I’m not sure Mark’s logic in panel 1 is accurate. Whole chains of people certain can get washed away, depending on the circumstances. But it’s a good group psychological trick to minimize panic. And it is a shame that Jules Rivera again undercuts the drama and value of Mark’s advice by indulging in buffoonery in panels 2 and 3. A flash flood is a dangerous situation, a guaranteed bit of drama and suspense, made to order. So why piss on it?
This confusion is further exacerbated by a contradiction between the dialog and the imagery in the panels. That is, the dialog follows a chronological sequence, but the images definitely do not. Let me demonstrate (ignore the dialog for the moment):
Panel 1: Everybody climbs the hill as their campsite is flooded and washed away. Panels 2 and 3: Jess and Venus stand around, not linked arm-in-arm or climbing, while they joke. Panel 4: The entire crew stands around their campsite at the bottom of the hill.
Now, consider the dialog once again. Logic indicates a more accurate sequence of panels should be P4>P2>P3>P1. We’d have to change the message box in panel 4 to something more applicable: “The group agrees to bug out!” Like so:
I think the revised sequence builds drama with Mark’s warning coming at the end.
Okay, I’m not sure if Tess is levitating a blanket or if the blanket is glued to her back and hands. It’s impressive. For a moment, I thought that shape was the big square tent we saw yesterday, just poorly framed behind “In-Denial” Tess. But there is only sky behind her, and no ground line. You decide!
It’s possible that this crisis could break up the Hog-Hunting Heroines, as Shania and Reba are losing their faith in Tess. And sure, they realized too late that they should have secured the hog carcasses. Tess or Jess should have been aware. I mean, any hunter in the Real World would know not to leave the kill on the ground so predators can snatch or feed on them. This group is just not ready for prime time.
But where the heck isVenus Verité? Is she even awake? Maybe she is half-way up the mountain, taking photos of the disaster.
Art Dept. Before revising this section, I went into detail on problems in panel 3 with regard to Mark’s figure. I think you can all see the problems here. Not sure if it is a technical or a technique issue. But I think it could have worked better with a look-down point of view. This would also have required a two-panel spread to make it work, especially to show the oncoming flood waters Mark is indicating. But that would mean ditching the nice headshot in panel 4. By the way, did the rain wash away Mark’s nose?
ADDENDUM: What a surprise when I opened my newspaper this morning to find that the comics pages are now in full color! And this is the second day of color, but we only discovered it today. My wife was “gobsmacked.” Let me explain: Our newspaper company closed its in-state printer and went with an out-of-state printer for all of its publishing. Maybe that facility has more up-to-date printing services, though I’m pretty sure our newspaper moved away from linotypes and flatbed machines some time ago. Does your newspaper print hardcopy comics pages in color?
I’m going to start off with the most obvious question you all must have: “Does Jess sleep with his hat on?” … Hmm … Okay, maybe that’s not the most obvious question. I’ll rub my big toe and look at a photo of Ringo Starr as I try again to perceive your primary concern:
“What in #(@! is that duck doing in panel 4!?” Well, it ain’t flying! And it doesn’t fit the perspective of the scene in any way. So is it even floating!? The duck doesn’t even seem to recognize it’s raining. In short, I’ve got no good answer. Nothing from history, contemporary culture, or song lyrics comes to mind. Wait, there is something: I’m reminded of Colorforms, a toy first popular in the late 1950s and still around today. Vinyl shapes (e.g. people and objects) are placed and stick onto shiny surfaces with printed scenes. Most of you probably played with them. Some of you may still do that! But the point is, you can literally stick the characters onto the scenes with little or no regard to perspective, location, or common sense.
Well, that’s it. It’s the only thing that comes to mind. I don’t know what was in Rivera’s mind, though.
Next, who is Mark yelling at in panel 1? All the tents and people are behind him! Panic can make you do silly things. And what high ground is Mark referring to? Based on what Mark said earlier (December 19th), they are already camping on high ground! The only higher ground we can see is the big mountain behind them in panel 4. Like the low-volume rain, we have to remember that this is supposed to be drama, not a documentary. So I am probably wrong for trying to make sense of things that are irrelevant.
Peach Pitt’s dreams of “fashion fame and fortune” under the imprimatur of online influencer Holly Folly were resolved this week; just not in the way Peach originally hoped.
