I reckon that roadside zoos are not completely extinct (based on some additional online searching), though many people and groups would like that to happen, because of the generally poor treatment the animals receive. Rules for private ownership seem to be pretty lax, in fact. If there is danger, it is likely the animals who are in danger (of malnutrition, bad treatment, naïve visitors, and weak state and federal oversight).

Did you notice the difference between the way Mark and Bill Ellis are depicted? Two different styles! Ellis is clearly “more cartoony” than Mark. Is this because Bill is shown as seen on Mark’s smartphone? I think it is an interesting visual experiment that could get better over time. Still, I continue to be disappointed by Rivera’s retreat from her more original and complex compositions in favor of the more common front-on, flat layouts.

On a happier note, it looks like we might get another conversation with Mark’s favorite ectothermic, amniote vertebrate, Ralph the rat snake. I’ve always thought this homage to Dr. Doolittle is one of Rivera’s better innovations. I hope Ralph sets Mark straight on this “danger” issue. Say, wouldn’t it be just the thing if the zoo Mark visits is the location from which the rogue elephant escaped? If so, Bill Ellis is getting mighty devious with his assignments!

Hmm, how hard could it be to track a rampaging elephant in the United States?  Just follow the destruction, stupefied homeowners, and authorities already hot on its trail.

But Bill Ellis is easily impressed by anybody who can connect the dots. So why is this a job for Mark, who is a nature journalist, not an animal tracker? Seems to be quite a stretch. At least, Mark seems to have enough good sense to consider the second assignment.

What kind of assignment is this, anyway? Is it even legal to own your own elephant? Apparently, some states do allow ownership of exotic animals if they are not endangered. But what is the story angle:  1) The dangers and liabilities of private ownership of exotic animals? 2) How long it takes the feds to track down and contain a rampaging elephant in the US? Maybe Mark would be tasked as a journalist ride-along for a group of game wardens.

Could this be one of the animals that broke out from that derailed circus train several years back (cf Feb 2018, during Allen’s tenure) but was never caught? Naw…!

Seems to me that, by the time Mark makes his way to wherever this elephant has been or is, the elephant will already have been caught or killed, and it would be on the evening news. Or Instagram. However, we have to wait and see what Bill Ellis has behind Door Number Two.

Well, sure. Mark has to go back to work. Is that any reason for Mark to look like he just got caught staring at Ellis’s teenage daughter? Be warned, readers, I have a few more questionable observations! 

Isn’t it time for Rivera to stop with the animal-stares-at-reader parody? Sure, it was a cute take for a while on the traditional Mark Trail habit of putting animals in the foreground of its panels. But the parody has worn itself out and now it just seems trite. Rivera: Please return to the tradition or try something new.

Second, I do like the way Rivera portrayed Ellis as a tilted and flattened image underscoring its smartphone source.

Finally, I think we might be seeing some story padding (mattress stuffing) already. It adds next to nothing to the story, itself, other than to keep reiterating Mark’s already-depicted feelings and conflicts. Sure, it’s okay to have a bit of polite catch-up, but it’s time to move on.