Mark certainly has put himself (and Cliff) in a precarious situation, vis-à-vis the competition. I wouldn’t be surprised if Tad Crass had Mark and Cliff ejected from the competition, though it still raises the question of why he accepted Mark’s application in the first place. Based on last week’s action, Tad certainly has not forgotten who Mark is.

Mark’s pursuit of Tad’s apparent skullduggery will also not likely mollify Cherry and Rusty, who could have found better things to do than hang around a wood chopping competition on their own. But that is not likely to happen, of course. Like Mighty Mouse, Mark will arrive to save the day! Or not.

If this was a live-action story, we’d be hearing a dramatic low-frequency rhythm gradually building up in intensity and volume as the contest continues and suspense builds. At the last moment the sound of a high performance car would fill the air along with some heroic music like Raiders of the Lost Ark, as Mark’s car suddenly appears from behind a sand dune, fishtailing and coming to a climatic stop alongside the competition area. Cherry and Rusty stand up and cheer as a grim Tad Crass and contest judges approach Mark and Cliff. The dramatic music returns.

Art Dept. I’ve discussed Jules Rivera’s convention of having characters appearing to look over their shoulders as they watch action going on behind them (panel 1). I presume it is either done because Rivera doesn’t want people to forget who the characters are; or she doesn’t much care to draw people from behind. Well, I don’t think there is any danger in readers not recognizing Cherry or Rusty from just about any angle. I just think it is a cheap copout.