I’m not sure if observing only one ship is enough to make a general statement about an entire fleet. Anyway, at least one turkey is going to be able to look back on this Thanksgiving Day. But then, we have been brought up over the decades to eat domesticated, factory-enhanced turkeys; not the wild bunch. I suppose that is necessary to meet demand. Eating a couple hundred million wild turkeys every year would soon see them only on labels of cheap booze.
So, what else do we see here? Mark is primping his hair as he relishes his anonymity. As Rivera implies in her second message box, she is deliberately making Mark once again a victim of his own pride. I don’t know if that means a military-style assault on the house or a subpoena from a federal court to cease and desist. Yet, I still think the jury is out on Cliff’s true role.
As I wrote before, based on some comments, I’m trying to write more concisely. I’ve edited out about 30% of my post, which means my text just might c
Really? THIS is the terrible truth, that Duck Duck Goose is responsible for zebra mussel infestation!? And what river pipes is Cliff referring to: Runoff pipes from companies and large farms pumping waste into the river? Clogging them might be a good thing, I think.
This story would have more plausibility if Mark and Diana admitted up front that the zebra mussel problem was a national (or international) issue. And their focus on a single source of contamination is obviously not to solve zebra mussel infestation, but to show an example of how zebra mussels can spread through inattention or indifference.
But the plot twist here—which I think is good—is that Duck Duck Goose is actually concerned about anentirely different issue, and that is something they do not want Mark to discover. We await the Duck Duck Goose enforcers to get this story moving along.
Some nice layouts in the panels today. Panel 2 is remarkable for the amount of detail and space injected into such a small panel, without looking cramped. But I’m a bit put off by the extreme expressions in panel 4. Compared to the prior panels, they look too exaggerated. And should Mark be surprised by the photos? He took them!
Given that those actually are zebra mussels in panel 4, what are they attached to? That odd shape on the laptop monitor sure doesn’t look like the hull of any ship. In any event, what’s the issue here? They have their photos, so why waste time “studying” them? Time to move on to the next phase of the investigation.
But, can Cliff really be trusted? It’s easy to be suspicious of characters who suddenly show up in Mark Trail strips, of course. But Cliff ticks several boxes: 1) His less-than happy exit after losing Cherry to Mark; 2) His covert shadowing of Mark and Diana in the boat; 3) His convenient “rescue” of Mark after he abandoned Diana; and 4) His silence about items 2 and 3. I could write more, but you get the drift; and I’m supposed to be writing more concisely. If only . . . .
As we return to the main story, we find that Mark has left Cherry to her duties and gone back to his own work. Looks like they have set up shop in Diana’s B&B. Given this is Thanksgiving week, I wonder how many Turkeys Rivera will manage to stuff into the strips this week.
Diana’s assessment of Mark’s underwater photography brings up a fair point: Have we, in fact, ever seen Mark engaged in underwater photography? As far as I can recollect, we have rarely seen Mark take photos of anything, much less underwater subjects. Correct me if I am wrong, folks!
But is Diana upset about the quality of the photography or the fact that Mark shot photos of barnacles, not zebra mussels? Remember, Diana: Mark was working under water, under duress, and with a good amount of stress; hardly the conditions for excellent photography. Anyway, we’ll probably find out what she means tomorrow.
If you are up-to-date on the strips this week, feel free to skip down to the Sunday strip. For those of you who missed some—or most—of this week, Cherry and a surprisingly available Mark were working on all things gardening. A work van pulled up, out of which stepped “Honest Ernest”, a Good Ol’ Boy in yellow coveralls, who turned out to be the exterminator hired to kill the bees in the Sunny Soleil Society’s garden. In fact, this entire week of strips (about 5 minutes “in Trail Time”) was devoted to Honest Ernest first annoying, then shocking, the Trails (and us) with his phony “aw shucks” patter and sociopathic attitude. The Trails mostly just stood there, mouths agape; though Cherry once again put forth her weak bees defense, repeating her earlier failure to convince Violet and Caroline (Ernest’s wife). Once Ernest left, Cherry recovered enough to reiterate her intentions to raid the garden overnight with the help of her Garden Mafia to remove the bees to safety. Surprise of surprises, Mark offered to help, apparently indifferent to his current zebra mussel assignment.
