Cherry passes the Story Baton back to Mark.

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I understand gators are often seen on courses in various southern states, in part because people build golf courses on land frequented by alligators. So what do they expect!? And those gators can get quite large. YouTube has plenty of “golf course gator” videos, should you have the time and inclination. Here is a short one of a really big gator: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RXn1g0xtUMk. But none of the videos I saw showed golfers getting pulled into the water hazards, where they tend to hang out and breed. The alligators, that is.

I don’t understand Cherry’s logic. Yesterday, she’s practically falling apart in fear that Mark was having an even worse day than she was. But today, it’s the opposite. And Cherry seems to think that she can just snap her rhetorical fingers to get Mark to leave in the middle of a golf game.

Meanwhile, there is chaos on the links, as the Cheddersons attack an alligator in panel 1, or at least try to chase it off. None of the videos I watched showed golfers being that nuts. If we’re really lucky, maybe there will be an opportunity for the gator to snack on some “chedders”!

It’s not the guys who are falling apart, Cherry. It’s you!

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In spite of having the peacock in hand, or on-the-head, Honest Ernest seems to have lost it once again. Do you notice anything else? In panel 2 Ernest looks older, more self-reflective and serious. I’m not sure what the extra-heavy inking of his work suit is all about, but he certainly presents a different persona, like a real person. Maybe I’m reading too much into it. Again.

Meanwhile, I don’t get Cherry. Well, I don’t get why she is turning into this less capable, more worrisome person, as if she has nothing more to do than just react to everything going on around her. As for that narration box in panel 3:  It was my understanding that the phrase “having a man in your/her/my life” refers to somebody personally close, such as a boyfriend, husband, or son. How does Ernest fit into any of those categories!? Isn’t he the ineffectual opponent to Cherry and the entire Trail family? He’s made actual threats and instigated violence against several of them, in fact.

Even Rivera seems to have forgotten the “other men” in Cherry’s life, to wit: Her brother, Dirk, and her father, Doc Davis. They don’t count anymore? Well, they do spend most of their time stuck in the “Mark Trail Occasional Character” closet.

Cherry has become a worrywart, hasn’t she? Is Rusty really coming apart (emotionally or psychologically)? And what’s that panic phone call all about? If this trend is going to continue, I’d rather see Ed Dodd’s version of Cherry. At least she had spunk in the beginning!

Wait…

Rivera’s Cherry had spunk in the beginning, too! The pre-Rivera Cherry eventually became more of a stay-at-home, dutiful wife, worrying about her husband’s safety or catching rays on a beach. And it looks like Rivera’s Cherry is following a similar path. But it’s a dead-end that leads to obscurity and irrelevance. Still, there are differences:  The pre-Rivera Cherry could have ceased to exist without affecting the strip very much. Mark could just as well have had Doc minding Rusty, or hired a nanny. Rivera’s Cherry, on the other hand, has mostly been a positive, dynamic part of the strip, with her own storylines and supporting cast. Maybe she just needs to get out of Mark’s shadow more often.

Honest Ernest demonstrates how he lost the peacock in the first place.

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I thought the object was to catch and hold on to the peacock, not push it away. Excuse my ignorance, but what is the tree branch for? Does Cherry think the bird will suddenly jump on it, like a squirrel!? My other question is, where is the cage or sack that Honest Ernest should have had with him after capturing the peafowl? And what is Honest Ernest supposed to do while Cherry goes off in search of that tree branch? It’s not as if she can just lean down and pick one up; she’s at a golf resort, for goodness sake!

As for Rusty, looks like he took the scaredy-cat slide that goes directly into the water, rather than the other slide, reserved for those carrying catastrophic health insurance. I reckon Rusty now knows why it is a Penguin Pool.

Art Dept. Panel 1 is actually a well-designed layout in terms of the figures and the use of available panel space. A strong diagonal alignment reinforces the panicky actions of both figures. The peacock, itself, is rather striking, even while lacking very much definition. But not bad for the size of a comic strip panel.

The peacock catches Honest Ernest!

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As several of you know (or suspect), I try to get into the strip from various ways. I don’t want to simply or exclusively point out the bloopers. I want to shine light on the interesting, inventive, and positive aspects of the strip, as well. Sure, sometimes the weight falls on the former more than the latter. Well, maybe a lot more often than that.

