Home » Articles posted by georgekatkins (Page 12)

Author Archives: georgekatkins

The Week in Review and the Sunday Nature Chat

Posted on by | 4 Comments

Okay, this is another week in review for the slackers, or for people who just forget things too quickly.

Mark learned a valuable lesson this week in journalism: Don’t tell your boss what you are going to do before you do it. While waiting for his plane ride home, Mark presented his idea for an A-I Event Exposé to his boss, Bill Ellis, on the phone. Ellis, taking on the role of a corporate PR suit, nearly dropped a load when he heard Mark’s idea, which included being specific about the persons involved. “NO NAMES! DON’T PRINT ANY NAMES!” Ellis squealed as he worried over lawsuits, which Ellis believes is the second most favorite habit of Silicon Valley moguls. Not only did Ellis nix publishing Mark’s article and robbing him of a paycheck, he told Mark to put it on his own blog, but still keep the names out of it. It looked like Mark happily accepted the rebuke and the need to self-censor, almost bragging about it!

For shame, Mark! This is not the fiery, cross-the-line, rabble-rousing, rock ‘em-sock ‘em nature journalist that we thought we knew. Conspiracy Alert: Who is this obvious fraud? Was the real Mark Trail replaced by some kind of A-I programmed robot? Perhaps we’ll all find out tomorrow after Mark has had his first night back at home with Cherry. Until then, let’s read his Sunday nature chat:

Jules Rivera’s Mark Trail Sunday strip always features a customized title panel. Most of the time, the depiction of the strip’s title is cleverly fashioned through some thematic tie-in. But it’s not always possible. I think this is one of those days, where the title is just a rough, water-based solution.

Anyway, today is at least an informative Sunday strip bringing out some facts on a subject many of us probably don’t think or know about. And that’s the point, right? However, I still dislike two things that are not unique to today’s strip: First, the inclusion of Mark’s image throughout the panels. This was not always the case on the Sunday strips in the pre-Rivera past. I don’t know why Rivera feels the need to panel-bomb Mark’s face so often. Second, Rivera has a habit of ending Sunday strips with a lame joke or cute reference. I’d rather see the final panel devote more information to the current topic.

For example: The barking tree frogs often group in temporary “choral groups” of up to 20-25 in the water to enhance their ability to attract females to mate with. However, the competition to thrive takes a toll on the males, who have to take breaks away from the group after becoming too weak. This gives them time to restore their strength and return. That’s probably necessary because they will mate with multiple females, whereas the females only mate once a season. But an equally interesting question is “How do biologists figure all of this out!?“

Mark is a good boy. That’s a good boy, Mark…fetch!

Posted on by | 8 Comments

Ah, home at last! And what a cabin! Every time it gets shown, it changes shape and dimensions. At least, this extended cabin seems more likely to house four people and two dogs.

And we have finally, once and for all, finished with this AI adventure! But based on this story, Cherry is not the only person who isn’t aware of all the AI effects on the environment. Mark could have at least turned his laptop around to give us a peek.

And this is for his own blog, so I don’t get why he knuckles under. Job protection, I must assume.

Art Dept. Have to say I like that pose of Cherry in panel 3. It’s got a certain vibe to it that reminds me a bit of old black & white movies. Can’t say I remember anything in particular, so this is a pretty bland comment. Anybody else get this vibe? Or a different one?

Mark finds something to do with his long wait at the airport.

Posted on by | 3 Comments

What a pushover! Is Mark under an exclusive contract with Bill’s magazine empire? Mark ought to shop his article to less cautious media sources. Concerns over AI lawsuits? From what I’ve seen, media companies are suing AI companies for copyright infringement by illegally mining their data. But this is TrailWorld, where, like the Bizarro World in Superman comics, everything is the opposite of Earth. Exactly why a journalist wouldn’t name names in an exposé doesn’t make much sense. Otherwise, it’s just another blog.

But I’m naming names: You hear that, Bill Ellis of Woods & Wildlife? You hear that, Amy Lee of Teen Girl Sparkle? You hear that Rafael Suave of Fish Magazine? Cowards, the lot of ya!

The joke of the day

Posted on by

Bill, you say Mark looks good in a suit? You mean this combination of olive-beige jacket, light blue slacks and red “spiderman” shirt!? Really? Correct me if I’m wrong, but this may be the first story where Mark wore anything even approaching an actual suit since Jules Rivera took over nearly five years ago.

