Well, I said questioned the foolishness of Mark shining his flashlight directly up in the air. Who the hell does that, anyway? And zooming in on panel 4, we can see the two jerky NFT Bros form Sid Stump’s posse. But what the hell can they do, anyway? Do they carry guns, knives, or other weapons of destruction? Don’t see anything, so far.

So, maybe Jeb is a wuss, but Mark isn’t a runner. Besides, we should expect to see Protector Bear lumbering to the rescue…when the story resumes after a brief turn to Cherry.

Okay, the potential AI menace seems to be getting lots of press these days, as it is in the Trailverse. How did this wind  up in Mark’s wheelhouse? I mean, Jeb is a journalist, right? It’s his story and his concern.  Mark’s story is the bear. But things have gotten all twisted around. Now, the bear(s) has somehow taken on the task of protecting Jeb, instead of just killing him. Maybe the bear is on patrol at this moment. But just how the bear decided (or is even able) to become a bodyguard is not clear. Maybe that is what accounts for the bear’s incursions into the tech retreat.

Mark is clearly not going to run out on Jeb, and I fear that we might see a repeat of the car chase scenes from the Palm Springs adventure, as Mark and Jeb barrel down the hill in Mark’s speedy station wagon, chased by Sid Stump in a BMW M760i xDrive sedan, or equivalent. Gawd, I’m starting to think maybe going after redneck poachers isn’t so bad a storyline, after all. Well, Rivera could jazz it up by proposing professional poaching gangs, rather than backwoods hillbillies, as used to be the norm in this strip.

The Tech Bros sure missed the boat for a money grab with their phony NFT scam a while back. Now, it seems they (and the others) are being groomed to support Sid Stump’s AI scam. I can appreciate the ironic justice. So AI is the new geek toy in town; not that it is actually new, of course. Even I wrote basic AI programs over 30 years ago. But the technology is a lot more advanced; advanced enough to start fleecing suckers and suckering innocent people. Misinformation is going to be the coin of the realm once the election season really gets moving. And I reckon the cash will come in from those who benefit from the chaos and fraudulent voting claims.

In any event, once again (i.e. Cricket Bro in Palm Springs and Cricket Bro in Portland) Mark is in a situation involving computer tech, which has little to do with nature or his regular skill set. It’s like an old LP with a scratch that forces the stylus to catch and keep repeating the same bit of music. Of course, the bear is just a plot diversion, mere window dressing.

This is at least the third story where digital hanky-panky is taking place, and Mark is no computer nerd. Is he just going to hammer Sid Stump into the ground and call it good? I’ll note that Jules Rivera has so far ignored my sage advice about giving Mark a tech-weenie sidekick to at least give stories like this one a semblance of practicality. Since Rivera likes to retread characters, I think Diana Daggers appears to have some qualifications.

It seems Mark’s role here is going to be similar to the one in the Cricket Bro/Palm Springs adventure, where he assisted Aparna (?) to steal back her original app code while he kept staff busy with his mediocre boxing skills. I’d love to be wrong.

I stand corrected and applaud Rivera for adding some additional depth to this story. The issue is not so much the capability of AI as it is the capability of Stump to scam the campers. This could have been a sweet turnabout on the Data Bros. and their attempted scam, except for the fact that they—like the others—apparently have no money and hope to squeeze a spare million out of Stump. It’s quite funny in a way:  everybody is secretly there for the same reason.

On the other hand, this explanation seems to contradict Jeb’s original statement that the issue was Sid’s secret plans to fill the world with misinformation. Of course, I think we all know Sid was grossly behind the times on that idea.

However, I’m also not clear on the geological issue expressed. Okay, the cliffs are unstable. So Stump attracted his marks with the challenge to brave dangerous terrain? Cricket Bro and Faux Professor Bee Sharp didn’t sound like they were aware of that challenge when they went over the side. Is Mark signaling for a rescue chopper?

Sorry, Jules, but you let the proverbial bear out of the bag last week.  We already know why Jeter is stuck in the woods. That wuss of a reporter apparently doesn’t have the brains or stamina to simply walk out. On the other hand, optimistic Mark thinks that he, himself, is safe, not realizing that fraternizing with “the enemy” will not earn him bonus points with the management.

Meanwhile, the bear hunts for commenter Daniel’s picnic baskets.

Rivera must really like her “image” balloons, as she seems to be using them more often. But do we really need to be reminded of what a bear looks like? It doesn’t look very protective, anyway.

Also, I think today is a wasted “rehash” day. We learned why Jeb has been in the woods in Saturday’s strip, just two days ago. Even an old fart like me can recall things that far back. Something tells me that Tuesday may not get us much farther along with the plot. Just a hunch.

