Rivera brings in real events and (absurd) beliefs that have been in the news during 2024 (if not before). In the Real World, crackpots accuse meteorologists and the federal government of controlling weather, specifically, hurricanes. For this story, Rivera redirects that blame onto manatees. And not just manatees in general, but specifically to Max the Manatee. Somehow, teaching climate change is wrapped up in this stew of stupidity.
I may be just a slow kid from Virginia, but I found Skeeter’s comment in panel 1 problematic. Based on that comment about the influence of teaching climate change, I don’t know if Rivera wants us to think that Skeeter is acting a bit too paranoid or if we are supposed to believe that the members of the Whether Men are even more mentally unbalanced than originally presented . Well, maybe Skeeter is a bit too involved, anyway, as he thinks Max is their manatee.
The Daily Trail 
It’s the manatee in their truck. They’re not planning on keeping it. I’d give him a pass on that. Not on Rita Skeeter, the annoying reporter in the Harry Potter series.
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right, I just think he might be assuming some kind of parental responsibility due to the current drama. Maybe they have a shared history.
As for the Harry Potter connection, good catch! Even though I saw all of the films, I missed it, having totally forgotten the name. And I never read the books.
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My daughter was born in the middle of the publications, so I ended up reading most of them, some aloud. She’s never forgiven my Hagrid, an indecipherable rumble.
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