Who the hell is that old geezer in panel 1? Did Mark get stuck in Kurt Vonnegut’s chrono-synclastic infundibulum?  So, this is hard times, huh? Compared to living in the Sudan, for example? Sure, there might be some bad things going on, but Mark:  Did you think that maybe Tess could be buying some of the cubs? Or that she might donate some tigers to another zoo after a while? Well, it’s a possibility.

By the way, what was in that isolated trailer that caused Mark to exclaim “Yikes!” in last Saturday’s strip? Or was that exclamation from discovering Tess and Rex coming back? Alas, it seems we will continue with the Pity Party.

Sage advice, Mary “Marky” Worth. But now that you two moralists have done your righteous duty, can we get back to the actual story and leave this tripe for another comic strip, such as Blondie?

Well, it’s only Wednesday, so for the next three days, let’s hope Rivera gets back to some actual plot. His or hers; it doesn’t much matter, as long as we move on.

Bobcats running wild around the Tiger Touch Center!? What next, rampaging elephants?

I’m not sure we really need or want this interlude.  It’s like those painful-to-read vintage strips of Mark and Cherry discussing modern comic strips, technology, and social media in between Mark’s adventures.

I predict we’ll have six days of this useless nattering. Perhaps Rivera does not want to extend Mark’s story another week because it would have to be interrupted at a less advantageous point. If that is truly the case, wouldn’t it have been better to just jump back into Cherry’s story? Sure, keeping in touch is valuable and helpful, but let’s not drag it out, okay?

Rivera slows the story tempo as Cherry and Mark step away from their plotlines to catch up with each other. But are we transitioning to Cherry’s story or is this just a continuation of Mark’s? It’s an interesting plot device.

Rivera has once again intertwined Mark and Cherry’s separate story lines, a technique she has used before, though this time. As we sometimes saw in the vintage Mark Trail strip, Rivera also has no fear of slicing and dicing time:  Mark was last seen running away. Cherry was last seen having a heated moment with Violet and Ernest. We will find out what happened in each case?

(It’s nice to see how much more comfortable Rivera is working in larger panels.)

One final note:  I’m suddenly struck by how Cherry’s expression mimics Jules Rivera in panel 2.  To a degree, anyway. I don’t have an exact match available, but you can “google” her face. Perhaps Rivera employs the traditional artist’s technique of using a mirror to model expressions using her own face.

I’m not sure I agree with Mark’s assessment of the Center. Far from rich looking, it appears spartan, pedestrian, and not even finished.

Apparently, Rivera wants us to believe that Rex and Tess, returning from their “nature walk,” cannot see Mark peering into the window (once again!) of a somebody else’s private rooms. Nor do they see him running away—arms and legs akimbo—across the grounds, while directly in front of them. Ah! It must be because they are so madly smitten that they have eyes only for each other. If so, I’m surprised that Rex is not wearing Tess’s tiger ears.

This is all confusing. Mark is disturbed. At what, I wonder:  Something inside the building or maybe a reflection of Rex and Tess approaching from behind him? Or maybe he just realized that he should have made a pit stop before setting out on his covert investigation.

Tigers ain’t cheap to acquire, so it would be very costly to mistreat them in the way some people mistreat common pets, such as dogs and cats. But if your con is based on short-term gains, the long-term welfare of the animals may not be at the top of your To-Do list.

Anyway, if Jiffy is not the only employee who feels this way, what is keeping them there and not reporting Tess to the authorities? Is she blackmailing them? Is this Center located 100 miles out in the desert?

But it’s clear that Tess handled this entire situation incorrectly. By tossing out the only professional producer (Diana Daggers) available, stoking tension between Mark and Rex, and allowing Mark to wander around on his own, she only increases the danger to her scheme.

So here is where the story breaks down somewhat, as we’re expected to believe that a stranger can ask a single question of an employee (“Jiffy”, as we learn), who readily spills his guts to Mark about the organization after first stating “We don’t do questions or cameras.” Is his testimony accurate or is he just a disgruntled employee?

On the other hand, if Mark can verify all of this info, he certainly has a story to report. By the way, just what is going on in that trailer?

Looks like there are some questionable things going on, after all. But if all that expired freeze-dried (I presume) meat is in a dumpster and not in a freezer, it could simply indicate some inefficiency and sloppy inventory management. Hardly a crime or case of corruption. We’ll need to see more conclusive evidence than that. But it’s a start! And that worker should be easy to turn.

There’s a lot to be said for consistency, such as “where is it when you need it!?” Yesterday, we saw Mark laser-focused on his task. Today, he is suddenly overwhelmed…by animal cages? Rivera makes a pun with that muckraker crack. Okay, maybe Mark’s uncertainty is just a temporary thing while he settles on what to do next. At least let’s have no more Kenneth Branagh stares into the distance, okay?

