It looks like another Mark Trail Adventure has come to a watery end. After leading the wet and anxious hunters up a hill to safety, Mark and the group sat down, soaked and tired, and took stock: Venus Verité was the only person who managed to get dressed and also the only person who managed to have a phone. So she called emergency services. Meanwhile, the rivalry between Mark and Tess continued, as she baited Mark and falsely claimed credit for saving everybody. There were two further events that caused readers here and elsewhere to scratch their heads:

In the first instance, Mark made a phone call to Cherry, but the phone he used didn’t match in color with the phone that Venus had. Seeing that everybody else was in their pajamas or union suit, we have to wonder where it came from, unless the color change was an accident. In the second instance, some anonymous background people started to drift into the panels, apparently being other campers who also foolishly ignored the weather reports. Nobody in Mark’s group seemed terribly put-out, which diluted the seriousness of the incident. Soft endings are typical for Rivera’s stories.

Rivera did not spend time on the larger-scale implications of the flash flood and its effects on the area. While not critical to the story, it might have added some useful information about a serious and sometimes deadly event. Alternatively, it could made a good lead-in for a Sunday strip, but that did not happen today, either. My wife says I just expect too much from life.

Creating a custom title panel for every Sunday page has been a regular feature since Jules Rivera took over. While not every title panel hits a home run, many are inventive, if not at least interesting. and this one is especially effective, while being quite simple. Why? A capybara literally barks out the name of the strip, echoing the animal’s characteristic warning call that Mark explains later in the strip. Some readers might see this as a “Welcome!” sign, whereas others might find it a just-in-time “Warning!” sign.

“What is a capybara and why has the Internet fallen in love with them?” Sounds like one of those phony online ads you see on your email server and places like YouTube. I’m on the Internet more than I want to admit, but I haven’t seen any love being directed to capybaras. Have you?