“Rested enough!? After that long soak in the bathtub followed by an evening of reading in bed with fruit slices (cucumbers?) pasted under your eyes?” I’d hope so. And I hope Cherry found time for her and Rusty to get a bite to eat. In fact, I bet Cherry pinched those fruit slices from the hotel salad bar.
Yet, I suffer from high expectations. Originally, Cherry was all google-eyed at the thought of going to Las Vegas. And it wasn’t to sit in a hotel room and read books. But there’s been no gambling action at all, much less even the mention of gambling. I was kind of hoping Cherry would find her way to a Blackjack or Craps table, or even the slots. They might as well be staying at a Motel 6 in Boise.
On the other hand, our boy Rusty has been busy exploring the hotel. His activity might have made for a more interesting set of panels than what we’ve been seeing recently, or today; so I hope the hike provides some worthwhile action.
Returning to their “luxury hotel”, Mark cogitated on why Tad Crass put on the Woodsman Olympics. Clearly, there must be a nefarious purpose! It’s a fundamental rule of bad guys. While Mark randomly searched online, Cliff pointed to a page citing a real estate dispute Tad is involved in with a solar power company for a parcel of land near the site of the “Olympic” contest. Disputes over land use are common and there is nothing illegal about such actions. But Mark was still sure something was rotten, waiting for him to discover. That’s a fundamental rule of Mark Trail!
Mark thought a midnight drive out to the contested site might help him figure out an angle to use against Crass. But access to the land was locked. Once again, Cliff came through with an idea: Property taxes! If nothing is being done to the land, paying property taxes for it is just throwing away good money. Sure. So what? Crass does not own the property! In fact, Tad’s dispute is who gets to purchase the land! Unfortunately, Jules Rivera seems to have gotten lost over the details of land purchase, land use, and property taxes. This is throwing the plot into fantasy land. Anyway, the issue is not in Mark’s wheelhouse, so his involvement is dubious, at best.
Mark finally hypothesized that the Woodman Olympics was some kind of hustle by Tad Crass to sway the Las Vegas city government to allow him to purchase the land, instead of the solar energy company. Again, this is extremely weak. It suggests that the City Council of Las Vegas is filled with people even dimmer than Cliff and Mark. But to give Rivera the benefit of a doubt, we can also see this as an unrealistic expectation of a corrupt and dim Tad Crass. We’ll see.
We have another Sunday Quickie: An average topic with mediocre visuals, two completely wasted panels (the second and last panels), and an over-reliance on a throwaway joke. Interestingly, Rivera covered the bighorn rams before, from a different angle. And more interestingly, it appeared during Mark’s investigation of Tad Crass’s activities in Utah involving wild horses and a secret data center (3/24/24, “Horsin’ Around”). Could this really be just a coincidence?
Case!? What case? Who says putting on a public event to win official support for your business plans is illegal? Au contraire, Jules Rivera. Does Mark think that a city that has built its reputation and wealth on the ability to make visitors give them all of their money, while also weeding out hustlers and card cheats, will be so easily duped? Anyway, it’s up to the citizens and the local government to decide whether the Woodsman Olympics offers as much value to the community as a solar energy farm.
Frankly, a lumberjack contest in Las Vegas does not sound like the kind of public event that would draw serious tourist traffic, which is supported by the puny crowds that we saw. Of course, Mark is biased towards solar energy farms, and that is praiseworthy and clearly more valuable to Las Vegas. Still, it’s really nothing that Mark should have any say over, except maybe as a testimonial witness for the solar industry in court.
And that’s why I believe nothing of the sort is going to happen. Therefore, as Mark “pooh-poohs” the attempted bribe from Tad Crass, Mark is just as likely to perform something over the line, himself, to balance the books. Or tilt it towards the sun. Perhaps Mark will try to sneak in a surprise competitor in the Woodsman Olympics: Solar Man!
Art Dept. More subpar artwork today. Panel 1 is poorly framed and roughly sketched. Cliff’s mouth in panel 4 suggests he grew up in the back country or likes to mix it up with the regulars at the local bar.
While still apparently ignoring his family upstairs in the hotel, Mark follows his suspicious gut, in spite of the lack of any real action or rumor of illegality, and heads out into the desert. But since the subject is Tad Crass, that is reason enough to go into action! Maybe Mark’s has a point, but this approach would certainly not pass muster in any court of law. At least in the Real World.
Why are Mark and Cliff surprised that a parcel of private property has a gate and a lock? Is this more of Jules Rivera making Mark out to be some clueless hick? Well, Mark has clearly had his brainpan refreshed by Cliff’s timely reflection on the link between property and property taxes. Maybe they don’t have property taxes in Lost Forest. Anyway, this is usually the time in an adventure film when a roving State Trooper quietly rolls up, illuminates Mark and Cliff with a flood light, and asks them (in a kind of western drawl) to kindly put their hands on the hood of their rental car.