Tune in next time for “Bears are fine once you get used to the smell“, or “Yogi found his new Boo-Boo“

Hmmm. AI is a timely enough plot device here, but I think, for all of his self-assumed brilliance, Sid is behind the curve. Everybody in the real world knows AI is being used to generate fake news, fake student papers, and fake conspiracies. But, maybe in the Trailverse the inhabitants are still getting used to no longer being stuck in the 1950s. It’s a lot to process in a short time!

As for Jeb’s little plight, bunk! Now that Mark knows, he’s also a marked man. Here’s a suggestion, Jeb: Take the back way out.

Sheesh! Making friends with a brown bear. “Gentle Jeb”, is it? Yeah, I know. Gentle Ben was the bear in that 1960’s kid’s TV show, but I won’t pass up an obvious reference. I’ll pass on Grizzly Adams. Oh dear, I feel like I’m being pulled to the Dark Snark by forces beyond my control. I’m doing my best to look at this dispassionately. Really, I am.

So, there is an effort here to move the story along by explaining the reporter’s disappearance and the motives behind it. But every panel today is a source of ambiguity: First, has everyone really been looking for this flake? Jeb’s own testimony in panel 3 seems to contradict Mark’s platitude. Second, what truth was Jebediah looking for? Clearly, he was not ready for the truth, and I don’t think that was covered in Mark’s briefing for this assignment. Third, who are the “they”: Sid and some of the guests or Sid and some staff that we haven’t seen yet? Fourth … well, you fill that one in, if you wish.

So it looks like Mark’s assignment just took another left turn, which might wind up reprising the “sneak into the office to get the goods” dodge he pulled while in Palm Springs investigating Cricket Bro’s operation.

Ow! Stabbed in the back again! Rivera tries to get cute by having Mark respond to the narration box in panel 1, as if it actually is his own thought. Actually, that is kind of clever, but not here, not now.

The big stab comes as Rivera pulls the rug out from under her suspenseful buildup and returns to her comfort zone of farce. Farce has its place and I enjoy it, but once in a while I’d like to see some actual drama play out here, without oddball jacks-in-the-box popping up or suffering Rivera’s inexplicable reliance on retreading the same opponents, over and over, like the 1960s Batman TV show and its rotating list of villains. Okay, so Jebediah Jeter is a “new” member of the troupe. Journalist? He looks more like “Jebediah Jeter, Professional Hobo.” And he has to portray another joker familiar with Mark and his work. Small world.

So what the hell has Jeter been doing, wandering around the woods for the past several Trailverse days or more? After all, he went missing before Mark was even called to take on this assignment.

Good, this adventure is turning into a classic mystery. And our shipping tycoon finally floats back to the surface for a moment. Mark conducts his search with a bright flashlight, so I suppose that stealth is not a priority for his investigation. Just as well, since he’s also been talking (or “thinking”) out loud to himself. Rivera has not gone with the traditional thought balloon. As we know, Rivera already relegated the thought balloon to its new role of showing a “reference image” for what is being discussed. While this function has merit, it does mean “thoughts” become another problem to portray in a comic strip. Should a dialog balloon also function as a thought balloon? We are left with this weird vision of Mark talking to himself, a situation sometimes diagnosed as a symptom of a mental illness.

Granted, Rivera needs to reveal additional information for the sake of the story. Maybe, for once, this would have been better handled by using narration boxes rather than dialog balloons. They would not be obtrusive but would help maintain the air of secrecy and silence that a night-time investigation normally requires. And they would make Mark look less weird.

Normally, when characters talk to themselves, the artist uses a thought balloon, not a dialog balloon, as we see here. If this was a 1940s film noir—think Double Indemnity, where Fred MacMurray confesses his participation in a murder told in flashback—Mark would here be reflecting back on how he broke the case of an attacking bear and uncovered a sinister plot. But, this is not a flashback. So who is Mark talking to?

Based on Mark’s research, the obvious next question is So why are these losers here? And how will this trip salvage their crumbling careers? Riffing again on film noir, maybe that narcissistic rich boy who owns the resort invited them here so one person has a chance to gain favor and funding by fulfilling some really difficult task or puzzle. Of course, this type of story usually involves one of the hopefuls getting rid of the competition to better the odds. Can anybody say “booby-trapped cliff”?

Now if this turns out to be the way this story is going to develop, it could be an exciting adventure!

Nothing says “diving deeper” better than climbing a hill!

