Appearing to contradict himself, Mark downplays the seriousness of the situation and the plight of his fellow campers, all while modestly praising his rescue of Tess Tigress: “<Sigh!> It was just another heroic rescue. Nothing unusual.” Mark’s account seems to have gotten altered just a bit in the retelling, based on panel 2. “It was a one-handed rescue while I knelt on the shoreline. Easy peasy.” To be fair, don’t we all downplay serious activity to “spare” our friends and loved ones a lot of worry?
(Wait: Am I saying that Rivera is offering a pertinent critique on (or parody of) the Human Condition that desires to be recognized and appreciated for a personal action, above and beyond, while simultaneously pretending it was a trivial thing that anybody would do? Hmm … that might be too deep for the readers. Better cue the sitcom laugh track for panel 4.)
BTW, where did Mark get that phone? Up until yesterday, only Venue Verité had a phone, and it’s red.
There is a lot to unpack here, which is more than we can say for Mark and his group, since the flood seems to have washed away all of their packs, camping gear, hunting equipment, and transportation. As usual, in times of crisis, everybody asks, WWMD? The ever-optimistic Mark always knows what to do … well, VenusVerité does, in this case. Mark’s big idea is to conquer wet clothing, rather than hunt for lost baggage or vehicles—if they are still present—to see if they will start or have emergency kits. But Mark is certain help will get there soon, as if Emergency Services would give top priority to a group of hunters foolish enough to go camping in the path of a predicted flash flood.
Art Dept. I know what some (or most) of you are thinking: Was Rivera on something when she drew this? Take Panel 1 (please!). Cartoony characters stand around gaping at a landscape that might have come from an LSD trip or a German Expressionist painter. Arms flex in unusual ways. Panels look as if they are in a post-nuclear war wasteland, bereft of flora, fauna, and natural landmarks. But, perhaps the drawings are meant to symbolize the group’s feelings of isolation, despair, and loss. If not the group’s, then ours?
As Jess and Tess cuddle in the background in panel 1, it is comforting to see that Jules Rivera injected some moments of reality in today’s installment. The gang realizes that the flood has taken virtually everything. But once again, Venus Verité was the only one prepared. She came out of her tent already dressed and thought to bring her phone. I would have thought—given the impending disaster that Mark had been going on about—that Mark would have had an emergency “Go!” bag in his tent, at the ready. Why he didn’t or wasn’t better prepared is something yet to be explained.
But for the love of Mike, why does Rivera constantly make Mark seem like a reincarnation of Gomer Pyle? He often acts like a hick or gets befuddled by the modern world, as if he had gone to sleep in 1959 and just woken up. Well, he did just wake up, right? Perhaps a better question for Mark in panel 3 would be “That’s just what I need, Venus! Where did you get it?” To be fair, Venus could simply have said “Oh, I have a working phone right here!” instead of acting all “East Coast Elite.” But I reckon that is how she is supposed to be. In short, the hunters are all hicks, but Venus Verité is urban and urbane.
Art Dept. I wonder when Mark became a middle-aged couch potato (panel 2)? Yuck! I think Rivera should have expanded that “Me too!” dialog balloon (which should have included a comma) to cover Mark’s flabby torso. If we’re going to admit that Mark’s union suit is all soggy and baggy, how come Venus looks like she got off the plane? Oh, right: Urban and urbane.
The flash flood continued this past week and worsened, as Mark finally cajoled the team to move to higher ground. Again. Tess remained a flood denier and it seemed like Shania was just uncertain and angry. At times, the sequence of actions seemed confused. Were they going up? Walking in a circle? Not moving at all? It wasn’t always easy to tell. Jess and Tess were at the tail end of a human chain designed to safely ascend a hill. But once again, the drawings were confusing. You’ll just have to go back and look.
Even though it appeared they were ascending, somehow Tess managed to get swept up in the flood waters. Perhaps it was rising very quickly. But swept away she was, even when she seemed to be floating on top of the water. The moment of truth: WWMD? Well, this is Mark’s strip, of course, so he showed up at the waterline (along with the others), found a large tree branch lying around, and jumped in the water to save Tess. Yet, this week ended with Tess blaming Mark.
Is this the end of the story? Could be. It’s a safe bet that it’s the end of the camping trip, since the team lost everything in the deluge.
