Today, April 21, marks the traditional founding of the ancient city of Rome in 753 BCE, making it 2770 years old (or MMCCLXXVIIII ab urbe condita, as the Romans would say!) There are numerous cities around the world with older birthdates, but 2770 years is still a good run for a continually-occupied city. FELICEM DIEM NATALEM, ROMA! (Sorry, I don’t get much opportunity to use my arcane college education much these days).
Oh, and I totally forgot that Mark Trail (the strip) turned 80 on April 15! But by a special dispensation, Mark Trail (the writer and adventurer) remains a healthy 32 years old. So raise a glass to Ed Dodd, then go to an IHOP and eat a stack of flapjacks in the strip’s honor (or memory, if you wish)!
Well, that’s one way to shape the narrative, I reckon. At least Mark finally ditched the hat.
Either rents are cheap in Lost Forest, or it’s become a ritzy artist’s enclave where people come to spend lots of money. Who knows? But, the sisters are working it out, so that’s all that matters. Doesn’t appear that there is any specific story starting this week, just some family time and living the life in Lost Forest.
And that’s okay for a short bit, but we’re not here to simply watch people go about their humdrum lives. That’s why Mary Worth and Arlo & Janis exist. We expect to read impactful stories dealing with environmental issues, and enjoy the occasional bop on the top of some miscreant or doofus.
I’m waiting for those three months to pass by quickly, so Olive can take the gloves off and start kicking booty. But at the rate time seems to pass in Mark Trail, it will be Spring 2026 before Olive makes a move.
After putting all of that writing in front of you yesterday, I’ll take it easier on you today. I hope.
So here’s another popular Rivera practice: Wasting Monday’s strip to reiterate what happened on Saturday. Some people call this “padding the story,” though Rivera is not the only Mark Trail artist to do that. Other people might label this “Rivera assumes the readers have the attention span of 6 year olds.” But a few might be more charitable and claim “Rivera is just being considerate!Weekends can be tough on people who are just trying to relax and get themselves ready for another workweek at the plastics injection factory.”
The ol’swimming hole is contaminated with wastewater, much to the Trails’ consternation. What to do? The ongoing story this past week saw the Trails move from the closed lake to an impromptu backyard slip n’ slide party and barbeque at the home of Ranger Shaw, the father of Rusty’s sometimes-friend, Robbie. In the backyard sipping iced tea and eating hotdogs, Mark tried to get information from Ranger Shaw about the contamination, only to find out that he claimed to know nothing about its source. This made Mark suspicious, given the weeks he and his colleagues have had to investigate. Mark is right to be suspicious, with Range Shaw’s questionable actions in the past and his seeming inability or unwillingness to help out (e.g. the Grungey Boys’ so-called lawnmower races in Lost Forest).
And wouldn’t you know it, just at this point in time, Mark gets a call from his dad, Happy Trail. Always nice to hear from family, right? Well, there was no discussion of weather, no “How’s Rusty?”, or “When are you all coming down to visit?” Nope, Happy Trail jumped right to the point: “There’s a golf course opening just north of you!” Since Mark has no history of playing golf, we have to wonder why Happy Trail even knew about it or bothered to tell Mark. My guess is that Happy is financially involved in the course and it will wind up being another scam.
Finally, there was some noteworthy art: A nicely drawn foreshortened view of Rusty sliding on Robbie’s slip n’ slide toward the reader; and a less-than-complimentary image of Cherry, seen from the back, in profile (shudder!).
Today’s Title Panel is a clever, well-drawn take on the stereotypical vacation post card. And I’m glad to see fewer images of Mark filling the Sunday strip. Celebrate biodiversity, okay. Fine! But the execution of today’s “biodiversity” doesn’t live up to the definition. In fact, two of the animals here each take up two panels! What about flora? Sea life? And keep in mind that the main purpose of the Mark Trail Sunday strip is already meant to show and educate us on the diversity of wildlife and nature! Call me cynical, but today’s strip smells like deadline pressure.
I’m hoping that this week sees us return to the happy glades of Lost Forest with its gentle folk, homespun wisdom, and simple ways. Like many of you, I yearn for those halcyon days of animal and fish poaching, arson, and the occasional kidnapping. Yes, simpler times for simpler . . . uh, hold on.
I don’t know who that kid is in panel 1, but it sure doesn’t look like the kid in panel 2. When we were last at Lost Forest, Mark was chewing out Olive Pitt for doing what he would have done, had he been there: Putting a sock in Honest Ernest’s face for his provocations and bullying behavior.
