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Mark gets his assignment!

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We should note that this time, Bill Ellis only wants Mark to go to Florida to “cover the story”, as opposed to saving Max. Naturally, Mark ignored this nuance and immediately went into his “Save the Wildlife!” mode. This is why I think it would be a good idea if Mark’s job description changed from reporter to fixer. Mark doesn’t seem too interested in journalism, anyway.

It also seems to me that Max the Manatee will have already been saved by the park’s staff or given a burial at sea before Mark can get down there, especially with all that traffic and horrible parking.

Now, where did that weird park name come from, I wondered. I did a bit of searching and discovered the “Zoom Flume Water Park” in East Durham, NY. In addition, there is the “Universal Volcano Bay”water theme park in Orlando, Florida.

Art Dept. Rivera customized the two central panels where the lower parts take on the look of traditional thought balloons. Is Rivera trying to get artsy? Nope. I think she is just customizing the panel shapes to reflect that they represent a flashback of sorts for the story Bill Ellis is recounting. That is, an extension of the mental thought balloon that Bill Ellis displays in panel 1.

3 thoughts on “Mark gets his assignment!”

  1. What kind of magazine is Mark writing for nowadays? I thought it was some teen girl magazine, or was that just a one-off joke? Would teen girls be interested in a story about a stranded manatee?

    Also, wouldn’t the state of Florida have a multitude of sea animal rescue and rehab institutions? They’re all just stepping aside for Mark to fly down and save the day by turning off the chlorinator and having Andy pull the manatee out of the pool on a cart?

    Will Mark make another one of his typical side excursions, filling a week’s worth of comics, before he saves Max? What will it be this time? Another mollusk or some rare sea cucumber?

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    • All good questions! In the Trailverse, it seems that the world always makes way for Mark’s arrival and his solutions.

      As for which magazine, who knows? Teen Girl Sparkle was the first one. Then it was Hot Catch (editor Rafael Suave), which led Mark into the Zebra Mussels adventure. Maybe this is heading back to Woods & Wildlife.

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      • Going all the way back to Jules first month, October 2020, Woods & Wildlife is now one of 17 magazines owned by F E & Cook. It’s become increasingly vague which one any given assignment is for.

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