
Rather than show Ranger Shaw approaching the boys and telling them what has to be done, Jules Rivera focuses on the boys, as they figure out what is going on and what they need to do. So the week ends with a call to action and contrition.
The boys are acting true to form as we suspected. Are Ian and Ernie really just now realizing that everything that has happened was because they did not stick up for Rusty in the first place? Robbie looks like he is turning out to be a real false friend, not just a sarcastic jerk. Sure, Robbie has always been jealous of Rusty, maybe because he doesn’t think his dad measures up to Rusty’s dad. Or maybe he’s just becoming a bigger jerk and even more jealous.
I’m also a bit surprised that Ian and Ernie didn’t bother to call Robbie out on his declaration of innocence. They got the same photo on their phones as Robbie did. So it will be interesting to see how Robbie’s dad handles the situation.
You know, I can almost see Robbie trying to push his own version of the situation: “Dad, I was secretly following Rusty on his nature hike, to practice my scout tracking skills, you know! While Rusty was taking photos of the bald eagle, I took photos of the eagle, too! So I didn’t steal his stupid picture. Mine was better, anyway!”
But I reckon we’ll have to wait a few weeks to find out, as this week’s chapter has come to a close. We’ll almost certainly cut back to Florida on Monday for Mark’s ongoing troubles with Happy and Gail, the catfishing owner of the Glamor Gorilla sanctuary.
Robbie’s “I didn’t steal his stupid photo” isn’t a denial. It’s a demand that they support his lie, which they know to be a lie and could easily be proven to be such.
Which is a quite popular tactic these days.
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Not a denial? I got lost in the grammar, I’m afraid.
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I’m also a bit surprised that Ian and Ernie didn’t bother to call Robbie out on his declaration of innocence.
I assume Jules simply prioritized telling us what Monday’s strip will be about over that. There’s only so much space in the panel, and this one’s already suffering from an overcast of word clouds.
You know, I can almost see Robbie trying to push his own version of the situation
I rather hope he does, only to have Rusty point to the EXIF info riding on the photo, which will prove he took it. I can’t see the other Scouts being that sophisticated about digital photography, but given that Rusty’s holding a fancy digital SLR in Jules’s original family picture (the one on your masthead), I have to assume he is more than just a “point the phone and hope for the best” photographer. Yeah, I know… irrational optimism…
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Yeah, good point. Space is always at a premium in the strips. But I’d have been happy if Rivera had written “You’re wrong!” instead of “Who cares?” I’m just quibbling.
And yes, who better to teach Rusty the ins and outs of digital photography than his Dad!? Perhaps another reason for Robbie’s demeanor.
Regarding this masthead, it’s a shame that Rivera didn’t maintain the aesthetic style she initially started with. But, that’s another story.
I’m not sure why WordPress keeps flagging your comments, by the way. I can’t seem to get it to stop.
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