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A Wildlife Lesson from Mark Trail!

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And here we have famed nature advocate and journalist, Mark Trail, demonstrating the proper procedure to follow when coming across a bear in the wild:  Continue to walk towards it!

Moving on, I think Mark is trying to score points with Cherry (or maybe just score) with his empty pro-Bear boast (panel 2). In fact, when Mark ran across bears in the past, he ran the other way! On the other hand, when Cherry made her first appearance in the strip back in 1946, she had a pet bear to play with!

Moving on, it’s too bad Rivera has this chronic disposition to inflict bad, school-age puns on her readership, but perhaps she is focused on capturing middle school readers to make up for the senior citizen Trailheads who have moved on. Or worse, she thinks we really like them.

Artwork. It’s nice to see Rivera put more variety in the flora once again, even if they look like flat, painted cardboard props from public school plays (ah-ha! I see a connection with the puns!). This is a nature-oriented strip, after all, so the more nature, the merrier. Now, if the flora actually looked recognizable …!

Two weeks dealing with Bill Ellis’s phone call. Really!?

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Egads! The entirety of this week has been wasted on a pointless back-and-forth chatter over whether slack-jawed Mark Trail should take Rusty on an official assignment, an assignment involving close proximity to dangerous animals. Maybe Cherry has been sniffing the compost too long.

And by the way, just who is Cherry responding to and winking at in panel 4? Us poor readers? That kind of panel where the character reaches out to the reader with a wisecrack or slogan is more normally used in the concluding panel of a story. It seems artlessly and confusingly shoved into today’s strip, as if this was a punchline to a joke, like actors breaking character.

Art Dept. Occasional commenter Mark (no relation) pointed out yesterday about insufficiencies in Rivera’s artwork, such as foliage lacking shape, details, and accuracy. And looking at the background today and the past several days, it is easy to agree.

Partially in Rivera’s defense, I will point out that backgrounds in art tend to be simplified as a general rule to help focus viewers on the foreground figures. It is not a hard-and-fast rule, but merely a convention that’s been around for some 700 years.

Rivera will take this tradition to extremes. The background foliage in today’s panels are shapeless and lack definition; sometimes not even suggesting “trees” as a possibility; for example, panel 1. And check out the trees in panel 2 of yesterday’s strip, which look more like the hokey newspaper Christmas trees I was taught to make in Elementary School.

It should be obvious, however, that photographic representation is definitely not the design goal that Rivera has been pushing in the strip. And that has been a central problem for many Mark Trail readers.

Men with Attitudes. So what’s new?

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One thing you might notice in Rivera’s Mark Trail is that virtually every male is either pissed off about something or auditioning for a Steven Segal movie. And that is not a compliment. An adventure strip usually has to have drama, intrigue, some danger, and a “save the world” for or from something. But there is little drama in constant fighting, Jason Bourne, notwithstanding.

What we have here is a version of a high school gang of bullies movie, where the hall monitor/teacher steps in to stop the fight that ensures the dramatic and humiliating beat down takes place in the Boy’s Room after school. Mark’s calm demeanor (excuse my sarcasm) on display here is the normal reaction Mark pulls out for just about any kind of situation, because that is what Rivera thinks Mark Trail is all about or thinks that’s all that the readers care about. Well, I care about flapjack dinners and talking snakes, too! And those intimate nature walks Cherry and Mark go on, where Rivera omits the best parts.

I noticed that Mark’s most recent official, paying job was the assignment in Utah, reporting on wild horses. I don’t know what Cherry earns from Violet, but if Mark and his family want to keep eating and paying the rent, shouldn’t he spend more time soliciting paying work? On the other hand, I do appreciate Rivera’s innovation to reveal some of Mark’s “downtime” activities, rather than simply continuing the old Mark Trail routine: “Go on assignment-return home for 3 days-get called to another assignment”, which was the prior modus operandi.

Mark’s eyebrows keep growing and this story ends!

