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Rex: “Ah, nice fire, eh Mark?”
Mark: “Yep. And a quiet evening, too.”
Rex: “For sure. . .No sirens or squealing tires.”
Mark: “. . . .”
Rex: “Twenty bucks says my mom makes the first move.”
Mark: “I’ll cover that and see you another twenty.”
Rex: “You’re on, Nature Boy.”
Jules, you don’t get to mock your own strip! Mark can mock himself (and sometimes does), but you have to remain neutral. It’s the privilege of your readers to decide who or what to mock, and when.
Now, where the heck are these people hiding, and where did those tents come from? Perhaps this is some kind of base camp for Rex’s work. Anyway, Mark’s gratitude that he and Happy can finally sleep easy sounds hollow, considering he’s responsible for his own situation. I bet some jail beds are at least halfway comfortable because jailers don’t want to be sued for torturing prisoners. Mark probably should be apologizing for helping to make Rex and his mother, Sally, possible fugitives from the law.
Let’s see, what happened this past week…? Nothing, really. Cherry spent the week quizzing Georgia about “colony collapse” as she was outside tending to the depleted beehives. Never mind that Georgia already informed Cherry about this some time ago and Mark just delivered his Sunday nature lesson about ravioli mites. Er, the Varroa mites, that is. I reckon all of that wasn’t enough for Rivera, so we spent another six days on it! And the week ended with an ominous phone call about Mark being “wanted by the police”, thus ending Cherry’s superhero fantasy of fighting the mites to save beehives and bees.
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“And that concludes the week, folks. Okay Dizzy, what are the stats (1-10) for this week?”
“Well, Pee Wee, after considering the content and the management’s overall decision-making, I give it the following:”
Story Development: 2 (the phone call)
Action: 0
Character Development: 2 (Georgia’s look of despair for bees or Cherry’s interrogation)
Ho-Hum Factor: 9
“Those are troubling numbers, Dizzy, but I hope that they can pull themselves up and salvage this storyline.”
“Well, we won’t begin to see the results for another two to three weeks, Pee Wee, as the strip will be returning to its main storyline, ‘On the lam with Mark Trail.'”
“Good grief!”
“Hey, you can’t say that, Pee Wee. It’s a slogan for a different cartoon character.”
“D’oh!”
“And that’s another one! Sorry, folks. And now a few words from our sponsor….”
Today’s Sunday Supplement should ruffle a few feathers, but in a good way. Rivera does not force the jokes (or puns) this time and the information is actually interesting. The title panel is cleverly designed (as is common). I think Rivera must have enjoyed doing this one. Coincidentally, my wife was telling me today about a murder of very large crows she saw across the street, but I missed them. And that’s about usual, as well.
Georgia does all of the work and Cherry, enthralled by the information Georgia has spoon-fed her, is already starting to act as if she is actively involved, herself. That is, until she got notified on her phone about the newest episode of “America’s Wildest Police Chases.” Okay, this is not the cliffhanger I was hoping for, but it gets us out of this rambling interlude.
Yeah, you tell her, Cherry! Be the master organic gardener. What’s wrong with a few weevils, aphids, and Japanese beetles, anyway? Is that why you seem to have so much free time and so few customers for your lawn and landscaping business? But I wonder where Georgia is getting her “Dyno-Mite” chemical application from? Could it come from one of Cherry’s main nemeses? Maybe we’ll find out on Saturday. That will make for a dramatic cliffhanger.
Anyway, my wife and I were talking today (we actually do that once in a while) and she asked me “What kind of music would Mark Trail listen to?” I was stumped. Just what kind of music would Mark listen to? Would Cherry like the same or different music? I think the pre-Rivera Mark and Cherry, being the old-school rural citizens they were, would like bluegrass. Maybe even some “Great American Songbook” music or “classic country.” You know, nostalgic comfort songs. But for our newer, millennial Mark and Cherry, I don’t think Bill Monroe or Vic Damone would cut it. Perhaps musicians such as Hootie & the Blowfish, Foo Fighters, Tupac, Metallica, Prince, or Beyoncé? I dunno. What do you think? think? (I think I forgot to do a second proofread!)
