Okay, are we finally finished with this story? I think so. And yet, even more information comes to the surface about poor Rick the Hunter, aka Pokey-Man. I’m not sure why Cherry is nervous about Rick coming back to Lost Forest, since Peach lives in Florida, just like he does. But, dear readers, I stand (or sit) confused, and I’m a bit nervous to reveal the reason. But here goes:

Where are Mark and Cherry walking to in panel 3?

There, I got it out of the way. I feel much better. So Panel 1 shows Mark and Cherry walking alongside the truck, not towards it. I know I’m being nerdy, but in panel 3 they are still walking, as if on one of their nature walks. That truck isn’t that long!

Could there be some unmentioned time dilation between panel 2 and panel 3?

Do you think they decided to take an impromptu nature walk while still at the local pokey, before hopping back into the truck? We see that Cherry is guiding Mark, who is just a tad too happy from their conversation. It also seems like an unusual time and place to see a turkey lurking about. Still, I saw one just the other day walking on a neighborhood sidewalk. Go figure!

I suppose Cherry and Mark can claim some justification for their visit and shaming, since Peach invited herself up to Lost Forest and involved them in her troubles. But I agree with Rick: “No more!”

I have to hand it to Rivera for coming up with a nice closing comment from Cherry in panel 4, though I think I’d have swapped a “y’all” for “you” (y’all can be singular or plural, whereas “All y’all” is definitely plural). It would have just given Cherry’s statement more southern sweetness.

Artwork: Are you as mystified as I am about panel 3? It’s as if Rivera had been reading “A Tale of Two Cities” with all of its jail scenes. Rick’s cell has taken on the form of some old plaster-and-brick prison. That’s odd for what appears to be a modern concrete and steel building. Furthermore, the architecture of the jail cell is completely different from before. But I’m really curious how and why the jail cell door is now open. Maybe the sheriff agrees with me that having to listen to Mark all this week was punishment enough for anybody!

So, Mark and Cherry feel the need to butt in and get their pound of flesh. Seems rather petty to me, and not in any way useful. Not that I have sympathy for Psycho Rick, who is definitely being portrayed as a pathetic loser.

And I have a some questions about Mark’s diatribe in panel 3.

1. Exactly when did mark contact this editor, as he only just got back from Florida?
2. How did Mark figure out which magazine and which editor to contact?
3. Why would any magazine editor pull an article on the say-so of a nature journalist with, uh, only about 500 followers? Sure, the hunt was rigged, as Peach originally stated, but where is the evidence? As an editor, I would want more verification.

I’m confused here. Cherry and Mark talk to Rick as if he was some local punk, trying to pick a fight with them in a bar. Then Rivera has Mark spout some cornball mano-a-mano nonsense in panel 2. Curiously, while spouting his eye-to-eye declaration, Mark is shown farther away from the cell. Based on Mark’s declaration, I would have expected Rivera to show an actual face-to-face, eye-to-eye closeup of Mark and Rick. It’s a curious disconnect.

Also curious is panel 4, where Mark suddenly says he’s fine with letting The Authorities take care of Rick. What was all that macho talk about, then? This panel reminds me of stories where the bratty little kid catches an older sibling swiping a cookie and says “I saw you! I’m gonna tell Mom, and you’ll be in big trouble!”

Anyway, just what is Rivera trying to accomplish with this extended jailhouse confrontation? And how many more days will this verbal beat-down visit continue? Alas, Rivera likes to start new stories on Mondays, so I hope we’ll see something else filling out the rest of the week. Maybe we’ll find out whether Olive, Peach, and Dirk have left for their homes, or are meeting with the Lost Forest Prosecuting Attorney(!), to give testimony.

Boys will be boys, huh? While I understand the implication that Mark is upset that somebody threatened his family and in-laws, his assumption of authority here is egregious and downplays the fact that Cherry and her siblings already took care of the problem without him. Does Mark feel guilty for not being there? Or does he just feel a need to insert himself into the situation? Mark has always been more vigilante than reporter. It’s not “the Two Pens O’ Justice” that he wields.