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At least Rusty managed to squeak back in at the end of the story to remind us (and Mark) that this adventure was supposed to be his adventure, not Mark’s. Or was it? It sure would have been nice to have Rivera spend a bit more time on Rusty’s paper and presentation where he could have demonstrated some his research to enlighten us. After all, this comic strip is supposed to feature nature and our relationship with it, right? So, how do e-waste toxins affect the environment? No idea so far, but then, maybe Mark will take that over as well and tell us this Sunday.

We’ll give an “Attaboy!” trophy to Rusty, but Mark always gets top billing, and that means Rusty’s primary role is priming the pump for daddy Trail. Mark my words.

Art Dept. I dunno about that seated Mark reading the shrinking book in panel 1. He looks uncomfortable and oddly built, though maybe it’s just Mark’s expression that gets me. But compared to the past several days, today’s drawing presents a better sense of organization and craft.

It’s only Friday, but here is a highlights reel!

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Here we go again, with Rivera padding out the week by reiterating the script from the previous days. Does she think this strip is only published once a week? Anyway, pity the poor schlepp, Ranger Shaw, an unqualified warden of the forest who can’t seem to find the wherewithal to call on his fellow rangers for assistance; who can’t find the ability to even call his district supervisor for help. No wonder he’s afraid his wife will leave him. No wonder his son is a jerk.

Like so many TV and movie writers, Rivera seems to make every other “good person” in the strip appear less than or not equal to Mark Trail. So, Diana Daggers was a formidable and deliberate badass when she originally appeared, when opposing Mark. But ever since she more or less came over to his side, she has been weak, ineffective, and mostly invisible.  Rex Scorpius, former stuntman and Internet animal tamer, is only good enough to drive a getaway car for Mark. Debait Team member Cliff certainly had little to do with actually helping Mark’s fishing retreat succeed. And now we have Ranger Shaw, who has been a weak character from Day One. In fact, even his face is weak; a flattened pancake of a face without depth.

Why do writers feel the need to make other people look dumber or weaker, just to prop up their Main Character? It’s such a simplistic and patronizing attitude. Rivera is not the first or only person to do this, of course; but it would be nice to see her break away from this cheap meme. For example, a really strong and smart Diana Daggers working alongside Mark and actually accomplishing things on her own or in tandem would make a great team and likely increase the popularity of this strip. In truth, we had some of that in the Zeeba Mussels story. Let’s have more!

Sad Ranger Shaw’s tearful confession continues…<sniff!>

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So, this is not the first time that Mark reacts as if hearing something for the first time, when he already responded to it in a previous strip. In fact, from a normal reaction sequence, today’s panel 1 text would—should—precede yesterday’s panel 4. That is: First the reaction, then the moral teaching moment. But in the context of moving the story, it seems necessary to walk backwards a bit. I’m not so sure.

But speaking of sleeping on the couch, it’s clear that his conjugal issues go a lot deeper than Vampire Romance movies or what his mother-in-law thinks.

Finally, that “DVD” box in panel 3 suggests that either Ranger Shaw had to label it so he wouldn’t forget what he was abandoning in the woods or Jules Rivera thinks her readers are as clueless as Ranger Shaw and the Grungey Boys. Well, indeed! We certainly wouldn’t want to think that the box was just some random box of crap that happened to be in that clearing where Ranger Shaw is losing his mind. No siree Bob!

Ranger Shaw delivers a backhanded compliment to Mark.

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Today’s dialog presents some problems for the story and Shaw’s position. I’m certainly not an aficionado of park and forestry law enforcement, but the US Forestry Service does have their own law enforcement, both uniformed and ununiformed. Even the national park service has law enforcement. So, this presentation of Ranger Shaw as weak, insecure, and ineffective makes little sense. He could have called on fellow federal law enforcement officers or even the local law, as he plainly did in the July 6 strip when he took the three Grungey Boys to the local sheriff. But then, how would Mark get involved!? Ay, there lies the rub.

