Well, The Call didn’t take long to happen, did it!? I hope Mark and Cherry got most of their nature walk taken care of. But what was the prior interruption? Couldn’t be those eagles, so perhaps it was just another call that he ignored.

More significant is the fact that Mark brought his laptop on the camping trip, rather than leave it safely back at the lodge. And he knew it was likely to flood! I reckon that even experienced woodsmen get overconfident. But we also now know that Mark was apparently using his own phone, which he somehow had with him, all while dressed in his long johns. The ways of Mark Trail are often mysterious.

Art Dept. The art, lately, has been fairly consistent, though today, it looks somewhat ill-proportioned, especially the heads. On the other hand, the landscape in panel 1 is actually well composed and drawn. But when I look at panel 3, with that blue-green tree foliage behind Mark’s head, I can’t escape the feeling Rivera is being unusually metaphorical, as Mark grumbles over his recollection of the flash flood. See what I mean?

Just what in the heck does Mark have in his backpack that he needs a waist strap while on a casual walk in the woods: A foldup cot and tent? A boom box? A fully-stocked picnic basket?

So we are viewing Mark and Cherry’s nature walk in Lost Forest, where we espy Spanish Moss (Tillandsia usneoides) hanging from the trees. Well, I’m guessing Spanish Moss is what Rivera had in mind, as opposed to soggy “bathroom tissue” that kids like to use when papering houses. Spanish Moss is not always white and is really more curly-cued and stringy. It shows up as far north as the Dismal Swamp in south east Virginia, near where I grew up. Longtime readers will recall one of Mark’s infamous boat explosions taking place on Lake Drummond (scroll the Great Dismal story on this web site).

I reckon we won’t get to see another view of those eagles, especially their nests. From what I’ve read, the nests are actually very large and very deep to accommodate the size and weight of the birds. Maybe Mark will discuss it this coming Sunday. Otherwise, we might as well settle back, put on some good music, and sip some wine as we vicariously walk along with Mark and Cherry, while we await the usual phone call from Bill Ellis. It’s bound to happen. I think it is a contractual obligation.

Well, here it is, already Saturday. And we end the week with a bit of continuity and a smaller bit of humor. I’ll admit that I fail to see the humor. For reasons not yet clear, Rivera turns Cherry into an obnoxious wiseacre, as seen on TV. Totally unlike Cherry, unless there is a character transformation going on. One thing that also struck me in the last panel is how Cherry’s expression and pose resembles Jules Rivera.

Otherwise, I wonder whether Holly is going to screw over Peach and not give her due credit in her new fashion line. Or perpetrate something else equally unfortunate. Why do I think that, you ask? Isn’t Holly being genuine, transparent, and generous? Yes, she sure seems like that. Therefore, something bad is afoot.

Frequent reader and commenter, Daniel Pellissier, wrote on Wednesday “I am trying to envision an environmental/outdoor theme here.”  I think Jules Rivera offered a response to Daniel in panel 4. It might be something of a stretch, however.

Is Holly wearing some kind of teardrop headband, or does she just constantly sweat? Whatever the answer is, I’m trying to envision a storyline here and failing. Granted, this is only reaching the end of week 1. That’s fine. I am curious (aren’t we all!?) about what the actual story will be. It seems as if Cherry’s adventures become more and more a kind of soap opera.

But as week 1 is just laying groundwork, what about next week? Cherry normally gets just one week in a row before turning over the reins to Mark. So will we have to wait until mid-November to learn more? Hell, I’m still wondering about the peacock and the dinner!

I guess they’ve run out of oddballs in Lost Forest Village, so now they’re trucking them in from elsewhere. And I’m not too sure what the spot is on the end of the woman’s nose: An inking mistake, perhaps, or is she on the way to audition for one of the reindeer in a production of “Rudolph: The Musical”?

Perhaps this Amazeballs woman sees something we can’t see in these “fashions,” to want to buy them all. Well, it’s her money. Now I can understand the cynical stare of Olive Pitt. She’s probably thinking something like, “Oh goodie, another poser. Happy to take your money, though.”

“Amazeballs” is slang going back at least as far as a YouTube video in 2008 (according to the Oxford English Dictionary, though the term appears to originate in the US). It’s made the top of the list of the most annoying words more than once. A scorching condemnation analysis appears in a 2012 column in Slate, adding fire to the word’s origins and infamy ( https://tinyurl.com/4eatcs57 ). Like most slang, the word is now considered outdated, except possibly among older hipsters, such as Millennials and Gen Z.

(Yes, I ripped off another click-bait headline because I was too tired to think of anything better.)

Today Rivera makes a timely, strategic pivot back to Cherry and her sisters who are once again setting up shop at the local farmers’ market. (The last time they did this, Peach Pitt’s psychotic boyfriend showed up and caused a scene that Cherry’s brother Dirk had to settle) I’m not sure why Cherry is exhausted with setting up jewelry, since it looks like her sister, Olive Pitt, is taking care of it. And it looks as if the t-shirts are already hung, as well. Still, I reckon it’s nice of Cherry to volunteer. No?

Side note: I bet there are some of you out there who probably think Olive’s punchline in panel 3 would have been better had it stopped at “You sell better when you’re hopped up.” But we here at ThyTrailBeDone like to maintain higher standards, so we abstain from using R-rated humor.  Okay. Maybe “standards” is too strong a term. And “higher” is really relative, based on where you are standing and what you are looking at. But it is aspirational!