Art Dept. Well, I don’t know why Rivera keeps having trouble keeping Mark’s face consistent. His head in panel 1 looks as if his nose has been chopped off. And he displays such small hands in panel 4. Small hands are something that has plagued Mark from time to time. Here is another example from May 2016, during the infamous cave chase adventure (“Arachnid Ho!”).

I can tell you from experience that hands can be quite difficult to draw well, and in proper proportions. But that’s no excuse.

For any newcomers to Mark Trail, that 2016 illustration above represents what Mark looked like before he underwent the transformation to the Mark you see today. It’s similar to Dr. Who’s transformations that take place when a new actor takes over.

Another point of interest: The jail cell illustrations. How do you illustrate people in jail, when seen from the outside? Too far away, and the character disappears behind the vertical bars. Too close, and you might lose the panorama you want to show.

Rivera’s solution of making cell bars temporarily disappear is inventive, but not really satisfactory. She has used this “disappearing bars” technique before, as far back as January 2022 in the “Zeeba Mussels” adventure. So, check out panel 3 in today’s strip, where Rick looks as if he is actually standing outside of his cell!

A Sheriff?! Is Lost Forest actually in Arizona or Wyoming? Well, this Sheriff is wearing his official Stetson and holding his official “Old West Jail Cell Key Ring”, the kind that hangs on a peg by the cell, so prisoners can work on creative ways to get them and escape. Maybe we’ll find out soon just why Cherry thinks it is necessary to visit Psycho Rick, especially as sister Peach appears to no longer be around.

The Sheriff looks guilty of playing the “male chauvinist” card, while he talks to Mark as if he is the one who needs to talk to Rick, and “the little woman” just came along, clinging to her husband. But his remark might be understandable, given that Mark is the one who spoke up first, while Cherry remained silent. And she sure looks clingy. Still, what’s the story here? Where is it heading? Are we going to have a “Silence of the Lambs” moment this week?

Art Dept. That’s one strange jailhouse. Another one of Rivera’s strange art days, with shifting proportions and bad perspective. Clunky drawing mars the panels where visual elements such as the cell door and the front door look as if they were bent and then slapped onto the walls. There’s a lot to unpack and you’re welcome to indulge.

Has Mark been reading those old adventure books by Rafael Sabatini? I mean, who says “So great to reunite with you.” And Mark’s only been gone two days. So fine, I think we all understand by now why Mark and Cherry enjoy their so-called nature walks, which also makes it easy for them to do tick removal before heading home.

We now know why Rivera didn’t draw a combined arriving-and-leaving scene at the airport. Apparently, Peach and Olive have to hang around town for Rick’s trial. I don’t get why this requires heading out to the jail, unless Rick filed counter charges against Peach, Olive, and Dirk.

It’s a shame, though, that we didn’t really get much education about manatees and wildlife while in Florida. Perhaps Mark and Cherry really should take some time for a nature walk so can at least observe some birds and bees.

It was too good to be true, a hallucination brought on by an overoptimistic hope that Rivera might have finally attempted to deal with a serious issue in a serious manner. In the immortal words of the late, lamented thinker, John Belushi, “But, NOOOOOOOOOO!”

I reckon that Rivera just couldn’t handle the strain of changing her tune. Or maybe she did not care to. It seems that Mark Trail is destined to remain a simple parody strip of itself, dedicated to playing fast and loose with the strip’s traditional focus on nature, wildlife, and old fashioned values.

Some self-parody or even a bit of satire now and then is good. It shows humility. But here, it is more like a scratched record where the needle gets caught, repeating the same phrase, over, and over, and …. Maybe the paucity of traditional, serious adventure strips these days motivates Rivera and her syndicate to play Mark Trail more for laughs. But Mark Trail is sui generis, a one-of-a-kind strip with a tradition of focusing on nature and humanity’s relationship with it. And we already have a plethora of gag strips.