Arguments and denials were the focus of the first half of the week, as Peach rejected the authenticity of photographic evidence Olive and Cherry gathered from the local dump. Of course, this drama could have been avoided had Olive brought Peach to the dump, but stories need drama, right?
Then Rusty showed up at the cabin with a video postcard from Mark. Somehow, his pre-recorded message calmed everybody down. Peach finally agreed to read Holly’s business contract and prepare to negotiate some of the clauses. The expected phone call from Holly finally arrived.
Holly blew up when Peach admitted that not only had she not signed the contract, but she had questions. Holly’s temper tantrum resulted in Peach telling Holly where to stuff her contract. Peach hung up, effectively killing the deal and hopefully ending this story.
From an environmental standpoint this story did at least introduce readers to real-world issues related to “Fast Fashion” clothing and provided a simple way to combat it: Don’t buy it. I’ve cut way back!
The title panel has a good layout, though the imaging of the title is a bit flat. It’s just my outstanding opinion, of course, but I think it would have been punchier if it was slanted to the upper right.
This is a good topic, and timely for those of us who live in places that get snow. What is interesting is that, in spite of the fact that they two birds are not related, they have superficial similarities, what biologists call convergent evolution (of similar features across different lineages), possibly due to similar behaviors and environments. Otherwise, today’s nature strip looks like an elaborate setup to get Mark into a tux for his New Year greeting!
We see more evidence that Peach has taken Olive’s presentation and evidence to heart. But I’d have demanded to go to the dump for verification.
Still, once Olive and Cherry brought home the evidence, the end to this little adventure came about pretty quickly. There could still be something of an epilog, but we’d have to wait a few weeks while Mark’s madcap hog-hunting adventure continues. And by then, we’d all have forgotten what happened here, meaning Rivera would have to use the entire week to catch us up and cue the ending. Well, another week would be worth it if Rivera used that time for Peach to point out dubious sections of the contract to Holly, giving us a chance to see how she responds to every “What about this clause?”
By the way, did you notice that Rusty seems to have disappeared from the story? Last seen on December 25th, I’m guessing he’s back home unwrapping the matching scarf-and-socks set his Grandpa Happy sent him.
Art Dept. A couple of things I like today: Holly’s face in panel 1 looks correctly articulated to fit the angle of the smartphone. Not always easy to pull off, at least when hand-drawing it. Olive’s pose in the same panel, with crossed arms and tilted head, actually looks natural for once. Too many times the background figures seem to be posed as if they are in a police lineup or a window display.
So it appears that the sister-talk did have a positive result in getting Peach to reconsider her business relationship in a more critical manner. Good for her. Of course, a contract lawyer would be preferable, but it would be doubtful to find one in Lost Forest, much less be able to cover the cost.
But to no surprise, Holly Folly went all “Dragonball Z” hearing Peach’s response (Even if you never saw the Japanese anime series from the early ‘90s, you can probably figure out the point of my reference).
Art Dept. Interesting to see how Holly Folly is being depicted today. You might recall her introduction to the sisters back in October 2025:
Perhaps Holly visited a tanning salon after that first meeting, but she certainly has a more ruddy complexion today! And she isn’t sporting the wholesome, positive-energy personality she had earlier. The friendly face and personality are replaced by a more sinister looking figure, like a hunter sizing up her prey, only to explode in anger as the prey avoids her ambush at the last moment. (okay, that prose is a bit on the purple side, I admit!)
End Note. For a fashionista, Holly Folly seems to always wear the same outfit. Totally not fast fashion!
Looks like the Peach-Olive-Cherry drama took place before Mark’s dramatic hunt-camp-flood drama, unless Mark had his message delivery set to delay. It’s niceenough that Mark wants to brag about how tasty wild hog chops are, yet said nothing about his assignment or the people involved. This isn’t much of a warm, personal message. In spite of that, the call even made Olive and Peach sit and wax nostalgic.
Olive and Peach do get around pretty quickly. First, they are standing at their still-open front door for some reason. Then they are suddenly back on the couch on the other side of the room. Well, this comic strip is not meant to be a literal documentary, so let’s just put those “positional” comments aside as mere snarking (I can do better). But what’s the point of showing Olive and Peach in panel 1? They aren’t talking or doing anything, except crowding the panel and breaking speed limits moving around the cabin (okay, this is not mere snarking, but highbrow, sophisticated snarking!)
