Mark Trail pitched his proposal for a blue diamond shrimp shop conspiracy article to Bill Ellis (who we learned operates out of NYC). Mark reported that the shady shrimp seller operates out of a reptile store in Nashville. Just by chance (!), Bill Ellis knows an investigator with the Fish & Wildlife Services (FWS) who is also currently investigating that very same shop! Jules Rivera presents us with two “coincidences” wrapped in one conversation. At the very least, this convenience saves Rivera from having to write a more complex, extended story and also gives Mark a nice shortcut to the action. Now, that’s being expeditious!
The FWS agent, Ray Gunn (could he be a distant relation to famed private eye, Peter Gunn?), called Mark, who was impatiently waiting on the call that Ellis arranged. When prompted for his connection to the shop, Mark told Agent Gunn about the shop selling exotic shrimp to minors. For reasons that must only have to do with moving the story along, Agent Gunn revealed the federal agency’s reasons for their investigation, including the important observation that the shop is sloppily-run (horrors!). More important is the possibility that the shop is involved in the illegal reptile trade. Finally, I’m not sure I agree with Rivera’s closing comment for the week that this is a really scary story, though it is possible she is being sarcastic. Anyway, that’s it for the week.
Easy to see the confusion: Stars are “white”, as are city and vehicle lights. It’s a nice enough thought to switch outside home lights to yellow, but in a city or metro area that is awash with white lights, it’s an uphill battle. Federal transportation law in the US mandates white light for appearance and brightness. Apparently, yellow bulbs reduce light output by up to 15%, though yellow light produces better driving results in snow, fog, and rain.
But I’m all for cities shutting down lights overnight, except for flight safety and businesses that actually stay open all night. It’s an extravagant waste of energy, just to present a postcard picture of an urban center.
Art Dept. Jules Rivera always creates a custom title panel for her Sunday strips. Most of the time, the panel is creative and thematically linked to the topic. I think Rivera missed a step today. The title panel shows a moth getting ready to pollinate a flower, with the title “Mark Trail” informally scripted below, and colored white. Since the point of the strip is about the advantage of yellow light, shouldn’t Rivera have also colored the name yellow?