Well, I figured Dirk would step in, again acting in Mark’s place. But that was so predictable. I hoped that Rivera would have Olive make a stand, gun in hand, and draw down on Rick. I don’t know why Rivera keeps presenting strong women, but leaving them helpless or useless. Consider the fate of Diana Daggers, former kickass bodyguard and driver for Professor Bee Sharp.

It certainly looks as if the Moment of Drama has given way to the Moment of Inanity, as Dirk’s feral hogs (maybe wild boars?) appeared out of nowhere and automatically attacked Rick’s car. Smart pigs!

But the timeline seems truncated. It’s as if Rivera left out some important steps. Yesterday, both Peach and Rick were preparing to get into the car, with Cherry standing by the steps. Today, brother Dirk is already down the steps, alongside Cherry. Peach is still outside, but Rick is in the car, trying to get away! And lo and behold, here come the feral hogs! So much for packing heat, Rick.

The drama we saw the last two days seems to have just been a ruse, as the strip returns to its normal emphasis on oddball characters, light stories, and mediocre jokes. Disappointing.

Are you wondering if I’m going to make a crack about Cherry’s hips in panel 2? That would be grabbing low-hanging fruit, so to speak. But feel free to ponder why Rivera made the choice to draw Cherry that way. It’s about consistency, not sexism!

If you read yesterday’s strip, you know that I asked whether Rivera can keep up the dramatic mood she sprung on us (and on Peach). Well, today is a mix of inanity and drama.

First of all, how can Cherry’s trash bin be tricky to find when it’s right beside the steps in plain sight? Are we to think these outdoor scenes are really supposed to be dark? Or does Cherry think Peach is an idiot? Inanity! Rivera could have made up a simpler and more likely reason: “Maybe she got distracted by the great views we have of the stars. I’ll go check.”

Secondly, Rick’s car magically appears in the back yard, though I believe Rivera had to take some liberties for the sake of the scene: Cherry descends the steps, only to discover the danger Peach faces as she is forced into the car. There is another loophole.

In short, real danger continues to hang over the story. What will Cherry do next? What will Rick do, now that Cherry is on the scene? And I wonder where Dirk is.

Well, Peach’s problem has taken a sharp dramatic turn. I’m frankly surprised that Rivera chose one of Cherry’s innocuous adventures to include a threat of actual danger. I’m suddenly very interested in how Rivera continues this story.

Forget what I said about the possibility of Rick renouncing his ways. This Rick is a man with real mental issues, in possession of a gun and threatening Peach and her family. The story could go several ways, but I hope that “goofy”, “contrived”, “slapstick”, or “absurd” are not likely options.

Art Dept. The artwork today is inconsistent, but improves. Panel 1 is overburdened with heavy black lines and roughly-drawn steps. Rick’s head/face keeps changing again, but he does look convincingly menacing in panel 3 (while also looking ten years older). Panel 3 suggests a film inspiration, but I fail to recall anything specific. I just don’t get to that many movies.

Rivera made a very good decision in panel 4 to zoom in on Peach’s terrified expression and contrast it with the darkly shaded background. It would not have been as effective a scene if Rivera used the same composition as panel 3, where Peach has to share the space. Can Rivera keep this up?

As Dirk gives Rick the Stink Eye o’ Justice, Rivera removes any uncertainty about Rick’s intentions.

Yep, right on schedule, but with a plot twist:  Rather than revenge, Rick expresses remorse, which is a good start. He might be sincere, but his violent temper is not something that will magically disappear like a box of cookies on my desk.

But what will happen over the next two days?

Art Dept. Maybe you noticed this, already. In panel 4 Rick holds Peach’s hand with his own right hand. Yet it appears that we can see his thumb! I’ve heard of double-jointed people, but this is something else.