Channeling James Allen (?), It appears that Mark did, indeed, retrieve his smart phone from Professor Bee Sharp in one of those “assumed” actions left unseen, before leaving Rob’s party. I don’t know why Mark needs to “try” to get into Rob’s place, as it seems clear Cricket Bro expected Mark’s call in the first place. Of course, as the villain, Cricket Bro is made to indulge in deliberately annoying jargon that only riles Mark even more.
But who is playing whom? The presence of Professor Bee in Cricket Bro’s office suggests that “Robbie Boy” (a put-down that Mark apparently didn’t think of when he was a kid) is already formulating his own plan of action, based on too many nights watching Wrestlemania.
What a treat, having Dennis pick up my slack while I was on the road, losing various personal belongings in motels along the way. I enjoyed reading them. Thanks a bunch! Now that I’m down here in VA visiting family, I hope I can keep this going on a reasonable schedule, though I’ll not likely get posts up until late morning. Well, we’ll see….
Say what you will about Rivera, she has a sense of humor. For example, when Mark was waxing prophetic in Wednesday’s strip about working off his debt to Dad, he dramatically threw up his “tea arm”, unknowingly forcing “Rept Man” (standing behind Mark) to jump out of the way of the sloshed tea.
And Mark’s humorous interaction with “the narrator”, as mentioned by Dennis, is a great observation that illustrates how Jules uses narrative blocks quite a lot to help move the story along; certainly more than her predecessors. Still, I didn’t quite get why Mark felt he could not retaliate against Rob for his later insults when growing up. In any event, it appears that Mark has, indeed, finally found his center and is preparing for a battle of wits against his nemesis.
An interesting sequence of bubbles in the first and second panels today, as Mark responds to Cricket Bro’s patronizing response. At first, I missed it: I thought that the third bubble was also Rob speaking, which made no sense. Then I saw that the bubble linked up behind Rob’s bubble to Mark’s greeting. Like it! Not sure what the purpose of the “smarty” phone in Rob’s hand is for, since it seems he has a Bluetooth headset on. Maybe he was looking for a visual chat? Or maybe Jules did that so that “old fart” readers would understand he is actually using a phone?
Another interesting feature of the rebooted Mark Trail was picked up by contributor Daniel Pellissier, who noted Rivera’s focus on motivations and back-stories for the characters, giving them actual personalities. Certainly, the prior incarnations of Mark, Cherry, et al., were more superficial, simply going through their prescribed actions. One could compare, for example, TV cop shows of the 1950s (e.g. “Naked City”, “M Squad”, “Dragnet”), where the cops simply did their jobs, without much reference to their personalities and issues. Since the 1970s, it has been almost impossible to find a cop show where the police are not conflicted with emotional baggage, to the point where this can become too much of a distraction (so I think). So I hope that this welcome feature doesn’t get too distracting from what is supposed to be an “adventure” comic strip.
Anyway, I can’t wait to see how this scene winds up on Saturday. And Monday would be a good time to pivot back to Lost Forest to see how Cherry is getting on with her contretemps.
We return to the scene where Mark has suddenly, and in a positive way, sucked all the air out of the room…
“Mark Trail’d him?”” Could it be that Cricket Bro is Jealous of Mark? Of course, it all makes sense now, at least to the insecure mind, the one that only sees the world through a “Win-Lose” / “Zero-sum-game” lens… Why all these “lens” references, Dennis? Who knows…
I do think that Mark is in denial, though. His feelings do run deep. Although this is in keeping with the “old” Mark- The Mark where feelings ran as deed as a wading pool…
Good thing that Mark rebelled against his early (broad frickin’ daylight) imposed bed time…
Took me a minute to get my bearings, campers. We all have voices that we hear, voices that tell us things and suggest right from wrong, voices that are planted in us at an early age. Sometimes that’s good, sometimes that’s not. Mark’s head is a roiling cacophony of memories and characters that have created tremendous self-doubt and loathing! Interesting to watch him break loose of such shackles.
