The Week in Review and the Sunday Nature Chat 

In true Mark Trail fashion, the School Trip story (“Rusty Goes to Washington”) ended with a sudden jump back to Lost Forest as Cherry enlisted Mark in her crusade to build a “catio”, or cat shelter. Rusty conveniently faded from the story during the drive back. Meanwhile the pathetic image of a humbled Honest Ernest came into view when Cherry and Mark pulled into the back of the Sunny Soleil Society HQ. Ernest was found crouching beside a wreck of a structure.  

Humbled by his own incompetence, Honest Ernest at least had enough integrity to admit he was in over his head and needed help. Here is where Rivera lost focus and tried to expand this minor situation into a larger one by claiming the Lost Forest community came together to help build this simple structure. Unfortunately, Rivera’s drawings suggested the only people present was the usual cast. This is the same kind of exaggerated, specious claim Rivera made earlier about the community coming together to brainstorm ideas on how to protect the kittens. 

Mark, Cherry, and Ernest completed the cat shelter, even though it looked more like a tool shed than a “catio.” But with that we seem to have come to the end of this adventure (“Kittens and Kablooey”). So, let’s move on to the Sunday nature monolog. 

Okay. A pleasing Sunday feature that fits into our approaching Winter environment. Another nicely designed title panel, as well. Do some penguins make bad dads? 

Now that they are done, it’s Pancake Time! 

As we learn that Violet is still married, another story reaches its TV sitcom conclusion. That “catio” structure still looks more like an enclosed back door to me. I am going to have to do some research, but Mark’s shirt pocket looks awfully small and practically decorative rather than functional. It just doesn’t figure into Mark’s lifestyle. 

I had an idea:  In “Mark Trail Confidential, Mark Trail historian Mark Carlson-Ghost reveals the fact that earlier stories were regularly recycled during the 1980s and 1990s. I’m not sure how obvious this was to regular readers at the time, unless you’ve been reading this strip for the past 50+ years. Furthermore, there are no reprint Mark Trail book collections to reference, as there are for other vintage comic strips.  

These recycled stories were presented as a minor scandal, but stories and plots are continually re-harvested in virtually every visual and written medium. I think Rivera could follow suit (if she hasn’t already) and adapt some of those earlier—pre-Rivera — stories, especially for Mark’s adventures. This could free up Rivera to put more time and energy into drawing.