As far as story is concerned, I’m holding judgment a bit. Today’s strip does not appear to provide much relevance to the story’s development. Even if Ranger Shaw only just found out about the trash, so what? Will there be some kind of consequence for Ranger Shaw as a result of his inability to do the job for which he was hired? Again, so what?

Anyway, wasn’t this story supposed to be about Rusty and Robbie’s rivalry? Rusty is probably back at home, swearing up a storm about how Mark once again sidelined him out of another one of his own adventures.

The Week in Review and the Sunday Nature Chat 

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This past week started out with the possibility that Cherry and Violet would have a “head-to-head” over Violet’s need to find fault with Cherry’s work at the end of a long work day. Mundane, perhaps, but the possibility of some rethinking of Cherry’s position or employment could have been the focus this week.  

Instead, the compost project resurfaced through the plot device of Violet discovering a bear rummaging through the new compost bins that Cherry just installed. Seems they were not very secure and Violet had secretly dumped her lunchtime chicken bones in the compost. The bear being a bear, it sniffed out the bones and commenced its nighttime snacking.  

While the two gals were standing mere feet away watching the bear, Cherry came up with a from-out-of-nowhere solution of grabbing an airhorn from out of her truck (part of her emergency supplies, she claimed). The sound drove the bear off. Cherry resolved to get better locks for the bins and the two gals resolved that bears were easier to deal with then men. I’m not sure that joke was funny when it used to be told the other way around. 

The lack of any real drama or danger in the storyline was a big disappointment. It is not unique, as Rivera seems to treat every situation as if she is writing for Public Television kid shows. This situation was underscored by some really inconsistent drawing. It was almost a perfect storm of indifference or ineptitude. There is more to this than a mere difference in artistic expression. 

As is common, Jules Rivera links the Sunday nature strip to the current story. But since this topic turned out to be the main draw this week, there is little new. Nevertheless, Rivera did cover some additional bear-discouragement techniques, providing a few more helpful tips.  

Where do we go from here? 

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Since this is my blog and I’m spending the weekend with my wife’s siblings, I’m giving a shoutout to Paul & Lisa, Tom & Diane, John, Sue & Steve, and Mark. 

Okay, back to business. Having scared off the bear with an air horn, Cherry and Violet bond over their mutual frustrations of dealing with the opposite sex, speaking strictly from a conventional, binary point of view, of course. 

Some days there is little to say. This is one of those days. Rivera is just padding out the storyline the same way a TV drama or comedy might have a light-hearted epilog. The overriding question for us all, I’m sure, is whether this story will continue in order to cover Cherry’s Compost Conference. But unless Rivera has something plotted to take place during the conference, it’s likely we’ll only learn about it post factum.  This follows the normal convention found in pre-Rivera Mark Trail.  

Why couldn’t Cherry hear Violet? We could!

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Stand back?! Shouldn’t Cherry have said “Violet, let’s both get in the truck before the bear runs out of chicken bones!” Then she could have employed her emergency air horn (maybe it’s for slow drivers in the left lane?). Heck, maybe Cherry could have just flashed her brights and honked several times.

Another chance for real suspense is wasted.

Non compost mentis?

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Okay, Cherry has a point:  Meat sources attract various animals, even bears. Bad news! But Cherry can also be blamed for not taking better measures to reduce animal attacks, such as locking down the bins, fencing them off, or even possibly making more balanced mixes of compost material to minimize smells. Will this point of contention (or one like it) come out in the story this week?

Sure, we can criticize Rivera for not appearing to know about these things, but that might not be the case. We must consider this situation from the viewpoint of plot. It was clear early on that Violet’s unusual fried chicken binging was emphasized for a reason; and that reason was to enable this conflict between the two women and the composting project. Stories need conflict.

This bear-attacks-compost plot device reminds me of Mark’s earlier dealing with a bear snacking in unsecured garbage bins at a mountain retreat site (see the strips for March 17 and 18, 2023 in the “Bear Necessity” adventure).