Now, I wonder which Bill Ellis magazine this story will appear in? Regular readers know that Jules Rivera used to have Bill Ellis assign a story to one of the several magazines he supervises. Not any longer, it seems. None was mentioned this time around. Still, some of you may appreciate that this is more like the good ol’ days when Mark only interacted with Bill Ellis and his one magazine, Woods & Wildlife. Well, I liked the idea of multiple magazines and editors, as it could have presented an opportunity for different types of assignments and opportunities. Sadly, Rivera never really fleshed out this idea and it gradually disappeared, like so many of Mark’s friends in the past.
Nature webcams can be interesting. We watched the birth and growth of a pair of hummingbirds one summer, up to the point where they literally flew the coop, er, nest, never to return. I suppose I could criticize this public-service announcement by suggesting it would have been handy had Mark listed what the web link was or just explained to those not that web savvy, how to search for it. Other than that, it’s a good Sunday nature subject.
So perhaps we must assume that Mark was trying to think on the run: “Tess is caught in the flood! Quick, pick up that branch. Let’s see…Tell Jess to take this branch of mine to he hold out for me after I collect Tess. No, wait. Too complicated. I’ll jump in with the branch, grab Tess, and have her hold on to it as I swim against the current and drag her out to safety.” Or something like that.
I wouldn’t be surprised if Tess also blamed Mark for the lost and/or ruined equipment, cars, guns, and hog carcasses, and try to sue him for damages. Heck, maybe the trauma will restore her lost memory, as well. This might be a good time for Mark to make an exit, stage right!
“You’re traveling through another dimension, a dimension not only of images and text, but of uncertainties. A journey into a changing land whose boundaries are the stuff dreams are made of. That’s the signpost up ahead—your next stop, the Trailverse!” (The spirits ofRod Serling and Raymond Chandler will get me for this mashup.)
Okay, speaking of craziness, I’ll award a gold star to anybody who can explain how “everyone else made it to safety” if everybody else simply came back down the hill to the flood in order to see Tess swept away. Of course, Mark has to rescue her, so there he is in panel 1, walking like an Egyptian. But Tess is floating on top of the water, not in it. Perhaps she happened to land on a branch that is propping her up.
It’s a crazy Twilight Zone world. Mark has conveniently found a branch. Fine, we can go with that. Mark tells Jess to grab the branch while he goes after Tess. Again, the concept is sound. So why is Mark still holding onto the branch in panel 3? And if he is “bounding toward the water to save Tess”, why he is running in a different direction from where Tess is?
The laws of time and space work differently in the Trailverse, perhaps something like a Moebius strip. I hope Venus is getting some good shots for her “Hog Hunting Heroines Horrific Hunt” article. But if Mark spots a giant boat float by with a bunch of animals looking out the side, he’s about to have bigger problems!
Art Dept. No, I don’t know why Mark is looking up in panel 2.
In terms of plot, today’s sequence makes logical sense: For one thing, it appears to be in the correct order, compared to yesterday! There is a flood, people are trapped and trying to escape. Somebody falls into danger. All very standard “disaster movie” fare. No matter how much they walk, they either are not getting far, or that flood is really moving and rising quickly. And from what we know of flash floods, especially in open, dry spaces such as canyons and arroyos, that is a reality.
At the same time, some details undermine the action. For example, panel 3 shows the flood threatening to engulf Tess Tigress, which takes place in panel 4. But the last panel also shows one of the tents, suggesting they have not really made any progress moving up!
Next, the textbox in panel 2 states they are moving “through the surging currents.” I’m confused, but I was under the impression that they were moving away from the surging currents.
Art Dept. That squirrel has got to go! It totally ruins the scene. Although the other layouts are fine, the artwork is really, really sketchy; so much so that in panel 4, the barely-visible head of Venus Verité looks like a painted ball! We’ve been following Jules Rivera’s work long enough to think that she is deliberately drawing expressively, rather than naturalistically. I’m suggesting Rivera’s art—often simplistic, sketchy, even crude—may not be this way from a lack of talent or from lack of trying (eventhough I’ve suggested that from time to time).
Think of a standard song such as Nancy Sinatra’s “These Boots are Made for Walking”, sung in a normal pop fashion with easy-to-understand lyrics. Now go listen to the same song interpreted by the band, Megadeath. It’s a completely different vibe. Unless you understood the lyrics, you might not recognize it at all. Clearly, Megadeath’s aim is something other than a straightforward cover of a 1966 pop song. I think that’s what I’m getting at. Okay, so this goofy idea popped into my head. And I could be totally wrong.