All in all, there was little action, though the introduction of Honest Ernest is an important angle to the story. Maybe this week could have been compressed into just three or four days, allowing Rivera to use the other days to portray Cherry meeting with her Black Rose Society colleagues as they prepare to raid the garden. But, at least we can see better why Cherry’s defense of the bees went nowhere with the Sunny Soleil Society. It wasn’t just Cherry’s lack of persuasiveness, but the ignorance and delusional attitudes of the social-climbing members of the Sunny SoleilSociety. Their pretense of sophistication was revealed by the cynical glibness and threatening attitude of Caroline’s rube of a husband. But, it’s time to move on to the Sunday nature strip. See you in three weeks, Cherry!
As Mark channels his inner “John Lennon” in the last panel (nice pun, Mark!), the Trails serve up a second helping of Sunday Bees; this time, the friendlier domestic version. Rivera’s tradition of making the Sunday title panel thematically link to the current subject continues, as does the tradition of linking the subject to the current storyline. This is not her best title panel, but it’s still a good tradition. Cherry continues to serve as the Second Banana. Frankly, most of this information has already been discussed in the daily strips. But repetition is generally a good instructional method. So, do you agree that the Sunday strips are generally better drawn than the dailies? Not sure why. Well, we might have a different opinion on the hands.
Funny, but I didn’t get the idea that the Trails’ relationship was in any real trouble. Quite the opposite, in fact. But here we have a clear cross-over in story lines, insofar as Mark is now donating time away from his investigation to assist Cherry.
Monday is supposed to bring us back to Mark’s, uh, storyline, as Cherry’s plans now get placed in “publication suspended animation” for two weeks. So, what—or who—will we find on Monday?
“Mutual scheming aside, Mark, where are your priorities? Are you letting Cliff and Diana take over the zebra mussel assignment while you get involved—once again—in yet another possibly illegal activity? The last time you tried to help somebody skirt the law, you barely escaped! If Cherry has any brains, she’ll tell you to go soak your head (in the river) and get back to your real assignment.”
Breaking News on Fox 9: Rusty Trail, son of famed nature writer Mark Trail, was arrested earlier today for tagging the home of the chief of police. Rusty reportedly said “I’m just looking for some attention, any attention at all! My parents are always away with their crackpot activities. Grampa just sits around drooling and talking about his years putting his hand up cows’ asses. And the writers of this comic strip never let me make time with girls. It’s all a real drag, man. I want out.”
Including today, Rivera has only two days left to push this story along, rather than spend so much time milking this faux huckleberry exterminator routine. After Saturday, we have to put Cherry back in the box for two weeks and get back to Mark’s other story. Or will he still be stuck here, moving garden supplies? I dunno, because Mark certainly doesn’t seem too worried about his zebra mussels assignment. Makes you wonder what’s going on with Diana and Cliff while Mark is away.
Now, where the heck are Cherry’s clandestine gardeners? The way Cherry talks in the last panel, one would think that the group changed its mind and went to hang out at Planet Pancake so they can enjoy pancakes when they are still warm and tasty.
We are zoomed out in panel 1, where we see a nest of bees conveniently placed to reflect the current subject. The nest and its supporting branch are arranged along an angle that acts as a means for establishing a foreground to symbolically define the location in the panel where the viewer is standing. Well, at least that was often the intention of painters from the Renaissance onward who employed this popular compositional device, often as a means to help “bring the viewer into the picture” as viewer and participant. Phew! Sorry, my former art history days are slipping out again. But seriously, didn’t the nearness of the bee nest make you involuntarily back up a bit, just for a moment?
It didn’t take long for local yokel Ernest to start dropping his “Good ol’ Boy” persona, revealing a more fundamentally chilling personality. The coldness in his expression and his statement in panel 4 should leave little doubt for Cherry and Mark.
Speaking of Cherry, I can’t say I’m impressed with her lukewarm justification for keeping the bees alive. “They help more than harm”? That’sthe best you can do, Cherry? You might as well ask Ernest if you can help hold his gear while he exterminates the bees. I hope her underground Garden Club gets the job done.
