What’s with the “mysterious man of the law” business!? Mark was waiting for the agent’s call. I think that, once again, Jules Rivera is treating this strip as parody, not actual adventure. Wait. I’ve previously stated I think she treats the entire strip as parody, not just occasional days. It’s just that some days stick out more than others. So Rivera is not bashful about using puns for names, either, but pun-based names are standard comic strip convention.

Mark calls the agent “Agent Ray,” rather than “Agent Gunn”, old-school southern etiquette for referring to a person by their first name and title (e.g. “Miss Betty”).  But it’s usually for people you know, and I don’t think it is as common as it was when I was a kid. I grew up in Virginia, where every adult was “Mister”, “Misses”, or “Miss” so-and-so. Where I live now, the custom is for kids to use an adult’s first name—unless told otherwise—even for teachers! Customs are fluid, I reckon. When I was around 5 or 6 or so, I would say “Hello, Jimmy’s Mom!” to the mother of a friend, possibly because I kept forgetting the last name. Or maybe I was nervous.

Anyway, “Agent Ray” is under the impression Mark is here to provide information to him; and for some reason, Mark affirms that (panel 4)! Did I oversleep and miss a day or two of the story? I don’t recall Mark coming up with any credible evidence of wrongdoing, though back on October 20 he did mention that his online research revealed “shady activity” going on. Whatever that means. Perhaps the shady activity is a reptile dealer selling shrimp. Does Mark believe that DFW agents do not carry out online research? Maybe they don’t in the Trailverse.

Art Dept. Is Mark standing in front of an outhouse or a shed? That can’t possibly be the family’s cabin! By the way, I’ll have something say in a day or two about the partial-circle background element that sporadically appears in the strip. I’m sure you’ll want to stay up late for that!