I’m not sure Mark’s logic in panel 1 is accurate. Whole chains of people certain can get washed away, depending on the circumstances. But it’s a good group psychological trick to minimize panic. And it is a shame that Jules Rivera again undercuts the drama and value of Mark’s advice by indulging in buffoonery in panels 2 and 3. A flash flood is a dangerous situation, a guaranteed bit of drama and suspense, made to order. So why piss on it?
This confusion is further exacerbated by a contradiction between the dialog and the imagery in the panels. That is, the dialog follows a chronological sequence, but the images definitely do not. Let me demonstrate (ignore the dialog for the moment):
Panel 1: Everybody climbs the hill as their campsite is flooded and washed away. Panels 2 and 3: Jess and Venus stand around, not linked arm-in-arm or climbing, while they joke. Panel 4: The entire crew stands around their campsite at the bottom of the hill.
Now, consider the dialog once again. Logic indicates a more accurate sequence of panels should be P4>P2>P3>P1. We’d have to change the message box in panel 4 to something more applicable: “The group agrees to bug out!” Like so:
I think the revised sequence builds drama with Mark’s warning coming at the end.
Okay, I’m not sure if Tess is levitating a blanket or if the blanket is glued to her back and hands. It’s impressive. For a moment, I thought that shape was the big square tent we saw yesterday, just poorly framed behind “In-Denial” Tess. But there is only sky behind her, and no ground line. You decide!
It’s possible that this crisis could break up the Hog-Hunting Heroines, as Shania and Reba are losing their faith in Tess. And sure, they realized too late that they should have secured the hog carcasses. Tess or Jess should have been aware. I mean, any hunter in the Real World would know not to leave the kill on the ground so predators can snatch or feed on them. This group is just not ready for prime time.
But where the heck isVenus Verité? Is she even awake? Maybe she is half-way up the mountain, taking photos of the disaster.
Art Dept. Before revising this section, I went into detail on problems in panel 3 with regard to Mark’s figure. I think you can all see the problems here. Not sure if it is a technical or a technique issue. But I think it could have worked better with a look-down point of view. This would also have required a two-panel spread to make it work, especially to show the oncoming flood waters Mark is indicating. But that would mean ditching the nice headshot in panel 4. By the way, did the rain wash away Mark’s nose?
ADDENDUM: What a surprise when I opened my newspaper this morning to find that the comics pages are now in full color! And this is the second day of color, but we only discovered it today. My wife was “gobsmacked.” Let me explain: Our newspaper company closed its in-state printer and went with an out-of-state printer for all of its publishing. Maybe that facility has more up-to-date printing services, though I’m pretty sure our newspaper moved away from linotypes and flatbed machines some time ago. Does your newspaper print hardcopy comics pages in color?
I’m going to start off with the most obvious question you all must have: “Does Jess sleep with his hat on?” … Hmm … Okay, maybe that’s not the most obvious question. I’ll rub my big toe and look at a photo of Ringo Starr as I try again to perceive your primary concern:
“What in #(@! is that duck doing in panel 4!?” Well, it ain’t flying! And it doesn’t fit the perspective of the scene in any way. So is it even floating!? The duck doesn’t even seem to recognize it’s raining. In short, I’ve got no good answer. Nothing from history, contemporary culture, or song lyrics comes to mind. Wait, there is something: I’m reminded of Colorforms, a toy first popular in the late 1950s and still around today. Vinyl shapes (e.g. people and objects) are placed and stick onto shiny surfaces with printed scenes. Most of you probably played with them. Some of you may still do that! But the point is, you can literally stick the characters onto the scenes with little or no regard to perspective, location, or common sense.
Well, that’s it. It’s the only thing that comes to mind. I don’t know what was in Rivera’s mind, though.
Next, who is Mark yelling at in panel 1? All the tents and people are behind him! Panic can make you do silly things. And what high ground is Mark referring to? Based on what Mark said earlier (December 19th), they are already camping on high ground! The only higher ground we can see is the big mountain behind them in panel 4. Like the low-volume rain, we have to remember that this is supposed to be drama, not a documentary. So I am probably wrong for trying to make sense of things that are irrelevant.
