Mark and Rusty certainly do look pretty excited, based on their expressions and gaping mouths. So far, it seems as if the rest of the class may have moved on to something else. Call me ignorant, but I don’t follow Mark’s statement in panel 2 or Rusty’s assessment in panel 4.
Those storm symbols are supposed to be enough to explain about storms and environmental health? I don’t think so. I think the docent is a bit lazy. A better argument could have been made by showing how NOAA observes the weather and makes assessments or maybe show how that knowledge has helped minimize damage and death. Take a whole week to work this into the strip. Otherwise, I don’t see how this will influence anybody on the anti-NOAA side, if that is Rivera’s goal.
The Daily Trail 
Reader “Be Ware of Eve Hill” previously wondered why background colors change from panel to panel. Often, that’s done purely for variety’s sake. Sometimes it might be done to emphasize an emotion. In today’s strip, changing the background to (near) black and darkly shading the docent would have made a strong visual support for her statement. Even closely cross-hatching the entire panel (which would work well in B&W newspapers) would make the same point. It’s a shame Rivera missed that opportunity. Cartooning is, after all, a visual statement.
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