There is a lot to unpack here, which is more than we can say for Mark and his group, since the flood seems to have washed away all of their packs, camping gear, hunting equipment, and transportation.  As usual, in times of crisis, everybody asks, WWMD? The ever-optimistic Mark always knows what to do … well, Venus Verité does, in this case. Mark’s big idea is to conquer wet clothing, rather than hunt for lost baggage or vehicles—if they are still present—to see if they will start or have emergency kits. But Mark is certain help will get there soon, as if Emergency Services would give top priority to a group of hunters foolish enough to go camping in the path of a predicted flash flood.

Art Dept. I know what some (or most) of you are thinking: Was Rivera on something when she drew this? Take Panel 1 (please!). Cartoony characters stand around gaping at a landscape that might have come from an LSD trip or a German Expressionist painter. Arms flex in unusual ways. Panels look as if they are in a post-nuclear war wasteland, bereft of flora, fauna, and natural landmarks. But, perhaps the drawings are meant to symbolize the group’s feelings of isolation, despair, and loss. If not the group’s, then ours?