Well, I’m trying to figure out how Cliff’s hand works in panel 2. First off, the angle of arm-to-face looks awkward, and the hand looks too small for his face. Now, consider the hand, itself. Clearly, it cannot be Cliff’s left hand. So it is his right hand, which puts his thumb on the outside of the palm. Agreed? Okay, let’s move on. Consider what is supposed to be his thumb. How does the thumb wind up flexing below the palm, where it looks more like a broken finger? Don’t take my word for it; try it yourself, or ask a friend to. Perhaps Cliff is one of those rare people born with an underdeveloped thumb (thumb hypoplasia).

Let’s get into the story. Jules Rivera omitted the conclusion of yesterday’s face-off, so we’ll never know if the security guard was as reluctant to get involved as he looked, or if the Grungey Boys wanted to avoid the law and so quickly left. It seemed like it would have been a good opportunity for Rivera to get in some cheap laughs. Today we learned the likely reason why Cliff didn’t back up Mark against the Grungey Boys (panel 2). Does Mark think Cliff’s memory isn’t very good or did he forget Cliff’s own involvement in that doomed fishing class he mentions in panel 3? It might have produced a more effective panel to have Mark start off reminding Cliff of Connor’s accident and then show Cliff jumping in to finish the rest of the explanation, demonstrating that he did remember. A more dynamic panel results, though it would mean getting rid of the narration box.

Those of you who dislike the way Rivera employs narration boxes (count me in that group at this point) will probably not appreciate the box in panel 3. In fact, it doesn’t make any sense to me! Shouldn’t it say something like “Now Mark is not letting Connor off the hook” or maybe “The Grungey Boys are not letting Mark off the hook.” What is Rivera trying to say!? Help me out, people!

I’ll give Rivera some credit for Mark’s non-violent (if temporary) solution to this otherwise put-up confrontation. At the same time, I share the readers’ disappointment that Mark doesn’t just simply beat the crap out of these guys. And where is Cliff hiding, anyway? How come he isn’t backing Mark up? Some pal he is. If I was the snarky type, I might suggest that Cliff is likely upstairs helping Cherry settle into her room. However, there are other web sites that already indulge in snark like that! I like to think that we maintain a higher quality of self-indulgent doggerel here at The Daily Trail. I also like to think that I am 6 feet tall and look like George Clooney.

As we’ve been seeing, Jules Rivera has devoted the week just getting Mark into his hotel. Perhaps next week Rivera might spend the same amount of time in the casino with Cherry, as Mark tries to find something to do about—I mean, with—Rusty. Cliff will possibly spend the week coaching Cherry on the strategies of Doubling Down. Oops! Strike that snark; I said I wasn’t going to do that!

Well, now that I have given Mark his due, it’s time to look at the rest of the story. It does seem somewhat embarrassing that the Security of this resort has to run around in goofy tricorn hats while wearing modern jackets with gold badges. That security guard—if he really is one—certainly does not look or act the part. He reminds me of Ranger Shaw, who trembles any time he is asked to actually do something. I’m on tenterhooks awaiting Saturday’s wrap-up for the week!

Once again, continuity becomes an unwilling victim to Jules Rivera’s storyline. It was only yesterday when these two groups ran into each other, with Mark making an immediate identification of The Grungey Boys to a glum-faced Cliff. Today, it is confident Cliff taking the lead, as if he didn’t hear a thing Mark said. This seems like the repeated retelling-in-more-detail sequence of a few weeks ago, when Cliff first called Mark to tell him about the Woodsman Olympics event.

The story follows the usual movie plot of rival figures meeting up and trash-talking before the action begins. The silent standoff cliff-hanger for the day leaves openings for several ways this can continue. But, it’s early in the story, so I’m guessing we’ll see an interruption or just a parting of the ways for now.

Art Dept. I give Rivera extra credit for Mark’s smooth talking guy in panel 2. It’s nicely composed with a degree of movement suggested by Mark’s diagonal pose, reinforced by the cool blue background. It deliberately contrasts with the confrontational Grungey Boys in panel 3, where Connor’s anger is again reinforced by the same hot red background we saw yesterday. But the distorted anatomy and shifting proportions of the three figures detracts from its intended impact. Connor has nowhere near the visual impact he had in yesterday’s strip.

Mark and Cliff are just giggly little boys, laughing at their funny hats and how “unique” they are. Swell.

So, I’ll give myself partial credit for guessing we’d see one of Mark’s regular foes. But the Grungey Boys!? The Three Stooges of Lost Forest?! This is making me even more suspicious about this contest if these clowns can get in it. The Grungey Boys must be taking steroids, because how did they get to be so tall and dominating, compared with Mark and Cliff? Mark is supposed to be at least as tall as Honest Ernest. Mark and Cliff look like the kids that get beat up in high school movies. What gives here? This disparity deflates my defense of Mark in a response yesterday to a comment by reader Daniel Pellissier about Mark’s “manliness” creds. I can’t catch a break!

Did you notice that Connor has adopted some of the facial features and bravado of his presumed mentor, Honest Ernest (panel 1)? It is also interesting that we still have no clear idea who that third member of this gang is. Else, I forgot! On the other hand, at least we can give this grungy trio points for adopting a flashy visual identity. All Mark and Cliff have are those goofy hats.

Art Dept. In general, I’m disappointed by the ongoing simplification and flattening of figures and objects. Panels 1 and 3, especially, lack vitality in their boring linework. However, I’ll give points to Rivera for panel 2, with those strong colors and simple, but bold, shapes. Aside from the lack of detail, the panel 2 exudes a 1960’s Pop Art aesthetic. That red background really pops!

Mark seems to have an OCD-like fascination for outlandish hats, especially of the “Stetson” variety. He no sooner arrives in some “west of the Mississippi” state, then he pulls some kind of Urban Cowboy headgear from out of thin air, like a magician auditioning for a job a Caesar’s Palace. Well, there is one thing we can all agree upon about Mark: Gravitas is not his strength.

Jules Rivera kept today’s strip simple and focused, so Mark could deliver his cornball wit and sartorial excesses without the interruption of his other traveling companions, Rusty and Cliff. I wonder if Rivera will devote one of this week’s strips to a panoramic view of The Strip, or focus on the downtown hotel/casinos. I expect this week will be devoted to getting these Forest Olympians situated in their hotel so they can conduct any preliminary sightseeing and gambling before the Big Event begins.