Home » Mark and the Polluted Lake » Somebody tell Robbie he doesn’t need water wings for Slip ‘n Slide!

Somebody tell Robbie he doesn’t need water wings for Slip ‘n Slide!

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Okay, two birds with one stone, and all that. The boys get to play on a Slip ‘n Slide (not recommended for adults!), and Mark does some preliminary data gathering about the contaminated lake.

Rivera’s habit of showing animals squawking, gaping, and staring in our direction continues, unabated. As noted previously, it’s overdone, even if it is meant as parody of the pre-Rivera tradition for depicting wildlife trapesing through the panels.

Finally, I wonder why the sky is a pale orange. You, too, right? Or maybe not. Was it just a choice of the colorist or does it actually play into the story? An orange sky can signify different things:  A sunset, a nearby forest fire, the prelude of an oncoming storm, or even a sky filled with dust and pollutants. However, nobody in the strip seems worried by it, so it’s more than likely just a curious color choice.

7 thoughts on “Somebody tell Robbie he doesn’t need water wings for Slip ‘n Slide!”

  1. So why does it have to be a parody, let alone such a purposefully obnoxious and over the top one? For the sake of blogs like this one? Then again you pretend there is confusion over the color of the sky to squeeze out another paragraph of text explaining the obscure concept of a sunset, so. Maybe stick to easy to follow material like Garfield or Hi & Lois, champ.

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    • You’re welcome to your opinion, as always, but I thought Garfield and H&L were your preferences, as you have previously indicated. Moving on…

      …Why does it (the animal?) have to be parody, you ask? As opposed to what? It’s all in the treatment of how Rivera stages the animals. On one hand, Rivera’s animals continue the old MT tradition of wildlife moving around a location, indifferent to the human action in the strip as well as the strip’s readers. The animals are a reminder that wildlife is all around us. Rivera turns this upside-down.

      On the other hand, Rivera typically stages her animals in static poses, usually looking directly at the readers. The animals are sometimes mute and sometimes “vocal”, and sometimes shown reacting to human actions in the strip. So, Rivera takes the traditional MT trope and twists it in a way that pokes fun at it. She did it with Mark, himself, at several times. Rivera has included the “staring animal” bit for so long that its parodistic impact is more annoying than impactful. It’s like she is snarking her own work.

      But please feel free to suggest an alternate theory for this. I think a more insightful question is, why does Rivera want to parody parts of Mark Trail? I don’t know, but it has been a discussion in the past.

      Regarding the orange sky comment, I don’t “pretend confusion” as you assert. I merely present possibilities Rivera could have (or might have) thought of, which would be in line with the strip’s interest in environmental issues. Considering “what if” scenarios is perfectly normal. Entire books are written around that concept. And it can provoke more thought about a story and Rivera’s intentions, such as the comment that Mark the Contrarian added today. He’s also no fan of the art or the storylines.

      As for “squeezing out” another paragraph in the blog, I actually worked hard to limit what I included. I always have more to say, but I try to leave openings for readers who want to contribute their own observations and comments.

      Anyway, I don’t understand your continuing animosity about me, mate, but it’s unwarranted and tiring. If this blog infuriates you as much as you indicate, you’ll likely feel more comfortable over in the comments section of Comics Kingdom.

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  2. I’m guessing the orange sky may be to a nuclear war (due to current state of affairs). I’m guessing all Jules charterers will succumb to total annihilation. This very well could be a prelude to a completely different strip. With a story line and well thought out artwork. This is my theory.

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  3. I agree with you George. There does not need to be animosity on this blog. It is all for fun! For Pete’s Sake, it’s just a comic strip. I don’t understand Rich’s chip on the shoulder. Rich, if this bothers you don;t read it! Life is too short.

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    • Are you unfamiliar with the phrase “ol’ [old] swimming hole”? It’s not a literal statement, but an expression that refers to a place where you (or even your parents) used to go swimming years ago (or still do, I reckon). The phrase “the ol’ <whatever>” is a common way of referring to something or some place with a lot of local history behind it, so to speak.

      But excuse me if I misunderstood your comment. Perhaps you are just making fun of Mark’s comment?

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