Mark must have one heck of a hangover to look as bad as he does. Well, one thing I think is pretty interesting: and that is that Rivera does not seem to be content with limiting herself to a strictly linear storytelling technique. Instead, she seems to be interested in weaving various and ongoing storylines all together, kind of like how things work in real life. Or soap operas.
So once again, Cricket Bro gets involved in Mark’s life. Both he and professor Sharp have already made brief appearances during the current zebra muscle story, but they we’re linked more to Diana then to Mark. We don’t know if they are connected in some way with the zebra mussels, but there seems to be no connection so far. So, yes what is this great idea? And given their past relationship, why would Cricket Bro want to pass on anything positive to Mark and why would Mark believe anything Cricket Bro has to say?
Oh, do we really wanna go there? I’m sure Jules had fun with today’s strip. By the way, some of you will rejoice, because writing on a smartphone really sucks! So there won’t be much here.
Considering how Mark and Rob parted in Palm Springs, I suppose we should be surprised at Rob’s animated greeting. Well, I am as unsure as Mark must be. The obvious answer would be he is laying some kind of elaborate trap for Mark.
On the other hand, Professor Sharp walked off with Mark’s phone the first time they met.
I’m surprised Mark didn’t change his number! This is what Mark gets for listening to Rusty and submitting the video that started this whole thing.
We left Mark the previous week planning Operation Poinsettia. This past week, we watched Caroline and hubby Honest Ernest complain to Violet Cheshire about Cherry’s interference with their attempt to eradicate the hive of bees. Through guileless honesty or naïve ignorance, instead of just letting Cherry move the bees and then waiting for the check in the mail, the couple blamed Cherry for their failure, provoking Violet to revoke the contract and withhold their pay. Cherry, who happened to stumble into this ad-hoc anger management session, was easily suborned by Violet (with an unspoken agreement to overlook Cherry’s actions) into offering false testimony to support Violet’s underhanded reasoning. This exposed a willingness in Cherry to put her job over her integrity. But this collusion now lays her open to extortion, if not dismissal, for being corrupt.
Ironically, it is Caroline and Ernest who have the moral high ground here, however contemptable they personally are. They had a (presumably) legal contract and attempted to fulfill it, only to be stymied (on possibly illegal grounds) by Cherry and Mark. Instead of accepting payment for something they did not do, they sought redress with Violet. They wind losing out, but getting a half-hearted hint for more jobs. And Cherry thinks she has saved her job. My question to all this is whether Jules Rivera had this in mind. While you ponder that, check this out:
okay, not the usual “let’s talk about pandas” routine, but a replay of the blockchain-nft connection to climate change, brought up several weeks ago when Diana was fretting over the misuse of her salary by her so-called friend and employer, Professor Bee Sharp. It’s quite right and fine to bring up the subject, one that I think most of us truly were not aware of. And that’s good. But it would also have been helpful for some suggestions for what we can do about it.
I’m visiting my dad down in Virginia for the next two weeks, but I’ll do my best to keep posting. If I miss a day or post late, at least you know why. Otherwise, Happy New Year!
Well, the scam worked. Caroline and Honest Ernest have been humiliated and bamboozled. Cherry believes she found a kink in Violet’s personality that she can manipulate, whereas Violet must certainly know she has found a chink in Cherry’s ethical armor she can twist.
If Caroline and Ernest were not such grasping clods, it would be easy to feel sorry for them. As for the renewed relationship of Cherry and Violet, I’m not seeing anything to be proud of. “Saved budgets“? How about “Ripped off client“? Cherry should understand that, as she was also ripped off by Violet.
Perhaps this is not a symbolic court of law after all, but a court of royal decree, as Violet rules, ex cathedra. But as I thought, there is either some deliberate hanky-panky going on, or Victoria is simply acting like some politicians we know who start on one side, but jump to the other when money or power is on the line. Still, I’m surprised and disappointed that Rivera provided Cherry with morals as ambiguous and flexible as Mark’s. I figured at least one of those two would be a touchstone of integrity. And we’ve seen Mark cross that line more than once, already. Who’s left, Doc Davis!?