Robby B. is nothing but a bully. We’ve all seen his kind. Insecure to the point of needing therapy himself, he finds joy in bringing others down. Crazy how stress caused Mark’s hair to turn prematurely, uh, blue? And is he in fact wearing a scout uniform in panel 3? Or just the latest version of the pink chamois-cloth shirt he’ll sport for years… until he meets Jules and switches to plaid?
And George, regarding that “Reducing Lens,” were you perhaps looking through the wrong end of a telescope?
And yes, Ants are people, too… but what young man, me included, didn’t delight in the discovery of what happens when concentrating the sun’s rays to a point, capable of burning paper, lighting a rocket fuse (Right, Woody?) or even chasing down a stray insect?? Seems Mark’s oversized sense of virtue was developed early, and certainly not from his father, judging by all the mounts in the background…
And penance was paid by forced child labor? And the future Cricket Bro allowed to smirk over his shoulder as he got the best of everything? Including a father who (for right or wrong) stood by him? Oh, the wounds were inflicted early, went deep, and never healed…
Thanks to George for keeping the fires burning! Safe travels!
First off, starting this Tuesday, I will be on a road trip for several days, driving down to Virginia to visit family. While I am driving, the Scarecrow, by virtue of his highly developed brain, shall . . .er, sorry for that. Podcast founder, Dennis Williams, will once again provide running commentary during my drive. Of course, Dennis is under no obligation to follow or agree with anything I have written, and he is likely better off for it. I hope to be back posting by Friday, though I may not get my stuff posted as early as I have been doing. Frankly, staying up until Midnight to get the next day’s strip is kind of dumb. I will be down in Virginia for several weeks, but for the sake of our many readers I will continue to post. Shucks, it’s just how we roll here at ThyTrailBeDone.com, folks. And it’s what Mark would do, too!
So now, on to today’s installment!
Well, looks like Mark’s “Fist of justice” started out as the “Smak!” of Justice. I’ve never heard of a simple magnifying glass costing anywhere near $5,000, especially one that is merely a hand-held lens and not part of some specialized equipment. Maybe Rob was exaggerating for effect?
But in the last panel, why is Rob’s arm the one fully extended in a throwing gesture while Mark’s hands are at his side? It was Mark’s “Smak!” that sent the lens flying in the first place. I’m also not sure what the glass landed on. Anybody have an idea? A tree root or a turtle, perhaps? Well, it doesn’t look like a rock, and for $5,000, I’d think that this glass would be able to survive the crash. But I do like Rivera’s “transitional” effect of the magnifying glass, flying between the third and fourth panels. There’s art history behind that effect.
This reminds me of a backstory in my earlier days, when I borrowed a “reducing lens” from a guy I had met at his college. I was on the top of a building, taking photos through his lens, when it slipped over the edge and crashed into oblivion, as it hit the sidewalk two stories below. I learned that reducing lenses are not so easy to replace as magnifying lenses. And yes, I certainly did pay for it!
Will we have a few more days exploring more of Mark’s backstory with Rob? I reckon Mark believes this tale of unrequited revenge is necessary in order to justify his insertion into the Herp Gang’s meeting and take charge. Feel free to add your prediction on how Mark “paid” for his actions.
The week before this saw a six-day run of strips focusing on Cherry’s unsuccessful but violent encounter with Violet Cheshire of the Sunny Soleil Society. This week’s strips have focused on Mark’s return to the Herp Hacienda and his furtive encounter with the angry and frustrated Herp House staff who have been victimized by Mark’s childhood nemesis, Rob Bettancourt, aka Cricket Bro.
Whereas the Sunny Soleil meeting had a growing back-and-forth tension, enhanced by the back-and-forth dialog and and changing angles of Cherry and Violet; the HH gang’s meeting has been whiny and rather dull. One might criticize Rivera for the lack of drama, but I believe this was a deliberate choice, as was the juxtaposition of the two meetings.
First, we have two women whose minds and decisions had already been set before the meeting started, pushing and probing each other to see how far they could go. But only one seems to be holding all the cards.