With the peacock’s sudden appearance, will Honest Ernest grab it and thus, bring Cherry’s little side-story to a quick conclusion? It could happen! It could also be her shortest story on record.

Art Dept. The visual juxtaposition between high and low levels becomes an interesting problem when designing panel layouts. In panel 1, the ground appears to have been “tilted” to a degree to show Cherry and Honest Ernest looking up at Rusty. And we have Rivera’s stereotypical silhouettes in the background to suggest other attendees. The space between them and the adjacent downside view in panel 1 get muddied. And the angular alteration of the ground doesn’t work very well because the high and low spatial relationships are also ambiguous. Is Rusty looking down or across? Are Cherry and Ernest really below or more likely just standing on a slightly lower embankment off to the side?

The layout in panel 2 is much more credible. It’s actually done well, as Rusty clearly looks down to a more spatially coherent lower ground. Cherry and Ernest are clearly looking up. If there is any complaint, it would be Rivera’s tendency to use a profile when interacting with people positioned “behind.” I discussed this quirk on 7/30/25 and 7/31/25.

I could quibble about the drawing of Rusty’s and Cherry’s faces, as well, including curiously ambiguous facial anatomy and Cherry’s non-ending dripping from her pool incursion. But I’ll leave that to your own analysis.

Finally, we  have the peacock landing on Honest Ernest’s head. On TV or the big screen, this avian assault would get plenty of chuckles. Or perhaps, shock, as we see Cherry’s reaction. Peacocks may, in fact, jump on you if they feel threatened by you. And I suppose the mere presence of Honest Ernest is threatening enough to just about anybody or any animal.

But the main issue here is the smaller size of the peacock. Perhaps that was done to fit on the head and within the panel better than drawing a more realistically-sized peacock. I don’t know. It just looks odd.

Ernest panics while Rusty negotiates

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When I used to go wading and body surfing on the shores of the Atlantic in Virginia Beach, the worst that sometimes happened to me (other than sunburn) was getting stung by jellyfish. But they really sting! Reader Downpuppy left a comment referring to a post by Jules Rivera about her own unfortunate encounter with a stingray, which may have inspired the stingray pond.

That Penguin slide we see has to be some 25-30 feet above the pool (which we cannot even see)! That’s about the height of Olympic diving platforms, making this water slide beyond the normal skillset and safety margins of most families. Maybe Rivera really was inspired by the New Jersey Action Park.

I was amused by Honest Ernest’s panic attack in panel 1, as it brings a look of wide-eyed shock to Cherry; or maybe she reacts to how he refers to Violet as “Miss Violet.” That’s certainly an old-fashioned phrase that Cherry, herself, used from time to time in the early days of the strip when talking to Violet Cheshire (see the strips for 8/23/21 and 3/28/23). Yet, Ernest is only talking about Violet. Why refer to her that way, when Cherry knows her almost as well as he does. Don’t worry; I’m not going to deconstruct it. It probably means nothing.

So much for pool time!

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So Cherry is not above putting the family vacation (and Rusty’s water park time) aside for her Job. Well, I can’t complain much because I’ve done that a few times in my working past. But I’m still amazed that, no matter how awful and destructive Honest Ernest is, Cherry always seems to take it in stride and continue to cooperate. I don’t know if this is supposed to be a character flaw or if Cherry is designed to be the personification of Misericordia. Whatever the answer is, Rusty is certainly not so forgiving (panel 1).

I’m surprised Rusty’s being so good-natured by all this, as well. Ernest and his gang gave him a lot of grief in Lost Forest with their so-called “lawnmower races” and here is Mom, taking him away from the water while looking chummy and cooperative with The Enemy.

Okay, perhaps I’m reading way too much into a simple storyline.

The Week in Review and the Sunday Nature Chat

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Rivera shifted the story’s focus this week from the golf course to the water park. As Mark and Happy walked off with the Cheddersons for a round of golf, Cherry and Rusty went to the water park where Rusty tried out the “stingray spinner” water slide (what we used to call a snake slide in my youth). Turns out the pool (or pond) contained actual stingrays put there (according to the staff) to make the experience more exciting. But for whom? The concept of using actual stingrays in a pool designed for family entertainment sounds just a tad reckless, wouldn’t you say? Earlier this week, some readers discussed a now-defunct amusement park in New Jersey that bragged about its dangerous rides. So, reckless? Sure. More importantly, does it make any sense to include this “stingray” diversion in the story, or was it just thrown in to be weird? Or is it meant to reveal something of the character of Chet Chedderson?

