All true, all true. And yet, superficial. Sure, this is just an adventure strip, not a documentary, though that is, in fact, part of the strip’s mission. Still, Happy Trail certainly knows all the stuff that Mark is lecturing about, owing to his own former career. So why is Mark going on as if Happy was some uninformed suburban coffee hound? Well, for the sake of the storyline and our own education. Nevertheless, Jules Rivera could have done this more effectively (yes, hindsight is so helpful).

Mark’s recitation could have been delivered to Niecy’s dad, if Rivera had included him this week, standing on the deck with Mark and Happy, and sharing a cup of “what they’re having.” The recitation could have been part of Mark and Happy’s overall praise of Niecy’s importance in uncovering the fraudulent gorilla racket and supervising the disposition of the apes. Oh, for those who came in late, Niecy’s father is Jolly Rogers, who happens to be Happy’s friend and neighbor. If you go back and read Rivera’s first Mark Trail story (“Happy Trails”), you’ll learn a lot about Jolly Rogers, Niecy, and Happy Trail.

Mark’s comment in panel 4 sounds like a proper “And that’s all, folks!” closing cue to me, and there doesn’t seem to be much else to bring up. But I’d be surprised if they spent the rest of the week having a heart-to-heart about Happy’s romantic needs.