Second, we have the naïve Herp Hacienda Gang, rudderless in a sea of righteous anger. But anger turns into frustration as they are over their heads, trying to figure out what to do. The sedate campfire setting seems to dilute the group’s anger. But this frustration also sets the stage for Mark’s involvement. Finally, Mark decides to intervene, much to the surprise and annoyance of the gang (we note how Reptile Man ironically speaks to Mark as if he is the child).
In this way, the two separate storylines converge: Cherry, having lost the first battle, makes a tactical retreat to regroup and formulate a new plan of attack, while Doc looks befuddled. Reptile Man has also retreated to the Hacienda to regroup with his comrades. But Mark, finding his focus at last, comes in to take charge (as that is what he usually does, right!?) and help this group, while getting a crack at Cricket Bro to stop his obviously illegal, unethical activities. At last, Mark Trail has a villain to defeat! And we have to believe Cherry will come up a plan to overwhelm and overcome her nemesis, jiu-jitsu master, Violet Cheshire. Hmmm….I wonder if they will complete their quests at the same time?
But first, dear readers, time for the Sunday Nature Talk. Bonus points if you guessed the topic.
Okay, I was surprised, as well! I believe we last (or first) saw an owl in the April 6 strip, as Mark was landing at LAX. And, if I may say so, I correctly identified (i.e. guessed) it as a Burrowing Owl then (thank you, thank you). Rivera has certainly gotten better drawing owls.
And in keeping with her tradition, Rivera has once again cleverly interpreted the “Mark Trail” title to match the day’s theme. This time, it is an elaborate underground burrow. Great job!
Boy, are these people dumb. I mean, d-u-m-b. They have no plan and no plan for a plan, yet they deliberately try to sideline the only person around <ahem!> who has a chance to help them. Just why they are so concerned about keeping Mark in the dark is still a mystery to me. Surely, they cannot think he is Cricket Bro’s ally!? Even Reptile Dude should know that. Yet, they act as if they’ve been caught planning a surprise party for Mark.
Still, I’m still slightly bothered by the fact that everybody is wearing long-sleeved shirts and long pants in Palm Springs, California. Based on the evidence of this past Monday’s strip about the sun setting shortly after 7:30, I used my inner Sherlock Holmes to deduce this story is happening in May. Should be pretty warm by then. Nit-picking again? Of course, clothes in comic strips are as much a part of the character’s identification as the face, like Dagwood’s single-button business shirt or Charlie Brown’s zig-zag polo shirt. Anyway, Mark could at least roll up his sleeves…!
The pity party for the eco-wannabes continues. I mean, how seriously can we take a group of naïve Millennials sitting around a fire pit, tea cups in hand, as if they are discussing YouTube videos at a local coffee shop? (I’m guessing they are not Gen Z’ers, as they are not texting each other.) They certainly think very highly of their dubiously innovative “Air for All” app, which apparently does the same thing that existing air-measuring equipment and software has already been doing for decades. Still, idealism lives on, I suppose. I mean, once we all have the “Air for All” app, then what?
So their recovery strategy—if one can call it that—is based around the off-chance of Reptilionnaire getting invited to another one of Cricket Bro’s parties, so he can presumably steal the targeted laptop. That’s real solid thinking. Meanwhile, Mark Trail continues to eavesdrop, while standing in the shadows (certainly Jules could have done a better job here), inside the most poorly sound-proofed hacienda in California, finding a purpose for his “green ticket.”
Not having heard that term (presumably because I’m a Boomer), I researched it and found a variety of uses for “green ticket”, mostly based around environmental issues. Well, except for the “green ticket roundup” travesty of the Nazi-enforced French corralling of foreign Jews living in France in 1941. I think we can dismiss that event from this particular situation.
And so the story plods along.
But it’s high time for Mark to finally come out of the shadows and take charge, the way he was brought up! This is your cue, Mark. Time to quit being a shlump!
Wow, what a grumpfest (pseudo-German for “bitch session”)! Hard to know where to start here. How about ‘spying on reptiles’? Exactly how is that a crime? Are they special, extra-secret reptiles? Perhaps, lab-grown dinosaurs? Isn’t ‘spying’ what biologists often do in the field when studying animals? I mean the ones that run away or come after you, of course. Well, these people certainly made no attempt to hide the reptiles from Mark. Ah, no respect for Mark once again!