It’s easy to see Bill Ellis as a stand-in for real-life media corporations these days, bowing to political pressure and threats from their billionaire owners to not make waves. So, how strongly does Mark hold his “journalist” credentials? Will he stand up for his profession or fold like a cheap olive-beige jacket?

More importantly:  How soon can we expect Rivera to put Mark back on his original Nature beat, investigating wildlife and real environmental issues? For all of Rivera’s expressed interest in nature and science, the stories have focused more on the jerks, goofballs, and crooks. For example:

A movie director is trapped in a house with wild lions. Relevance to Mark’s expertise or his focus: None. Lions were catching rays and watching TV. Why was Mark even there?
Manatee rescue in Florida. Relevance to Mark’s expertise/focus: Small. Saw the manatee at the end of the story. Focus was more on attempted kidnapping of manatee, which turned out to be fake news.
School field trip to Washington DC to visit government sites and NOAA. Relevance to issues with wildlife, the weather, the environment? Virtually nil.
Conference on AI and the environment. Learned virtually nothing. No real engagement on issues, but a quick pivot to more absurdities.

Ironically, Rusty’s story covering the Grungey Boys’ tearing up the ground in Lost Forest is closer to the pre-Rivera stories in terms of dealing with issues having a direct impact on nature and wildlife.

Mark pitches, but Ellis calls a strike!

Posted on by

It’s amateur night at La Guardia Airport as Mark attempts to coax Bill Ellis into paying for a wacky article he thinks he could write about the AI World. For some reason, Ellis seems reluctant. That’s difficult to see, given that one of Ellis’s magazines is Teen Girl Sparkle, for whom Mark wrote an article on Cricket Bro and his corrupt business dealings in California. I mean, Mark’s idea about AI and the people behind it is at least TMZ-quality subject matter! Is Bill Ellis an AI investor!?

Speaking of which, we sure haven’t seen much development for Jules Rivera’s original Mark Trail/Bill Ellis reboot, whereby Mark would write articles for various magazines in Ellis’s publishing empire. It was an idea that could have provided a wide variety of assignments, expectations, and different editors to coordinate with. But after five years, we’ve only seen three editors, two of them, only once, as I recall. Looks like a dead issue, so to speak.

Art Dept. Rivera’s sketchy, flat drawings and lack of lighting continue to downplay any sense of actual drama (not that there is anything especially dramatic in today’s exchange). Real drama always seems less a priority than Batman-on-TV campiness. I’ve never agreed with this extreme approach Rivera decided on, given that most comic strips are based on superficial, forgettable jokes. But when scanning over Rivera’s Mark Trail strips, it would be hard to not believe Rivera has been treating this more and more like a gag-a-day comic strip that happens to have storylines.

And then there is the ongoing transformation of Mark from a 30-something person to a 20-something person. But that’s for another time.

The pre-flight debriefing continues…

Posted on by

Often, Jules Rivera uses this post-story time for Mark to relate what happened to the principle participants, instead of just rehashing the story. And <ahem!>, rehashing is my Sunday job, Jules!

So there are four more days left. Will Mark drag out this postmortem all week long? Will he deal with another loose animal running around the airport?  Or will he just get on the damned plane, already, and spend the time annoying the crew? I’d like to see him order Brunswick Stew made with possum and squirrel meat. That should go over really well with the flight crew.

Art Dept. Ever think that Bill Ellis looks like a boy made up to look like an adult?

Thoughts on the color purple

Posted on by | 2 Comments

Those purple people in panel 1? We all see them without seeing them, the silent swarm of humanity you avoid as you move through the day taking care of your important tasks. No time to talk or interact, so keep moving. Still, if you were to walk up to one and suggested getting a cup of coffee to pass the time, you might get pepper-sprayed or arrested by the cops. Yes, they are real people just like you or me, but it’s safer to dismiss them out of hand. And you move on.

Rivera adds some humanity to these purple people from time to time: That guy checking his watch as if he realizes he forgot what time zone he was in and arrived an hour too late. The gal enjoying a chat with her beau, while peeking at the angry dude behind her. The angry dude leaving the city with a carry-on full of misery, because his girlfriend broke up with him; yet not realizing she is currently talking with that gal on the phone. Then there is the guy sitting next to Mark, miffed that he can only hear Mark’s side of the conversation.