Note: I saw that a reader over on Comics Kingdom commented on the apparent “smiley face” seen in the thought bubble in panel 2 of yesterday’s strip. In fact, it looks like a ghost or cloud face, which is either winking or has a black eye. Anyway, go ahead and look if you don’t recall. I’ll wait. I saw that face yesterday, as well, but didn’t think it worth saying anything about it at the time. But today, there is another possible smiley face in panel 2, kind of a clown face with a short screw-lid hat. Or so it seems. We humans are pattern finders by nature, so it is possible these “faces” are coincidental arrangements by Rivera. What do you think?
Anyway, getting back to the story: Is this even a story? Is it going anywhere? “For my next demonstration, Cherry, pull my finger!” This is looking more like a female version of “Mr. Wizard.” I mean, just where can you go with this plot? There’s no villain to foil, except nature.
I suggested some time ago that Rivera should have Cherry host the Sunday nature chat one in a while, maybe even with guests such as Georgia. I think she could have given a much more informative presentation on Varroa Mites than Mark. Better that than trying to add some meat to this very lean bone of a story.
Wow, completely new information?! Who knew Varroa mites hit these beehives? Who knows anything about these creatures? Well, just about anybody who has been reading the strip since at least June would. Cherry Trail must be having a memory loss, since Georgia informed her about the mites in mid-June. And Mark gave us an exposition on Varroa mites last Sunday. I reckon Cherry does not read the Sunday comics pages, either.
So, is Rivera just padding out the story with rehashed information and sketchy art in order to meet her deadlines? Is she still trying to figure out where to take this story? It is a shame to reduce Cherry’s involvement here to that of some clueless child.
If Cherry takes the trouble to write Georgia’s explanation down, she can go home and tell Rusty and Dad all about the mites, which I am sure would make interesting reading in a comic strip.
Well, I guess today’s panels function as a “For those of you who came in late…” recap, as this information was originally shared between Georgia and Cherry over breakfast in Planet Pancake back in June. Of course, that story seemed to have arbitrarily stopped, once the cause of the bee failure was diagnosed. Now, it resumes.
At least nobody here is being chased by law enforcement after punching out some cops.
Oh, Cherry. The very last thing you need to worry about is Mark in a chemical spill zone. Even while you are talking like a young gal answering a question in a beauty pageant (panel 4), Mark is even now evading the law with his father in a car driven by his friend, Rex Scorpius. They could be in Kentucky by now. In any event, I don’t think you’ll be eating any freshly caught steelhead trout or walleye for a while.
In case you missed this week, Mark fell back on old habits. If, for some reason, you thought that an adventure comic strip that focused on preserving nature and the environment was a proper example of professional and ethical behavior, this week’s strips might alter that perception.
Mark and Happy attended an official press conference run by some caricature of an Ohio state senator. Not to be overlooked, Mark and Happy made their way up front and immediately started throwing accusatory and leading questions at the senator. The over reactive senator felt obliged to call on a squad of transit police—who were present for no apparent reason—to arrest Mark and Happy.
Mark decided he wasn’t leaving peacefully without getting answers to his questions. Thus, he and Happy squared off against the cops, in full view of everybody. Fists met jaws and Mark and Happy quickly fled the building, only to be met by Rex Scorpius and his mother, idling by the curb in his muscle car. How convenient! Seems they somehow knew Mark and Happy would be there, would get in trouble, and would need rescuing. Maybe they were reading the comic strip, too.
The police chased the quartet of scofflaws as they sped away, out of town. Along the way, Happy and Rex’s mom shared a nostalgic moment about the ’70s. The chase culminated in a cinematic car jump across a missing section of bridge. Such an attempt would spell doom to any other vehicle not equipped with a JATO rocket. There you have the week! And here you have the Sunday lesson!
