Huh? A pun in the first panel? Rivera is shaking things up!

Seems Happy is going “all conspiracy”, while Rex helps goad Mark on. Clearly, logical thinking does not have the seat of honor around this campfire. They just fled from the Senator’s press conference after blasting him with lots of leading questions and blasting the police with leading jabs. The Senator ordered their arrest, but they evaded a police chase. None of this bodes well for their plan to trap the senator. Yet, Mark has his own idea. That’s even scarier….

Looking back, Happy Trail has been a major instigator in this entire disaster, starting with his requirement to ride the train. Then there was his overriding need to investigate the explosion at the station, while coercing Mark to help. Who knows, maybe Happy is just frustrated with things and wants his old comic strip back, even if he has to first railroad Mark.

This is an adventure strip, not a documentary, so I’m always willing to extend some degree of latitude in such mundane things as logic, judgement, and actions. But really, now. Are the railroad and the senator running a smear campaign against Mark and Happy? Hard to say. Do they even know their names? Does anybody else?

Clearly, Rivera portrays the state senator as a stereotypical reactive, “say nothing” politician. In his defense,  he couldn’t know very much, anyway, given that the accident occurred the day before. Meanwhile, the Duck Duck Goose shipping company is publicly spouting the usual misinformation that companies do when trying to position themselves as an innocent party. But I think Mark and Happy have yet to talk to any railroad managers or government inspectors.

So it didn’t help that Mark and Happy barged into a dog-and-pony press conference to try and get answers from a politician, rather than an expert. And it didn’t help that Mark and Happy became belligerent, physical, and need I state it, unprofessional? Mark and Happy sound more like characters on The X Files or Hannity. “Got too close”, huh? Will “the deep state” send out assassins to shut them up, like in the Bourne Legacy?

C’mon, guys! Why haven’t you started working social media and news sites, instead of standing around a campfire in the country, affirming each other’s grievances? Why haven’t you been conducting online research? Why haven’t you bothered to talk with other journalists? In short, why haven’t you two been acting like professional journalists?

Poor, deluded Marky. How can they get out THE TRUTH when they are wanted by THE LAW? The obvious response is “By acting responsibly and professionally in the first place, Mr. Trail.” If they hadn’t been acting like street protesters yelling down a speaker, then taking on local police, they might now have some standing.

The other, perhaps larger, question is why Rivera chooses to push Mark into this role of a reactive, sometimes-out-of-control figure, ignoring normal journalistic standards (and the law), and then acting shocked to find out authorities take that kind of behavior seriously.  It’s one thing to show Mark out of his depth, even clueless from time to time (which seems to be a lot of the time). Is Rivera leaning towards turning Mark into a modern-day Edward Abbey persona, or perhaps one of his Monkey Wrench Gang members? In any event, Rivera can’t have Mark (and Happy) breaking the law left and right, then pretend nobody cares.

I’m just riffing here, of course. It would be a most dramatic reboot of her reboot to go down the Abbey Path. It could get pretty exciting, in fact. Frankly, I don’t see that happening, in part, because newspaper comic strips are still largely bound by socially conservative family values from the days of Ozzie and Harriet. What do you think? Should Rivera turn Mark Trail into a Dark Knight of activist journalism?

You all remember Duck Duck Goose Shipping, that capitalism-is-all company introduced in the illegal zebra mussels adventure (category Zeeba Mussels) two years ago, yes? Back then, CEO Chet Chedderson and his female assistant were forced by Mark and his allies to clean up his company’s cargo ships. Chedderson then made a brief cameo appearance in the more recent Bear Necessity adventure.

I think we have to give Jules Rivera credit for planning ahead with her storylines. During the epilogue of this story (25 May, 2023), Chedderson got in touch with the convalescing faux professor Bee Sharp and hired him to be the company Point Man on train safety. Little did we know back then! We now see Chedderson’s investment paying off.

I mentioned a few years ago that a big corporation like this (with lots of resources) could become a new and really significant adversary for Mark, in addition to the usual small-fry lunatics he deals with. (Parenthetically, these second-stringers are not much different in scale from the poachers, kidnappers, and arsonists the old Mark Trail often tangled with.) Now we have a big, national corporation that won’t take kindly to the interference of a relatively obscure wildlife journalist.

