retreat. I also hope Rivera gets this adventure strip back on track, with Mark putting the hurt on people and companies taking advantage of animals, nature, and the environment. But if expressing inner feelings is your drama of choice, try Garfield.
A classic animal-centered Sunday topic with a clever visual pun in the title panel, connecting a Ford Motor Company logo style with a running mustang (I presume). Wikipedia has a decent article on horses, if you are curious.
For a second, I thought the comic strip syndicate accidentally started reprinting the prior week’s strips. But no, Eli got scratched by a bat this week, just like Honest Ernest the week before. I’m thinking Rivera is suggesting millennials are just too namby-pamby, clumsy, and stupid. Or perhaps Mark and Cliff are just lousy instructors who do not prep their students carefully. For a group that shared a bonding moment, one would think the other students would be here to provide moral support for Eli. It’s like I wrote earlier, superficial bonding activities produce superficial results. Mark’s self-assessment in panel 2 is spot on.
Resolution: Get back to your day job, Mark! Otherwise, ditch Cliff and restart your retreat in Lost Forest, away from the De-Bait Lodge! Focus on survival, not feelings.
Sorry, Rivera. Not that men don’t hug. They do, and it doesn’t have to be just a greeting or a goodbye. But bonding usually comes from shared activities or experiences, not from contrivance. Long-time friends meeting up again; being part of a sports team; having regular get-togethers at a local diner; or experiencing a shared tragedy; examples like these can create bonding situations.
A short and failed fishing seminar, a hike, and a pointless group hug are not enough, except, perhaps, for really shallow people. You don’t suppose Rivera is implying anything like that, do you? As regular viewer and commentator Daniel P recently lamented to Rivera, just get Mark back “in the field” fighting bad guys and heartless institutions that hurt the environment.
As for Eli getting scratched by a bat, get real! Bats are normally nocturnal. Nobody says “Oh look! A bat!” and goes to pick it up. So, what’s the point of repeating this recently-done scenario?
Is the racoon praying for this adventure to end? While Connor doesn’t get the fact that being a good woodsman doesn’t equate to being a good husband, he is at least trying to improve himself. Mark is so focused on the first point (panel 2) that he misses the second one.
Mark also missed the point of Cliff’s invitation in panel 3: Panel 4 shows Cliff has turned the focus from Connor to Mark. That is to say, it appears that Rivera has been nudging the story along to really be about Mark’s reluctance to express his feelings.
If I had to make a guess about Cliff’s motivations, I’d say he has Mark and the Game Warden here in this goofy class to distract them while his de-bait team colleagues are out on the water, illegally poaching fish. I could be wrong, of course.
Sheesh! Cliff’s Touchy-Feely Takeover of Mark’s survival retreat is a done deal. Now if I was Mark, I’d consider treating Cliff to the loving touch of his Fist O’ Justice.
For the record, I think Connor’s wife has a point. I don’t want to be completely down about this, so let me end this post on a positive note …
… um, I’ll get back to you on that.
Mark rises above his inner feelings about Connor to give him needed self-assurance. Good for Mark! But what happened to the “camping survival skills”? That was supposed to be the main point of this enterprise, at least from Mark’s point of view. Instead, that aspiration has been demoted. To be fair, we never saw the advertising sent out for this class. Perhaps it read something like this:
To that end, Rivera skipped over any useful tips Mark and Cliff might have given out about safe hiking and finding your way, in order to focus today’s strip on a positive outcome of vulnerable male emotions. But then she mocks it in panel 4. To my limited, male-dominate mind, this seems hypocritical or maybe it’s just another beat-down of Mark. Am I wrong? Am I misreading the subtext? Help me out, here!
Well, I reckon this is Happy New Year for those of us who can—or are able to—appreciate it. I just hope we do our best to make it more than a feel-good aspiration. Now, what’s going on in Mark Trail today?
Hold on. Something’s missing here. Oh yeah. In standard Mark Trail fashion, details were skipped over, such as Connor’s treatment and the return trip to the De-Bait Lodge. The drive back should have been interesting. But for some unknown reason Mark and Chris have allowed Connor to continue the program.
I think a proofreader at the comic strip syndicate must have gotten Rivera’s text and drawings mixed up. In panel 1 Cliff suggests taking the class on a hike. But they are all wearing backpacks and standing atop a ridge overlooking a valley. Seems to me that they are already hiking (though they appear a tad underdressed)!
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