Cherry yanked Rusty out of the water and berated one of the teenaged pool staff, to little avail. But right then, Cherry got a phone call from Honest Ernest whining about her not helping find the lost peacock. Cherry reminded Ernest that she had the day off, so it was now his job.

Rivera is not one to waste an opportunity for a traditional “but just then…!” opportunity, so as she ended the call, the missing peacock suddenly appeared near the pool. Will Cherry call Ernest back and tell him to come get it, or will she and Rusty go chasing after the peafowl all over the resort? Well, gang, maybe we’ll have some real suspense, at last!  

And you thought getting stung by jelly fish was bad (Well, I sure do)! Looks like reader comments on stingrays discussed on Friday were not enough to replace the Sunday topic, so Rivera still had her say. But today’s topic is not really so much about the rays as the consequences of human interaction with them. And it looks to be no fun at all. I read that sometimes the blade of a stinger gets embedded in a person unlucky enough to get stabbed, requiring surgery to remove it. Ugh! Maybe wading in the surf with sandals is a better option.

NBC is calling and wants their peacock back!

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Being Saturday, it appears that Jules Rivera is trying to tie up several loose ends before Monday. Does that mean we will flip back to the the golf game or do we continue this convoluted sideline?

Cherry can complain all she wants, but nobody forced her to answer the phone. Meanwhile, Rusty has been restricted to a kid-safe pool, though he is having a good time, anyway.

Looks like the timelines of Mark’s and Cherry’s adventures are, indeed, synchronous after all. This had been an earlier concern of mine when Happy showed up at the cabin (July 14) and started this golf trip subplot. Do you recall the peacock we saw on the golf course in the July 26 strip? With his appearance again today, it suggests that the golfing resort is, as surmised, close to the Sunny Soleil Society HQ. “So what,” you ask? Well, that is one question that stymies most media critics when put to them about their writing. But I have an answer for today, at least: “So I was right!”

But where does Rivera go from here? Cherry has the day off, so it’s doubtful she will dump Rusty off on Mark and head back to the Society. She could just call Honest Ernest back, report the peacock sighting, and let him deal with it. That would give her more time to complain to the pool staff.

Cherry takes on the pool staff!

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Well, it’s not much of a confrontation; just some desultory venting. What happened to you, Cherry?

And sorry, car fans, but no vintage Corvette Stingrays are sporting about in the Stingray pond, as reader observantdonutad36129846 commiserated in a recent comment. And reader Triteon reminded us that stingrays can kill a human without using its venom, if you are unlucky enough to get struck in the right (or wrong) place on your body. Looks like we got the Sunday Nature Chat out of the way for the week!

Art Dept. When Cherry gets mad, she certainly transforms, and I don’t just mean emotionally. As many of you might recall, Dr. Bruce Banner, when under great stress, would transmorph into The Incredible Hulk®. But when Cherry gets stressed out, it looks like she turns into Jules Rivera; or maybe her sister. For Mark’s sake, let’s hope that he’s not the one calling.

Stingrays in the pool? Cherry puts her foot down!

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I am faced with the visual evidence that this water park pond has actual stingrays in it. Going along with the story, one has to wonder why anybody would open such a water park and think it will attact anybody but lawsuit chasers. Are the Cheddersons that out of touch with reality or are they playing a prank? These could be fake stingrays, as I suggested earlier, to add a bit of spice to a humdrum experience. I suppose these could be real stingrays that have had their venom removed, though that sounds rather expensive and dubious for a mere water park. In addition, what will Mark do when he finds out how stingrays are being potentially misused and possibly harmed, all for “a good time”!? I’m assuming this will all get back to Mark.

I reckon we’ll learn more soon, but wackiness is almost always on the Mark Trail menu of plot devices.

Art Dept. Rivera normally uses her standard “pendant symmetry” in a single panel, but today she spread it across panels 2 and 3 to frame the action. This is an exception to the issue I brought up yesterday, of characters not facing the people they are talking to or talking about. Instead, this is actually a clever composition:  In panel 2, Cherry’s profile in the foreground confronts Rusty questioning her, from the background. In panel 3, Rivera reverses the sequence, so that Rusty is in profile in the foreground, as Cherry stands in the background and replies to his question. Taken together, we also see Cherry and Rusty “facing each other,” as if they are both communicating in the same foreground. Like I said, a clever composition!

