Art Dept. I have to wonder whether Rivera actually drew this strip or if somebody filled in as an April Fool’s joke. The drawing is hurky-jerky (as it has been), but at the same time, it is different:  more angular and cruder than normal, if that’s possible.

The trees in panel 1, for example, are drawn with all of the subtlety and skill of a person who has never seen trees. One can argue that Rivera’s woods and forests often look flat and simplified, but that has no bearing on what we see here. Go back and see if you can find anything this clumsy and crude.

Banjo Cat also is different:  more angular than normal, with a different style and coloring. Here is one example from February. Sure, there could be a different colorist at work, but I think Rivera would notice that. Compare the two heads.  Notice how much fuller the head and neck are in Rivera’s example from February. Check out the tails and fur. Different.

Then there are the figure drawings. Doc Davis is not only slimmer than normal, he keeps looking different. In panel 2 Doc’s wide-eyed expression looks like something Stephan Pastis might draw if he was poking fun of this strip. And the less said about that banjo in panel 3, the better.

So tell me, am I wrong?