I’m starting to get confused (a common occurrence, I’m afraid). Apparently, Guyler has done some online research and thinks that Mark is an investigative journalist. Okay, I reckon that is more or less accurate. But why does Gail state that they will get Happy’s cash (panel 2)? Didn’t Happy already send it to her? Else, where’s the problem?
By the way, I like the way Guyler peeks through the venetian blinds, like a mobster in an old film noir crime movie watching out for the cops. Was this an intended reference?
And why does Jules Rivera state that Happy and Li’l Abner, I mean Mark, are now approaching the sanctuary (panel 3) when they are already there? Well, perhaps she means “entering the building” or something like that. My wife says I sometimes get too nit-picky (but most of the time, just the opposite).
Nevertheless, this fake Dreama sounds like she means business, and I do mean bad business. Yeah! I hope this isn’t just hot air on Rivera’s part. Let’s get to some real action! At worst, I hope this parent-child grifting duo doesn’t turn out to be just another Cheddersons act.
Seems like animal sanctuaries in the world of Mark Trail have a habit of being run by female con artists. Now check out this Gail (aka Dreama) character! She certainly looks more like a conniving crook than she did when we first saw her on May 28th (go check her out!). It’s like a real Jekyll-and-Hyde act. But I, for one, am glad to finally see a new crook in the Trailverse. Aren’t you!?
Note: If I had a gripe—and I do—it seems most of Mark’s opponents fall into a narrow band of swindlers and fraudsters. Where are the poachers, arsonists, kidnappers, and animal abusers? When are they going to get their fair share of Mark’s time?
So who names their son “Guyler”!? That’s the kind of name that gets a kid beat up in school on a regular basis. While the name is more common as a last name, I don’t see it used much for given names. However, I think Jules Rivera is actually being clever in an old-school way. The noun “guyler” derives from an old French noun (“guileor”) that means “cheat” or “fraudster.” And guyler is actually old British slang for a deceiver or con artist. And that, boys and girls, is the anthroponymy lesson for today! Well played, Rivera!
Editor’s Note: Once in a while I’ll add a fake title to a post just to see if it really draws Internet Searchers to this site looking for something else. That is, do clickbait titles work? I’ll let you know later this week. But I pledge to not make this a recurring habit; it’s just when I’m feeling a bit cynical. Okay, that might be too often. I’ll work on that.
So we put Rusty and Rocky into comic suspended animation as we return to the Happy Trail Internet Scam (sponsored by people who have heard of Lincoln Continentals), as Jules Rivera is still trying to figure out how to draw a car that looks like it is moving. That can be tough. I reckon putting it alongside a tortoise at least gives an illusion of movement? But it makes sense that this gorilla sanctuary is somewhere in the area, because driving across the country would be plain silly.
Speaking of silly, when did Mark change into a short-sleeved shirt? He always wears long sleeves, and has been doing so throughout this story. And where is Niecy? She’s been instrumental in discovering this scam and trying to resolve it, before heading up to fetch Mark. Seems like she should be in on the big reveal. Perhaps she really is in the car, too, but is just not depicted for lack of drawing space. We’ll see.
Editor’s Note Redux: Well, in case some “Internet Guardian” gets huffy, Abraham Lincoln did not like to talk about having to bail out his shiftless brother-in-law from one financial fiasco after another. But he did, finally, cut him off as an act of Tough Love.
If you thought Mark’s interrogation of his father and the woman pretending to be Dreama was grating, Jules Rivera decided to give us a double-header. Over the dinner table—against my advice, mind you—Cherry tried to have a talk about Rusty’s impromptu self-pity walk, after avoiding his scout meeting. Over a nice dinner, Cherry went on and on about Rusty standing tall and talking to his friends to sort out the issues. Rusty was still angry that his friends did not stick up for him when Robbie presented Rusty’s nature photo to the scoutmaster (his dad) as his own work, resulting in Rusty getting talked down to by Scoutmaster (Ranger) Shaw.
Rusty was not open to Cherry’s advice, claiming it would make him look weak and not solve any problems. I think he was wrong, but then, he’s just eleven, right? However, Rusty got more obstinate, finally abandoning the dinner and storming off outside.
While moping outside in the dark, Rusty saw another raccoon, which he took to be Rocky, his raccoon friend from the walk. Rivera’s text gave us the impression that this really is Rocky, which could not be true, since the troop meeting was some distance away. As Rusty fed the raccoon, another one showed up. “More friends!” Where this story is heading, I don’t know. Does Rusty get attacked and bitten? Does Cherry come out with a broom or a bat and scare off the raccoons? We may have to wait another two or three weeks to find out.
Well, hooray for screen captures and graphics editing tools! Too bad there were no better images of Mark available, so they had to be drawn free-hand. This strip might have a better air of authenticity if Rivera tried to equalize the drawing styles of Mark and the mountain lions to look like they came from the same hand. We can only stand back and enjoy all of the detail in the panels.
If I were to hazard an observation, it would that Jules Rivera is likely channeling Jack Elrod, as far as the images of Mark are concerned (especially panels 6 and 7). But I am disappointed that Mark suggests that we let the mountain lion escape if we encounter one on a hike. I don’t know about you, but I thought it would be fun to just grab it, give it a good hug, and take it home for a pet. I mean, one can only appreciate cute kittens for so long. And what could be a better mouser for your house than a mountain lion?
I’m not sure what is more perplexing: Jules Rivera believing it is possible that a raccoon can somehow track down or follow somebody driving away in a truck and locate their home; or making Rusty, growing up in a forest filled with raccoons and other wild animals, believe in this tomfoolery. This is not “Lassie Come Home” or “Homeward Bound.”