Gawd, another invasive species found in Florida. We need to build a wall down there! Anyway, today we have another clever title panel. The topic is not relevant to the current story this time. In fact, it harkens back to Cherry’s and Georgia’s story about beehives depleted by an invasion of Varroa mites (June 2023). Since Mark and Happy’s train adventure was just “leaving the station” at the time, the following Sunday strip of June 18 was about the impact of trains on wildlife. I wonder if today’s topic suggests that we’ll return to Cherry for a week to see what’s going on with her?
How do you like Rivera’s carefully crafted description, “Mark and Rex’s high-speed car chase…”? I think that what she really means is something like “Mark and Rex’s felonious attempt to evade law enforcement.”
Speaking of the law, I don’t think the laws of physics allows a car to jump up in the air like that from a flat surface. But why am I asking such a pointless question? This is a comic strip! Maybe Rex’s mom really did watch The Dukes of Hazzard back in her glory days.
So, let’s see now:
Nope. Uh-uh. Sorry. Maybe this works if this is some kind of kinky dream Mark is having until Happy shakes him awake to get off the train. Otherwise, all we have here are two scofflaws on the lam, with two accomplices. Nice.
A miracle? I think not. Deus ex machina is more apropos and at least has a long, distinguished history in theater and movies. But an even better description would be “ridiculous plot contrivance.” I mean, the night before—and it was at least one night before—Rex cut out to take his mom to the airport for her new life in California. Here it is, another day, and she’s still in Rex’s car. I can’t wait to find out how this came about, to say nothing of how Rex knew what was going on. Unless the press conference was televised. In any event, this should now make Mark a wanted man in at least two states.
By the way, reader “be ware of eve hill” commented on the synchronized fisticuffs of Happy and Mark in yesterday’s strip. With its comic book sound effects, it brought to my mind the 1960s Batman TV show. Synchronized fighting was one of their shticks, along with written sound effects. Here is a snippet from one episode, with the Dynamic Duo dishing out their own fists o’ justice. The visual sound effects appeared on TV as full-screen cards after the hits, so I couldn’t show it. But you get the idea.
It’s my week for misteaks. Reader Downpuppy corrected a mistake I made yesterday in identifying the volatile senator as a United States senator, especially as the cartoon politician (that’s a joke, kids) had originally identified himself as State Senator Sam Smalls. Somehow, I must have gotten distracted and thought that this hyperactive and performative politician was a US senator. Not sure how that would have happened, but the editorial We regret our error. And remember, this is just comic strip fiction.
(So, let’s see if I can get through today’s blog without another giraffe!) Okay, I’m sure some of our long-time Mark Trail readers might remember sitting down with one of your kids to read the current Mark Trail strip together while enjoying a glass of milk and freshly baked cookies. It’s a tradition that might still be going on:
Dad: “Well, let’s see what’s happening today with Mark Trail, shall we, Mary? Oh, look. Here he is with his father, defending his journalistic integrity to get to the truth. And isn’t it nice to see the warm bonding and happiness between a father and his son?
Daughter Mary: “Ugh! Oh, Dad. Mark Trail is just a relic from the Cretinous Age of Male Domination, perpetuating vigilante-style machismo in a juvenile display of masturbatory violence.”
Dad: “Huh? Uh, well, no, sweetie—er, can I still call you that? This is the rebooted Mark Trail, deliberately separating itself from the original strip. This Mark Trail is an urban-aware, millennial-conscious take on the old-fashioned male-dominated world view you object to. This is a new Mark Trail.”
