I think we’re all wondering just what a “stubborn rosebush” is, yes? It certainly can’t be for lack of budding roses.

Well, today’s strip threw my neck out of joint for a minute! Is Jules Rivera reviving a Mark Trail practice during the final Jack Elrod years of retooling old stories? The bats-in-the-music-hall plot device was first used back in 2023 (“The Good, The Bat, and The Ernest”), where Cherry and Violet were thinking about holding a winter music festival in this very hall.

Or is this just a windup to another joke? Recycling older Mark Trail adventures is well-documented by Mark Carlson-Ghost on his Mark Trail Confidential website: (https://www.markcarlson-ghost.com/index.php/2020/11/21/mark-trail-confidential/). You can read the article for more information. The pertinent section is labeled “Maddening! Mark Trail’s Recycled Tales (1979-2004).” But perhaps today’s strip is a nod to Mark Carlson-Ghost’s article. Frankly, I’d be surprised if this turns out to be anything other than a humorous reference to the 2023 adventure.