But there is something wrong here. What is the actual motivation for Violet’s change? I think Violet quickly got the lay of the land and decided to reshape it to her own benefit by pretending to side with Cherry in order to sucker her into helping scam Caroline and Ernest. If Honest Ernest and Caroline can get stiffed, so can you, Cherry!
Finishing up, bonus points to Rivera for once again adding some variety—compositionally speaking—to the strip by placing the viewer in panel one down at floor level. From this angular, off-center point, the drama between Violet and Caroline is visually enhanced. But in panel two, Caroline and Ernest are reduced to silent chairs (i.e. the drama is over) flanking Violet who sits in the dominant central location to issue her decree. To conclude this royal farce, we hear from the court jester.
Oh, here is Cherry attempting her “Perry Mason” routine to try and scuttle this impromptu investigation. It’s a transparently silly argument to make, given that Cherry is admitting—in front of Violet—to being present, along with Ernest and Caroline. The only way this makes sense is if Cherry knows Violet would just as soon not want to deal with this situation in the first place, or that Violet already secretly approved of Cherry’s rescue plans and is now put into this embarrassing position because Caroline and Ernest are too dense to realize they could have pocketed the fee for doing nothing. But we have already covered that ground. In other words, what does Jules Rivera have up her sleeve?
But aside from the tacky wallpaper and equally tacky antagonists, what struck me immediately today is the hatching on Violet’s dress. Is Rivera experimenting with old-school b/w techniques to model shading and volume? This is not common in her work, where it usually comes off stark and sketchy in b/w newspapers. In truth, many cartoonists avoid shading. Shading can make strips look darker and crowded because of their small size. That means they could be harder to see or read, making them less attractive to editors and readers. This is nothing new, of course. Back in the 1960s, Chester Gould, in his Dick Tracy comic strip, made known his displeasure at shrinking comic strip sizes by having one of his characters periodically draw a comic strip called Sawdust, whose characters were simply dots.
(Sorry for another wordy posting, but I did edit it a lot!)
Traditionally, mainstream comic strips try to avoid being too politically partisan, as strong views can understandably limit circulation and the cartoonist’s paycheck.
There are exceptions to this tradition (such as Doonesbury, Shoe, The Boondocks, and Mallard Fillmore). This strip is shaping up to be another exception, as Rivera is getting more comfortable flexing her Left-leaning muscles. Thus, right-wing tropes continue to come into play, as seen not only in the Sunny Soleil Society, itself, but also in our two self-indulgent “victims”.
On the other hand, I don’t think Rivera is being completely one-sided in her political satire. Certainly, Mark has acted in strident, over-the-top behavior several times, whether it is spouting “environmentalist” platitudes while threatening violence; or destroying property and breaking the law for the sake of conservation or social justice.
As a comic strip devoted to nature conservation, Mark Trail has traditionally focused on issues popular with anglers, hunters, and campers (e.g., poaching, forest fires, animal abuse). Rivera has expanded those issues to include pollution, corporate corruption, and climate change. While the former items have tended to be more popular among those on the Right, the latter issues are usually more associated with those on the Left. One can argue the details, but they are common tropes in our society. And Rivera is clearly looking to expand Mark’s awareness and involvement in these latter issues, as he should be.
I reckon we’re supposed to laugh at the naïve, self-defeating complaints of these two gomers who are too stupid to have simply reported “Job done!” and collect their paycheck. Instead, they are incensed that Ernie did not get to spray his poison and watch bees fall by the score. Nasty Cherry took away all the fun! Meanwhile, we see Rivera laying on that “decrepit privileged class” shtick pretty thick, and having these twits sit in big comfy chairs with doily crowns.