The cornpone humor continues, as even the rabbit is gob smacked to see this retread from a 1960s sitcom showing up in Lost Forest. It seems that the veil of propriety has been lifted from this area and we’re discovering that it is filled with a growing variety of oddballs. The apparent proximity of Lost Forest (near the coast of Georgia, it seems) to Florida must have something to do with the influx of creeps, kooks, and connivers. As another link to the influence of Florida weirdness, the moment I saw Ernest’s work van, a slice of tv trivia dropped into my bread pan. How about you? Think back to cop shows in Florida, around 1984. Okay, so there was only one. Miami Vice featured an undercover surveillance van disguised as a pest control truck, with a “flying ant” on top.
This is just one version of the van; there were several, including a white one. Any influence on Rivera? Other than a general “Florida Weirdness” vibe that Rivera favors, it’s hard to say. Still, you don’t usually see such things any longer, as workers tend to use their van tops for holding ladders.
Well, Honest Ernest may be a cloddish jerk and kind of simple, but I have to admit to liking the pun-name Bee-heading; the name, not the technique. Anyway, is Mark just going to keep on holding that bag of plant soil?
Well, shucks, drop my trousers and call me Cheeky. Doesn’t Honest Ernest present a nice contrast to the affected sophistication of his wife and the Sunny Soleil Society? Still, I’m surprised that Mark and Cherry are “surprised”, unless it has to do with the quantity of hokum in this yokum.
Long-time follower of this blog, Mark, periodically expresses his ongoing frustration with the stories and the artwork. Certainly, it looks less accomplished comparing it to the former version using the same set of aesthetic values. Sometimes it just looks less accomplished, even based on Rivera’s standards. Take Ernie, here. He certainly looks like a literal blockhead, especially in panel 3. One wonders if Rivera is trying to make a visual pun based on Ernest’s personality. In support of this theory, I offer a definition by that 18th century British man of letters, words, and odd gestures, Samuel Johnson:
“hátchet-face n.s. An ugly face; such, I suppose, as might be hewn out of a block by a hatchet“
If you wanted to visually portray somebody’s personality, how would you do it? Walt Kelly, the creator of Pogo had a knack for that. The jury is out on this one.
When we last saw Cherry (a few weeks ago), she was marching with her band of gardener commandoes to check out the bee statue at the Sunny Soleil Society gardens. And Mark was sitting at a picnic table with Cliff and Diana Daggers, hoping to work things out between themselves. Yet, here are our two lovebirds, working together, as if nothing else was going on. What’s with that? With luck, we’ll at least see what Cherry and her group will do by this coming Saturday.
But, what’s this?Some clown in a yellow jump suit has driven up, billowing snide commentary like the typical B-movie bully who thinks he is both funny and dangerous. Until he discovers he picked a fight with a woman who happens to be standing next to Jean-Claude Van Damme.
At first, I thought this might be one of the thugs sent by the Duck Duck Goose shipping company to persuade Mark to back off. But, that would be integrating the two storylines. As I wrote before, I think that would be a great idea; yet it doesn’t have that feel. My guess is that Mr. Yellow Jumpsuit is the extermination business husband of Caroline (a board member of the SSS), who has come around to “put the little woman in her place”, as it were. Clearly, his truck has that “business” look and it appears to have something on its top. Possibly a stereotypical “bug” figure. And that’s why Mr. Yellow Jumpsuit also hides the logo on the side of the work van. The Big Reveal is on Tuesday.
Rivera diverted from the main storyline (Remember, it is the search for Zebra Mussel smugglers!) this week. She expanded on Diana Dagger’s earlier confession to Mark and Cliff that her friends back home had diverted her income into trendy and controversial NFTs. This week’s strips feature (I think) a mini-parody of the world of NFT Development, as seen through the machinations of Cricket Bro; his financial backer and co-conspirator, Professor Bee Sharp; and one very hungry caterpillar, er, goat (okay, the goat isn’t exactly eating the lab coat, but I couldn’t pass up an opportunity to make the Eric Carle reference).
