So the circle of cause and effect is complete, including the unusual oculus in panel 3, which is actually intriguing from a science-fiction angle. More on that, later.

But before all that, it’s good that this story is moving along at a rapid pace, since there isn’t really much depth or content at stake here. It’s a simple morality tale of what happens when somebody believes their actions don’t have the possibility of bad consequences. In this case, it is not simply disregarding posted safety warnings, but believing nature hold no dangers to those who choose to disregard them.

In the “old days”, natural disasters were usually credited to the capriciousness of deities by people who were trying to make sense of chaos. Or, in the case of this cave incident, Cricket Bro’s entrapment might have been seen as actions by trolls or demons pulling Cricket Bro down to the Underworld because he must have trespassed or transgressed some sacred or mystical law. Regardless of our scientific advances, people still do stupid things, and people still have unlucky accidents.

Art Dept. That oculus in panel 3 linking Mark and Cherry to what’s going on in the cave is something of a new element in this strip. Typically, we would see a kind of dialog balloon leading to the phone of the person talking:

But what we see in today’s strip is something more, something different. Something rather cool and provocative. First, the oculus (as I am calling it) is free-standing, without a visible connection to the phone. Second, Diana Daggers is holding onto the rim of the oculus, with her glove extending into Mark and Cherry’s space! Third, not only is Mark looking at the oculus instead of his phone, so is Cherry! It’s like a physical portal connecting one location with the other. One could imagine characters actually crossing between the two locations (I’m thinking Stargate SG-1).