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Woody Woodpecker meets Mark Trail

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As happens once in a while, both Mark’s and Cherry’s storylines take place in Lost Forest. But are they simultaneous? In the past, that was the case. But today, I’m not so sure. See the problem?

How is it that Cherry is hanging around with Mark and Rusty at their (too-tiny) log cabin to welcome Happy Trail, when she is supposed to be helping Violet find her mother’s lost peacock and get ready for the Summer Banquet? Cherry doesn’t even have her work clothes on!

And in a rare event, Jules Rivera has drawn the expected “animal of the day”—a pileated woodpecker in this case—not staring at you and me! And it looks like Rivera spent more time on drawing it, as opposed to just pasting in an image from the web. One thing I discovered: Those are really big birds! Look them up. They have a magnificent wingspan in flight, when seen from below.

Panel 3 suggests Mark didn’t update Cherry on the phone call from Dad while they were at Ranger Shaw’s house. But did he know whether Happy was really coming to visit or was he just feigning surprise?

And yes, the blog’s title today is not just click-bait (for the most part). The image of the Woody Woodpecker cartoon character (who first appeared in the 1940 animated cartoon, Knock Knock) was inspired by the pileated woodpecker. Woody even has his own Wikipedia page.

Mark and Cherry avoid the giant stag beetle ambush and confront a mother alligator!

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The Trail’s bucolic stroll through Lost Forest continues, as they enjoy a cooling off week after the action and suspense of their recent adventures. But don’t despair, readers, as real excitement and danger can  suddenly appear at any time! That Pileated Woodpecker in panel 4 might mistake Mark’s head for a tree stump and start pecking on it for grubs. Woo! Maybe some wood ticks will latch onto Cherry and start crawling down her sweater.

Art Dept. Again, consistency seems to be an issue. The image of Mark in panel 1, for example, looks top-heavy, and  he is not moving. Perhaps that is why Cherry seems to be kicking him in the shin to get him moving. The wavering thickness of limbs and lines that define Mark’s jeans seems to have no rational explanation. And yes, it would be nice to see Rivera spend a bit more time depicting the flora and fauna, since they provide the thematic focus of this strip.

Finally, do you agree that omitting the text box in panel 4 to focus only on the silhouetted figures of Cherry and Mark walking off into the distance provides a much more effective follow-up to Mark’s comment in panel 3? In so doing, it would emphasize the silence that Cherry and Mark are appreciating. What do you think?