Otherwise, I’m waiting to see Cherry’s fluency in “Bear-speak.” And that may be a fact, as many of us should recall seeing (in reprint) early strips (April 1946) by Ed Dodd of Cherry Davis playing with her pet bear, only to have Mark arrive on scene thinking she needs to be saved.

Somebody forgot to lock down the compost bins!

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While Cherry poses for a re-do of “American Gothic”, Violet meets the biggest fan of compost bins. So caught off guard is she that her Inner English slips out. Panel 3 echoes a memory of regular reader “Downpuppy” (you’ll have to look at the June 19th comments for the relevance here). And, as a follow-up to my response to a comment by “be ware of eve hill” yesterday, it looks like Rivera managed to tie this sequence back into the compost story, which is one reason this post is short. Well, that, and I have to prepare for my Italian book club session tomorrow.

Anyway, there’s a chance for some drama and danger here. How will Rivera handle it? Get your guesses in early!

Violet’s Guide to Working with the Hired Help, Chapter 3

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As Boss, it’s your job to maintain order with, and dominance over, the hired help. Never let the opportunity pass to remind them that you are more competent than they are. Today’s example shows how Violet casually points out Cherry’s apparent carelessness, only at the end of the work day when the employee is most vulnerable. Excellent tactics! Observe how Violet puts on a guise of studied informality in her pose and expression as she glibly makes her rebuke. “Hah! Hah! Just a small thingy, Cherry. Hah! Hah!” This ensures that your contractor goes home feeling somewhat incompetent and even more subservient the next day. Of course, Violet’s comment could have waited until morning, but a boss must always keep workers in their place.

Well, if you remember, when Rivera began this strip, Cherry had an independent gardening and landscaping business. The Sunny Soleil Society was the company charged with enforcing the HOA rules for a community where Cherry was doing a job. Along the way, Cherry wound up working exclusively for the SSS. Its HOA activities were forgotten as Rivera decided to focus on the interaction between the two women. And there have been notable interactions. But it would be nice to see Cherry get jobs someplace else now and then. Some new characters and plots would freshen up Cherry’s stories.

The Week in Review and the Sunday Nature Chat

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Mark confronted the three so-called “Grungey Boys” (a name never explained) who had dropped off a stolen fax machine in Lost Forest in order to smash it, as they had done to the other electronics. They claimed to be working off steam about work, but Mark was more concerned that they never cleaned up the debris, which was hurting the forest.

Rusty and Andy had actually gotten there earlier, but were spotted by these three stooges.  As they were harassing Rusty, Mark made his surprise entrance in true revenge mode.

Connor (the one who looks like Larry the Stooge) snuck up behind Mark (somehow) and locked Mark’s arms to disable him. Connor’s technique proved faulty and Mark had little problem escaping. The scuffle was brief, as Ranger Shaw and a colleague drove up at that moment to detain the three “Boys” and hand them over to law enforcement. So, another dangerous forest gang has been taken off the trail.

Is this the end of the story, as I wondered yesterday? It seems to be, but it leaves Rusty’s part of it entirely unfulfilled. So, I don’t know. We’ll just have to wait and see. If you have the time, check out my Thursday blog wherein I make several suggestions on how Rivera might turn this strip around and give it more respect. I should know, of course, because I post a blog!

A 2016 article at science.org backs up much of this, but points out that stink bugs and earwigs are attracted to yellow lights. “Warm” LEDs may be a better, overall choice.

My friend Lynne Guini, owner of “Lynne’s Light Farm Factory”, told me “Yellow light? Hey, who knows!?! They’re bugs, ya know? Why not just buy one of every kinda bulb and post them around your patio or your deck. Some might work, some might not. Who knows!? At least, you’ll have one heck of a back yard light show! And I can give you a great deal on lights bulbs. Just give me a call. Let me light up your day. Or night!” Lynne can’t resist the urge to make a deal in any situation, at any time of day or night.

It isn’t just Rusty’s day that’s gone to the dogs! 