Perhaps the most interesting feature of the week was something that confused and angered numerous readers. This was the Thursday strip, wherein Professor Bee Sharp appears in the foreground viewing photos, while in the background stand silhouettes of the Professor and Diana. She is arguing against having her salary automatically invested into NFTs. Some readers thought the panel was confusing (or that Rivera had lost her mind, in general), presenting Diana as if she was suddenly in California, instead of Lost Forest. Clearly, the image is deliberately ambiguous and permits of several interpretations: Is this a scene playing in Sharp’s head while he reviews the photos? Is it just a flashback to an earlier conversation Rivera stuffed into that panel, mainly for its artistic effect? Is this distinction at all significant? Why portray this shadowy scene as if they were physically in the same space at the time, when we clearly know that was not the case? Ruminate on that as we move on to a ruminant in today’s Nature Talk!
Another interesting title panel for a non-surprising subject. It would have been clearer for Mark to point out that the cliché of goats eating anything is not accurate. So forget feeding them your empty cans; they are just herbivores. I’m not sure I can go with Mark’s attempt at acronymic humor in the last panel, though they may be the greatest buttinskies of all animals . On the other hand, the image of a goat “testing” Mark’s shirt in the central panel is both relevant to the discussion and humorous. I think we have to recognize Rivera’s bias (as it were) to focus on goats, themselves, rather than on their additional existence as resources for human consumption (fabric, cheese, meat, etc). It’s a reasonable approach, as Rivera only stated she was delivering a few “fun facts.” There’s only so much you can cram into a Sunday strip.
So, Rivera takes her shots at NFTs and their creators. I wonder if this satirical interlude was based on her own personal experience or that of a friend? In any event, I wonder also if the volatile Professor Bee Sharp (the actual goat this week) will suddenly mutate into Killer Bee Sharp and deliver several well-placed and well-earned stingers to Cricket Bro’s head. That might also help make up for Mark’s own neglect at serving up his usual brand of justice when he was in California.
We have a week of Rivera parodying NFTs and their seedy, single-minded entrepreneurs, using the convenient made-to-order idiots, Professor Bee Sharp and Cricket Bore. Somebody on CK questioned the identity of the animal in panel 1. Did that query intend to suggest that the two goose heads were somehow part of the head of that animal? We have to wonder whether Rivera deliberately composed them with that in mind. In any event, they certainly are two very tall geese! Frankly, I have no idea what that lumpy brown animal is. I hope somebody will educate me and the rest of us. By the way, is it me, or does it look like Professor Sharp is exposing himself to the goat in panel 2?
Unfortunately, I think there are some qualitative differences in today’s strip, especially compared to previous days. Let’s compare panel 2 today to yesterday’s strip (I am also using the second panel):
Wednesday’s panel is the left. Compare the photographer in both scenes. On the left, notice how his hand displays reasonably realistic bone structure, knuckles, and “feel.” On the right (from today), the photographer’s body takes up about the same amount of space.
But his hands today display no sense of bone structure or knuckles; they look flat and clumsily drawn. There is also a disregard for detail in the today’s face, compared with the one from yesterday. The camera looks out of proportion. As for the other two figures in today’s panel, they are also drawn in a clumsy, amateurish manner. Sharp’s head looks like somebody with a toupee that is falling off. Cricket Bro’s head and left arm are an effort.
Now, as long-time readers know, I have largely been a champion for Rivera’s art and overall approach, not only for the overall style, but also for her often-interesting compositions and expressive details that help define mood and action. However, what I see today bothers me, insofar as I don’t know if it is due to rushed deadlines, less-skilled assistants, or something else. Everybody has bad days and this may have been one of them. Rivera is usually much better than this, so when I see what appears as slapdash work, it saddens me, in part because it provides fodder for the complainers who prefer the 19th century illustrative style of the prior Mark Trail cartoonists…which they also complained about (as did I).
Finally, this awkwardness is odd, since it is not apparent in the other two panels, save for that weird juxtaposition of animals in panel 1. In fact, I like panel 3 a lot for its composition, facial expression, and the excellently-drawn foreshortened arm. The panel is first rate. So, what are your thoughts? Am I off the mark?