Perhaps the actual significance of Rusty’s visit is so Jules Rivera can interject a generic “season’s greeting!” into the strip for the readership. I reckon this slight interruption was integrated well enough into the story without looking fake. But will this impromptu visit actually lower the room temperature long enough that the sisters can work things out? Note that the front door is still likely open, so cool air should also be pouring in! And maybe talking is the wise and mature thing to do, but I was really pulling for another knock-down-drag-out fight.
First of all, if you celebrate some kind of holiday or event—religious or not—over these several days, I hope your experience is positive and meaningful. If you do not celebrate, I hope you find enjoyment and satisfaction in doing something you may not have had time to do. I realize that each day is more or less what we choose to make of it (within our abilities). But holidays are, by definition, special days. So do something special for yourself or for somebody else.
It’s a fine line we walk when dealing with a family member who seems to be doing something that might damage that person. And the situation can get messy. Changing your argument, as Olive seems to be doing, doesn’t help. What was it she said just yesterday? “Then negotiate some clauses…” Today, Olive tells Peach the contract sucks. Huh!? Was yesterday’s event just a moment ago, or did significant time pass as Olive and Cherry poured over the contract Peach shoved in their faces yesterday? It’s important to know, if we are to make sense of Olive’s contradictory declarations.
In any event, I was hoping that least we’d get a real knock-down sister fight, like the first time they all got back together. (And do you remember when and where that took place?)
However, Rusty suddenly dropped in with a message from Mark, changing the vibe. What could Mark’s exciting news be? Maybe something like “Hi, all. Big adventure! WYWH! Trying 2 avoid drowning in flash flood. GTG. XOXO!”
Art Dept. There is some awkward framing today. It took three panels to introduce Rusty, his message, and the change of mood. I think a two-panel spread would have suited the purpose better. The second panel would be composed similar to panel 1, but Rusty would only come in the door at that point. The sisters would appear silent and surprised as Rusty delivers his message. Surprise is meant to be short and quick.
Okay, so the fight continues over the Holly-Peach business deal. This is all fine from a plot position, though the dialog is sometimes confusing. Peach’s accusation in panel 1 is an all-too-true claim and a sad comment on the state of visual evidence. It reminds me of times when Communist Russia manually manipulated official photos to erase the image of an official who had been permanently removed, as if they never existed. Here, Peach is making the opposite claim.
But Peach’s statements aren’t always on point, like when she claims (panel 3) she got a contract “fair and square.” Not sure what that has to do with the argument, but it’s her rationale. Olive could have offered once again to take her, but she did not. Probably because Jules Rivera needed a hook to keep the opposition between the sisters continuing until it eventually gets resolved through a later event.
Art Dept. We could have a field day lining up all of the different faces that Cherry has owned over the years Rivera has been drawing the strip. Same for Mark. There are several possible reasons for this, one being less of a desire for exactitude than for the importance of expression. Another reason is one that happens to almost all longer-term comic strips, is that the cartoonist’s understanding and expectation of the character changes over time, resulting in reshaping a character’s appearance. Same thing for Mark.
While Mark attempts to escape a deluge down in Texas, back in Lost Forest Olive and Cherry continue their task of trying to prevent Peach from signing on to Holly Folly’s fast fashion empire of disposable garments. But, as expected, Peach is having none of that. Of course, it’s likely her first major score, so it stands to reason she will stand on her intuition.
Art Dept. If you are bothered by the awkward scale and perspective in panel 1, don’t panic. We could be looking at one of those constructed optical illusion rooms where normal proportions go kittywumpus as a person moves from one side of the room to the other. No? Then perhaps we’re just looking at a child’s play area, set up for her imaginary cabin in the woods. Or it could have just been another good surfing day for Rivera.
It was a dramatic week, featuring a raging storm. And then bad weather hit. Am I being deliberately backwards? Nope! The Monday strip began with Mark still trying to coopt Shania and Reba into canceling the camping trip because of the flood threat. But bipolar Tess overheard and began to rage against her companions. Yet, as quickly as Tess’s wrath began, it disappeared. In Tuesday’s strip, Tess was all happiness and charm, likely due to the arrival of the New York photographer and hipster, Venus Verité. Tess’s husband, Jess, must have driven her in and then faded back into the Mark Trail Phantom Zoneof Unneeded Characters for the remainder of the week (At least he has plenty of company there).