Well, perhaps I have it all wrong. Maybe Rivera knows this is not realistic, but is deliberately making Rusty seem like some “naïve city kid in the country” in order to make a certain point. But then, why does Rivera state in panel1 that this is, in fact, “Rocky”? If Rivera was in on the gag, she would have written something like “Rusty reunites with what he believes to be Rocky the Raccoon.”
Sorry; I’m not buying it. This cannot be the same raccoon. I think this raccoon will just as soon bite Rusty.
Otherwise, what we see here is Rusty running away once again. Perhaps not yet a pattern, but it is suggestive. And he’s only 11. Or maybe 12. So he’s really too young to act maturely. I say we give him a break and let him try to work it out on his own. Jules Rivera might have a different idea.
Notice how I ignored Rivera’s lame joke in panel 4!? You can do it, too. It just takes a bit of practice and … GAH! I accidentally read it.
Like I wrote on Monday, dinner time is not the time for these kinds of talks, as it invariably ruins the dinner and the mood. If we’re lucky, maybe Rusty will find Robbie and deliver his own version of Mark’s “Fists o’ Justice.” At the very least, he should make Robbie confess the deceit to his father.
Art Dept. I like panel 2, a raw image of Rusty’s anger, reinforced by those radiant lines and dark green background. A good combination! But I can’t abide the way Jules Rivera drew these water glasses in panel 3. They look like glasses encased in silicone blocks. And I don’t know what happened to Cherry’s face, either, but it looks like her mouth is falling out of her head.
Wow! That previous sentence I just wrote reminded me of an episode in an old TV show (Night Gallery, I believe) where a deceased grandfather showed up at the dinner table to the shock of his son and family who just came home from his funeral (I think!). The deceased father starts to literally fall apart onto his dinner plate. Perhaps one of you remembers that? Or maybe it’s my memory that is falling apart.
This sounds like a repeat of yesterday’s strip, because that’s how these discussions go: Repeat and revise the same thoughts, over and over, until the other side caves in or storms off. Most parents and kids have suffered through these family talks.
Well, sometimes parents can be real dicks dense. Cherry sounds like one of those useless online life coaches that pop up here and there. It’s as if Rusty’s point of view and feelings mean nothing. I’m not only picking on Cherry, specifically. A lot of parents pretend there is this abstract “brotherhood” of cooperation and understanding they want to preach to their children, even if it doesn’t exist in their own lives. Never mind that Rusty feels genuinely betrayed by his own friends. “Why, that’s only kid talk, Rusty! It will blow over, really.”
Still, Rusty has some obligation. I agree with Cherry that Rusty should have a talk, a real “tough love” talk with these so-called friends—especially Robbie—but be prepared to write them off and walk away if necessary. Life is too short and too precious to waste it on fair-weather friends. Maybe that cougar is manifesting Rusty’s rage for him.
Robbie, with his impossibly thin neck (panel 4), has a point. Parents forget how easily kids insult each other and how easily the one insulted sometimes take the insults seriously. Part of growing up, as we know. It’s no surprise that Cherry’s advice is rejected out of hand by Rusty, because when boys express ill feelings toward one another, they sometimes work it out when one or both of them winds up with a black eye.
Meanwhile, Rusty’s dinner gets cold, as I predicted. Dinner is not the time for this kind of talk. If parents really want to have a maximum impact on their child, hold that talk during the dessert.
Art Dept. Notice the muted background colors? Subtle reflections, I think, of Rusty’s dour mood.
It’s nice to get away from the chaos and tearful confessions down in Florida for a bit. I refer to Happy Trail’s chaos, not Florida’s. Also good to see what appears to be realistic, if not naturalistic, flora in the foreground. So, here we are, ready for a tough talk, are we? And during dinner!? That sounds like a bad idea to me, because it’s likely to cause indigestion in one or both parties. That’s not very healthy and doesn’t help the enjoyment of the food! A tough talk is often best handled afterwards. Just my opinion as a parent.
So I reckon it means that this week will consist of Cherry and Rusty hashing out his feelings about his being passed over for a nature photo merit badge; his feelings about friends not sticking up for him; and maybe also his feelings about letting himself be gulled by Cherry into not submitting his Las Vegas nature photos so he could get that badge he feels he deserved.
Art Dept. Panel 1 has several interesting points: First, the dialog balloon, with its tail terminating in a four-pointed shape. Normally, a dialog balloon’s tail simply points toward the house, which is enough. So, why the splotch? Perhaps it is meant to suggest a strong emotion in the statement? If so, that can be done by modifying the shape of the dialog balloon or the lettering.
Next, it’s interesting to see the greenhouse show up again. It was there at the beginning, in Jules Rivera’s first story, but disappeared and only reappeared a few times, since. I’m also wondering where the steep staircase is that was a feature of the cabin in the story “It’s the Pitts” back in late 2024-2025.
“George, you’re such a geek! You’re taking this way too seriously It’s just a cartoon.” Okay, but the cabin, itself, is drawn way too small to house a family of four people and two dogs. If we assume there are at least three bedrooms, a kitchen, dining area, and living room. This kind of “scale indifference” happens again and again, as if Rivera is drawing objects merely as symbols, not pretending they are meant to fit into a normal environment. Or, she is just not interested in these “small details.”
“What four people?” I hear some of you ask. Yes, this count includes the frequently-missing Doc Davis, Cherry’s dad, who still works as a veterinarian in this Neo-Trail reality. I’ve brought it up before and have no new hypotheses on the subject. Just still interested in his whereabouts.
The Daily Trail 