It’s not completely accurate to refer to Kelly Welly as Mark’s nemesis, at least in her original pre-Rivera incarnation. On the other hand, Cricket Bro is an actual nemesis.  Kelly Welly, as long-time readers know, was Mark’s journalistic rival in the pre-Rivera (or Classic) days, always trying to beat him out of an assignment or even mess up one of his assignments; but things usually didn’t work out for her. I suppose it is a matter of degree and motivation.

The last time Rivera featured Kelly—as far as I can recall—was in the first story she penned, where Mark had to investigate his Dad’s questionable business dealings (started October 13, 2020 “Woke Mark”). In that story, Mark felt the heat and wanted to give the assignment to Welly. Instead, she laid out her feelings about him and she did not hold back (this happens over several strips in late January 2021). In the end, she refused to take the story and told him to suck it up and do it himself. Kelly wasn’t about to be used as Mark’s “Get out of jail, free” card. The pre-Rivera Kelly would likely have taken the assignment. However, the current Kelly Welly Reboot is a cut from new cloth.

For a good summary of Kelly Welly’s background, check out Mark Carlson-Ghost’s index of classic Mark Trail stories and characters (https://www.markcarlson-ghost.com/index.php/2020/11/21/mark-trail-history/).