Cherry gets stung by the fine print.

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I’m thinking that Jules Rivera made an acute observation and delineated the surrounding countryside to show the effects of kudzu infestation, literally covering everything in its path as it spreads (panel 1). It’s even worse than Japanese knotweed! Some of you might remember the kudzu story with Cherry and Violet from 2023 (“Kudzu Crusader”).

Meanwhile, as we watch the Lost Forest Marionettes act out their lines today, I’ll direct your attention to the reader comments for yesterday’s strip in which was discussed the notorious Action Park in New Jersey, an amusement park that featured actual dangerous rides.

Art Dept. One thing I’ve noticed in Rivera’s work (well, one of many things!) is her tendency to show people looking toward us or towards the side, even when the object of discussion is behind them (panels 1 and 3). For example, why doesn’t Cherry actually turn and face the posted rules? I think we’re all intelligent enough to figure out who is ranting, right?

And if you want to criticize the way the water comes off the slide by itself, be my guest. If you want to discuss how the lake (?) seems to expand across the hill without benefit of lock or dam, yet appear calm, please do! I wait to be educated.

Before the golf puns begin, we get to cool off!

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Ed. Note: Mark’s current golf course investigation set off a (small) variety of opinions, pro and con about golf courses. Now, this is primarily a comic strip blog, not a specifically political or social criticism site. And I want to keep it that way. But I think it is good to have some healthy and respectful discourse on topics originating in strip. Jules Rivera was criticized (and also supported) for presenting a one-sided view on golf courses, based on Sunday’s nature strip. Sure. In part it is understandable, as Mark Trial has always been about the health and welfare of nature, wildlife, and people. However, as a comic strip, nuance can be difficult to get across without seeming like you’re trying to please everybody and nobody. On the other hand, it would have given Mark’s position a bit more reality and respect if there was at least an acknowledgement of some advances being made in golf course management with respect to the environment. Still, it’s hard to ignore the general land-grab effect of golf courses. But for now, let’s get back to our story . . .

Okay, let’s have a diversion! It’s been very hot and humid where I live, so a dip in a cool lake is always appreciated. But this water park seems more designed for dedicated thrill seekers, if Cherry’s understanding is correct. I’m going to go out on a limb—or dock, and claim that there are not actual stingrays here, but at most, manufactured gadgets that float around and act like rays. I don’t think any resort owner (even in a comic strip!) is going to risk lawsuits from families, environmental agencies, or the government. Besides, it’s just not practical! So, I think Cherry is just being portrayed as a stereotypical, over-reactive mother.

But I dislike this current presentation of Cherry. In fact, it seems to me that Rivera has been dumbing Cherry down over the past several years. Some of her original traits were her strength of character and strong personality, as well as her native smarts. Where did they all go?

Some people get to have fun, others play golf!

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For somebody who just learned about this golf resort about 24 hours ago in TrailTime, Mark somehow picked up on the quality of available beverages very quickly. Now, that is good investigating! Looks like that journalistic experience is paying off.

However, we are stuck once again with one of Rivera’s ongoing attempts to merge gags into an adventure strip. I’m not going to waste time today reiterating my (hardly unique) feelings on the subject. Anyway, looks like Mark got the wife and the kid outta there so the men can conduct serious business under cover of a golf game!

Art Dept. And another day of slap-dash drawing, overall. But I spotted something I’ve never noticed before. I can’t tell if it is a printing mistake, Rivera’s mistake, or somebody at the syndicate. Did you spot it? It’s in panel 1; or rather, under the border of panel 1, where you can see two small lines jutting below Cherry’s legs. What are they? How did they get missed? But don’t just take my word for it; head over to Comics Kingdom!

Also, where are the golf bags? Or the golf carts? Or any other resort visitors?

The Week in Review and the Sunday Nature Chat

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On the links or in the rough? It’s difficult to tell. Jules Rivera’s notion of a golf course looks more like a DIY obstacle course with flags. After Happy Trail’s surprise invitation to spend time at the new golf resort, the Trails (minus Doc Davis) decided to stand outside the building for the entire week, chatting. Rusty was interested in the water park, yet spent all of his time just filling in the background. As did Cherry, who was apparently placed for eye candy appeal for Trailheads who are otherwise tearing out the rest of their hair over this story.