Peach Pitt’s dreams of “fashion fame and fortune” under the imprimatur of online influencer Holly Folly were resolved this week; just not in the way Peach originally hoped.
Arguments and denials were the focus of the first half of the week, as Peach rejected the authenticity of photographic evidence Olive and Cherry gathered from the local dump. Of course, this drama could have been avoided had Olive brought Peach to the dump, but stories need drama, right?
Then Rusty showed up at the cabin with a video postcard from Mark. Somehow, his pre-recorded message calmed everybody down. Peach finally agreed to read Holly’s business contract and prepare to negotiate some of the clauses. The expected phone call from Holly finally arrived.
Holly blew up when Peach admitted that not only had she not signed the contract, but she had questions. Holly’s temper tantrum resulted in Peach telling Holly where to stuff her contract. Peach hung up, effectively killing the deal and hopefully ending this story.
From an environmental standpoint this story did at least introduce readers to real-world issues related to “Fast Fashion” clothing and provided a simple way to combat it: Don’t buy it. I’ve cut way back!
The title panel has a good layout, though the imaging of the title is a bit flat. It’s just my outstanding opinion, of course, but I think it would have been punchier if it was slanted to the upper right.
This is a good topic, and timely for those of us who live in places that get snow. What is interesting is that, in spite of the fact that they two birds are not related, they have superficial similarities, what biologists call convergent evolution (of similar features across different lineages), possibly due to similar behaviors and environments. Otherwise, today’s nature strip looks like an elaborate setup to get Mark into a tux for his New Year greeting!
We see more evidence that Peach has taken Olive’s presentation and evidence to heart. But I’d have demanded to go to the dump for verification.
Still, once Olive and Cherry brought home the evidence, the end to this little adventure came about pretty quickly. There could still be something of an epilog, but we’d have to wait a few weeks while Mark’s madcap hog-hunting adventure continues. And by then, we’d all have forgotten what happened here, meaning Rivera would have to use the entire week to catch us up and cue the ending. Well, another week would be worth it if Rivera used that time for Peach to point out dubious sections of the contract to Holly, giving us a chance to see how she responds to every “What about this clause?”
By the way, did you notice that Rusty seems to have disappeared from the story? Last seen on December 25th, I’m guessing he’s back home unwrapping the matching scarf-and-socks set his Grandpa Happy sent him.
Art Dept. A couple of things I like today: Holly’s face in panel 1 looks correctly articulated to fit the angle of the smartphone. Not always easy to pull off, at least when hand-drawing it. Olive’s pose in the same panel, with crossed arms and tilted head, actually looks natural for once. Too many times the background figures seem to be posed as if they are in a police lineup or a window display.
So it appears that the sister-talk did have a positive result in getting Peach to reconsider her business relationship in a more critical manner. Good for her. Of course, a contract lawyer would be preferable, but it would be doubtful to find one in Lost Forest, much less be able to cover the cost.
But to no surprise, Holly Folly went all “Dragonball Z” hearing Peach’s response (Even if you never saw the Japanese anime series from the early ‘90s, you can probably figure out the point of my reference).
Art Dept. Interesting to see how Holly Folly is being depicted today. You might recall her introduction to the sisters back in October 2025:
Perhaps Holly visited a tanning salon after that first meeting, but she certainly has a more ruddy complexion today! And she isn’t sporting the wholesome, positive-energy personality she had earlier. The friendly face and personality are replaced by a more sinister looking figure, like a hunter sizing up her prey, only to explode in anger as the prey avoids her ambush at the last moment. (okay, that prose is a bit on the purple side, I admit!)
End Note. For a fashionista, Holly Folly seems to always wear the same outfit. Totally not fast fashion!
Looks like the Peach-Olive-Cherry drama took place before Mark’s dramatic hunt-camp-flood drama, unless Mark had his message delivery set to delay. It’s niceenough that Mark wants to brag about how tasty wild hog chops are, yet said nothing about his assignment or the people involved. This isn’t much of a warm, personal message. In spite of that, the call even made Olive and Peach sit and wax nostalgic.