Now we know that the source code on the laptop mentioned yesterday is this air quality app. But what kind of programmer doesn’t have backups? And exactly how did Cricket Bro take the said source code? Everybody refers to the laptop as “a laptop”, so it isn’t her computer. Did Cricket Bro steal all the backups and wipe the woman’s own computer? Maybe that’s not an important point here, but I think it is an interesting technical detail. Perhaps Jules will come back to it later in the story.
To be fair, perhaps Cricket Bro believes the app is his due to his status as the funding source for this group. Well, it’s a bit dodgy: Did he fund only the video production or is he funding this whole Herp Hacienda operation? This is where an attorney would normally be called in. I’m thinking this group has no business experience whatsoever.
Anyway, both people and animals suffer from bad air quality, of course. We already have protocols and equipment for measuring air quality. What’s special about her app? Is it attuned to specific animal respiratory systems? Does it automatically call the DNR when the air quality drops? Does it turn on a giant air purifier for the area? I’m nit-picking again, so let’s stick to the big picture that we have some idealistic environmental advocates who are only now realizing they’ve been played by a slick huckster and entrepreneur. Is this enough to get Mark’s participation? I still don’t see the crime or danger to the environment yet.
The “Reptile Kids” either seem to be the victims of a plot by Cricket Bro or Cricket Bro has discovered their secret agenda. But why keep Mark in the dark? Seems like they would solicit his participation, especially now that they know his relationship with Cricket Bro. Still, they are a clannish group and have so far kept their own counsel.
The narration box in the final panel offers us a challenge or, perhaps, a joke? What could be worse than spying on reptiles? “Getting caught by the reptiles” comes to mind. True to form, wherever Mark winds up, adventure and mystery seem to gather ‘round him (as with all such lone avengers of justice). Now that Mark has apparently learned the reason for this cabal, what will he do? I doubt he’s going to call Bettancourt and spill the beans, but they might not know this. Hey, maybe Reptilionnaire already retrieved Mark’s phone and is holding it out of caution.
Last week, I briefly pondered whether color was being used symbolically. Notice that the sky in the last two panels is a purple or purplish color, which can often symbolize a heated, vitriolic situation, as we have here. Purple prose, is it?
In spite of this intrigue, the story must go on, of course; so I’m guessing Mark will take the initiative and invite himself to this party. Shucks, I’ve guessed wrong plenty of times before. Perhaps Mark will, instead, call an Uber and get himself outta there and back to a safer and saner Lost Forest, where he can help Cherry get that Sunny Soleil Society issue squared away in time for dinner. Oh, wait. No phone!
Well, Juliet it beith not; yet doth the plot turn. And here, I was thinking Reptilionnaire might be in cahoots with Cricket Bro, or just a sidebar to the ever-changing focus of this story. Not only did Cricket Bro (aka Rob Bettancourt, the childhood frenemy of Mark, who just happens to be involved in this whole cricket protein racket) take advantage of Mark, but so has Rep. Like an old Mark Trail storyline, Rivera has already throwing several red herrings at us, with abrupt transitions and missing scenes (the unseen video shoot, itself; whether Mark took that card from Cricket Bro; whether Mark ever retrieved his smart phone, etc.).
Mark’s natural curiosity gets the better of him and he stumbles onto this secret meeting. As a spy, Mark is not exactly Mr. Subtle with his eavesdropping, is he? But maybe he can’t hear what is going on. A window you can open might work better, Mark!
Like Alice in her Wonderland, Mark has been bouncing between oddball situations, really out of his element, and trying to cope. But let’s give Mark some credit, even though it took some sleepy-time tea and a 7 PM bedtime suggestion to awaken Mark’s investigative juices. We can read Mark’s growing suspicions by his pointed expression in panel two.
Everybody else seems to have an alter-ego/avatar; so It’s time for Mark Trail, Conspiracy Cracker to make his appearance on the stage and figure out whatever the hell is going on in this land of kooks and solve whatever it is that needs solving. But what do you think it is?