Daughter Mary: “Hmm, okay, Dad. I think I can see that, I think. That might explain Mark’s lack of civility and his disregard for law and order. I’ve been looking at it for a few weeks and he certainly hasn’t done much investigating. He’s kind of like a Twitter feed, isn’t he? In fact, all of these characters act stupid. Dad, is this strip supposed to be irony or parody? Are we supposed to root for Mark and his dad beating up cops or are we supposed to see this as a meta-level parody and condemnation of the original Mark Trail?”
Dad: “Well, that’s a pretty good question, daughter. Frankly, I don’t understand it, myself. I think maybe this rebooted Mark Trail is meant for younger people. So, I was kind of hoping you’d be able to tell me!”
Oopsie, for sure. Reader “be ware of eve hill” noticed that I had “accidentally” reposted yesterday’s strip today. I could justify that by saying I was making a point, but I think I just grabbed the wrong one. Hell, they all say the same thing, so waddaya want!? Such irony.
I don’t know if Jules Rivera has no clear understanding about the separation of powers or anything about areas of jurisdiction, but I’m pretty sure that U.S. senators cannot order local transit police to arrest people, especially on such a specious charge. We also have transit police carrying billy clubs! What is this, the 1930s again? Then there is the B-Movie dialog by one cop: “All right, buster, yer comin’ with me!”
So, when is a comic strip like a vinyl record? When it keeps repeating itself. With the record, there is usually a scratch that causes the sticking loop. What is Rivera’s excuse? We now have three consecutive days that essentially repeat the same moment. I don’t know why Rivera is spending so much time paraphrasing the same scene over and over, when she could be moving the story along or at least adding nuance and complexity. For example, why not get the purple press people involved by asking questions or protesting the arrest? Their totally passive appearance and lack of activity give the lie to Senator Smalls’ idea of any kind of a riot-in-the-making.
I noticed that one of the anonymous purple press people (between Mark and Happy) has shed its cocoon and is waking up at a most volatile moment. Hope he has his camera running.
At first I was going to comment on the unlikelihood of a US senator actually reacting this way, but we live in the Reality TV World of the 21st century. The senator’s description of Mark’s questioning may be on target, but his reactions are farfetched. Even for a senator.
Of course, Mark has his “The World Depends on Me!” ego in high gear: “Our environment depends on answering my questions!” Well, I think these two people deserve each other. What I don’t get is why Jules Rivera has Mark act like a street activist, rather than a journalist.
And it seems premature for Mark to be going into Accusation Mode before anybody has heard what the speakers are going to say and before any actual investigation is underway. It’s almost as if Rivera wants to get this story finished as soon as possible, so it’s like she’s skipping half of the chapters.
Where to begin? After the prior week’s high-level interview with tiger-pal Rex Scorpius, followed by Cherry’s phone call of concern and alarm, Mark and Happy spent some time taking pictures of dead fish in a river as evidence of the harm caused by the chemical spill from the train derailment. Then they went to a press conference led by Senator Sam Smalls and immediately dominated it by throwing out a series of leading questions and accusations about deliberate sabotage by train or government officials; accusations that the train was (secretly? recklessly?) carrying dangerous chemicals; and declaring that everybody knew the entire train system was unsafe, anyway. Perhaps Mark was still a bit steamed by his train’s breakdown.
Not that the content of the questions was improper, but the way they were phrased and at whom they were directed seemed misplaced. Mind you, Mark had no specific evidence for some of his questions, since he only arrived the day before and only had pictures of dead fish (that he never bothered to show).
This episode of off-the-cuff ambush-journalism seems a bit unusual for Mark, who—in past stories (such as the zebra mussels assignment)—felt it necessary to actually dig for information before going into action. By that, I don’t mean getting ready for a rough-and-tumble fist fight, as Mark and Happy were ready to do in Saturday’s strip when two cops started moving in to eject them from the press conference for their behavior.