At last, Mark comes to enough of his senses to actually work on the zoo investigation instead of fixating on Rex’s alleged vulnerability issues. And about time. But am I the only one who is wondering where all the employees went? And what about Rex’s employees? I noticed that Mark doesn’t have that affected goofball, annoying appearance and behavior he’s been displaying up until now. Instead, he acts like the traditional Mark Trail of bygone days: Mister All Business.

Anyway, the strip is nicely drawn today (compared to prior days), though I fear the shadow on Mark’s face in panel 2 will not be visible in the newspapers. I wonder where Mark keeps finding all of this equipment.

Yes, Rex reads Mark all too clearly for the intrusive bumpkin that he is. Because of his over-reactive warnings and blabbering, Mark may cost Diana her job, as well as ruin his own opportunity to actually do an investigative report on the Center (why he was sent here). I think Mark may even wind up having to find his own way home.

Again, I do not understand Rivera’s decision to cast Mark as some kind of soap opera Mary Worth personal problem solver. Mark is clearly not keeping his professional attitude at the forefront here.

So where does the story go from here? Will Mark save Rex and Tess from the rampaging elephant? Will Rex and Tess suddenly elope, leaving Mark alone with the tigers and a very pissed off Diana Daggers? Poor Mark, he should have talked it over with Ralph the bull snake before accepting this bad gig. Maybe Mark can find future fame and glory by becoming a professional Reality TV show personality.

I think I can answer Rex’s question in panel 2 with an unequivocal “No!” Mark really has a hard-on for arguing with Rex, but he’s not exactly winning. (By the way, I like Rex’s stink eye in panel 2!) Hmm, I wonder if Mark has lost track of what he is supposed to be doing? Anyway, Rivera shows us that she has seen the first Mark Trail strips (from 1946) when Mark thought Cherry’s pet bear was attacking her. I’ve always felt that Rivera’s Cherry was more like Ed Dodd’s outdoorsy version of Cherry, before she became too domesticated and dependent during Elrod’s drawing tenure.

The other thing I am curious about are those pinkish tabs that appear below Rex’s eye in panel 1 and Mark’s eyes in panel 3. I’ve seen them in Rivera’s drawings before, but I have no real idea what they represent. Any ideas, readers?

Out of all the issues on the table, Mark fixates on Rex’s feelings towards Tess. Well, that falls in line with Diana’s agenda. But so what? His paymaster is expecting a research article on the zoo, itself, and whether it is legit. Never mind that Rex’s feelings may be somewhat distorted by a childhood fantasy. But Mark puts the Third Degree on Rex, who caves in. What is Rivera’s goal in this story?

This story deviated right away from a strict uncover corruption plot that would have been normal in a Mark Trail story. Instead, the investigative angle has been secondary to a focus on interpersonal issues, something that falls outside Mark’s regular skill set. So, is this really a rescue mission? Does Mark’s eventual article get turned into a “How I saved Rex Scorpius from the clutches of a cult leader“? I have yet to see any evidence of a cult.

Some readers might be thinking about now that Mark Trail must be Mary Worth’s nephew, or successor. It seems odd, if not intrusive, that Mark would be all over Rex for being all over Tess. What business is it of Mark’s, anyway? First, let’s review how we got here:  Mark was goaded by his editors into an assignment to investigate a dubious roadside zoo in Texas run by Tess Tigress that might be a cult, but might also be abusing tiger cubs. Mark would be working with Rex Scorpius, the famous “Internet” animal wrangler. An alternative assignment meant to sway him was to chase down a rampaging elephant somewhere in the south. Mark chose the roadside zoo story.

After arriving in Texas, Diana Daggers (original bad girl and now part-time sidekick) was there to pick him up. She confessed to Mark that his official assignment was something of a hoax. The real assignment is to help her save a vulnerable Rex Scorpius—her current boss—from the zoo cult and the clutches of its owner, Tess Tigress. The cover assignment is Mark’s investigative story on the zoo. Is Diana Daggers misleading Mark even more because she has personal feelings for Rex? Is she really jealous of Tess? To add even more complexity and drama, the elephant story has merged. And Mark now confesses to Rex that he may be more concerned about Rex’s personal relationship with Tess.

So here we are. It’s a more complex affair that we often see in Mark Trail’s adventures, but even so, this job is really outside of his area of expertise. Mark is not Mary Worth or even Dear Abby.  Why isn’t Diana handling the situation? Good question, if I do ask it, myself! She was introduced several stories ago as a tough woman with an aggressive attitude to match. Diana even threatened bodily harm to Mark when they first met! But over the past several stories, her personality has softened, as has her attitude. She is almost a non-entity in this story. But is that also a secret ploy, meant to mislead Tess so she would not be looking for Diana?

