One thing you might notice in Rivera’s Mark Trail is that virtually every male is either pissed off about something or auditioning for a Steven Segal movie. And that is not a compliment. An adventure strip usually has to have drama, intrigue, some danger, and a “save the world” for or from something. But there is little drama in constant fighting, Jason Bourne, notwithstanding.

What we have here is a version of a high school gang of bullies movie, where the hall monitor/teacher steps in to stop the fight that ensures the dramatic and humiliating beat down takes place in the Boy’s Room after school. Mark’s calm demeanor (excuse my sarcasm) on display here is the normal reaction Mark pulls out for just about any kind of situation, because that is what Rivera thinks Mark Trail is all about or thinks that’s all that the readers care about. Well, I care about flapjack dinners and talking snakes, too! And those intimate nature walks Cherry and Mark go on, where Rivera omits the best parts.

I noticed that Mark’s most recent official, paying job was the assignment in Utah, reporting on wild horses. I don’t know what Cherry earns from Violet, but if Mark and his family want to keep eating and paying the rent, shouldn’t he spend more time soliciting paying work? On the other hand, I do appreciate Rivera’s innovation to reveal some of Mark’s “downtime” activities, rather than simply continuing the old Mark Trail routine: “Go on assignment-return home for 3 days-get called to another assignment”, which was the prior modus operandi.