So it seems that the Grungey Boys’ lawn mower incident isn’t quite the one-off that I was thinking, and therein hangs this tale. Rusty is going to somehow solve what seems to be a non-problem by using just one animal cam to maybe catch some nocturnal lawnmower races. Okay. Every kid should have a hobby.
Now, I’m a bit surprised by Peach Pitt’s change in demeanor. Her normally positive image seems to have morphed into a more caustic personality. But that aside, what’s with Peach’s revisionist history? As we recently read, she and Olive came up to Lost Forest to get away from her bipolar boyfriend, Rick.
Is anybody the least bit curious where the extra bedrooms are for Peach and Olive? The Trail cabin never looked big enough to have four (or five) bedrooms, along with living room, dining room, and kitchen. Sure, this is the comic strip world, where houses expand, as needed. Like Dr. Who’s Tardis. Did Doc Davis move out of the cabin to live at his vet practice? So many unknowns!
The Daily Trail 
George, As I’ve said before, this cartoon appears to be geared towards 13 year olds. Absolutely nothing in her story lines or illustration even remotely resemble Mark Trail as we’ve known it. Inane story line combined with half hearted artwork makes for a very cursory read. As I read my morning paper in the Star Trib, I can only just give it a glance. Lost is the artwork. Lost is the story line. Granted, Allen tended to get redundant. At least he tried and succeeded in being true to the artwork. I know I sound like a broken record but it just a shame this strip is even put forth as “Mark Trail”. I still would love to see a new cartoonist take over the reigns. Part of the reason I don’t comment on your blog anymore is the complete boredom of this strip. It has no redeeming artwork or dialog to even discuss! I take my hat off to you for coming up with daily commentary on it! God knows, it cannot be easy.
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Always good to hear from you, Mark, even if you sound like a broken record! :)
Yeah, sometimes it takes a lot of grit for me to remain calm and not get flat-out ticked. And to an extent, I get what she is trying to do and why it looks the way it does. The pay-for-work contract she has is obviously pretty limited and probably only pays for her utilities; so she likely spends more time on better paying work. It would be different if this was a headline strip, but it’s not. Truth be told, it never was. It was always a niche strip, even with a loyal following.
So, what will happen? What cartoonist would willingly give up a gig for no special reason? Besides Watterson, of course. And Gary Larson, but he recently started back, albeit online.
If I was looking for a replacement artist, I kind of like the edgy artwork in Flash Gordon by Dan Schkade. Don’t care for the look of conventional soap strips like Judge Parker or Mary Worth. But the artwork in The Phantom is pretty solid.
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