While Mark (who wore his backpack all week) and Happy (who did not) bantered about Mark’s journalistic interest in the resort, up popped Brett Chedderson, son of the resort owner, Chet Chedderson. Then Chet, himself, suddenly appeared. You remember good ol’ Chet, the shipping magnate with the zebra mussels infestation? This impromptu meetup sparked a short-lived conversation when Mark tried to question Chet about the lake pollution; but he was cut off by Cherry and Happy, for reasons unknown. Were they bothered by golfing rules of decorum? Did they fear for their lives? Were they afraid to see Mark get involved in another fight and land in jail?

As we finally arrived at Saturday’s strip, Rusty and Cherry were still hanging around. Chet invited Mark and Happy to a foursome of golf. In spite of his earlier lack of family support, Mark was even more determined to investigate! Cherry better start go-go dancing to keep the readership returning!

First of all, I don’t golf. I don’t even watch it. While all that Rivera/Mark says is true, it isn’t the full story, as I’ve been learning. In city/suburb settings, golf courses can provide some useful greenspace, given that parks can, as well. Golf courses are becoming more concerned about their environmental impact and are working to mitigate their negative impact. Results will vary. Some of the techniques I read discuss: better water handling through precision irrigation techniques and water recycling. Some golf courses use partially-treated effluent (treated wastewater), where the thick turf grass helps trap smaller waste particles allowing cleaner water to soak back the ground water. They are also investing in drought-resistent grasses (though Arizona, New Mexico, and Utah should probably cut back on courses!); some are using more native grasses where applicable (obviously for borders and roughs). Some are creating protected wildlife corridors along course boundaries. Some are looking for less harmful chemicals or replacements. Some are investing in renewable energy. Of course, not all courses are making all of these changes, and there are probably many holdouts. But it does appear to be a growing awareness, due in part to the cost savings over traditional course maintenance practices. Once again, money talks. But it’s better than no talking.

More questions than answers!

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I must have studied Italian way, too much, because this isn’t making too much sense to me. Of course, my opening statement also doesn’t make much sense, but that’s just to clue you in on the collapsing state of my brain’s synapses.

Chedderson owns a shipping company. That isn’t being a builder.  There is a peacock running amok on the golf course. Either this peacock is quite the runner or the Sunny Soleil Society is a stone’s throw from this resort. That makes it even harder to believe Cherry didn’t know of its existence. Mark is going to play golf with his backpack still strapped on. And taking a cue from Cherry, Happy is also making excuses for Mark. It’s as if they are all in on a secret and don’t want Mark to figure it out. That doesn’t seem too difficult. A few of you readers probably golf, yes? Looking back over the strips this week, I’m not sure I’ve seen a course that looks like this one.

This is the end of the second week for Mark’s storyline. By tradition, we should be heading back to a week of the dramatic story of Violet and the Lost Peacock. That might mean some time-travel for Cherry to get back into her work clothes and hunt down the peacock that we seem to be viewing in today’s strip. But, maybe this particular peacock is one of those feral peacocks known to roam through various southern states, as I mentioned last Sunday. Is it? As I wrote earlier, are these two storylines even on the same chronological timeline?

Not to give Rivera too much literary credit, but this temporal conundrum (largely of my own making!) reminds me a tiny bit of Kurt Vonnegut’s great book, Slaughterhouse 5 and how the book’s protagonist, Bill Pilgrim, time-traveled through various times of his life, as if time was not linear at all (this was also a great movie, by the way).

Art Dept. There is another visual puzzle depicted today, featuring what might appear to be a continuity problem. But is it? Can you spot it? And I don’t mean the bad inking job in panel 2 where it only looks like Mark is wearing a ball cap. But you wouldn’t be too far off.

Cherry undercuts Mark’s questioning Chet Chedderson.

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So, why aren’t Cherry and Rusty at the water park, already? Pretty sure they are not going to do any golfing.

It seems clear that the blatantly cartoony direction this strip keeps taking is an attempt to merge a gag-a-day format onto a continuity strip in order to soft-sell light, environmental/nature-oriented stories. If so, who is this directed at? Do adolescents read this? Is it even in enough papers and online sources to matter?

By most accounts, young people are already much more attuned to environmental issues, having grown up around an increasing global awareness and desire to do something positive. But the traditional Mark Trail strip, as carried on by James Allen, was not drawing new readers and was likely shrinking. Does that mean readers no longer cared for serious stories or traditional illustration-based drawing? I don’t know if King Features ever looked into it. They don’t publish information like that, anyway. Yet I don’t see how Rivera’s approach works much better. Then again, I’m not an under-40 reader.