Finally, there are the shadow people, mere darkened silhouettes that barely pass as human forms, devoid of any differentiation. They are hardly more than extensions of seats, sidewalks, and windows as we pass them by with little more than a moment’s notice. Oh, they say there are a million stories in the Naked City, but we wound up in Mark’s.

The Week in Review and the Sunday Nature Chat

Posted on by | 4 Comments

This week focused on the aftermath of the revelation of a free A-I App undercutting the fundraising purpose the Crypto Bro’s A-I Awards Night Dinner. Investors spent the time throwing objects, yelling, and running around in circles (or perhaps figure-8s). Why? I’m not sure, since the A-I is presented at a very abstract level, like some monolithic entity. It’s the digital boogey-man.

Mark and Kelly Welly watched the chaos unfolding from their table. Mark, inwardly smiling at the event’s collapse, suggested they quickly leave the room. But Kelly took the opportunity to stand up for her sex and trip on the floor, thus exposing her to the footfalls of the panicky investors still running mindlessly around the room. Kelly was surprised to see Mark stop and rescue her from catastrophe and was nonplussed enough to actually question Mark on this point. As he gave his usual “It’s what I do” answer, Kelly laughed at him for his naiveté and ran off, leaving Mark behind. Mark bravely waves it off. Now, why would Jules Rivera play up Kelly as a woman trying to become tough and independent, only to turn her into some kind of 1950s vulnerable and helpless movie gal who trips at the slightest sign of trouble, requiring a strong male hero to rescue her from certain doom? And after she is rescued, she becomes snippy and self-centered, then runs off. Am I misinterpreting anything here?

For today, Jules Rivera gives us a wildlife present for Father’s Day. Even more than usual, Mark needs to impart his own snarky comments, distracting as they are. Personally, I’d prefer he spent more time with his family instead of mugging in almost every panel. In fact, it would be just fine to limit Mark’s personal appearances to one panel at the start and one at the end.

Does this now mean Mark won’t get paid?

Posted on by | 1 Comment

Poor Mark got dissed once again. Well, it was to be expected. But it’s not a problem for Mark. He was Ted Lasso long before there was Ted Lasso. So Mark just put on his happy face and rationalized away Kelly Welly’s behavior.

But how is it these investors are still running around in circles inside the center? I mean, why aren’t they on the way home, to a bar, or to their attorney? Not that they have any case against the Tech Bros, because they were also “victims” of this rumor. My money’s still on Sid Stump, who probably engineered this fiasco in order to unload his own troubled AI product.

But this time, Rivera lets us all know, in no uncertain terms, that this adventure is over. And that’s fine by me!

Art Dept. It’s not always clear who does the coloring of strips. Sometimes it’s the cartoonist but other times it’s a staff colorist at the syndicate. Now, Rivera works electronically, so there is no reason to think she wouldn’t do her own colors. I’m only bringing this up to make a small, pedantic point. When movies are made, there is a person in charge of continuity, to ensure characters and repeated locations match up throughout the movie. This week, Mark’s suit is orange, whereas when he first appeared at this event (late May, go look it up), his jacket was olive. Yesterday, his slacks were orange, but today, they are blue. Is this a continuity issue or is Rivera just playing with us? This is the kind of hard-hitting, detailed analysis you don’t get over at Comics Kingdom or other comics blog sites!

“Here I come to save the day!” That means that Mighty Mark is on the way!

Posted on by

[Ed. Note: OOPSIE! I thought for sure I had published this brief entry, but it got left in the draft folder.]

Okay, Mark is still the true blue boy scout of old. But is he helping any of the other people who are equally likely in trouble? I’d probably also want to hustle out of a room filled with those things running in the background! And I reckon that’s all there is to say for today.

Or is it? Bring me up short by adding in something I missed or didn’t think about.

Kelly gets stampeded while Mark disappears

Posted on by

A real stampede, is it? Just how many people are there, anyway? Didn’t a lot of them already leave, as we saw earlier (May 30)? At that point, people were just walking out. Now, it’s progressed past the riot stage, all the way up to the dreaded stampede stage. But where are these people stampeding to, and why? The hall is not aflame. At least, not yet. If anything, these investors should be chasing down the Crypto Bros!