Okay, there is land involved. The city and/or a solar energy company is contesting ownership or usage of the land. It’s a common situation. Is this going to be another “secret data center” story? No, I don’t know if Cliff is practicing for an audition with Riverdance, either (panel 2).
Darn, how did Tad’s secret project get discovered!? I reckon you really can’t say anything to the press without it getting published. The facts, as read by Mark, are not very clear. “Allocated” does not mean “owned by” or “sold to”, so there may be grounds for a legal fight.
Mark is correct in failing to see a connection with the contest. So, this should be the end of Mark’s concern. But Mark doesn’t seem to believe that Tad might be genuinely interested in “woodsmen” skills and contests; or that he is simply the front-man for some business conglomerate footing the bill. And Mark doesn’t seem to be concerned that we’ve seen nothing going on in his particular wheelhouse where he might have a legitimate concern.
I’m not sure if Jules Rivera is deliberately creating contradictions and improprieties simply to fashion an adventure for Mark to get involved in, or whether there will turn out to be some kind of link to a misuse of natural resources or something along that line.
You know you are losing your edge when Cliff has to point out a web page you blew past without due consideration. We can’t tell for sure, since Mark is more concerned with exercising his wit than his wits (And wasn’t that a better pun?!). Perhaps in a few days or so, today’s strip might prove to be more informative. I just hope they ditch those horrible hats!
[Editor’s Note] I’m flying down to Virginia once again to see my siblings and help celebrate my dad’s 100th. He still lives at home, though my sisters take turns staying with him. So if you don’t see a posting for a day, it just means that I’ll be doubling up the next time. In the meantime, I’ll be enjoying temperatures in the 70’s and low 80’s. A nice improvement from where I live!
If that is the lobby of a luxury hotel, my name is Ed Dodd. And what’s with that rough-hewn window frame? Looks like they’re set up in some old bunkhouse.
So it looks like Crass is trying to swing more real estate deals. Doesn’t sound like anything Mark would be concerned with, unless Tad’s buying up wetlands to convert into high-end residential developments.
I wonder what Cherry and Rusty are doing? I wonder if Mark is wondering what Cherry and Rusty are up to? Mark seems to have forgotten all about them, or maybe he’s just confident that Cherry is not that 1950s wife-in-waiting any more. So if he and Cliff get the idea to immediately rent a car and go exploring some of Tad’s properties, Cherry won’t go seeking the hotel security for assistance. But the Grungey Boys are always around the corner, looking for opportunities. They’ve shown in the past that they are not too bothered at bothering women and children, so maybe Mark should at least check in before taking any further actions!
After a week of sometimes interesting artistic choices and experiments, Jules Rivera has returned to her standard stock-in-trade of presenting ill-formed figures and objects, barely defined settings, and dull panel layouts. Also noteworthy is the continual change in coloring of medals and ribbons, to say nothing of Cliff’s chameleon sweat suit.
Regarding the story, itself, we are still in a segue stage, where nothing much is happening except for a few days spent being suspicious of Tad Crass. In itself, that is probably merited, given his track record. What is surprising is that Mark’s internal BS Monitor didn’t start buzzing from the get-go when Cliff called with the invitation. Mark could have done some online research, as he did when he was assigned to cover the manatee rescue in Florida (Manatee Calamity!) and interview the Hog Hunting Heroines (Women, Rifles, and Hogs).
So, yes, Mark. There is definitely something to be suspicious about. Will this have anything to do with mistreatment of natural resources? If not, just enjoy the free stuff while it lasts, hope the return flight tickets are still valid, and that you will actually get any prize money you won.
This was a week of artistic explorations, or so it appears to me. One day was a salute to old-school comic books, another day was a homage to Japanese cinema. Sandwiched in between was the usual filling of self-parody, quick scene changes, and vague hints of a plot. A sort of “champions’ dinner” was held in which Mark again spotted grifter and would-be data center king, Tad Crass. I think it is amazing that Crass would invite, or permit to be invited, the guy who led to the destruction of his secret data center in Utah, causing a significant loss of money, prestige, police action, and likely lawsuits. But maybe that is the reason Mark was invited?
Anyway, not much actually transpired, though we learned that Tad Crass is the person who is apparently in charge of the event. Crass gave a short dinner speech, where not much was said. But it was enough to make Mark curious and want to investigate. “Investigate what?” you may respond. Well, it’s another case of Mark sticking his nose into something that is none of his business. As I pointed out yesterday, other than being at an outdoor event, there is nothing in this story so far that links to the issues that Mark usually gets involved in. You know: Lost Forest, Nature, the Environment, Survival Skills, UFOs, etc.
Thanks, Mark. You do much better talking about legitimate environmental concerns, even if you hog too many panels.
The Daily Trail 