How interesting! This time around, Mark’s story got just one week, while Cherry had two weeks before. Now, we’re back to the never-ending saga of Cherry and the Sunny Soleil Society. It’s interesting how Caroline’s face has changed from what originally looked like a stereotypic young Southern Belle to that of a middle-aged crone.
Since Rivera brought it up in panel 4, there is talk on CK that Cherry’s statement might be a reference to the song “I don’t like Mondays”, which was inspired by Brenda Spencer, the teenager who shot up a school in 1979, killing at least two people. This really doesn’t make much sense. A better suggestion is from commenter djed, who points out the orange tabby cat in panel 4, and notes that comic cat Garfield is well-known for his dislike of Mondays. So, this certainly works as a comic strip “in joke” and fits into Rivera’s occasional employment of the gag-a-day strip format.
Well, the mailbox was not exactly overwhelmed with responses to my little contest. So unfortunately, nobody had the winning answer for the new car. I may have forgotten to mention that. Well, better luck next time.
Speaking of unfortunate, this past week was like watching a man haunted by his own frustrated sense of justice and need for revenge, and… oh, thatis what this past week was, come to think of it. Cherry dropped Mark back off at his fortress of safety (Cliff’s fishing lodge). Aside from some campy innuendoes, Mark spent time this week grumbling about how the world would be so much better if Duck Duck Goose ships quit bringing zebra mussels into the waters of Lost Forest. The week ended with the lightbulb in Mark’s brainpan flashing on as he came up with an idea for frightening either the ship(s) or the ship’s owners into vacating Lost Forest waters. Mark was not talking about stopping boats everywhere; just in his own backyard. Does this make Mark a NIMBY? Well, he certainly knows that he can’t save the entire world in one fell swoop, so maybe cleaning up his own neighborhood is a good enough place to start. But it still looks like “kick the can” down the river. In the meantime, check out today’s Sunday nature chat.
Another clever title panel, based on a not-too-surprising subject. Today’s topic provides the context to Diana Dagger’s remark yesterday about poinsettias being stolen from Mexico in the early 1800s. The name “Poinsettia” certainly shows a Eurocentric bias that ignored its contemporary Mexican roots, so to speak. We can give the Aztec name a pass, but the Mexican name above (or its translation, “Christmas Eve Flower”) is quite nice and a shame to not be retained north of the border. The history of the plant’s distribution, naming, and cultivation is a complex topic. It is possible that the Americans and Europeans were ignorant as to whether Mexicans cultivated the plant. It’s also likely that Poinsett sent back a cultivated version of the plant without making that clear. But just as likely he didn’t care. It became a source of long-running national animosity. A good discussion can be found here: https://www.actahort.org/chronica/pdf/ch5103.pdf#page=23
Nice snark, Diana! Okay, maybe Mark has been smoking a little too much nature. What is his plan? Does he get everybody to dress up like poinsettia sharks and swim around to scare off the cargo ships? Do they dress up like old-school pirates and threaten to hijack the next ship that comes through? Cargo ships do not ply rivers for fun, but for business with inland ports that are not usually approachable from other waterways. Thus, does Mark want to kill off the zebra mussels or the shipping company?
Still, I’m intrigued. Remember, the earlier actions of the Duck Duck Goose company suggest that they have something else (likely illegal) they are more concerned about than zebra mussels. Yet, Mark and Diana are not aware of that fact. In reality, the shipping company would have already filed injunctions against Mark and the magazine to stop this investigation. So, any ideas what Mark has in mind? Submit your thoughts in the comments section and we’ll see who is closest.
Now, now, Mark. It’s late. Just have a glass of warm milk and go to sleep. If you start getting too cranky at this time of night, you might accidentally activate Big Mouth Bill-E Bass on the wall, behind Cliff. You know what that means: The fish will swing its head back-and-forth as if it had a real neck and sing terrible novelty songs for 30 minutes. Then everybody in the lodge will wake up and get pissed at you. You’ll wind up outside, preaching to that young buck.