I’m curious whether Kelly Welly’s scream of “AIYEEE!” in panel 3 is a legitimate use of the expression. It is usually reserved for specific scenarios, such as: 1) Westerns, where Apache chiefs get shot by inexperienced white women aiming a gun in their general direction; 2) When the bad guy misses his chance to kill James Bond and goes hurtling over the side of a mountain; and 3) in comedies like Home Alone, where one of the house breakers climbs in through a window and steps on a board of nails deliberately placed under it. I’m not sure tripping meets the minimum usage requirement.

Perhaps the Crypto Bros really are tapping into the amateur investment pool, which would explain why there are so many people here and why they are going crazy. Professional investors would have seen through this scam in no time at all. And probably already did.

Mark is conveniently absent from today’s panels! Possibly so that he can make a dramatic appearance tomorrow and rescue Kelly Welly, whose personal pronoun we learn is them ((according to the narration in panel 3).

But leave it to Kelly to try and keep up with the crazy crowd (panel 2), rather than just let them pass by. So why did Rivera go for this “rescue the lady in distress” trope? I would have thought Rivera would turn that cliché on its head and have Kelly save Mark. Well, there’s still time for that, Rivera!

Mark slowly realizes the obvious

Posted on by

Comic strips are typically written and drawn several weeks in advance. So it’s an unfortunate happenstance that there are events concurrently happening in real life on the West Coast being described like Rivera has done in panel 1.

I reckon that all one over-emotional “con-goer” has to do is insult or bump into anybody and the place erupts into utter chaos and violence in no time. Of course, that’s how most bar fights also started in Old West movies! Good ol’ “Mister Obvious” here is still looking out for Kelly Welly, in spite of her figuratively stabbing him in the back more than once in this story.

I’m a bit disappointed that she hasn’t asked Mark to use his spider powers to calm the violence. “What!?” you ask, “What do you mean ‘spider powers’?” I mean Mark’s “web-like” red shirt, very different from his usual checkered shirt, but darn close to Spiderman’s costume. Well, maybe not really Peter Parker, but a checked shirt with bow tie and jacket looks like something the stereotypical high-school nerd would wear in any number of forgettable TV sitcoms and movies.

Art Dept. Rivera continues to develop a strange kind of “aw shucks!” image of Mark, best seen in panel 1. His receding chin, clucking mouth, and sweaty brow combine with his screen-toned, hobo-like five o’clock shadow and cornball outfit to suggest a non-serious character.

It’s a riot! Will Cricket Bro call in the National Guard?

Posted on by | 3 Comments

Throwing chairs and overturning tables? Really!? Didn’t take much. Sure, such things can happen, but it looks a bit extreme. These people could not have that much invested in these guys, right? I’d expect this kind of panic would be more likely if people were reacting to the Nasdaq Composite suddenly dropping 20%.

On the other hand, I could definitely see this reaction coming from amateur investors conned into sinking their savings into Cricket Bro’s AI project and seeing their retirement funds evaporate.  In any event, it’s quite the drama going on at Cricket Bro’s digital soiree! Woo-hoo!

What will fill out the rest of the week? Will the crowd rush the Crypto Bros? Will they burn down the convention hall? Will they come after Mark, thinking he’s part of the scam?

The Aftermath of the Cricket Bro AI Awards Dinner

Posted on by

Well, bust my buttons! Is Mark still in New York?! I thought for sure that the story had come to an end. The last we saw of this debacle (May 31st), the audience was on foot and heading to the exits after learning that a competitor’s AI was being given away for free. Yet, panel 4 shows a relaxed crowd of people (we presume) sitting around the table, as if nothing was going on.

But what’s with Sid stump sneaking away in panel 1, like some kind of animated sprite? His expression—from what we can tell—does not appear at a loss or in shock. Instead, he looks as if he is enjoying the chaos of the Crypto Bros as they see their project tank. Could he be secretly behind this “Free AI” announcement as a trick to ruin the Crypto Bros?

Art Dept. What’s with that head of Mark? His sharp, rectangular face has given way to a kind of middle-aged puffiness; unless he has stuffed his mouth with dinner. But his entire profile just does not look right; it lacks the straight, linearity that has characterized his profile. But this is not unique. There are so many fluctuations in his expressions and the shape of his head that it’s almost impossible to generalize.

