Well, here we go Campers, the last of an era, one that brings comfort and calm. One where everything always works out. One where hard truths are buried, like how Cherry banished Andy in a fit of pique…

No! Blame it on Tabby! or Cherry! Andy was simply there being Andy, a useful tool in the play called life!

And Mark, remember you QUIT. But I guess this all doesn’t matter much as we head into the Jules Rivera Era!

Mr. Williams, you will have to forgive Mark Trail. He’s a little dense… a little slow on the uptake. Need to be obvious. He’s been hit in the head many times over his career as the namesake of this strip.

Magic Words? “We NEED you?” “Substantial RAISE?” Not sure what Mark’s needs are, but either one or a combination is probably fairly satisfying… I mean, who doesn’t need a little validation from time to time? Mark just got two doses, at least- a MAJOR (if not manufactured) award, and more money!

OK, it’s t-minus 1 day before Mark joins the 21st Century (for real) and I hope we are all strapped in!

…because that’s EXACTLY how things work in real life… Big boss realizes he’s “wrong,” and as a result feels overly generous… Of course his idea of a “big raise” is probably different than Mark’s…

But here’s a question… How do we go from the black-tie awards ceremony back to the office on Park Avenue? Unless the last strip (from yesterday) was actually “the next day” and Cherry and Rusty were still laying rose petals at Mark’s feet… Only to have Bill Ellis call Mark at Lost Forest from the office? I know, I over-think these things, but I hope that Jules Rivera spends a little more time ensuring continuity than history would demonstrate. Or then, maybe that’s part of the Trailverse I will end up missing most?

As Mark and his “friends” watch the broadcast of the conservation awards (really?) Editor Bill Ellis of Woods and Wildlife magazine addresses the crowd…

Why not, you know? Why not change the rules, especially when the rules don’t favor the outcome that you prefer? I bet there are some pissed off finalists that are crying foul! Does Woods and Wildlife sponsor this awards dinner? was there ever any doubt that their boy, Mark, was going to be the winner?? I am not clear at all about how unbiased these awards are… I think I smell a rat… or a beaver…

No one is surprised- not even the Beaver Family… but Mark sure looks pleased…

Oh, Mark, please stop with the false modesty! And, Yes, I am pretty sure you still have a job…

Sorry for the delay these last few days, Campers, I was visiting the south shore of Gitche Gumee and was without internet for a few days…

From Port Wing to Bayfield and back… perfect weather and a lovely time!

I know it’s an old bit… “Mark and his Friends are watching…” and the immediate reaction is, “What?! Mark has friends?” Sure he looks up or stumbles upon “Ol’ Friends” as the story arcs are set up, but we never really take that phrase literally. His reputation for Emotionally Unintelligent is legendary, and certainly Mark’s ability to have actual friends would be quite limited… Yet, here we are, looking in on “Mark and his friends,” who actually are just his family…

With the Awards Program on the Color TV, gloriously wrapped in furniture grade cherry wood, Bill Ellis is about to take the stage and explain to the (30 or so) people watching across this great land, that the “must be there to win” policy is just plain wrong… And if Mark isn’t the winner, why bring this up at all??

As a treat I thought I would include the Sunday recycle…

… partly because I am curious to see what happens to this is in the coming weeks- we’ll have one more on 10/11, but then what?? And also because I am fascinated by the word choice in the last panel, “Bruin.” The Great Bruin… I guess I never thought about it being an actual word, other than the name of the Boston Hockey team, but I guess it is!! Who knew?

Just so you can get a big ol’ lick from Andy! That’s why!

Andy’s thinking, “Stay away from me, you little cur…” Sort of like the talking dogs on Tik-Tok… “I was fine until my hoomans bought me this little thing.. I haven’t know a day of peace since…)

TV? You mean we have that in Lost Forest?! And there is enough interest in Nature Magazines to build an entire awards program out of it? And it would be airing in the Northern Georgia market? We have been asked to believe some really far-fetched things over the years, but this takes to cake!

