Ooooh, I’m scared, all right. Scared this will continue the rest of the week! It seems Rusty’s role has so far been almost limited in this reboot to sleepovers with his buddies. Still, it’s better than what Rusty used to do in the pre-Rivera days, which was pretty much nothing.

I’m still hoping Rusty will get an actual girlfriend and try to finagle more interesting sleepovers. He can leave the cryptid stories to his pals, Lumpy and Beaver

What the dickens!? I’d have thought one reference to the modern version of ghost stories would get the point across. But it looks like we’re going to hear more. The suspense is gripping.

Don’t confuse Rusty’s character with the recent “Thomas the Tank Engine” fan video also called “The Seaside Spectre”. Or the 1912 movie “Specter of the Sea”.  Let’s hope that daytime comes really fast.

Well, be careful what you wish for, I reckon. I wondered if we’d get more of Rusty, and here he is. That must be Ian in the middle, who balances the composition of the panel and the sleepover arrangements.

Aside from a comics syndicate that scrimps on proofreading, we have another “here’s looking at you” member of the animal kingdom checking in. I suppose this episode falls under the category of story padding, as it would be more interesting if this sequence had anything to do with the main event, whatever that turns out to be.  This certainly does not look like it will lead to anything more than three kids staying up until 3 AM. On the other hand, a little bit of home life is one of the things we were just starting to get during James Allen’s tenure, so it’s good to see that continue under Rivera.  And let’s face it:  This Rusty is not the clueless sheltered kid we have endured for so many decades.

I reckon that Rivera is on some kind of “animal in your face” kick, since she has consistently introduced animals into the foreground that “break the fourth wall” to look at us; they are often not even integrated into the scene. It’s a gimmick that I believe has run its course and I’ll be happy to see our animal friends return to their proper place as normal components of the landscape, where they can be shot at or run over.

Apparently, Mark is on his way to Florida to get Pops, so Rusty takes the opportunity to get some palling around time with his friend, Robbie. Cryptids, as some of you know, are mythical creatures that most of us recognize as not real, such as the Loch Ness Monster, Bigfoot, the Yeti, or Huckleberry Hound. But there are plenty of people who do believe (Recall Mark’s Yeti adventure with Dr. Camel, the “cryptozoologist”, starting back in September 2019.). There is also an actual active market in cryptid kid-lit, just as Rusty says.

(Note: If you missed out on Mark’s “Hunt the Yeti” adventure, just click on the September 2019 link in the Archives section and begin your education!)

Okay, everybody:  Stand up and take a slow, deep breath. Hold it for three seconds…now exhale slowly while extending your arms outward. Now wave them around like a crazy person for a bit, and whoop if you like. Why? Because we’re done with the zebra mussels and starting a new adventure.

But just a two week vacation? If Mark is driving down to Florida and back to get Dad, that’s one to two days right there. It will take three to four days to drive to Oregon, meaning it’s also an additional three to four days days back. And there goes the first week and some of the second. They could do it faster if they drove non-stop, in shifts. But if they want any hope of enjoying the trip, they should fly (business class).

We should expect Doc and Rusty to join in. That’s a lot of airline tickets! But wait…will he have to get permission from the County to leave the state before his trial comes up?