I’m with Rex on this one. Sure, this “rampaging” elephant may be heading towards Texas, unimpeded by cars, neighborhoods, rivers, shopping malls, the police, game wardens, and all manner of local yokels. Nevertheless, Texas ain’t exactly Rhode Island in terms of size, so I suspect Mark is being a tad overly concerned. Perhaps he takes Dr. Seuss too seriously.

Anway, I just noticed: Why is Rex wearing leather gloves? Do nature hikes require gloves? Do two people looking to get away by themselves need gloves? Sounds kind of kinky to me. If Tess brings a whip, I wanna see pictures!

Ah, back to the Texas Twits…I mean, Mark and Rex. That prickly pear cactus in panel 1 looks a bit cartoony (flat) to me, like something from a Hanna Barbara cartoon. Perhaps that is a visual pun for this prickly pair, Rex and Mark. Rex and Mark. Are they filming a show or enjoying a vacation!?

But as Rivera notes in panel 4, Mark certainly knows about the consequences of hiking in nature with women, as also seen in this panel from back in July. Even Cherry made sure we readers did not miss the signs.

So, is Mark concerned about Tess Tigress or Rampaging Horton? Leave it to Mark to ruin their budding romance. Okay, okay. She may be a con and Rex may be a mark. But for what end?

I say, let them go and say nothing about the elephant. If the elephant does somehow show up, Mark can enjoy a good laugh to see those two running for safety, pursued by an elephant adorned with their clothes. That would make a great panel, too.

The notion that an elephant can simply run across the continental United States, unimpeded, pushes the boundaries of fantasy. Panel 3 is a leading question:  How often would Mark see an elephant in any context, must less witness any abuse of an elephant…recently!? It’s been almost a decade since Mark was last in Africa. I suppose Rivera had to find a way to segue to the presumed misuse of tiger cubs, hence the “other animals” comment. But that stretches credulity in so many ways.

This also begs the question:  Exactly how would Tess have provoked an elephant, since they are presumably not part of her menagerie and elephants do not normally roam around this country like fox or deer. So, elephants never forget? Is this a variant on the old joke about a kid who picked on an elephant at the zoo, only to be recognized decades later and assaulted with water by the same elephant when the grownup kid revisited the zoo?

[edits below] Really now?!? How could there be a rampaging elephant on the loose, anywhere in the United States for more than a day or two, at most? If zoo staff, the DNR, and the State Police could not track it down, private hunters by the score would not pass up this opportunity to be out in trucks, ATVs, and private planes, all hoping to at least pinpoint the panicking pachyderm.

Would Mark abandon an assignment in mid-stream just to hunt down a crazed elephant? Would he abandon Diana and Rex for a story? I reckon this might be a test of Mark’s journalistic ethics and professionalism. Or maybe not. Free-lance journalists are just hired hands and go where they are told, when they are told, and to quit whining about it. In any event, Mark doesn’t know how to solve his current problem, so it might be time to cut bait.

[added] On the other hand, he is already in Texas. Maybe the elephant will suddenly come crashing into the Tiger Touch Center and really create some excitement!

Maybe Rivera has been watching old episodes of Dudley Do-Right of the Mounties.  I have to say that this is an awful lot of melodrama for a situation that has yet to look threatening to Rex:  No locked gates, no 30 foot walls, no deep dungeon, no chains, no knock-out drugs. If Rivera expects us to believe there really is an actual threat against Rex, it would be a good idea to show some of it. A bit of seduction and an arched eyebrow hardly constitute a mortal threat. Frankly, a little seduction may do Rex some good, based on what we’ve seen of his personal life.

Now, I’m not completely sure about the white “cut out” highlighting around Mark in panel 4, except that Rivera must be using it as a visual device to offset his “actual” presence from the “mental image” of Rex and Mark sharing an intimate moment with pet dog pictures. She has drawn several “flashback” scenes, but this is the first one I’ve seen using this outlining.  I don’t think it is very convincing as a temporal border. Rivera would be better off using a large thought balloon, as she has done, before.

Rather stiff, awkward drawing today. When we look at the banner of this blog site (while admitting that it is a bit stretched to fit the screen), it might be jarring to realize that it was also drawn by Rivera.

Speaking of awkward, this story has reached an uncomfortable fork in the road. It seemed to me a bit earlier that Diana must be emotionally invested in Rex, based on her subterfuge in getting Mark involved. But her advice today (from wherever the hell she is) suggests otherwise, and that she knows Rex about as well as Mark does, which is not much. Doesn’t she know anything about her boss? And what if Rex is right and they are wrong? How do they know at this point?

So, what is Diana’s motivation, other than keeping Rex’s streaming show going in order to keep her job? Is that all there is to this assignment?