Venus is definitely into her work, as she spent most of her time checking the light and mentally framing her shots. Speaking of shots, the Hog-Huntin’ Heroines got in some hunting, but it was omitted from the week’s strips. Maybe the comics syndicate just wanted to move the story along. But we did get to witness some dead hog torsos and more of Tess’s heroic victory poses. When Mark later suggested that they set up camp on high ground in case of flooding, Tess again derided Mark. But Tess relented when Venus agreed with Mark, saying that the elevated position would provide better views for her photography.
Mark has not been camping out much since Jules Rivera took over the strip (N.B.Mark’s camping prowess was a topic of discussion in the Saturday comments section, so check it out). Okay, adventure stories must have adventure, so you can pretty well figure out what happened next. In the middle of the night Mark awoke from his tent in horror to find that it was raining, with raging floodwaters rising towards their campsite! The week ended with Mark running around in his pajamas, shouting the alarm. I wonder if there is even higher ground they can escape to?
Well, we have a more interesting and creative title panel for a change. I didn’t know about the polar bear’s hair and skin, but it reminds me of a similar quality in feathers on such birds as Blue Jays and Hummingbirds. I’m not sure what Mark’s comment in the last panel is all about. Sure, it’s supposed to be Hah!Hah! Funny, But still, “split a soda”!? Well, you could get really environmental and point out that sodas are not all that friendly to the climate, but that’s being pedantic. It’s not the CO2 so much as the entire production process. In any event, what really concerns me is the remark, itself. Why a soda (pop) and why split it with a polar bear? It’s a relationship that makes no sense to me. Mark doesn’t even seem like a soda type of guy. Let’s have lessof Mark’s image in every panel and more space for the Sunday topic!
You know as well as I do that in the pre-Rivera Mark Trail strip, we’d be seeing one or more of the women sneaking up to Mark’s tent and reaching for the zipper … to his tent flap, of course. But the current Mark Trail doesn’t seem to be much of a “chick magnet.” And maybe that’s all for the better. Even the James Bond movies have largely pivoted away from the heroic stud stereotype.
Since the group pitched their tents atop a rise, this has to be one hell of a flood! The dam must have given way. Which dam, you ask? Well, almost every flood disaster story seems to be based on a dam failing because of too much rain, sending watery doom to the sleeping population in the valley.
In fact, what panel 4 depicts isn’t just water rising to the top of the hill; we see waves and breakers, suggesting a surge of water. I reckon we’ll learn more in time.
I’d be surprised if Venus Verité does not try to get some good photos of their impending doom while Mark scurries around ensuring everybody makes it back to the cars. Oh, wait. The cars are down the hill, right? Given that the flood is cresting the summit where they are camping, escaping in the cars doesn’t sound like a viable option. Good thing at least some of them have experience climbing trees.
The question now is whether Rivera spends a third week in a row on this story or we jump back to Lost Forest and the fashion trash. At least here, we got a good cliff-hanger for once!
I reckon that if they didn’t talk so much, we’d have a better view of those storm clouds hiding behind the dialog balloons. At least some are peeking out in panel 4. Higher ground is usually a good strategy to follow in a situation like this, especially with a slight rise to assist in minimizing standing water. But what is this ground they are moving onto? It looks like clay or dirt, with no vegetation at all. Or is it rock? A dirt or clay ground probably would not be the best place to pitch tents in a storm.
Now, what about those kills? Are they being left where they fell? Taking any home for more pork chops? A small detail, perhaps, but leaving them on the earth will almost certainly render them useless for butchering later on. About as useless as Shania and Reba, who don’t seem to contribute very much.
Art Dept. Did you notice how Mark can quickly move from one person and space to another? He’s like The Flash! In panel 3, he’s standing beside Tess Tigress, as she once again derides his cautious attitude. In panel 4, Tess relents, but Mark is already standing beside Venus Verité in the distance. Well, perhaps it is really just Tess who moved away from Mark and Venus, before deciding to go along with the plan. Not the Flash, after all.
What makes a “Prize Hog”? Size? Tenacity? Skin color? Is there such as a thing as a prize feral hog? Well, I’m not sure where today’s installment fits into the story’s chronology. It could be before yesterday’s panels or just after. Makes little difference, perhaps. The story doesn’t really advance, so much as it just fills in a few miscellaneous spots. Mark is busy scribbling notes and not taking pics. Maybe he’s made a deal with Venus Verité to get copies of her photos. Say, I wonder if Shania and Reba actually got a chance to shoot?