I just hope that Rivera makes this story a real test of wits and courage for once, and not the usual rapid descent into farce. However, I do have one complaint:  Once again Rivera relies too heavily on her limited stable of clown-car bad guys. I’m looking at you, Sharp! I would have hoped Rivera could move forward with Chedderson and his own posse of thugs. Well, maybe Sharp’s appearance in this story will be happily brief.

What a shock. Online parties seem to think that throwing abrasive questions at a state senator during a press conference, followed by slugging guards and evading pursuing police are somehow not proper forms of behavior for reporters. They must be old Trailheads, I’m thinking. Perhaps it’s time that Mark admits that times have changed, and he has become less of a reporter and more of an in-your-face environmental activist.
Speaking of change, I noticed that Rivera’s original of conception of mother, Sally, quickly changed from an insignificant, dowdy blonde-haired matron when introduced back in early July to the silver foxy lady she currently portrays.

I reckon Mark and Happy must have re-awakened Sally’s earlier passions and energy.

Props to Rex for his spot-on reply to Mark in panel 3. Now, some people never move past their glory days, be it high school football fame or a babe who put the “hot” in hot wheels. Thus, Sally repeats the days of her glorious youth. Either she thinks Happy has a short memory or maybe she does. Or maybe she just likes to talk about it.

But I’m really confused over Sally’s glasses. Aside from their goofy alignment, they look more like a bikini top lifted from a Barbie doll. Still, I am left wondering why Sally wears sunglasses at night. Could it be blindness?

SPECIAL FEATURE!

Blog creator, Dennis Williams, sent me a Zippy the Pinhead strip that is a funny take on rebooting old comic strips, with a mention of Mark Trail. So, here it is. Enjoy!

Rex: “Ah, nice fire, eh Mark?”
Mark: “Yep. And a quiet evening, too.”
Rex: “For sure. . .No sirens or squealing tires.”
Mark: “. . . .”
Rex: “Twenty bucks says my mom makes the first move.”
Mark: “I’ll cover that and see you another twenty.”
Rex: “You’re on, Nature Boy.”

Jules, you don’t get to mock your own strip! Mark can mock himself (and sometimes does), but you have to remain neutral. It’s the privilege of your readers to decide who or what to mock, and when.

Now, where the heck are these people hiding, and where did those tents come from? Perhaps this is some kind of base camp for Rex’s work. Anyway, Mark’s gratitude that he and Happy can finally sleep easy sounds hollow, considering he’s responsible for his own situation. I bet some jail beds are at least halfway comfortable because jailers don’t want to be sued for torturing prisoners. Mark probably should be apologizing for helping to make Rex and his mother, Sally, possible fugitives from the law.

How do you like Rivera’s carefully crafted description, “Mark and Rex’s high-speed car chase…”? I think that what she really means is something like “Mark and Rex’s felonious attempt to evade law enforcement.”

Speaking of the law, I don’t think the laws of physics allows a car to jump up in the air like that from a flat surface. But why am I asking such a pointless question? This is a comic strip! Maybe Rex’s mom really did watch The Dukes of Hazzard back in her glory days.

So, let’s see now: 

1. Mark and Happy assaulted police officers in front of an Ohio state senator and various reporters. At least they didn’t identify themselves.
2. Rex Scorpius and his mother rescued Happy and Mark in his car and are now being chased by the police, who can plainly see his car and license number. Rex must think he is channeling The Dukes of Hazzard escaping Boss Hogg.
3. Nobody in the car seems terribly concerned about any of this.
4. Rex’s mother is more concerned about saving “our forest”, even though she was supposedly packed to permanently move to California.
5. How Mom expects to save the forest without getting thrown in jail for aiding and abetting is a question.
6. Happy somehow recognizes Rex’s mother, in spite of the fact that she is sitting in front, wearing sun glasses (I think), and is about 50 years older than she was when Happy first saw her.

Nope. Uh-uh. Sorry. Maybe this works if this is some kind of kinky dream Mark is having until Happy shakes him awake to get off the train. Otherwise, all we have here are two scofflaws on the lam, with two accomplices.  Nice.