A PETA underground group that thinks Cricket Bro is doing harm to insects and is out to destroy him?
A company of industrial spies intent upon industrial sabotage?
A gang of crooks who cooked up the “Reptilionnaire” scam just to get close to Bettancourt and rob his house?
Something completely different?
Personally, I like the third choice the best. It has the most going for it as a story line. And it gives Mark the opportunity of spoiling the conspiracy (here come the Two Fists of Justice!) and forcing Cricket Bro to ultimately eat crow and beg Mark’s forgiveness for his transgressions against Markey. Though Mark has not taken any photos (once again), he still has a sure-fire winner of a story to sell…maybe to one of the other magazines in the F.E. & Cook holding company, besides Teen Sparkle!
So, we see that it really is time to switch back to Mark’s issues to give Cherry time to do her own regrouping. Otherwise, true to standard Mark Trail tradition, we have a sudden relocation of Mark from party to hacienda without fanfare, explanation, or follow up. I assume Mark continued to walk out of the party after being insulted left and right. Somehow, he found Reptile Man, who had more or less vanished at the party, his job in furthering the story line done for the time being.
But he’s back now, coaching Mark to take it easy. Take the night off, you say!? From what, I ask? Is he expected to clean out the snake terrariums? Even Santa’s secret twin brother suggests some sleepy-time tea for Mark that hehappensto just havestanding ready. Does everybody in that house follow farmhouse rules and go to bed when the sun goes down? I’m waiting to hear the door lock click. Aren’t you?
Mark certainly does look beat in panel three, unless it is the tea. And it looks like he is once again bunking with the snakes. Still, Mark should be suspicious, especially when the narrator prompts you! With the Sun still up at 7:30, this places the story in late May, based on the tables in the Sunrise-Sunset.org web site. Just in case you wanted to know.
But maybe Mark is also tired because he’s been wearing that long-sleeved, presumably cotton, plaid shirt all of the time. In late April, temperatures get into the high 90s and only get warmer in May. I’m surprised he is isn’t pleading for a cold shower, or a dip in the pool. Hey, this is California. Everybody has a pool, right!?
No, I have not overlooked the close-up of the roadrunner (Acceleratii incredibus), looking like some 1950s horror flick, where the “monster” roadrunner is ready to pick up the poor victim in the doorway and feed it to its children back at the nest. Still, I am keeping watch for the coyote, as well!
As I wrote last week, this recap is an experiment to try to go beyond the daily pin pricks and reaction comments that we otherwise indulge in. Let me know if you find this dull, irrelevant, or too snooty!
Rivera has managed to portray Cherry’s initial meeting with the Sun Soleil Society within one week’s worth of panels. So the story is not padded out with meaningless panels. In terms of pacing, Rivera does a good job, moving between the protagonist and antagonist. I thought there was going to be a repeated visual theme of a close-up in the final panel for every day of the week, as there was the first four days in a row. But I reckon the story required Jules to use Friday to set up the Saturday ejection of Cherry. I also noticed that Rivera repeats the expression “Like a lady”: In the opening Monday strip, Cherry tells her Dad how she will behave. In the closing Saturday strip, Cherry has been expelled from the house “like a lady,” the caption tells us. Is this is a point of irony or a suggestion that Cherry’s “lady” act is not cutting it? But it does provide some sort of wrapper for the entire week, as if there is a moral.
The question we all face now is this: Does Jules switch the story back to Mark, who is working through his own humiliation and—as I noted earlier—being completely out of his element while doing it? Interestingly, both Mark and Cherry are at a similar tipping point: Resort to violence or find another way? This looks like a fork-in-the-road moment for both of them.
Regarding the drawing, readers who only see this in black & white must suffer from what appears rather stark inking with little depth, for it is in the color that the art is fleshed out. And I give Rivera credit for working the different angles for the daily panels of showing two people sitting across from one another. That could have been very dull. I have spoken earlier of the stylistic differences between this version of Mark Trail and the former, more familiar version; and I have suggested that, at the very least, a different drawing style was needed for the new personalities and stories.