Art Dept. Okay, new quiz: What are those red streaks in panel 1? Why are they arranged around the panel borders and presumably pointing to Tess? I have an idea, but would like to hear yours!
Clearly, Jules Rivera is satirizing (or deriding) the shooting, as she deliberately reverses the usual sound effect from Ka Blam to B-Kam. And yes, I’m aware that we could see all of Rivera’s work as satirizing the original strip.
Next, what the heck is Verité doing in panel 3 and panel 4? Shaping her hands into a virtual frame is a longstanding technique for photographers and even artists, but she seems to be holding her frame up in the air, as if she is preparing to photograph the sky. Maybe she is? But it gets even more perplexing in panel 4, where she holds her hands up above her head, like a ballerina who forgot to pose her legs. And once again, Rivera arranges her cast in a line, or lineup (mabe like an old-fashioned police lineup?) , as if they are on stage at the end of a talent show, waiting to hear who won.
I know what you eagle-eyed Mark Trail veterans are thinking: “Who’s that third person in the background, alongside Mark and Venus Verité?” The person is in camo, so I’m going out on a limb and suggest it is Jess, who finally caught up with the hunting party in between yesterday’s strip and today’s. There was obviously enough time for it, since Rivera skipped us past the actual hunt.
And Shania and Reba don’t seem to mind that Tess is once again hogging the limelight. But who is Venus shooting inpanel 3? Mark and Jess!? Another herd of feral hogs heading towards them? A rare sighting of a Golden-cheeked Warbler? Perhaps this is yet another example—as we also see in panel 1—of everybody facing towards us, even when the action is to the rear. For example, the three gals in panel 1 stand in a common triumphal post-hunting pose, facing us. Why do that, when the rest of the party stands in their required line, behind them? It’s a curious feature, unless I am totally misunderstanding things.
Rifle enthusiasts will no doubt sharply criticize Rivera’s inability to draw accurate weapons, unless one considers the notion that she is deliberately drawing “kiddie-style” rifles that looks more like BB-guns, rather than serious rifles with sufficient stopping power.
Did I oversleep again and miss a day? I could have sworn that yesterday we saw Tess ripping into Shania, Reba, and Mark. All of a sudden, Tess is playing nice, with no hint of animosity. Maybe it’s because her photographer has also suddenly arrived on the scene. Repeating a common visual composition, Rivera shows Tess and the photographer standing in the foreground (in front of Mark, Reba, and Shania). But they look backwards at the trio while still facing us. The trio in the background line up, side by side, as if on inspection. It’s as if they are actors whose contracts stipulate that they must always be filmed in full view, never overlapping.
Again, I’m confused on geography. Tess talks about having to “stay” in place, as if they are already at the camping grounds, rather than still at the manse. Speaking of which, where is Jess? He’s been absent all week, though he was supposed to be coming along. Perhaps he picked up and brought Venus Verité along, and now he’s somewhere else parking his car.
A point of weather depiction here: I can totally get behind the “overcast” look in panel 1, with the halftone applied across the upper sky. Very effective.
Starting with a reprise from last week, Jules Rivera changes her camera angle to reveal Tess Tigress standing behind the trio, apparently using the benefit of camouflage to assist with her eavesdropping. Never mind that Rivera forgot to apply the camo pattern to Tess’s suit in panel 1. Still, it provides a plausible cover for her Big Reveal as she lowers the boom.
But what’s going on in panel 3? Rivera revamps one of her more interesting compositions: putting the primary characters in the background in order to focus on something outside of their vision and awareness. Sometimes the foreground subject is completely irrelevant. In this case, it’s a herd of razorbacks standing off to the side! Looks like the Hog-Hunting Heroines can avoid the possible flood and save some time and trouble by hunting on Jess and Tess’s property!
But where did the storm clouds go?
Art Dept. Originally, Rivera tended to eschew shading, hatching, and similar techniques that emphasize volume, light-and-dark, or thematic atmosphere. A few years ago, she got tired of drawing Mark’s facial stubble and substituted halftone (e.g. ben-day dots) shading. Since then, she has slowly expanded the technique to other parts of the drawing, where we now begin to see a sort of textured look to the panels, replacing the stark linearity of her earlier approach.
