I just posted the blogs for Saturday and Sunday. That is, I think I either fell asleep for two days or had a server issue. I discovered Saturday and Sunday’s posts in the DRAFT folder, not online.
So, scroll below to catch up on catching up!
Daily Archives: September 15, 2024
The Week in Review and the Sunday Nature Chat
Mark, Rusty, and Sammy Spotter arrived by ferry on Santa Catalina Island, whereupon they wasted a bit of time debating Rusty’s place in the greater scheme. He wound up at the hotel, in any event. Mark and Sammy arrived at the “Lion Mansion” with little or no gear, save a flashlight that Mark carried inside. Pointedly, Spotter remained outside.
Mark walked into the living room, only to find a pride of lions just lounging around. Neither Mark nor the lions made any overt moves against each other, as if the they couldn’t care less. Mark found a video camera on the floor and surmised that it might be an important clue regarding movie director Wingit’s whereabouts. Once again, I’ll point out that at no point has anybody asked about the whereabouts or health of the actors that Wingit coerced to stay in the mansion. But we do have some drama building!
Art Dept. The artwork this week avoided any overt extremism, so that was good. I noticed that Friday’s strip in particular was a bit odd, with heavily-outlined figures in panel 1. This heavy outlining was not continued into panels 2 and 3. Why not? The other notable curiosity was the drawing of the lions, clearly in a different style than the rest of the artwork. The most obvious answer is that they are based on reference art/photography that has been retrofitted into the strip. As I mentioned earlier, cartoonists use reference art and images when it is helpful. And that is not controversial. James Allen, for example, made use of it, especially with cars and planes. But the best standard is blending the reference images to match the rest of the artwork. Saturday’s strip is a clear example of this disparity.
I’m not sure what Cherry is holding in panel 5, but I think it’s now legal in most states. Okay, I couldn’t resist the bad joke. Gah! This strip is rubbing off on me.
Anyway, today’s topic offers good enough advice. It’s a tough call. We found an abandoned kitten in a state park and adopted it. She lived with us for 20 years. With just one kitten, it was fairly easy. Can’t say what we would have done then with an entire litter. I think the expense of spaying & neutering would cause most of us to think twice. Sometimes I wish there were no pets.
Run, Mark, run! The lions are loose! No, wait. Never mind.
This is rich. It’s hard to tell, but it has been daylight. Maybe it’s getting on to dusk, but shadows are rarely cast in the Trailverse. So why does Mark need a flashlight? Did the mansion lose electricity? Are all the shades drawn? I mean, we can still see the outside!
Anyway, what clue is Mark referring to? Does Mark think Wingit left a video of what he was doing or where he went? Why does Mark believe it could be Wingit’s camera or why anybody would have one?
Where to begin. We have a pride of lions just hanging around as if they are at a watering hole in a Kenyan savannah. They don’t seem at all bothered by Mark’s sudden entrance, and Mark doesn’t seem at all bothered by the fact that he can just walk in and kneel down alongside the lionesses. I suppose, if they have eaten all of the actors, they are not looking for snacks.
Mark holds the discovered video camera with the awe of Indiana Jones discovering a Peruvian golden idol. I don’t understand the mystery here. Are the lions tranqed? Maybe Wesley Wingit decided he had enough and took the actors out for dinner or maybe a quick weekender to San Diego.
Or, these are not real lions, but actors in costume, and Wingit is the alpha male on the sofa. That would mean they are part of an experiment to see if they can fool any would-be rescuers. Why? That would be because Wingit wanted to save money by not having to hire real lions for his movie.
The Daily Trail 