First of all, why is Mark wearing a fur-lined jacket when Jess and Tess are just in shirts? Sure, Mark’s been wearing this jacket the whole time he’s been in San Antonio, but there were no indications of the temperature until this week. It’s probably a small point, but I still find it curious why Jules Rivera would bother. Even in October, the average high is 82; the average low is 59. Maybe Mark has that stupid expression on his face in panel 1 because he’s trying to not look like he’s sweating.

Otherwise, the dialog is unsettling, from Mark’s patronizing instructions in panel 1 to the curious comment by Rivera in panel 4. However, one point that I think bears mentioning here—and I think this is genuinely plot-worthy—is the look of worry on Jess’s face in panel 2, followed up by his attempt to take over the conversation in panel 3. His deer-in-the-headlights expression in that panel suggests he really doesn’t want Mark to ask just anything.

Nature note: Is the animal in the tree supposed to be a red fox? It is not native to Texas, but is found mostly in other parts of the state. The gray fox is more common to Texas. The red fox is not really a tree climber like the gray fox is, so the sources say.

First off, I have no idea what Rivera’s comment means in panel 4. As far as I can tell, it’s a non-sequitur.

And as expected, we jumped from Lost Forest to San Antonio, Texas where Mark is on his latest assignment. Mark—nowadays comfortable with brandishing his working relationship with Teen Girl Sparkle—is interviewing the notorious Tess Tigress, who apparently no longer recalls Mark Trail. This is an interesting plot twist which gives us the chance to wonder if she suffered a traumatic injury from Gemma, the rampaging runaway elephant; had her mind altered for some unknown reason by her husband, Jess; or maybe faked her amnesia to mislead Mark for some nefarious purpose.

Once again, Mark conducts an interview from a picnic table. He has done this in prior adventures. Can you think of any? I found two. “Big deal“, I hear you sneer. Okay, you try coming up with different things to talk about after 4 years!

I suppose picnic tables can be convenient and informal. Maybe Rivera just likes drawing picnic tables. And she did a good job of it, too. But why wouldn’t they do the interview inside Tess’s home? They would find more comfortable seating and better access to refreshments, facilities, etc.  As Rivera might state in a narration box: Good Question!

Art Dept. I recommend not zooming in on today’s art. Just take it for what you see. . . . . . . oh, you did it, anyway, did you? Don’t blame me for whatever happens to you.