It was a tough week for Mark, having been informed by his weather app that a big storm is forming in the area and could cause flash flooding. Seems the camping spot Tess picked out is right in the path. Mark brought this up with Tess, but got off on the wrong foot by putting forward his feelings as justification, before showing the information. This ticked off Tess, who ripped him a new one. She also dismissed his data when it was finally brought up by showing her weather app had no such warnings. Of course, Mark could have simply said he’ll sit this one out. What was there really left to do? He got his interviews, went on some hunts, and ate a bunch of pork chops. But Mark Trail is still under contract with King Features Syndicate, so he will still go, come hell or high water!
The next morning they began packing the car. Reba and Shania were present. Tess and Jess were not yet present on scene. This gave Mark an opportunity to take the two gals aside and give them his gloom-and-doom pep talk, hoping they would agree with him and vote to call the trip off. But Reba reacted the same as Tess. Shania expressed some uncertainty. This was not going as Mark as hoped. Tess will almost certainly learn of Mark’s behind-the-scene treachery.
We’ve already spent several weeks reading Cherry’s adventure and learning about fast fashion and its effects on the environment. So why does Jules Rivera devote a Sunday page to repeating this information? Well, curious readers, Rivera is using the topic to pivot to a more general screed on the pollution effects of plastics and dyes in our oceans. Floating islands of rubbish, discarded clothing, and other garbage certainly do exist and create problems for sea life, shipping, and beaches.
Now, I have no idea what Mark is getting at in the last panel. Style over substance? What substance? Is Mark suggesting that more expensive clothing doesn’t also get discarded and sometimes wind up in landfills and floating garbage pits?
Here we see again Rivera giving mixed signals. Why is Mark holding a model WWI biplane and smiling as he concludes his ominous message? Why is there a deer in panel 4 expressing surprise? Rivera used to brag about how much time and effort she puts into the Sunday page. That certainly isn’t evident in today’s work. It looks rushed and simplistic. Ed Dodd thought it important enough to hire an artist whose only job was to prepare the Sunday page. Unfortunately, I don’t think Rivera gets paid anywhere near enough for that luxury.
Okay, this is the second day in a row where we’ve seen a gray cloud cover overtaking the sky. If you missed the subtle, initial appearance yesterday, go back to Friday’s strip and have a look. We’ll wait for you … dah-dah bum, dah-dah-boom dah- … ah, okay. Glad some of you made it back. Let’s move on.
Supposedly, the team is packing up for the big trip, but not much is happening. Perhaps they’re waiting for the servants to show up? Nevertheless, storm clouds do seem to be coming on; even the SUV in the background shows their reflections. But metaphorical storm clouds are also forming among the hunters. With Tess currently in absentia, “All thumbs” (as in “Couldn’t get a shot off”) Reba holds down the corporate line of pooh-poohing the science. Once again, Mark’s opinion gets dissed. If these gals were newspaper readers and followed the strip, they’d know better than to buck Mark’s advice.
And Jules Rivera really should stopkilling what little drama she builds up when she inserts corny remarks in a narration box. Such remarks should be left to professionals.
Art Dept. I have to love the orange background in panel 2. Its heat-like tone fully supports Reba’s agitation. And the color contrasts sharply with the green camo the hunting heroines are sporting. Good job!
Gosh, it seems like it has only been seven days since last Friday … uh, well, my wife doesn’t think much of my stupid jokes, either. But they’re probably good enough for Mark Trail.
As for this strip, it’s easy to predict a wet catastrophe is heading their way, given Shania’s comment about camping in a valley. Mark makes a move behind Tess’s back to warn Reba and Shania, but then Jules Rivera (once again) breaks the dramatic mood by criticizing Mark in panel 3. Rivera’s sarcastic notes have done this several times in the past and I find it surprising. She could (and should) be supporting the drama, not editorializing. Well, there is sure to be a reckoning about this confab when Tess finds out.
Art Dept. I see that Rivera decided to free-hand the SUV, rather than embed an existing online image. I’ve mentioned before that using “clipart” and other image sources is a standard practice with comic strip artists and has been since the beginning. At least, the drawing of this auto more closely matches the overall style of the strip.
Speaking of style, it is difficult to grasp the ongoing transformation of this strip’s drawing, because it seems like it was always like this. Not so! If you want proof, I recommend viewing several strips for each year Rivera has been drawing, starting October 13, 2020. I think you’ll be surprised at how the strip has changed in tone, detail, and visual composition from its original appearance.
The Daily Trail 