It would have been fun to see Mark grovel before Kelly Welly. I wonder what he had to do or give in order for her to agree? From the looks of things, she still doesn’t look terribly happy. It’s understandable.

Well, few people can send others running for the exits like Mark can. It’s a good thing Mark was not trying to make time with Vera or Kelly Welly. Who could resist a man in a sports coat, lumberjack shirt, and bow tie, talking about shark eggs, and holding onto his lapels as if he thinks it makes him look sophisticated? No ego, there, I’m sure (panel 2).

I wonder if he’s wearing hiking boots.  Mark certainly looks like the country cousin in the big city in panel 1. Was this a deliberate action by Jules Rivera to poke fun at Trail? She does like to make him look out of place or silly. Rivera has employed this trick more than once (e.g. 4/20/21-4/21/21, 8/8/22).

I might be stretching a bit (and it hurts), but it looks like Cricket Bro brought along as his “plus-one” Holly Folly, the “lifestyle influencer” and Professor Bee Sharp’s companion at the faux STEM Retreat of Simon Stump (“Bear Necessity”, 2023).

Art Dept. The decorative images of people painted on the rear wall (panel 1) build an illusion of more attendees. Nice! … Wait. Are they actually supposed to be real people at the event?

Note: I forgot to publish the May 13, 2025 blog, so you can all scroll back there and fill in the missing space of your Mark Trail Awareness!