Okay. Today’s installment makes less sense to me. First, how can Mark be staying late when last we saw, he was home with Cherry? Did I oversleep for a week? Second, who said this was a resort for the rich? It is supposed to be a retreat for STEM professionals. That could mean teachers, too. Third, when and how did Mark check into the financials of the residents? Fourth, Mark’s “faces” balloon in panel 2 fails to display the shipping owner and his assistant, who were present when Mark first showed up. Don’t they count, or did they check out immediately after Mark arrived? Fifth, why is Mark searching through the hills at night if the issue is financial? Does he expect to find a hidden workshop printing counterfeit thousand-dollar bills?

Any answers or explanations, other than Rivera must have been cuckoo or stoned?

Sharp hanging out with  his enemies? Well, I suppose there is a bit of truth in that. They certainly had a falling out over the NFT scam. And they bickered at the retreat, as well. So what? Mark still refers to Sharp as “Professor Bee Sharp”. I wonder how Sharp expects to obtain money by going to the mountain retreat, as Mark ponders. Blackmail? Well, Mark is sure jumping between assumptions like an Olympic runner over the hurdles. But does he have a point? Is there a secret plan of sabotage or worse? For the sake of this story, I hope so!

On the plus side, Ralph the Rat Snake finally has a cameo.  I say, give him a few more panels and a few more words. But I wish Rivera would stop drawing animals that face the reader. That “Dagwood in the headlights” shtick is long past old and should be retired for about two years, so we have a chance to forget it.

So, Mark throws Rusty under the bus while still standing up for the phony “Professor” Bee Sharp? Seems to me that Rusty is the real level-headed person here and Mark is acting like some kind of wishy-washy “all sides are valid” dude. No, Mark. Apparently, he not only does not care that Sharp published misinformation that negatively affected other people; he doesn’t seem to care about Rusty’s own humiliation, as he continues to act as Sharp’s proxy.  Nice “Dad moves”, Mark.

Well, I bet you could figure out what Mark would tell Rusty after he got run over by a drunk driver.

I think Bill Ellis might want to fire Mark and hire Rusty, because he just did something Mark rarely bothers to do:  Research. Sure, Rusty did his research after the fact, but he still did it. So he’s young. He’ll likely learn from the experience. And the way Rusty can flex his anatomy (panel 1) has to be a game changer!

But Rusty’s revelation puts a new light on things. Mark should now be the one who is embarrassed by his own deference to that fraud. Sadly, it seems as if Mark is always getting played for a mark, which is another reason he needs a wingman.

Oh, on the artistic front, Rivera designs yet another visual flashback technique (panel 2), where Rusty’s recollection appears in an isolated area without context. Well, I should not call these images flashbacks, because they are really just memory snapshots frozen in time. I think I’ll go with the term recollection from here on.

Just what is Mark’s fascination with Sharp!? Why does he continue to come to his aid? Or is Mark going to try to teach Rusty the difference between a lie and an honest mistake, based on the notion that maybe Sharp’s video did not deliberately set out to mislead.

Or maybe this is going to be a put-down of cancel culture. If so, points to Rivera. It’s a terribly arrogant and ignorantly false morality.

Rivera has spent 3 days setting this family time scenario up, so I’m thinking this episode of Father Knows Least will continue into Saturday with Papa Trail unsuccessfully trying to impart his wisdom to a 10-year old kid. Or maybe Mark will order Andy to chase Rusty into the woods so he can get some rest.

As expected, this week we see wet-blanket Mark greeting his radioactive son at home, after a long day screwing around; and it’s not even dusk yet! Rusty helps justify why grocery stores tend to install restraints in their carts to prevent them being taken off the premises, or even as far as your car parked halfway down the parking lot.

Mark remains clueless about Rusty’s life, just like he was pre-Rivera. That, at least, hasn’t changed, even if Rusty has. But what’s with all of this sympathy for Sharp, anyway? Mark looks like he’s turning into a Bee Sharp Fanboy. It ain’t Sharp that can’t a break here. But now we have to suffer Rusty’s wokeness?

In Sunday’s comments, reader Mark linked to an Ed Dodd reprint in the Vintage Mark Trail section of the Comics Kingdom web site for a visual comparison with neo–Mark Trail. Boh. Va bene, but I’ve seen better from Dodd. This was originally drawn in 1978, so probably not Dodd or Tom Hill, his original assistant. I’m thinking it had to be early Jack Elrod. I’m willing to be corrected on that guess. The drawing looks a bit too wooden for my taste. In fact, Cindi looks like she died in panel 3. Still, it falls in line with the standard Mark Trail style we all grew up with and definitely contrasts with the present realization.

I wonder if anybody is reading this blog or even reading the actual Mark Trail strip who is under 50 years old? Or 30?