I know, you can huff and puff about a fishing line casting event at what is essentially a lumberjack contest, but who’s to say? It’s just not worth the effort, since Jules Rivera gives short shrift to this event, anyway. Maybe because it is only Cliff, or maybe Rivera wants to pick up the pace of the story, not there is much story content today. But at least Rivera remembered Cliff and gave him a bit of face-time. Maybe he’ll once again step out of the picture for the rest of the week to make room for Mark.

Still, I think we can look forward to another faceoff with the Grungey Boys, and maybe some kind of confrontation with the unknown sponsor of this contest. There has to more. There must be some kind of environmental or nature-related issue for Mark to resolve, right? That’s the whole point of Mark Trail! The story can’t just be about a meaningless contest. Unless, the real story is that forbidden zone behind the hotel…hmmm.

Art Dept. Check out the coloring of today’s panels!! Gadzooks, those muted tones remind me of old school comic books. That’s actually pretty cool! As we saw last week, here is yet another standout from Rivera’s regular presentation. Somebody help me:  Cliff’s pose in Panel 2 looks like an earlier, possibly famous, image or source. Again, I can’t exactly place it, though Cliff kind of looks like a young Robert Redford. Possibly a coincidence. And no, I don’t think it pays homage to the cover of Dylan’s Nashville Skyline.

Finally, I’m not exactly sure who Cliff is chatting with in panel 1. It looks like a stand-in for Mark, but not Mark, himself. The face is wrong (no beard!), as is the body type. The shirt is wrong, too. Maybe it’s Woody from Toy Story. Finally, did these guys bring multiple uniforms? Cliff’s suit was red the last time we saw him.