And who knows, but maybe a lot of NFTs are created as simply and simplistically as this example, then sold on the NFT market for hoped-for buckets of money to gullible investors. And “there is a sucker born every minute”, a phrase P.T. Barnum reportedly coined. Evidence says Barnum didn’t originate that line, but that’s not the point here, anyway.
Should we assume that the tête-à-tête going on in the background of panel 3 is some interpreted reimagining (for visual effect) of a phone call between the “Professor” and Diana? Or perhaps it represents a future contact between these two friends that Bee Sharp is playing in his head as he looks at a bunch of pictures, and trying to determine if he’ll make enough money to buy an island he can call his own? The fact that the two figures in the background are in silhouette while the real Bee Sharp is in the foreground makes it clear (as mud) that they are avatars of some recent or future communication. But, I’m still waiting for the other shoe to drop, because there has to be a point to this week-long detour, other than farce for the sake of farce.
Oh, I do like the way that Rivera distinguished the plural form of “NFTS” in Diana’s dialog by bolding only the letters N-F-T. The word would normally be written as NFTs, except that full caps are always used in the strip; hence the bold font formatting. Okay, so you noticed that, too. I still like the effort.
(I didn’t intend to write this much, but I must be making up for yesterday!) I think we can all see “SCAM” written in large letters with this operation. Whether Cricket Bro is just into defrauding the public or is also fine with scamming Sharp is open to consideration. I reckon we’ll find out. However, a bigger question is “why should we care?” That is to say, isn’t all this beside the point? Yeah, we see how Diana’s salary is being “invested” in this “blue sky” venture. But do we need all of this information?
It is easy to criticize the panels this week as an unnecessary digression from the main story and even from Diana’s concerns about her relationship. Even if the strips this week reinforce the questionable ethics of these characters, couldn’t this have been handled in just one or two days? Or are we going to see four more days of the goat eating Professor Sharp’s lab coat? (And doesn’t he ever have classes to teach!?)
I do like the goats-eye view seen in panel 3. I appreciate that Rivera designs unusual compositions now and then, something not easy in the small panels she has to work with. Rivera is also famous (or infamous) for her narration boxes, as in panel 1, where the character appears to interact with the narration box. In a sense, this is a “breaking the fourth wall” event between the character and the reader, or writer. Some people do not like this, though Rivera wisely keeps this convention to a minimum. Breaking the fourth wall is certainly not Rivera’s invention. Dagwood, for example, often turns to face the reader when the the lightbulb goes off in his head. George Burns, on the TV show he did with Gracie Allen, often broke the fourth wall to talk directly to the audience. So, I think there is a solid foundation for using this shtick. Finally, I wonder if “Greta the Screaming Goat” is a reference to the Swedish activist, Greta Thunberg, who is also famous for her blunt, strident delivery. Not an insult, either. Just a thought.
Okay, I’m waiting for inspiration ……. still waiting ………… looking for some inspiration here …….. any time now …………………………………………….. DOH! Nothing here, must resort to academic verbiage:
The sequential narrative form, as manifested in this current model, presents the reader with an unorthodox and systematic interpretation of comic strip quacomic strip. All structural tendencies that focus our attention on the absurdist dialog and jejune illustration define a paradigmatic shift underlying—as only the most prevalent and domesticated mental constructs of the last fifty years can—the inherent morality of a discordant environment bereft of any historical and social insigne. Logically, to borrow a mathematical premise that had long ago been found wanting, a complete mental restructuring of heterodox memes as implied in these panels must . . .
Oof, I can’t go on.
The best take I have today is that I like the face of Cricket Bro in panel 3. It reminds me of the face of “Superduperman”, a parody of “Superman” drawn many decades ago by the late, great Wally Wood for MAD Magazine. I don’t mean a deliberate copying, of course. It’s probable that Rivera has never seen this particular cartoon. I just mean that the face of Cricket Bro, in its pose and expression, shares a similar kind of happy egotistical narcissism with the dude in the blue and red costume.