And once again, Olive and Rusty go out on another walk. Apparently, having a post office in Lost Forest means you come and collect the mail. However, this gives Rivera the opportunity to introduce another character and story arc from the Lost Forest population. Well, the more the merrier, I say! These Lost Forest stories need fresh meat. But will this new story abide by the nature/environment focus of the strip’s raison d’être? Peach Pitt’s recent story about her macho hunter-turned-psycho ex-boyfriend pushed the boundaries of the focus on nature.
So, okay. Rivera got her joke strip out today. And it was a gentle, innocuous Family Circus kind of humor, too. But no more! No more joke strips this week!
Okay, go with the flow? Cricket Bro’s new persona reminds me of a couple of people: one person is the fictional character “Flash” (Lord Flasheart) in the BlackAdder series IV (“Blackadder goes forth”), a pompous, vain figure and womanizer. Cricket Bro’s pose in panel 1 could be right out of that sitcom. The second person is an infamous, equally self-centered, contemporary character, who is unfortunately not fictional. I can’t speak for Rivera on whether Cricket Bro’s current persona is based on either person, but I would not be surprised either way.
Regarding the story development, I’m feeling a bit optimistic here, based on the hypothesis that this story is going to be a real cross-eyed, absurd tale without the pretense of actual danger or suspense. The very room these people are in, for example, remains mysterious. What is it all about? There is that unusual chair; the mirror on the wall behind a pedestal holding a plant (?); and the way Kelly Welly silently stands, as if mirroring the pedestal and plant.
Is Mark talking for our benefit (as opposed to using standard thought balloons) or is he recording this for his blog site? Let’s give Mark some points for deciding to blend in a bit by wearing a summer jacket. At least we know that Mark actually is capable of modifying his attire when needed. Oh, there was that time when he sported cowboy boots, a kerchief, and Stetson hat to trick out his lumberjack attire.
So, Mark discovered The High Line elevated walkway in West Manhattan. Good for him! We can see in panel 2 and panel 3 that Mark must be very impressed by the walkway, given those elaborate triple emenata lines extending above his head. I wonder how he’ll react if he goes far enough north and discovers Central Park?
Howdy Trailheads and other people who think that what was good in 1956 is still good enough for today Sorry, I have no commentary today because today’s strip is largely a repeat (continuation) of yesterday, but without any new information.
I’ll publish Wednesday’s and Thursday’s strips together. That will leave Friday and Saturday to close out the week, so I’ll likely post both of those days together, as well, unless something changes in the content.
Meanwhile, you can use your extra time wisely to read through as many earlier postings of mine as you can tolerate. Take notes if you wish, as I respect carefulness in others, though I have little of my own. Feel free to post your own comments (find the link) and put in your two-bits worth of your own on virtually any aspect of the comic strip or my writing. I don’t ask you to be kind, but I do ask you to be respectful, apolitical, and without words that would get your mouth washed out with soap by your parents.
Well, Cherry’s adventure seems to have ended last week with a thud, along with a drop in my blog’s stats for the week. Perhaps I was a bit too optimistic in my thinking Rivera was actually considering going “serious.” Or perhaps it was me, failing to take Rivera on her own terms, rather than mine.
In any event, it’s time for some of the usual end-of-story cleanup. Will Mark actually wind up at the Lost Forest airport when Peach and Olive are departing? I just don’t understand why Rivera doesn’t coordinate with me!
Apparently, Mark has already ditched Rita and Skeeter, based on the fact that he is back with his car rental. And we’re back with Rivera’s oft-used 3-panel gag layout. I don’t know if Bill expects Mark to write something up or which magazine will publish it, but I hope he isn’t expecting any photos.
Thought experiment for the day: Ever wonder what Bill Ellis does after work or on weekends?
After two weeks of bungling amateurs down in Florida, it’s a comfort to return to a place of normality, tranquility, and bundles. Even the artwork has improved!
Cherry might want to back off of her excitement just a bit, because she only brought eleven baskets, based on the content in panel 1! Olive Pitt’s cynical comments on being in the sticks is ironic, given the trailer court where they grew up (that is, trailer courts tend to be isolated pockets of civilization).
So, will this peace last through the week? Given the reason for Peach and Olive’s visit (see my posts for the week of 12/ 16/24) and the fact that we usually only get one week of Cherry’s stories at a time, I’m going to predict that trouble will make an appearance very soon.
It’s an interesting symmetry, if it pans out: Mark flies down to Florida to find trouble. Trouble comes up from Florida to find Cherry and her sisters.
I just posted the blogs for Saturday and Sunday. That is, I think I either fell asleep for two days or had a server issue. I discovered Saturday and Sunday’s posts in the DRAFT folder, not online.
Howdy! I’m taking the day off, in large part, because Wednesday’s strip offers little to talk about. I’ll pile on with Thursday’s strip and hope for the best. Have a great day and see you all Thursday!