The Week in Review and the Sunday Nature Chat

Posted on by

What a week this was for Lost Forest race fans! The Grungey Boys Nighttime Lawn Mower Race was once again in progress. Hidden behind some bushes, Rusty, Olive, and family muscle, Dirk, were on hand to view the action. But they did not come as fans. This was the night Rusty would put an end to the destructive actions of the Grungey Boys in Lost Forest! You might say it was a race against slime. Or you might not. Just make up your mind.

Why it’s called a race is unclear, since there was always just one riding lawn mower, always ridden by Honest Ernest. And just how fast does a riding lawn mower go, anyway:  8 mph!? Woo! Do you get the impression that artist Jules Rivera may not be taking this adventure strip—or its readers—seriously?

Still, the race had to be stopped! Being a family strip, rest assured that nobody got hurt, unlike in the old Mark Trail days before Rivera took over. Back then, people really did get hurt and some died. They had a different notion of “family viewing.”

Anyway, Rusty came with a large barrel of water. When the time was right, the three tipped the barrel, pouring the water down the slope. Even though much of the water had to have gotten soaked up by the ground on the way down, apparently enough made it onto the forest floor where Ernest was racing. At first, the water just splashed as Ernest zipped along at 8 mph. But thanks to the scientific process of combining water, silt, and clay particles, the forest floor become saturated and squishy, creating mud. And that’s all it took to stop the races. Really! Honest Ernest and his friends were stymied by the mud and couldn’t figure out what to do. Not real sharp tools, those guys. We ended the week and this “Nickelodeon“-level adventure with Rusty celebrating the scientific success of his cause-and-effect plan. Keep in mind that, in the past, most of Rusty’s plans did not work out, so it’s noteworthy that this one did. But it was a low bar.

Up here in the big city, feral hogs chase away the rabbits and raccoons that keep eating up our garden…so they can eat it up, instead. Okay. Not really. But unless that is feral hog scat spelling Mark Trail in panel 1, it is not one of Rivera’s more creative custom titles. Had to be a tough challenge, though.

“Here’s mud in your eye! And your shoes! And your fuel line!

Posted on by | 2 Comments

Okay, the miracle of the mud occurred, after all. Enough to ruin the evening for the Grungey Boys.

Moving on, I am amazed to see in panel 1 what looks like another misdirected dialog balloon. It shows Honest Ernest berating his companions for doing something only he has been doing! The content of the dialog balloon suggests that one of the other two dudes should be berating Ernest. I don’t get it.

Furthermore, how does grabbing your cap or covering your mouth help extricate this lawn mower from the mud, as Rivera states? We’ve seen text boxes in the past that describe actions that do not appear to be happening. I might be overthinking this or Rivera under-thought it.

Anyway, it’s Saturday, so it looks like this story has reached its climax. The Grungey Boys are no doubt too unsettled to realize they could simply make a new path or go some other place. But it’s a major win for Rusty Trail, even if his understanding of science is wrong. This victory will certainly help improve his otherwise poor win-loss record. By the way, say good-bye to Dirk. He’ll disappear like free beer at a ballpark. Such is his mysterious way.

Art. Dept Addition: Here is today’s installment, as it appears in the newspaper. Again, much appreciated increase in the use of actual tonal contrast over Rivera’s previous habit of just raw lines.

This mud’s for you!

Posted on by | 4 Comments

Olive comes through with a scientific solution. Good on her! It also helps that this “lawn mower” (of course, we’ve all noticed it never seems to have a blade beneath it) runs over the track more than once to help accelerate the mud production. So sure. Somehow enough of that water made it down through the grass and into the dirt to produce enough mud to bog down the mower. Well … why not. Let’s give Rusty a break for once. Will this really work? Wouldn’t Ernest just cut a new path around it? Wait, too much logical thinking here.

Art Dept. I do think the wet tracks forming in panel 1 are quite naturalistically presented. Not so much the ambiguous and sketchy scene in panel 3. At the same time, I’m continually amazed at how objects can get bigger or smaller for no apparent reason. The mower that Honest Ernest rides today is about half the size it was from yesterday (panel 1 for June 5). Perhaps an optical illusion based on the point of view, you think?

