If all that gray stuff in the trees isn’t Spanish Moss, it might just be a lot of sleeping sloths, able to maintain their arboreal perches. Pretty sure they aren’t cold iguanas.

So, that box on the shore must contain Max, yes? The box is not even open! Didn’t anybody bother to check on Max’s condition? What kind of manatee minders are these clowns? Also, I wonder what hardware Mark is referring to in panel 2 that is different than the hardware they had to have needed to lift the box out of the truck and set it safely on the shore?

Am I being too picky here? Possibly, but if Rivera is going to have Mark suddenly get all technical, why skip over details? For example, how did they get the box out of the truck and onto the shore? Unless Max is a baby manatee, these animals get big and very heavy, requiring a bunch of people and special equipment, as we see in this photo of a manatee being transported from Miami to SeaWorld Orlando in 2023 for veterinary examinations.

Sure, this is just a comic strip, not a documentary. And I’m being a picky know-it-all. But as I wrote previously, Mark Trail (the strip and the person) is based on the love and protection of nature in all its aspects. You can’t just wave your hand and declare “Let there be a deus ex machina!”

Now, as far as the plot goes—and it seems to be moving once again—the so-called “Bear Bozos” return for a second attempt. Apparently, neither Skeeter nor Rita bothered to check the highway behind them! Probably because they were too busy browsing the Internet.

By the way:  Does anybody know what the “Bear Bozo” on the right is holding? Is he attempting to shoot a spitball at Mark? Throw a Japanese shuriken? Or maybe throw a kiss to Mark? Get ready for action!!

For the source of the photo and related article, see https://tinyurl.com/6ywf7d9d)