Does Jules Rivera think that research and analysis are too boring or slow-paced to be interesting for readers? I submit that long-term viewer interest in TV shows like the CSI and NCIS franchises emphasized lab work and data analysis as central parts of those shows and were exciting in their own way. Rivera should take note! Speaking of taking note, check out today’s strip:
Rivera continues her creative idea to link Sunday nature topics to the current adventure, whenever possible. And she continues her tradition of customized title panels with this superhero comic book style title panel, as well. But really, now. N95 masks will not protect you against gas. You need, at a minimum, a chemical cartridge respirator mask.
Does Mark Trail think he is hosting a “Gotcha!” television interview program? Does he realize his aggressive behavior is about to make him knock down a miniature 2-D purple person cutout placed in front of him (panel 1)? Has Mark no concern for his fellow journalists?
Aside from Mark’s fusillade of unsubstantiated accusations and his illogical thinking that a senator who just flew into town would even know about any of this, we have the ridiculous picture in panel 4 of Mark and Happy squaring off against two uniformed people who I presume are actual transit police. That is, they have the power of arrest. Once again, Mark decides he is morally justified picking a fight with the cops. Remember, Rex Scorpius only said that authorities tried to burn off the spillage, but it got out of hand. He did not state that they deliberately blew the train up.
Of course, Senator Small’s reaction to Mark’s outburst is also over the top, but perhaps the US Senator is there to symbolize unnamed “authorities” and to also prevent comparisons with, and a possible libel lawsuit from, local New Palestine politicians in the real world.
So, what is the purpose of this theater of the absurd? Why have Mark act and react in the ways we’ve seen him the past few weeks? This is not investigative journalism. His actions fall more in the line of aggressive activism. Maybe Jules Rivera should just have Mark quit his nature journalist job and become a professional global environment activist, where he can be paid to show up at any calamity or problem around the world.
Of course, this is the Mark Trail comic strip, so Mark gets to take center stage and be the one to put Senator Smalls on the spot, while his reporter colleagues are only so much purple wallpaper in the background. Nevertheless, it is a bit disappointing to see Rivera give the impression that the rest of the press corps is composed of compliant sheep. Mark can still be the hard-hitting hero, even if other reporters also get to ask tough questions. It would, I think, add an air of authenticity and put more pressure on the officials. If Mark is the only one asking these questions, he can be dismissed as a crank or arrogant troublemaker.
It’s rather sad to see Mark making accusations based—for the most part—on hearsay. It’s more like “ambush journalism”, akin to throwing out conspiracy theories and demanding other people prove them false. Besides, would a member of Congress really be the best source to confirm this kind of information? But I suppose it is standard procedure to try and embarrass a member of Congress who was here, more likely, for the TV coverage and promotional opportunity.
Art Dept: Today’s strip looks rushed, as characters (e.g. Mark and the Senator) and compositions look rough and clumsily drawn. Perhaps Rivera heard the surf was up and hurried today’s panels.
We have to remember that, although this story is “based on true events”, it ain’t the actual event and this ain’t a documentary. Nevertheless, it is possible that Rivera is taking selected satirical potshots at various Ohio officials and actions. “Sam Smalls”, huh? This is an old literary trick of fashioning a name to represent the character’s personality or function, like “Daddy Warbucks”, the unofficial father of Little Orphan Annie, who was a wealthy industrialist and made his first fortune during WWII.
Do you recognize the arrangement of the speaker and guards on the stage (like a horizontal spearhead or triangle), as well as the self-serving arrogance and narcissism of the speaker? You’ve seen it in this strip a few stories ago. Think on it a bit. I can wait.
The Wikipedia article (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2023_Ohio_train_derailment) covers “fake news” and other online rabble-rousing conspiracies surrounding this accident, including fake stories of police arresting journalists to hush up the event. Sound familiar? One reporter was briefly arrested for disorderly conduct at a press conference, I believe, but later released. Will Mark enact this episode?
Okay, time is up. Did you figure out the visual quotation? Here it is, from September 2022: Tess Tigress and her assistants at the Tiger Touch Center.
