Well, is this turning out to be a joke, after all (as I feared)? What could have been an interesting plot has turned on itself and appears to be going back to the Same Ol’ Same Ol’. But in spite of Cherry’s handoff and Mark’s self-assurance, Bill Ellis is running the show and wants a female’s point of view. I’m pretty certain that ability is not in Mark’s backpack. And this leads us back to Kelly Welly, unless Ellis comes up with a different solution.

Well, snark was the popular choice in my informal survey. Thanks to all who played along.  And any of those entries would have worked out better than the original comment. As for me, I voted for “We don’t need no stinkin’ narration boxes!” I had seriously thought of coming up with a dramatic comment, such as “Is Cherry walking into a trap?” or “Watch out, Cherry! Ellis likes to use hunting decoys!” But in the end, I thought Cherry’s response was about as much of a cliffhanger as we’re likely to see. So let’s see what’s hanging today …

Once again, Rivera has come up with an interesting, if goofy, storyline that could have some depth to it, as well as an off-the-wall group of characters. Okay, the premise seems absurd: Members of a female book club need to start hunting feral hogs. And once again, Ellis is shilling for Teen Girl Sparkle, one of the few rags in his publishing empire for which Ellis believes Mark (or Cherry) is suitably matched. That doesn’t say much for Mark’s credibility as a serious nature journalist, does it? 

I also believe you are already ahead of me on what Cherry’s hesitation is all about. Will she or won’t she inform her brother? And will she take the assignment, knowing that if she turns it down, Bill will just move on to another call, with Cherry losing a paycheck. There is another question that I wonder if Rivera has put into this story: What about her job with the Sunny Soleil Society:  Will Violet Cheshire give her the time off?

Art Dept. I can’t, in good faith, give a passing grade to the drawing found in today’s strip, or other recent ones. I mean, panel 2 is, frankly, an embarrassment. Not that panel 3 is much better. But I also don’t see any signs of a garden there, either.

A writing assignment!? Did Cherry sign up for the Bill Ellis Correspondence Course, “Make money by writing at home, in your spare time!”? And Mark’s “in a while” comment (panel 1) sounds like Cherry had done this before. Anybody recall that earlier time?

But I’m not sure Jules Rivera’s snarky comment in panel 4 is really appropriate. Cherry’s response wasn’t an overlay dramatic answer, so the sarcasm was uncalled for. I’d have thought Rivera could have come up with something more useful or clever; or maybe not say anything at all.

So, here is that fourth panel again, but with an empty narration box. Let’s have a class project of our own: Assume Jules got called away because of a report of good surfing waves. But the deadline looms and it’s up to you to finish today’s strip in time!

If you think a narration box is unnecessary, just report “We don’t need it!” If you think the narration box could have a better snark or maybe a comment that might move the story along, what would it be? 

Meanwhile, I’m still wondering what happened with the peacock and that dinner. Aren’t you?

Wow! I certainly didn’t see this call coming! I’m not sure whether to be excited or fearful. Will Mark be the one this time to see off Cherry as she goes on assignment? Will this be a Mr. Mom story? And why wouldn’t Bill Ellis call Mark’s rival, Kelly Welly, who also fits the female profile? There’s a lot that could happen as a result of this phone call, so it may be best for me to just shut up and wait for the dailies to resume on Monday.  Looks like we’re moving into uncharted territory!

Art Dept. After all this time, I can’t get over how Mark’s facial anatomy changes so easily from frame to frame. Not sure why. Rivera recently posted on BlueSky “It’s been five years since I took over Mark Trail and my cartoon son has never looked better.” I’d beg to differ, and I’d have to ask, which image did you have in mind?

From the appearance of Mark’s hair in panel 4, I’m going to guess they actually found that big bush I suggested yesterday. As far as things go, it’s a bit late in the week for Mark to get a call from Bill Ellis. Normally, a Bill Ellis conversation consumes at least two days of strips. Oh, I just realized:  Rivera could dedicate most of next week to Ellis’s phone call!  

Maybe Mark and Cherry wouldn’t get interrupted so often if a) they left their phones back at the cabin (which they’ve done before); or b) they didn’t spend so much time on nature walks.