As for the current story, once again Rivera gives us the Trail Family standing around in a row like guilty elementary school students being admonished by their teacher. And once again (panel 4), Cherry acts like the dutiful wife, all blushes and gushes, confessing what a goofball her husband, Mark, actually is. And Mark still has his backpack on, like he’s ready to go on a hike! But why is Cherry so defensive in the first place? It’s not as if Mark just claimed Chedderson is a criminal. He’s just pushing Chedderson to get a reaction.

Club Rule: If your ball lands in the rough, just take a lost ball penalty and play on!

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Well, I left enough hints for you all, so I hope you are not too surprised by the connection to Chet Chedderson, though I didn’t figure on a son being in the picture. And a son who seems to know Happy Trail! That is not good news.

And what’s with Cherry’s extravagant self-introduction? Is she reverting to some kind of high school fantasy and getting hot flashes for a dude who could have been an offensive tackle on the varsity football team? It just seems out of character for Cherry. In fact, since Happy showed up at the cabin, Cherry has been submissive, clingy, and quiet. What happened to her!? Shouldn’t she be back at the Sunny Soleil Society looking for that peacock?

If that’s a golf course, I’m Arnold Palmer.

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Heh!Heh!Heh! Just some good old fashioned father-son camaraderie from daddy Happy, who was the “Mark Trail” before the current Mark Trail, according to current legend. “What legend?”, you ask.

As Rivera outlined in her first Mark Trail adventure, Happy Trail preceded our current Mark. And Happy was preceded by his father, and so on. It was like the dynasty of Walkers who successively donned the purple costume to take their turn as The Phantom, the Ghost Who Walks. Rivera’s visual mythology was actually a clever way to pay homage to the three artists who preceded her:  Jack Elrod/Tom Hill; Ed Dodd; and James Allen. I think Rivera did okay mimicking their styles. Yes, I also realize a lot of readers wish she had continued to pay homage by adopting one of those earlier style(s).

This is not the place to get in yet another talk/screed on styles, but I will say that Rivera adds elements the other artists rarely dreamed off. For example, in panel 1, Rivera does a good job of composing a panel showing Mark looking back over his shoulder at his dad, seen from just below eye-level. It’s a subtle difference from how a similar composition would usually be defined, as seen here in this Jack Elrod submission from 2013.

Regarding the current story, Happy’s advice is wrong (panel 1)! In fact, Mark really needs to get off his routine of nut-ball stories and get back to some actual nature journalism. And Rivera needs to get off of her gag-a-day comic strip kick and focus on building stories, not jokes.

Happy Trail begins to realize he has been bamboozled!

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Okay, one of the less-than-obvious oddities this week is that Mark and Cherry are wearing backpacks. Why are they doing this? After all, they just drove down the road to the resort. Maybe that’s the only kind of luggage they have. However, why are they still carrying their backpacks, since it appears they have already checked in?

How do I know this? How come you don’t?! 😉 Well, Cherry has changed her clothes, as has Rusty. Compare July 19 and July 21. And Mark is looking more casual than normal. Even his arms are looking like they want to be somewhere else (panel 3).

So, Mark is thinking the obvious:  Fertilizer runoff. Apparently, the resort must be pretty near the lake, yet Mark and Cherry failed to notice it when they were down there. However, I reckon there could be a stream feeding into the lake, so the resort could be around the bend. Ranger Shaw’s comment about contamination from wastewater is a general response to any number of possible sources, including the fertilizer runoff that Mark is hypothesizing. How come he wasn’t more specific? Either his analysis was insufficient or, once again, he is hiding information for a reason.

Somebody, please turn off the syrup dispenser!

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[edited] This seems like yet another wasted day with nothing happening except for the same drippy dialog now taking place in front of the golf resort/water park. Rivera lays on the “doting helicopter parents appreciating the granddad-son moment” trope as if the strip has been hijacked by the Hallmark Network.

But behind all of this schmaltz lies a clue to what I believe is really going on. Did you spot it?

Hint #1: Panel 1.
Hint #2:  The Zeeba Mussels adventure (8/12/2021- 2/4/2022)
Hint #3: Duck Duck Goose Shipping
Hint #4: No idea! I don’t even like cheese!

The next question is whether Mark has seen the clue and figured it out.