And now we present today’s Sunday feature…
I like the fact that Jules designs her title panels to match the subjects of the Sunday panels. And her light humor keeps it from being too sterile. This week, the focus is the Sable Palm, and that is no surprise. What is surprising is highlighting California! Huh? It’s not as if Lost Forest or Cherry’s clients live there. So, Jules gets in a little jab at the whole California development scene.
Oh, no! The big money was on Violet flying through the window, not Cherry getting tossed out the door like she was on the wrong end of a Wing Chun demonstration. And let’s face it, that was one hell of a throw! Looks like the snobbish Violet Cheshire has a bite to back up that bark. Apparently, Cherry really did want to handle the situation as diplomatically as she could. But you cannot negotiate with somebody who won’t play along.
As the door to the Society gets slammed shut, Cherry makes a tactical retreat and considers a more persuasive strategy. But what can she do? Don’t know about you, but I’m not taking Rivera’s bait in panel four again.
Say, I wonder if Doc has some doggy bags to manage Andy? We already know that the Sunny Soleil Society is very particular about what goes onto their lawns!
SOAP BOX: I know there are nay-sayers over the new direction of Mark Trail. That’s expected. I think the syndicate decided to try for a new, likely younger, and hopefully larger readership. Some critics have suggested we’d be better off with the syndicate rerunning old Mark Trail strips. Ironically, it seems there were times when the Mark Trail comic strip did rerun or revise old stories. This is documented in an excellent history and analysis of Mark Trail (stories, characters, artists, etc.): Check out Mark Carlson-Ghost’s excellent Mark Trail Confidential web page (Mark Trail Confidential – Mark Carlson-Ghost Mark Carlson-Ghost). There you can also read about former Mark Trail artists whose decisions sometimes also sparked controversy. Look, there are people who prefer the original Mission Impossible TV episodes and there are those who prefer Tom Cruise’s more modern and completely different take; and some like both (however, I am pretty much not a fan of Tom’s take on Jack Reacher!). I reckon that’s all there is to it. Hey! At least King Features did not have the gall to try and foist a Young Mark Trail strip on us! But now, on to today’s installment!
I’m sure there are people who like HOAs or they would not exist. As HOAs are normally run by the home owners, themselves, I was not aware some of them have the wisdom to hire professional management companies. Generally a good idea, since most people do not have the professional experience to deal with real estate, city regulations, planning, negotiations, and the law. I’m guessing (or hoping) that sooner or later, the Sunny Soleil Society will be exposed as some kind of criminal racket. Why should Mark be the only one to beat up the criminals?
In spite of her condescendingly smug manner, I’m not sure Violet Cheshire knows just what kind of trouble she is getting into, grabbing Cherry’s arm in order to give her the Bum’s Rush. But Violet is really asking for it! Cherry, before you send Violet to a dental surgeon for emergency treatment, demand to see the HOA’s official covenants first! Cherry’s clients should have their own copies and should have given them to Cherry from the start. But then, there’d be no story!
Is that a hat, or what!? It’s like she is ready to go to the Derby or star in a gender-neutral version of The Three Musketeers.
It seems that Lady Cheshire believes she is holding all the cards. Indeed, it is difficult to argue against the rules of a private organization. Shouldn’t Cherry have known about the existence of this homeowner’s association? Why didn’t Cherry’s clients know about these rules? Sounds like total fubar all around.
Still, Cherry’s “Happy Face” in panel 2 clearly has no positive effect on the Sunny Soleil Committee, whose membership may consist only of Violet and her husband. A quick flashback in Panel 3 confirms Cherry’s faith in Mark’s ability to send a powerful email (as he pledged) that is the equivalent of his “two fists o’ justice.” And Mark delivered the goods. But was that good? The Cheshires apparently did not think so. However, the flashback panel is a good plot device to help add the proper menacing tone to the statement begun in panel two and finished in panel four.
But look! It appears Violet (who is either shocked or brushing her teeth) is dressed in yellow in the flashback panel. Is this significant? Is the whole “violet” ambiance just a PR scam?
And By Jove! If we combine this traditional British exclamation with Violet’s last name (Cheshire), along with the plate of scones, we see a distinctively English influence. But to what end? Is the couple getting their revenge for 1776?