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Somehow, Honest Ernest’s mutual admiration demolition lovefest doesn’t create a lot of drama. But more importantly, how did Andy suddenly get to be so small? 

Maybe it’s just a way to get your Yah-Yahs out. 

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I’m not seeing anything specifically bad here, aside from theft and illegal dumping. Not that they are minor issues; but the destructive actions of these three dudes is nothing to be alarmed over. Better the smashing of a fax machine than a person or animal.  

Why they are doing this at all is not clear. They don’t seem to be angry about being displaced in their jobs, so we can’t call them modern-day luddites.  

Now, why they want to destroy equipment in the woods is a psychological issue for trained medical personnel to deal with. They could as easily destroy equipment in their own back yards. So maybe this sidebar story ends with Ranger Shaw citing them for illegal dumping and the police arresting them for petty theft.  

Then maybe we can get back to Rusty’s school fair project, unless this is just another ploy by Rivera to present Rusty as worthy of his own adventure, only to have it taken away by his father. 

Just another field therapy session.

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Rivera certainly did throw us an interesting curve this time. I recognize Honest Ernest. Is that Afro-haired dude in the middle the annoying kvetch, Connor? He does look familiar, but I forget where. I can’t place the man with the yellow hat, but I’ll wager he doesn’t have a pet monkey named Curious George. 

The idea of smashing objects is a well-known technique for temporary relief of anxiety. It’s certainly possible that these dudes are doing this out of some mutually acknowledged need to displace their anger. Or it could be they just enjoy taking (or stealing) things and destroying them. Then leaving them behind as litter in the forest. Based on the existing litter, these boys have some long-standing anger issues to resolve.

But “Grungey Boys”!?! They don’t seem to fit what is called “grunge boy aesthetic” based on their attire. I’m willing to admit to being wrong on that assessment, but I don’t think so. 

Is Andy making a value judgment on Rusty’s decisions?

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“Don’t worry, I have plenty of time to get it done!” is the surest sign of impending failure every time it is spoken in a book, movie, or comic strip. 

It probably won’t come as a surprise to most of you if I admit that I am a tad confused. Based on Mark’s discussion with Ranger Shaw the week before, Rusty had already been digging, though until that moment, we hadn’t seen Rusty doing any digging. So today he is going back to dig up game controllers. Perhaps the mental image of Rusty at work that Mark portrayed to Ranger Shaw was only a bit of hyperbole. Or maybe Rusty is going back for even more busted controllers. 

But will Rusty run into Mark and Ranger Shaw on their way back from visiting the site? 

Art Dept. I’d like to give Rivera credit for that gray squirrel, but really, that heavy outline just kills any impression of lightness and quickness. 

Hey, kids! What time is it? It’s Rusty’s Adventure Time!

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An empty house, eh? That must mean ol’ Doc Davis is either working at his clinic or he picked the lock on his door and escaped. We can certainly ascribe the latter aspiration to a cheerful Rusty, as he walks down a path brandishing a shovel, while Andy follows behind. Wait a minute: brandshing a shovel?!? Are there more game controllers buried in Lost Forest?  Does he and Andy play some kind of radical version of Hide and Seek?

Mark quotes Shakespeare . . . or maybe Sherlock Holmes.

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Why is Mark yelling at Ranger Shaw? It’s not as if Ranger Shaw wouldn’t be knowledgeable on this topic (much less guilty). But for some reason, Rivera chooses to depict our finger-pointing Mark as some kind of Sunday Service “Elmer Gantry”, laying into the laity for their sins, while simultaneously stroking their guilty consciences for larger tithes. In any event, Mark not only speaks melodramatically, but he looks a bit overly dramatic, as well.

Art Dept. And speaking of dramatic, it’s nice to see that Rivera still remembers how to move beyond the all-to-common “tv screen” viewpoint in her panels to give us a bird’s eye look from above (panel 3). At least from that angle, the objects Rivera scatters across the grass look more “normal” than their appearances in the other panels. But, maybe that’s not the point at all.