A miracle? I think not. Deus ex machina is more apropos and at least has a long, distinguished history in theater and movies. But an even better description would be “ridiculous plot contrivance.” I mean, the night before—and it was at least one night before—Rex cut out to take his mom to the airport for her new life in California. Here it is, another day, and she’s still in Rex’s car. I can’t wait to find out how this came about, to say nothing of how Rex knew what was going on. Unless the press conference was televised. In any event, this should now make Mark a wanted man in at least two states.

By the way, reader “be ware of eve hill” commented on the synchronized fisticuffs of Happy and Mark in yesterday’s strip. With its comic book sound effects, it brought to my mind the 1960s Batman TV show. Synchronized fighting was one of their shticks, along with written sound effects. Here is a snippet from one episode, with the Dynamic Duo dishing out their own fists o’ justice. The visual sound effects appeared on TV as full-screen cards after the hits, so I couldn’t show it. But you get the idea.

It’s my week for misteaks. Reader Downpuppy corrected a mistake I made yesterday in identifying the volatile senator as a United States senator, especially as the cartoon politician (that’s a joke, kids) had originally identified himself as State Senator Sam Smalls. Somehow, I must have gotten distracted and thought that this hyperactive and performative politician was a US senator. Not sure how that would have happened, but the editorial We regret our error.  And remember, this is just comic strip fiction.

(So, let’s see if I can get through today’s blog without another giraffe!) Okay, I’m sure some of our long-time Mark Trail readers might remember sitting down with one of your kids to read the current Mark Trail strip together while enjoying a glass of milk and freshly baked cookies. It’s a tradition that might still be going on:

Dad: “Well, let’s see what’s happening today with Mark Trail, shall we, Mary? Oh, look. Here he is with his father, defending his journalistic integrity to get to the truth. And isn’t it nice to see the warm bonding and happiness between a father and his son?

Daughter Mary: “Ugh! Oh, Dad. Mark Trail is just a relic from the Cretinous Age of Male Domination, perpetuating vigilante-style machismo in a juvenile display of masturbatory violence.”

Dad: “Huh? Uh, well, no, sweetie—er, can I still call you that? This is the rebooted Mark Trail, deliberately separating itself from the original strip. This Mark Trail is an urban-aware, millennial-conscious take on the old-fashioned male-dominated world view you object to. This is a new Mark Trail.”

Daughter Mary: “Hmm, okay, Dad. I think I can see that, I think. That might explain Mark’s lack of civility and his disregard for law and order. I’ve been looking at it for a few weeks and he certainly hasn’t done much investigating. He’s kind of like a Twitter feed, isn’t he? In fact, all of these characters act stupid. Dad, is this strip supposed to be irony or parody? Are we supposed to root for Mark and his dad beating up cops or are we supposed to see this as a meta-level parody and condemnation of the original Mark Trail?”

Dad: “Well, that’s a pretty good question, daughter. Frankly, I don’t understand it, myself. I think maybe this rebooted Mark Trail is meant for younger people. So, I was kind of hoping you’d be able to tell me!”

Oopsie, for sure. Reader “be ware of eve hill” noticed that I had “accidentally” reposted yesterday’s strip today. I could justify that by saying I was making a point, but I think I just grabbed the wrong one. Hell, they all say the same thing, so waddaya want!? Such irony.

I don’t know if Jules Rivera has no clear understanding about the separation of powers or anything about areas of jurisdiction, but I’m pretty sure that U.S. senators cannot order local transit police to arrest people, especially on such a specious charge. We also have transit police carrying billy clubs! What is this, the 1930s again? Then there is the B-Movie dialog by one cop: “All right, buster, yer comin’ with me!”

So, when is a comic strip like a vinyl record? When it keeps repeating itself. With the record, there is usually a scratch that causes the sticking loop. What is Rivera’s excuse? We now have three consecutive days that essentially repeat the same moment. I don’t know why Rivera is spending so much time paraphrasing the same scene over and over, when she could be moving the story along or at least adding nuance and complexity. For example, why not get the purple press people involved by asking questions or protesting the arrest? Their totally passive appearance and lack of activity give the lie to Senator Smalls’ idea of any kind of a riot-in-the-making.

I noticed that one of the anonymous purple press people (between Mark and Happy) has shed its cocoon and is waking  up at a most volatile moment. Hope he has his camera running.