Art Dept. The art today is disappointing, not only with regard to odd human proportions here and there, and the inclusion of another flattened cutout animal image, but also the persistent use of those vague, autumn-colored trees. But golly gee willikers, Rivera could at least take the trouble to make the foliage look more naturalistic. On the other hand, from a purely design point of view, I think the drawing of Cherry’s hair in panel 3 is a nicely stylized arrangement of black and red contrasts, enlivened by the curves and pointy shapes in the hair. But it kind of sticks out from the rest of the drawing, which could not keep up.

You remember what I wrote on Monday about the relationship of Nature to humans and vice-versa? Well, maybe we need to put that thought aside for a while. And for the record: No. I cannot explain the anatomy of that yellow tree in panel 1.

Art Dept. As we know, consistency is not part of the Mark Trail aesthetic. For example, various aspects of Mark’s head and face can change from day to day, panel to panel. Take Mark’s eyebrows. Please! I can’t figure out if Rivera is using Mark to channel Groucho Marx, Eugene Levy, or Ayushmann Khurrana. I’m leaning towards Groucho, who infamously painted on his moustache and thick eyebrows. Just check out panel 2, where Mark’s left eyebrow wraps around the head, but is completely flat. This is repeated in panel 4, where the eyebrows are also almost 50% taller.

Jules Rivera continues her campaign to move Cherry Trail away from the one-time self-reliant, “put up your dukes”, creative thinker that she once was. Instead, we see total panic take over today. Now, I admit that arachnophobia is a real condition. But, living in the forest as she has been doing for many years, Cherry should already know that the venomous brown recluse usually builds nests in darker, isolated locations, not out in exposed, open areas. She’s more likely to run across that spider in a closet of her cabin, in a work shed, or a woodpile. 

There are several reasons this phobia has persisted through the centuries. One leading hypothesis is that it is based on longstanding reinforced cultural and social influences. Many people also seem to have a general dislike of spiders and get rid of them, perhaps because they think of them as insects, in spite of the fact that spiders are not insects, but help control insect populations, even in the home. But there are positives to keep in mind!

Less than 1% of the 43000 spider species around the world are venomous. Also, the spider is a popular subject in literature and storytelling. Anansi is a spider of great importance in African folklore and storytelling, often used to teach life lessons or just entertain. The spider as trickster and instructor is also found in various Native American cultures. We have the modern superhero, Spiderman, whose powers originated from the bite of a radioactive spider. Oh, I don’t want to forget to mention the 1930s pulp-era vigilante, The Spider, a more violent version of The Shadow. Certainly, his name was chosen to reinforce fear in the criminal underworld he worked against. He did not dress as a spider, however.

Nature walks are becoming the new “flapjack dinner” post-adventure Mark Trail ritual. There is some merit in that, insofar as it promotes a more healthy lifestyle than wolfing down flattened pieces of fried dough smothered in liquid sugar and butter. Not that a plate of hotcakes and bacon isn’t a wonderful breakfast from time to time. Yum Yum!

Mark and Cherry’s nature walks might even encourage readers to get off their duffs and enjoy the diversity of lifeforms, the smells of flowers and leaves, and simple pleasures of a walk in the woods or even a local park. So, do you feel adventurous yet?

I’m not going to predict the rest of the week, but …  oh well, we can at least assume this week will consist of Mark and Cherry hanging out with each other until one or both of them gets called on by their bosses. Or their relatives. Or something happens.  I just hope we don’t see another bear this week.

Art Dept. It’s already well into Fall down in Lost Forest, though I think Jules Rivera is a bit premature. Easy mistake to make, living in southern California. That landscape sure looks to be one of the scruffiest areas in Lost Forest! I can’t say I appreciate the 2D interpretation of vegetation we see here in panel 1, as if the trees were cut out of construction paper and pasted onto the panel. The landscape in panel 3 is almost surreal, or rather, a heavy-handed attempt to create a George Herriman-style landscape, as if Krazy Kat lived in the American southeast, rather than the southwest. I might be looking at this with a too historical eye.