Really, Mark, use some imagination. Until the Ottoman conquest of Constantinople in 1453, the Byzantine capital city kept a large chain across the Golden Horn to prevent foreign ships from sailing up-river to attack the city. This could give the De-Bait Team something useful to do again: not to protect America so much as to protect Lost Forest! You might even charge tolls for big ships to enter the waterways.
So, Mark, what if that ship did not intend to be there in the first place? What if it was just a navigational error? Did you even bother to ask them?
Well, I reckon Cliff’s team has a purpose after all: customer service and security. But poor, poor Mark. He seems to believe that the scope of the zebra mussel problem is one ship’s hull, or maybe zebra mussels around Lost Forest. Whatever. Rivera is not ignorant, so this might be another setup of Mark.
I like the artwork today. The back view of Mark looking over his shoulder in panel 3 is a well-drawn complex pose. The buddy+buddy compo in panel 1 is a bit of something else.
Diana might be onto something. I think I can safely state that Rivera is clearly tweaking the nose of Trailheads with this sexually ambiguous camp, reminiscent of the 1960s Batman TV show or the later SNL animated parody. I wonder if this is just a one-off, so to speak.
Of course, we used to poke fun at Mark’s real or assumed disdain at every babe who threw herself at him (and there were plenty), other than Cherry. And even that sometimes seemed reserved. Rivera has jettisoned most of that male fantasy baggage, and that’s okay. But we never really questioned Mark’s male bona fides, just his testosterone level. Until now.
[edited] Of course they are safe. That insurance company deer out front protects them. Well, at last the Trails acknowledged their son! That’s some progress, at least. Did everybody really contribute to the zebra mussel article? In what capacity? I don’t recall any marine biologists in this group, but I bet the details of whatever took place inside the lodge wind up recorded on sheets of foolscap stored away in a locked dispatch box in Charring Cross Station.
The prose and pacing in today’s strip remind me of a typical epilogue segment in old-school TV adventure programs, wrapping up with small talk, warnings, and farewells. So, I’m wondering if Mark’s storyline is also going to be anotherrush-to-the-finish line conclusion. Yet there are still several balls in the air. How will Rivera juggle them?
The status of the company “goons.”
The secret business of Duck Duck Goose that its boss is desperate to protect.
The ongoing scams of the comedy team, Cricket Bro and Professor Bee Sharp.
The actualfindings of Diana and Mark’s investigation.
The fate of Diana Daggers, whose profile seems to be diminishing.
Okay, Mark had a day to get back to the hideout with Diana and Cliff after helping wrap up Cherry’s bee caper, for which we are still hoping to see more details. Let’s check in with the action…
How cozy! It seems Mark has brought Cherry into his adventure, presumably under the umbrella of collateral safety. But what about Cherry’s dad and what’s-his-face, their kid? Well, if Mark and Cherry can’t bother to worry, presumably the bad guys will ignore them, as well.
I have to say that Rivera drew a nice welcoming view of the fishing lodge. Ah, I see Diana poking her head above Cliff’s dialog balloon in the last panel. I wonder if she is miffed that Cliff referred to the investigation as “Mark’s”, rather than “Mark’s and Diana’s”. But Cliff thinks they’re ready to finish the article? They only took a few photos! Where is the research? The interviews? Alas, it isn’t just newspapers cutting out investigative reporting. You know things are bad when even comic strip characters have cutbacks. No wonder we didn’t get to see the bee rescue: Too expensive to stage!