Olive and Peach do get around pretty quickly. First, they are standing at their still-open front door for some reason. Then they are suddenly back on the couch on the other side of the room. Well, this comic strip is not meant to be a literal documentary, so let’s just put those “positional” comments aside as mere snarking (I can do better). But what’s the point of showing Olive and Peach in panel 1? They aren’t talking or doing anything, except crowding the panel and breaking speed limits moving around the cabin (okay, this is not mere snarking, but highbrow, sophisticated snarking!)
Perhaps the actual significance of Rusty’s visit is so Jules Rivera can interject a generic “season’s greeting!” into the strip for the readership. I reckon this slight interruption was integrated well enough into the story without looking fake. But will this impromptu visit actually lower the room temperature long enough that the sisters can work things out? Note that the front door is still likely open, so cool air should also be pouring in! And maybe talking is the wise and mature thing to do, but I was really pulling for another knock-down-drag-out fight.
First of all, if you celebrate some kind of holiday or event—religious or not—over these several days, I hope your experience is positive and meaningful. If you do not celebrate, I hope you find enjoyment and satisfaction in doing something you may not have had time to do. I realize that each day is more or less what we choose to make of it (within our abilities). But holidays are, by definition, special days. So do something special for yourself or for somebody else.
It’s a fine line we walk when dealing with a family member who seems to be doing something that might damage that person. And the situation can get messy. Changing your argument, as Olive seems to be doing, doesn’t help. What was it she said just yesterday? “Then negotiate some clauses…” Today, Olive tells Peach the contract sucks. Huh!? Was yesterday’s event just a moment ago, or did significant time pass as Olive and Cherry poured over the contract Peach shoved in their faces yesterday? It’s important to know, if we are to make sense of Olive’s contradictory declarations.
In any event, I was hoping that least we’d get a real knock-down sister fight, like the first time they all got back together. (And do you remember when and where that took place?)
However, Rusty suddenly dropped in with a message from Mark, changing the vibe. What could Mark’s exciting news be? Maybe something like “Hi, all. Big adventure! WYWH! Trying 2 avoid drowning in flash flood. GTG. XOXO!”
Art Dept. There is some awkward framing today. It took three panels to introduce Rusty, his message, and the change of mood. I think a two-panel spread would have suited the purpose better. The second panel would be composed similar to panel 1, but Rusty would only come in the door at that point. The sisters would appear silent and surprised as Rusty delivers his message. Surprise is meant to be short and quick.
Okay, so the fight continues over the Holly-Peach business deal. This is all fine from a plot position, though the dialog is sometimes confusing. Peach’s accusation in panel 1 is an all-too-true claim and a sad comment on the state of visual evidence. It reminds me of times when Communist Russia manually manipulated official photos to erase the image of an official who had been permanently removed, as if they never existed. Here, Peach is making the opposite claim.
But Peach’s statements aren’t always on point, like when she claims (panel 3) she got a contract “fair and square.” Not sure what that has to do with the argument, but it’s her rationale. Olive could have offered once again to take her, but she did not. Probably because Jules Rivera needed a hook to keep the opposition between the sisters continuing until it eventually gets resolved through a later event.
Art Dept. We could have a field day lining up all of the different faces that Cherry has owned over the years Rivera has been drawing the strip. Same for Mark. There are several possible reasons for this, one being less of a desire for exactitude than for the importance of expression. Another reason is one that happens to almost all longer-term comic strips, is that the cartoonist’s understanding and expectation of the character changes over time, resulting in reshaping a character’s appearance. Same thing for Mark.
While Mark attempts to escape a deluge down in Texas, back in Lost Forest Olive and Cherry continue their task of trying to prevent Peach from signing on to Holly Folly’s fast fashion empire of disposable garments. But, as expected, Peach is having none of that. Of course, it’s likely her first major score, so it stands to reason she will stand on her intuition.
Art Dept. If you are bothered by the awkward scale and perspective in panel 1, don’t panic. We could be looking at one of those constructed optical illusion rooms where normal proportions go kittywumpus as a person moves from one side of the room to the other. No? Then perhaps we’re just looking at a child’s play area, set up for her imaginary cabin in the woods. Or it could have just been another good surfing day for Rivera.
It was a dramatic week, featuring a raging storm. And then bad weather hit. Am I being deliberately backwards? Nope! The Monday strip began with Mark still trying to coopt Shania and Reba into canceling the camping trip because of the flood threat. But bipolar Tess overheard and began to rage against her companions. Yet, as quickly as Tess’s wrath began, it disappeared. In Tuesday’s strip, Tess was all happiness and charm, likely due to the arrival of the New York photographer and hipster, Venus Verité. Tess’s husband, Jess, must have driven her in and then faded back into the Mark Trail Phantom Zoneof Unneeded Characters for the remainder of the week (At least he has plenty of company there).