Anyway, where does this leave Cherry, now? She was originally concerned what affect the Committee’s decision could have on her entire business, which must be on a shoestring budget. But is confrontation the best strategy to use against a pair of judgmental snobs who hold the power of the approval pen? Cherry’s negotiations seem to be going downhill faster than the Afghani Peace Talks.
I imagine that the shocked expression on Cherry’s face in the first panel is because she thought she was being cordial and polite. There wasn’t even an apostrophe at the end of her complaint! I’m sure that Cherry’s idea of an aggressive tone would be more like the Trailer Court How-Dee-Do with her sisters. Then again, in Monday’s strip, Cherry’s background in panel 4 was a slightly more intense violet, while the color in today’s fourth panel has changed to some kind of pale orange. Is this merely a color design choice, or does it suggest a mood swing? Of course, this will not be seen in the black & white printing, so my theory may not be valid.
The authoritative Wikipedia tells us that the Sabal Palmetto tree (aka Cabbage Tree) is native to the Southern United States: South Carolina, Florida, Georgia, etc., all the way to southern California. I don’t believe we have seen these trees in Lost Forest. So it might bring up the question of where this neighborhood is located, if anybody cares? Florida would be a guess, but probably not accurate, since Florida has twelve varieties of palm trees, which would undermine Violet’s ruling.
While Florida also has its own share of kooks, I don’t think we need to leave Georgia (the presumed location of Lost Forest) to find Stuffy Southern Snobs. And do we really think Cherry’s small landscaping service is big enough to do business in multiple states? Consider the licensing costs, taxes, logistics, and staffing required.
As for our story, the last panel today makes clear that Cherry is not going to take this autocratic behavior lying—or sitting—down, though she has more or less agreed on the exotic palm tree. Will that be concession enough for Sunny Soleil, or will Andy make a mess of Violet’s flower beds outside and ruin the negotiations?
This post wound up looking more like a bunch of disconnected thoughts thrown together in no order…and it was!
Well, “snooty” might apply (to the house and the woman’s name), as Doc surmised, but “oddball” also seems appropriate. Take that plate of stepped-on biscuits, I mean, scones. Who piles them on a plate like that, anyway? That’s hardly the posh thing to do. And not very hygienic, if you are inviting visitors to simply grab one out of the pile! Still, if you are going to serve them, where is the clotted cream and marmalade? I mean, really! Well, let’s not get too much into the pronunciation of “scones”, as both versions are acceptable.
But I’d bet Violet pronounces it “scahns”, as it sounds upper class. This is where one can appreciate Walt Kelly’s Pogo comic strip, where Kelly sometimes used typography to suggest the speaker’s intonation and accent. You see that, Jules!?
Today’s strip also nicely illustrates a contextual use of color: If I was looking at this strip in my local paper which publishes the comics in black & white, I would not see the violet hues used in Cheshire’s office, thus missing the visual pun.
Wonder which one initiated the left-handed handshake? Usually only done for somebody with a bum right arm. But maybe this was purely a design choice. The nicely flowing line from Cherry to Violet would look awkward if they shook right-handed.
Back to the story: While an Eastern Chipmunk contentedly munches away, Cherry mostly keeps her cool and gets down to business with Violet. Story-wise, it’s a decently-paced sequence, with a polite overture thrown in for the sake of atmosphere.
As in her first Mark Trail outing, Jules juggles two concurrent, but different, story lines. Rather difficult to do in a daily comic strip. The trick, I believe, is in the timing and complexity: Not too many days for each story segment, and not too much action; else we get lost in details or forgot the other story. Keep your scorecards at the ready!
Or, not to neglect the fact the Jules is checking in on The Daily Trail… Hats off to (CIC) George K. Atkins for pulling a reference out of his, ahem… impressive trove of experiences… only to make a very solid impression with Mark’s new “Daddy…”
OMG I got compared to Carl Hiaasen I can die now everyone
Carl Hiaasen was the only author I read in high school I actually liked. I appreciated that he understood how totally slanted and sideways the world really is.
The Daily Trail 