In case you missed this past week, one of the more interesting events was the extension of Cherry’s save-the-bees storyline for a second week. Yet not too surprising, given how the first week ended. The big climactic confrontation between Cherry (and her pro-bees coalition) versus the Sunny Soleil Society’s anti-bee position—as implemented through their proxy, Honest Ernest—culminated in a rather tawdry yelling match based on hyperbolic claims, rather than the issue at hand. Furthermore, there seemed to be no real incentive in trying to work out a practical compromise. Kind of like Congress, in other words. Mark’s appearance last week and his involvement this week helped ensure this situation devolved into a brief and less-than exciting fight. The whole point of Cherry’s storyline was to save the bees. But, as others have also pointed out, we didn’t get to see bees saved. We didn’t really get to see any ending at all. Why not? Was Rivera riffing on the Trail Tradition of Mark immediately jumping back home once the current danger has been resolved? If so, Rivera jumped the gun. But let’s jump to the hot topic of the day:
At least let’s give Jules Rivera some fist pumps for bringing Mark more into current environmental concerns (as opposed to just the usual poachers, animal kidnappers, and other small-time riffraff), even when she is heavy-handed about it. BTW, the title panel today is a good concept, though I think the burned tree letters look more like tuffs of wheat. Still, the overall effect is dramatic and clear enough.
It is understandable that, living in California, Rivera concentrates on forest fires, as opposed to bringing in additional areas of concern, such as the polar icecaps. I’m not here to be political or nitpick over the numbers. I am not a scientist, though I have watched some on TV. However, while the scientific consensus supports Mark’s overall position, they may not support some of his reasoning.
If I’m reading it correctly, EPA data (https://www.epa.gov/ghgemissions/global-greenhouse-gas-emissions-data) show energy production (electricity) and land utilization (farming, development) make up the largest economic contributors to climate change, followed by industry, transportation, and others. So, greedy corporations are not the biggest contributors, but are far from the smallest. In fact, I think governments around the world are the actual biggest contributors, as they pass the laws and policies under which virtually all economic production functions. When there are lax laws, there will be those who take advantage.
Is this a highlight reel? Is this what we’ve waited for over the past two weeks? It is disappointedly anti-climactic. Okay, Mark doesn’t exactly hit Ernest, so much as sweep him off his feet. Then, suddenly, we’re in a truck going home, victory in hand. It seems strange that simply getting tripped would be enough to end the confrontation and allow the bees to be moved to safety. Frequent observant reader Daniel pointed out yesterday that Mark did not hold the shovel in the last panel of yesterday’s strip. So why didn’t Mark simply slug Ernest in the grand Trail Tradition? So far, Mark’s beloved and legendary “Fists of Justice” have made a poor showing this past year.
Cherry’s good question notwithstanding, I have a few questions, too:
1) What did Mark do with his car?
2) If Mark is supposed to be the good guy, how come he’s the one skirting the law, time after time?
As predicted, trotting out the “climate change” argument to a caricature of a person like Ernie was a waste of time. Blah! Blah! Blah! Yes, it certainly does seem as if Rivera is making the proverbial mountain out of a mole hill, as these two fight over a hive of bees. Not that saving the bees for their own sake or for the sake of their pollinating is trivial. But it does seem to me that trying to fight the ideological war of The Left and The Right over the environment could have been portrayed more realistically without resorting to the extreme memes of each side. Polluting corporations are not the issue here at all, Mark. As for Ernest, sorry but this is not about Capitalism or “the American Way”, either. But this is a comic strip, after all, even one dedicated to nature and the environment. No time or space for nuance.
As for Cherry and the Garden Club, they seem too preoccupied watching for Mark to unleash his FOJ to get their job done. The way you two women natter, Mark is going to have to trade punches for the rest of the night. Finally, what forest are we talking about (we’re in a garden, remember), and explain what “not” refers to, Mark. I don’t think you hold the deed to the Sunny Soleil Society’s land, do you?
[edited] Though the crew is a bit slow on the uptake, they’re moving now, and…wait, they aren’t moving now. They’re wasting more time with pointless observations. Okay, you two, don’t make Mark waste his marksplaining skills while you all stroll back to the bees. It’s already Thursday and time is against you. So, leave snarkin’ to the pros and get going!
The Daily Trail 