Moving the story along, Mark and Tess have their reunion, but it’s all one-sided. Has Tess been brainwashed (e.g., hypnotic therapy)? Drugged? Enmeshed in some kind of personality-stealing cult? That Jess fellow, he certainly looks suspicious with that handlebar mustache of his. I’d claim it was fake, but Rivera seems to have a habit of drawing facial hair that always looks like it was loosely applied with an adhesive.

But, let’s take this at face value for the time being. Is Tess unaware of her own past, or just her past with Mark? Is Jess involved in her transformation or is he just an innocent dupe? I can’t wait to find out.

Art Dept. As we’ve seen, Rivera is anything but consistent. Not sure if this is a deliberate decision or just how things work out. In panel 1, Jess and Tess look like flat paper dolls for some child’s pretend 2-D playhouse. The staging of the panel is unreasonably crowded. For example, why is the car in the scene, since it adds nothing to the plot or the current interaction?

Panel 2 is an improvement. Jess and Tess take on a more substantive appearance, with actual expressions and a modicum of solidity. Mark’s depiction is also interesting, as if he has been delineated by a good sketch artist. The change of direction in the reflection of the door glass is more for reasons of visual balance than continuity with panel 1. That is, the angle from upper left to lower right leads back towards the center, where Jess and Tess are standing, where Mark is also looking. It’s basic design.

The one thing I think is wrong is Rivera’s narration box in panel 2, giving away the punch line before Tess delivers it. We’ve seen that in everyday situations, like where one person asks about a new mystery movie and some jerk reveals the surprise ending, “Is this the movie where they discover Edgar killed his wife in the park?” If Rivera felt the need to clue us in on the plot twist, she should have been more provocative: “But something is amiss!” or “Tess makes an unexpected confession…”