Hmmm, yet another week with Mark. Frankly, I’m surprised to see this story continue. Mark’s comment in panel 4 is questionable, at best, and can lead to a person’s injury or death. Usually, the best way to help a wild animal in need is to call the proper authority and let them take care of it. For example, picking up a bat is not an honest mistake; it is reckless and dangerous, as we just saw. Wear gloves first!? How about “Don’t touch it”? As a survivalist teacher, Mark is guilty of providing bad and misleading information similar to the bad information in Connor’s fake survival book that Mark raged against.
NB: The CDC and Mayo Clinic state that a potential rabies patient must actually undergo a series of shots. Better than dying, however, as untreated rabies is almost always fatal! Bats are the number 1 cause of rabies in the Americas.
Getting back to the strip, I wonder where Rivera is taking this story? I’m no writer (as you can tell), but since Rivera seems reluctant to include actual survival/camping lessons in this story, what is left to do? I think it is time for Mark to get that old, familiar phone call from Bill Ellis and go back to work.
The week-before concluded with Cliff and Mark at the hospital so Connor could get his finger fixed from a hooking accident. They ran into Cherry and Violet, who were there with Honest Ernest. This ER meetup saw Cliff pushing the “express your feelings!” mantra on Mark, while Connor and Ernest were literally out of the picture and forgotten for the week. Mark started to wonder whether he was suppressing.
This past week, we found Cliff and Mark back on the job taking Eli, Ranger Shaw, and a repaired Connor on a hike. What survival techniques were discussed or demonstrated? Oh, dear readers, don’t be naïve!
On the hike Connor had a mini-meltdown that turned into an impromptu group hug around Mark, who was decidedly uncomfortable with this forced situation. Can’t blame him. As they broke to return to the fishing lodge, Eli had his moment in the sun when he spotted a bat (order: chiroptera) lying on the ground, so he touched it and got scratched on the hand…sound familiar? What are the odds!? This week ended like the prior one, with Cliff and Mark (back) at the ER.
Was this Adventures in true feelings meant to poke fun at the presumed troglodyte Trailheads who miss the old strip? Rivera should know that males and females do not always express emotions the same way. But it never seemed to me that Mark has had problems expressing his true feelings, even to Cherry; at least since Rivera took over. So I hope this week puts an end to Mark’s survival retreat. I also hope Rivera gets this adventurestrip back on track, with Mark putting the hurt on people and companies taking advantage of animals, nature, and the environment. But if expressing inner feelings is your drama of choice, try Garfield.
A classic animal-centered Sunday topic with a clever visual pun in the title panel, connecting a Ford Motor Company logo style with a running mustang (I presume). Wikipedia has a decent article on horses, if you are curious.
Thank you for spending some of your time reading these blogs about Mark Trail, the legacy “adventure” strip where the adventure is sometimes either pondering “What would Mark do?” or just bringing yourself to read the daily panels. Clearly, I enjoy writing these blogs, though I’m not always sure why. My predecessor, Dennis, once claimed (I think) that he posted blogs for his first three years without knowing whether he had any readers. Now that is dedication, or extreme Trailheadedness. I’ll likely continue—as I can—until I’m turned out, my brain turns to mush, or the strip takes that final turn towards retirement. To be clear, I’d prefer to see most legacy strips retired to make room for new ones; some, more than others. Many legacy strips have been republished in book form, so that should be good enough. Interestingly, that is not the case for Mark Trail.
Anyway, The Daily Trail will catch up with Mark on Boxing Day with a double-feature. Until then, whether you celebrate Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, Zartosht No-Diso, Mongolian Independence Day, or just want to sleep in, make it a great day. We all should have at least one a year.
I’ll be on the road for a few days, driving back from Virginia to Minnesota and hoping to avoid the current week’s rainstorms and snowfalls tracking across the midlands. That also means I may also wind up posting several days at one time, which has its own benefits.
Because of prior commitments, I will not be able to post the Sunday blog until Sunday afternoon. Please enjoy your new-found free time to sleep in; attend the religious service of your inclination; mow the lawn; or finish reading that book before it has to go back to the library. You know which one I’m talking about.
Or, you can while away the time looking at this field of dots. Some people think that if you look at it hard and long enough, you will see the ancient Temple of Jupiter Optimus Maximus in Rome. Other people think that prolonged viewing will just give you a headache. Personally, I think this could be one of the game sheets for the Tokyo Olympics “Connect the Dots” finals (won by the team from Djibouti). Well, you’ve got some time on your hands to figure it out.
But fear not, Faithful Readers: Mark Trail will soon return!
The Daily Trail 