In a predictable “Happy Ending,” Andy the Great St. Bernard is released into Mark’s Care and Custody… to be reunited with the family at Lost Forest…

Not sure if that’s Rusty or Cherry getting mauled, given the red highlights and boy-like body shape… But what’s interesting about this second panel is the emergence of “Sassie,” Rusty’s little Dalmatian runt. Long before Tabby ever showed up, it was Sassie that caused no end of trouble and heartache for Rusty and the entire clan…

It is nice to see that animals are able to smile, as witnessed by today’s installment…

Now I remember what took so long… it wasn’t Andy in the Deer Trap , it was Andy at the Vet’s Office…

Still, this doesn’t hold a candle to the Space-time Continuum we were forced to endure in the Allen Era… 6 months in a cave? I don’t think I could do that again…

Well, Campers, 12 more days… Do we think there are 12 more days in this story? Well, 9 days, actually if we take Sundays off… Which makes me wonder what the Sunday panels will look like in the Rivera Era- HA! That rhymes!!

I know there are a lot of (not so) mixed feelings about this change. For what it’s worth, I think it’s exciting. While it’s been fun poking Mark in the ribs for all his foibles, predictability, and lack of continuity over the years <snark, I think we’d call it> this is a medium that is increasingly living on-line, even if it’s still being carried by Newspapers. It will also be interesting to see how many of the old characters make a return- Kelly Welly, Johnny Malot, Dirty Dyer, a supporting cast of federal agents, etc. and how many new characters are created to add a bit of depth to the story lines. I mean, how exciting can it be if it’s just a more woke and vulnerable version of Mark, a stronger and more self-determined version of Cherry and an angst-filled and perpetually coming of age Rusty to play with? Oh, wait, that pretty much describes Rusty today, except that soon he will get to wear hip sneakers, low-ride skinny jeans and sport a more contemporary hair-cut…

As Mark awakens from a brief slumber, Cherry is there with the strong, black coffee! Meanwhile, Squirrel, meet Baldy!

Fast forward to Mark spinning tails of Andy-past… I wonder if they go back to the war?

“Come through the crisis?” How about “Out of the Woods?” This is Mark Trail, after all…

Wait a gol-darned second! Is that Mark shedding a tear? Funny how no one has mentioned that Andy has a particular smell about him, a smell that would implicate Cherry in his banishment…

And what about that no-good Tabby? If Andy has learned anything, he knows now that he should let that little thing fend for itself!

Now it’s off to the Awards show… As if we had doubts.

Thanks to Mark, again, for this sneak peek at the coming age:

I don’t know, Cherry… I feel like I learned something…

First, to the story at hand… With the help of the operator, Cherry reaches Bill Ellis, who milquetoasts his way out of any responsibility…

But onto Breaking news!

Attention!! New Cartoonist in town!

Thanks to Faithful Reader Mark who pointed out in yesterday’s comments a sea-change in the offing – Mark Trail will be under a new pen come October!

I have to admit, to quote an MSNBC Anchor in 2008, “I’ve got a thrill going up my leg…“

Oh, this is going to be fun!! Such a departure from what came before. It’s interesting that in the NY Times write-up references appear to be limited to the Allen era (Caves, blowing shit up, etc…) so I wonder (hope) whether Ms. Rivera will dig a little deeper into the history and canon of Mark Trail…

Meet the new Scribe:

My name is Jules Rivera and I’m an illustrator, storyboard artist and graphic novelist, specializing in adventure and science fiction work. I am currently working my webcomic series, Love, Joolz, about hard truths, weaponized femininity, and screaming at the sky. I also do work in storyboarding and sci-fi design. On my off time, I go surfing and skating.

Hang on Campers!!

We have established that this story first published in 1981, but what year are we in really? Operator? When was the last time you could dial -0- and get an operator? I just tried it on my Vonage (VoIP) phone and got nothing. I will have to ask my mom, who still has a land-line… Great… Now I will have that Jim Croce song stuck in my head for the next week…

But really? Was there ever a time a person could pick up a phone and ask to be connected to a specific person, high up in a skyscraper in New York City? I am picturing a giant switchboard with an endless row of operators (standing by…) physically plugging cords into different jacks… “Bill Ellis? a-one a-moment, plee-uz…” And the lady (Lily Tomlin for sure) makes a connection that is almost out of reach… Amazing how many Operator references there are still… fading into history mostly, but what an invention, the telephone!

Now give him what-for, Cherry!!

No, Mark, technically, I think you just quit…

But that’s the way to show some backbone! Priorities in order!! Tell those suits how we do things in the woods!! That’s fine! You probably have options you don’t know about… And what? Are they going to NOT give you the award just because you aren’t there? Your market price is going up, Mark Trail! There’s a great article in what you are going through right now! Fear not, Nature Writer, these pricks will see the light!