At first I was going to comment on the unlikelihood of a US senator actually reacting this way, but we live in the Reality TV World of the 21^st century. The senator’s description of Mark’s questioning may be on target, but his reactions are farfetched. Even for a senator.

Of course, Mark has his “The World Depends on Me!” ego in high gear: “Our environment depends on answering my questions!” Well, I think these two people deserve each other.  What I don’t get is why Jules Rivera has Mark act like a street activist, rather than a journalist.

And it seems premature for Mark to be going into Accusation Mode before anybody has heard what the speakers are going to say and before any actual investigation is underway. It’s almost as if Rivera wants to get this story finished as soon as possible, so it’s like she’s skipping half of the chapters.

Does Mark Trail think he is hosting a “Gotcha!” television interview program? Does he realize his aggressive behavior is about to make him knock down a miniature 2-D purple person cutout placed in front of him (panel 1)? Has Mark no concern for his fellow journalists?

Aside from Mark’s fusillade of unsubstantiated accusations and his illogical thinking that a senator who just flew into town would even know about any of this, we have the ridiculous picture in panel 4 of Mark and Happy squaring off against two uniformed people who I presume are actual transit police. That is, they have the power of arrest. Once again, Mark decides he is morally justified picking a fight with the cops. Remember, Rex Scorpius only said that authorities tried to burn off the spillage, but it got out of hand. He did not state that they deliberately blew the train up.

Of course, Senator Small’s reaction to Mark’s outburst is also over the top, but perhaps the US Senator is there to symbolize unnamed “authorities” and to also prevent comparisons with, and a possible libel lawsuit from, local New Palestine politicians in the real world.

So, what is the purpose of this theater of the absurd? Why have Mark act and react in the ways we’ve seen him the past few weeks? This is not investigative journalism. His actions fall more in the line of aggressive activism. Maybe Jules Rivera should just have Mark quit his nature journalist job and become a professional global environment activist, where he can be paid to show up at any calamity or problem around the world.

Of course, this is the Mark Trail comic strip, so Mark gets to take center stage and be the one to put Senator Smalls on the spot, while his reporter colleagues are only so much purple wallpaper in the background. Nevertheless, it is a bit disappointing to see Rivera give the impression that the rest of the press corps is composed of compliant sheep. Mark can still be the hard-hitting hero, even if other reporters also get to ask tough questions. It would, I think, add an air of authenticity and put more pressure on the officials. If Mark is the only one asking these questions, he can be dismissed as a crank or arrogant troublemaker.

It’s rather sad to see Mark making accusations based—for the most part—on hearsay. It’s more like “ambush journalism”, akin to throwing out conspiracy theories and demanding other people prove them false. Besides, would a member of Congress really be the best source to confirm this kind of information? But I suppose it is standard procedure to try and embarrass a member of Congress who was here, more likely, for the TV coverage and promotional opportunity.

Art Dept: Today’s strip looks rushed, as characters (e.g. Mark and the Senator) and compositions look rough and clumsily drawn. Perhaps Rivera heard the surf was up and hurried today’s panels.

We have to remember that, although this story is “based on true events”, it ain’t the actual event and this ain’t a documentary. Nevertheless, it is possible that Rivera is taking selected satirical potshots at various Ohio officials and actions. “Sam Smalls”, huh? This is an old literary trick of fashioning a name to represent the character’s personality or function, like “Daddy Warbucks”, the unofficial father of Little Orphan Annie, who was a wealthy industrialist and made his first fortune during WWII.

Do you recognize the arrangement of the speaker and guards on the stage (like a horizontal spearhead or triangle), as well as the self-serving arrogance and narcissism of the speaker? You’ve seen it in this strip a few stories ago. Think on it a bit. I can wait.

The Wikipedia article (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2023_Ohio_train_derailment) covers “fake news” and other online rabble-rousing conspiracies surrounding this accident, including fake stories of police arresting journalists to hush up the event. Sound familiar?  One reporter was briefly arrested for disorderly conduct at a press conference, I believe, but later released. Will Mark enact this episode?

Okay, time is up. Did you figure out the visual quotation? Here it is, from September 2022: Tess Tigress and her assistants at the Tiger Touch Center.