Getting back to the strip’s current activity, I wonder if is this going to be a continuation of an existing storyline or the start of a new one. The last storyline was about the peacock owned by Violet Cheshire’s mom, which escaped just before a big dinner event for which Cherry had been commissioned to create a cage for said bird. Mark engineered a trap to catch the peacock, which was then taken by Honest Ernest to return to Violet. And that’s pretty much where things stood. So far, no word on the fate of the cage, the dinner event, or the peacock’s impression on the friends of Violet’s mother.

Well, is this turning out to be a joke, after all (as I feared)? What could have been an interesting plot has turned on itself and appears to be going back to the Same Ol’ Same Ol’. But in spite of Cherry’s handoff and Mark’s self-assurance, Bill Ellis is running the show and wants a female’s point of view. I’m pretty certain that ability is not in Mark’s backpack. And this leads us back to Kelly Welly, unless Ellis comes up with a different solution.

Well, snark was the popular choice in my informal survey. Thanks to all who played along.  And any of those entries would have worked out better than the original comment. As for me, I voted for “We don’t need no stinkin’ narration boxes!” I had seriously thought of coming up with a dramatic comment, such as “Is Cherry walking into a trap?” or “Watch out, Cherry! Ellis likes to use hunting decoys!” But in the end, I thought Cherry’s response was about as much of a cliffhanger as we’re likely to see. So let’s see what’s hanging today …

Once again, Rivera has come up with an interesting, if goofy, storyline that could have some depth to it, as well as an off-the-wall group of characters. Okay, the premise seems absurd: Members of a female book club need to start hunting feral hogs. And once again, Ellis is shilling for Teen Girl Sparkle, one of the few rags in his publishing empire for which Ellis believes Mark (or Cherry) is suitably matched. That doesn’t say much for Mark’s credibility as a serious nature journalist, does it? 

I also believe you are already ahead of me on what Cherry’s hesitation is all about. Will she or won’t she inform her brother? And will she take the assignment, knowing that if she turns it down, Bill will just move on to another call, with Cherry losing a paycheck. There is another question that I wonder if Rivera has put into this story: What about her job with the Sunny Soleil Society:  Will Violet Cheshire give her the time off?

Art Dept. I can’t, in good faith, give a passing grade to the drawing found in today’s strip, or other recent ones. I mean, panel 2 is, frankly, an embarrassment. Not that panel 3 is much better. But I also don’t see any signs of a garden there, either.

A writing assignment!? Did Cherry sign up for the Bill Ellis Correspondence Course, “Make money by writing at home, in your spare time!”? And Mark’s “in a while” comment (panel 1) sounds like Cherry had done this before. Anybody recall that earlier time?

But I’m not sure Jules Rivera’s snarky comment in panel 4 is really appropriate. Cherry’s response wasn’t an overlay dramatic answer, so the sarcasm was uncalled for. I’d have thought Rivera could have come up with something more useful or clever; or maybe not say anything at all.

So, here is that fourth panel again, but with an empty narration box. Let’s have a class project of our own: Assume Jules got called away because of a report of good surfing waves. But the deadline looms and it’s up to you to finish today’s strip in time!

If you think a narration box is unnecessary, just report “We don’t need it!” If you think the narration box could have a better snark or maybe a comment that might move the story along, what would it be? 

Meanwhile, I’m still wondering what happened with the peacock and that dinner. Aren’t you?

Wow! I certainly didn’t see this call coming! I’m not sure whether to be excited or fearful. Will Mark be the one this time to see off Cherry as she goes on assignment? Will this be a Mr. Mom story? And why wouldn’t Bill Ellis call Mark’s rival, Kelly Welly, who also fits the female profile? There’s a lot that could happen as a result of this phone call, so it may be best for me to just shut up and wait for the dailies to resume on Monday.  Looks like we’re moving into uncharted territory!

Art Dept. After all this time, I can’t get over how Mark’s facial anatomy changes so easily from frame to frame. Not sure why. Rivera recently posted on BlueSky “It’s been five years since I took over Mark Trail and my cartoon son has never looked better.” I’d beg to differ, and I’d have to ask, which image did you have in mind?

From the appearance of Mark’s hair in panel 4, I’m going to guess they actually found that big bush I suggested yesterday. As far as things go, it’s a bit late in the week for Mark to get a call from Bill Ellis. Normally, a Bill Ellis conversation consumes at least two days of strips. Oh, I just realized:  Rivera could dedicate most of next week to Ellis’s phone call!  

Maybe Mark and Cherry wouldn’t get interrupted so often if a) they left their phones back at the cabin (which they’ve done before); or b) they didn’t spend so much time on nature walks.

Art Dept. The art today is disappointing, not only with regard to odd human proportions here and there, and the inclusion of another flattened cutout animal image, but also the persistent use of those vague, autumn-colored trees. But golly gee willikers, Rivera could at least take the trouble to make the foliage look more naturalistic. On the other hand, from a purely design point of view, I think the drawing of Cherry’s hair in panel 3 is a nicely stylized arrangement of black and red contrasts, enlivened by the curves and pointy shapes in the hair. But it kind of sticks out from the rest of the drawing, which could not keep up.

You remember what I wrote on Monday about the relationship of Nature to humans and vice-versa? Well, maybe we need to put that thought aside for a while. And for the record: No. I cannot explain the anatomy of that yellow tree in panel 1.

Art Dept. As we know, consistency is not part of the Mark Trail aesthetic. For example, various aspects of Mark’s head and face can change from day to day, panel to panel. Take Mark’s eyebrows. Please! I can’t figure out if Rivera is using Mark to channel Groucho Marx, Eugene Levy, or Ayushmann Khurrana. I’m leaning towards Groucho, who infamously painted on his moustache and thick eyebrows. Just check out panel 2, where Mark’s left eyebrow wraps around the head, but is completely flat. This is repeated in panel 4, where the eyebrows are also almost 50% taller.