…the one that I offered up a few days ago- about how Bill Ellis knew to call Mark at the Animal Hospital, about how he must have called Lost Forest and Cherry directed him, which also assumes that Mark sent Cherry home so he could await Andy’s fate in private… But apparently not…

Oh, J.R. Williams, you insensitive brute! Why, you could easily be one of the villains that Mark goes up against in another tale of Corporate Greed… But wait, you are sort of playing the Villain right now… The only thing that’s missing is a cigar in one hand (or maybe a glass of whiskey) and you’d be a dead ringer for “Big Mike” of arranged big game trophy hunting fame…

So, as Mark is about to tell J.R. to take this job and shove it, we see Mark’s jaw start to set as he steels himself for the conflict!

I mean, who is Mark’s competition, after all?

Apparently Bill hasn’t been listening… I guess enthusiasm can blind a person. And compare the “hospital” in these two strips… the first looks like a farm with a water tower and red barn, and the second (complete with a fallen tree in the foreground) looks more like a city skyline. What is going on here??

Oh, Bill, haven’t you ever seen an awards program? “Accepting for Mark Trail is his Editor, William Ellis…” Then you could go on an on about what a standup guy Mark is and how the world is a better place with him in it, blah, blah, blah… You could even read a prepared statement from Mark, explaining that he is bedside with a loved one struggling for life…

In a departure from more typical Mark Trail obliviousness, Mark inquires about the cat that has really brought nothing but despair, cost and potential tragedy to Lost Forest…

Yes, he is, Mark! One of a kind. Not that anyone else seems to understand that…

Uh, Bill…? Did you even hear a word Mark said?? “Andy’s still in serious condition!” “Mark, get on that damned plane, and get to the awards ceremony!”

I assume that Bill called Lost Forest first and Cherry told him to call the Animal Hospital… So many leaps of faith in this story line!

Sometimes things happen that bring everything else to a halt. It’s usually when a loved one is lost or in peril…

In this case it’s Mark oldest friend, Andy the St. Bernard, who saved his life when they served together in WWII… We really have to apply time bending to this, though… We established that it’s 1981 and WWII was in the mid ’40’s so that makes Andy close to 50 (350-400 in dog years) and Mark in his 60’s… I guess we get to live forever in the funnies…

As Mark ponders how hollow the award would be without his Dearest Friend to share it with, Cherry has to wonder where she fits in the pecking order- Would Mark be nearly as conflicted and paralyzed if it was her fighting for life?

What’s with the ‘P’ in P-neumonia? Like, what’s with the ‘h’ in diphtheria? As we name diseases, we need extra, confusing letters that add nothing to the phonetic pronunciation? While we are at it, then, why don’t we ‘pronunce’ as opposed to ‘pronounce?’

I thought for sure that Dr. Tom Davis, Cherry’s father, was a Vet! Maybe he just does large animal as opposed to house-pets… But isn’t Andy a large breed dog? Doesn’t that count for something?

I might help, Doctor, if you ran an IV or something…

Who is this “we?” For the last week there has been one- singular- Ranger “Checking his traps…” “You fellows?” Is Mark referring to the hedgehog in the foreground? And “The Hospital?” Do you mean the Animal Hospital? Or does everyone, man and beast, see the same doctor in Lost Forest?

Ah, the days before cell phone technology… when you had to rely on others to deliver messages! Cherry will be so relieved to find Tabby is OK! Did anyone even ask about the damned cat? Nope, cats always come back… whether you want them to or not!

This isn’t the first time I’ve been confused, by the Trailverse or other things, but I swear that Jr. Ranger Tom appears to have put Andy and Tabby back into the trap and closed the door… It was just a few days ago that Andy and Tabby were outside the trap, with the door open, and tags being inspected…

And the trap seems to have been moved away from the lake. When the trap was first being inspected, the waters where practically lapping against the box.

For all the grief I gave James Allen during his brief turn at the tiller, inconsistency and incongruity seem to be a feature of this strip… And as the comments suggest, we are being asked to understand that there was an awful lot of information exchanged off-camera in order for Mark to even know where to go! But then, we should be grateful that this story is wrapping up quite quickly as we are being spared those gory details.

Colorizing the past and punctuated with older technology… I wonder if that phone is hooked up to a party line? News of Andy’s Lazarus-like return will travel fast…

With the news of Andy still breathing, Mark and his pink chamois-cloth shirt and jeans make like Clark Kent heading toward a phonebooth! Cherry continues to look on in disbelief, hoping against hope that her side of the story will never have to come out!!

Why aren’t they calling for Doc Davis? He might actually be able to do some good here…