As for that panel 1 in yesterday’s strip, the overall concept is good, but the execution doesn’t match up. Look closely at Olive. I’ll wait …………… And are those three actually above Ernest? Or are they looking up from a hole or gully? That’s one of the challenges in drawing a bird’s eye scene like this:  elevations are tricky. But some more line work or hatching might have helped better suggest the elevation.

“Rivera keeps using the phrase “Grungey Boys” when talking about just one of them. I don’t think it means what she think it means.”

Posted on by

Well, a lot of artistic license (and our expected imagination) went into today’s strip. As I feared, Rivera shows the trio taking the lazy and guaranteed-to-fail approach of pouring water from the top of the rise, down the slope, and into the path of the oncoming riding lawn mower. Instant mud bath? Forget it!

What a shock it must have been for them to see this pathetic and incompetent attempt produce no negative effect on Honest Ernest at all. They’d have been better off pouring the water on Honest Ernest!

Art Dept. Very disappointed to see Rivera once again revert to her technique of drawing completely flat flora like that of a high-school play. I can hear you say: “At night, forms lose volume and definition!” To which I respond: “So what!?” Those sketchy lines barely resemble bushes and trees! Rivera could use a bit more of her artistic expression and add more definition so it at least looks like she cared.

And what do you think of the improbable sequencing of time and events going on here among the panels? Does it bother you?

The riding lawnmower is decently illustrated, even if it looks more like a riding lawn tractor to me. As if I’m an expert on lawn care.

The Gang prepares for a barrel or two of laughs

Posted on by

Rusty’s devilish plan is revealed … to nobody’s surprise. I hope they brought along a lot of water barrels, because they’ll need a lot if they want to muddy enough ground to discourage the Grungey Boys’ hijinks. Maybe that’s why they got Dirk to come along, to carry those heavy barrels. Being the Family Muscle seems to be Dirk’s major role in the strip.

How long do they think this mud will last? I mean, it just rained a day or two ago, right? But the ground is just fine, now. So this doesn’t seem like the killer plan Rusty imagines. I’d have expected one of the adults in the room to pull Rusty aside and say something like “Rusty, you know all that mud you saw the other night? That was from a big rain storm. You think we can do the same thing with just a few barrels of water? Nah! We’d probably get better results by stretching a muddy clothesline across the path, about chest-high. Better yet, we come back during the day, dig a big hole, fill it with mud, then cover it with sticks, leaves, and dirt. At night, they might not notice it until they are falling in.” 

The Grungey Boys race, but they’re about to be disqualified!

Posted on by

A tip of the grungy cap to regular reader Be Ware of Eve Hill for her rapid, multiple-post catchup. Unlike other blog lords, I do not demand constant and unconditional obeisance. I recognize that—for some reason or another—there are occasionally more important priorities than your daily dose of The Daily Trail.  “As long as you return.” (Read that statement in the low, dramatic voice of James Earl Jones.)

I’m still confused how this is a “race”, unless they are doing individual time trials. On the other hand, it sure doesn’t take much to entertain these dudes, does it!? Their motivation still eludes me.

It would be easy to nitpick various contradictions in today’s strip. The Bigger Picture, however is that Dirk is here! He’s becoming increasingly pulled out of his self-imposed isolationist/survivalist compound to get involved in family affairs. He’s getting more face time than Doc Davis!

If you manage to remember when Rivera last focused on this adventure, Rusty had come up with an idea to discourage the Grungey Boy’s races and save the forest. I’m not exactly sure how it will be done, and I don’t want to muddy the waters with a lot of tomfool guesses, so tune in tomorrow.

Art Dept. Although I often find heavy outlining of characters distracting, I admit that Rivera’s use of outlining in panel 3 greatly reinforces the naturalism and enjoyment of the foreground figures. In some ways, the trio has the look of a woodcut, through their bold lines, straight-line hatching, and solid forms. Compare them to the images in panel 4 or even panel 1.

Panel 4, with its raised point of view, has a totally different feel to it. Perhaps the raised position of the three not only projects a commanding overview, but also implies their assurance of success. Then again, maybe I’m getting flashbacks to the Wizard of Oz film scene where Scarecrow, Tin Man, and Cowardly Lion are spying on the guards at the Wicked Witch’s castle.