Venus is definitely into her work, as she spent most of her time checking the light and mentally framing her shots. Speaking of shots, the Hog-Huntin’ Heroines got in some hunting, but it was omitted from the week’s strips. Maybe the comics syndicate just wanted to move the story along. But we did get to witness some dead hog torsos and more of Tess’s heroic victory poses. When Mark later suggested that they set up camp on high ground in case of flooding, Tess again derided Mark. But Tess relented when Venus agreed with Mark, saying that the elevated position would provide better views for her photography.
Mark has not been camping out much since Jules Rivera took over the strip (N.B.Mark’s camping prowess was a topic of discussion in the Saturday comments section, so check it out). Okay, adventure stories must have adventure, so you can pretty well figure out what happened next. In the middle of the night Mark awoke from his tent in horror to find that it was raining, with raging floodwaters rising towards their campsite! The week ended with Mark running around in his pajamas, shouting the alarm. I wonder if there is even higher ground they can escape to?
Well, we have a more interesting and creative title panel for a change. I didn’t know about the polar bear’s hair and skin, but it reminds me of a similar quality in feathers on such birds as Blue Jays and Hummingbirds. I’m not sure what Mark’s comment in the last panel is all about. Sure, it’s supposed to be Hah!Hah! Funny, But still, “split a soda”!? Well, you could get really environmental and point out that sodas are not all that friendly to the climate, but that’s being pedantic. It’s not the CO2 so much as the entire production process. In any event, what really concerns me is the remark, itself. Why a soda (pop) and why split it with a polar bear? It’s a relationship that makes no sense to me. Mark doesn’t even seem like a soda type of guy. Let’s have lessof Mark’s image in every panel and more space for the Sunday topic!
You know as well as I do that in the pre-Rivera Mark Trail strip, we’d be seeing one or more of the women sneaking up to Mark’s tent and reaching for the zipper … to his tent flap, of course. But the current Mark Trail doesn’t seem to be much of a “chick magnet.” And maybe that’s all for the better. Even the James Bond movies have largely pivoted away from the heroic stud stereotype.
Since the group pitched their tents atop a rise, this has to be one hell of a flood! The dam must have given way. Which dam, you ask? Well, almost every flood disaster story seems to be based on a dam failing because of too much rain, sending watery doom to the sleeping population in the valley.
In fact, what panel 4 depicts isn’t just water rising to the top of the hill; we see waves and breakers, suggesting a surge of water. I reckon we’ll learn more in time.
I’d be surprised if Venus Verité does not try to get some good photos of their impending doom while Mark scurries around ensuring everybody makes it back to the cars. Oh, wait. The cars are down the hill, right? Given that the flood is cresting the summit where they are camping, escaping in the cars doesn’t sound like a viable option. Good thing at least some of them have experience climbing trees.
The question now is whether Rivera spends a third week in a row on this story or we jump back to Lost Forest and the fashion trash. At least here, we got a good cliff-hanger for once!
I reckon that if they didn’t talk so much, we’d have a better view of those storm clouds hiding behind the dialog balloons. At least some are peeking out in panel 4. Higher ground is usually a good strategy to follow in a situation like this, especially with a slight rise to assist in minimizing standing water. But what is this ground they are moving onto? It looks like clay or dirt, with no vegetation at all. Or is it rock? A dirt or clay ground probably would not be the best place to pitch tents in a storm.
Now, what about those kills? Are they being left where they fell? Taking any home for more pork chops? A small detail, perhaps, but leaving them on the earth will almost certainly render them useless for butchering later on. About as useless as Shania and Reba, who don’t seem to contribute very much.
Art Dept. Did you notice how Mark can quickly move from one person and space to another? He’s like The Flash! In panel 3, he’s standing beside Tess Tigress, as she once again derides his cautious attitude. In panel 4, Tess relents, but Mark is already standing beside Venus Verité in the distance. Well, perhaps it is really just Tess who moved away from Mark and Venus, before deciding to go along with the plan. Not the Flash, after all.
The Daily Trail 