Okay, so my ruminations and predictions may not exactly have been up to the level of predicting the movement of subatomic particles, but still, it’s nice to be at least partially right. So Cricket Bro and Professor Sharp are involved in this NFT racket. This should prove very interesting!
However, I’m not sure what is going here, though it looks like Jules Rivera had several skunk drawings left over and decided to bomb them into today’s strip. Otherwise, I’m as perplexed as Sharp is, to tell the truth. It does appear that a photo shoot is in progress. I don’t know if NFTs are actually created this way, but why not!?
Next, what is this moniker, “Lewks”? Cricket Bro is actually Rob Bettancourt, Mark’s childhood nemesis and recent tormenter. But, I suppose anybody can get a nickname, and “Lewks” must be Rob’s. Rob’s “place” looks rather different from the large, white Palm Springs mansion we originally saw. Rob (or Lewks) is rich enough to have two, we must assume.
I bet you are wondering, as I am, whether that pocket protector loaded with pens in Sharp’s pocket is real or just a prop, like the fake ties boys used to have to wear during photo day at school.
Gather round the campfire, one and all. It’s time for Uncle George to update you on Mark Trail’s actions this past week. As you may recall from the prior weeks, Mark’s ethical dilemma led him to abandon Diana during their zebra mussel investigation of a cargo ship. Mark’s old friend Cliff, who piloted the rescue boat, showed up to give him a lift. At Cliff’s fishing lodge, Mark revealed his assignment to Cliff and his military veteran buddies. Not much happened there, but Mark and Cliff decided to seek out Diana and try to restore Mark’s professional relationship and continue the assignment.
But as Mark began his apology to Diana, he and Cliff were suddenly blindsided by Diana’s sudden emotional breakdown and admission that her selfish actions were brought on by troubles back home. Seems her friend(s) and business partner(s) are putting her salary (as a producer, we assume) into a modern investment vehicle known as a Non-Fungible Token (NFT). This highly speculative and unstable commodity is also linked to virtual currency, both of which exist on large server farms that gobble mountains of electricity. All of that usage affects the environment and local utilities. Diana’s anxiety is understandable (But who knew that she had a moral compass?). So what to do? And more importantly, how will Jules Rivera develop this major plot twist? Will it link to people in Mark’s previous assignments? Does it have anything to do with the Duck Duck Goose shipping line? Or will Diana’s troubles simply do a quick fade, like so many past characters of the Trailverse? Maybe we’ll find out in the coming days; but for now, it’s time for the Sunday Nature Chat. Now, who’s up for toasting marshmallows?
Not a surprising subject today. That anti-skunk smell formula is one The Humane Society favors, but comes with a special caveat that Mark forgot to mention: “Caution: Do NOT store this mixture or make it ahead of time, as the mixture could explode if left in a bottle.” That is definitely something to keep in mind. In fact, it is a really good idea to read their entire recommendation: https://www.humanesociety.org/resources/de-skunking-your-dog
Avoiding a skunk is always a good idea. In fact, avoiding all wild animals is always a good idea. In spite of what some blockhead visitors to state and national parks believe, wild animals are not pets or your friends, no matter how cute they look.
I suppose bringing pancakes is just a Lost Forest kind of greeting. That is, nobody really expects you to eat those large, soggy, cold slabs of dough. They are local symbols of friendship and community. Opening the box is like opening the conversation. Mark and Cliff are the round slabs of dough.
Well, a very interesting image of Diana in panel 2, actually showing her eye(s) and looking uncharacteristically pensive. Meanwhile, Cliff and Mark continue to audition for a reality show on The Hallmark Network. Mark’s comment in panel 4 is a True Trailhead Reference to the long-ago conflict between him and Cliff for Cherry’s affections. I suspect this might be Rivera nicely reaching out to long-time readers, since they are the only ones who would get the reference.
Speaking of friendship, yesterday it was “friends”, but today, it is just “my friend”. This leads us once again back to the most likely suspect, er, friend: Professor Bee Sharp. If that is the case, can Cricket Bro be far behind? And will this NFT subplot converge into the zebra mussel investigation?
The Daily Trail 