…or something like that. I’m trying not to pass judgment on it in the first week. If I do, well, aren’t you special?
There’s all sorts of opiniones flying — good, bad, and indifferent. But, hey! Here’s a panel I can work with!
Oh, the tension mounts at the conservation awards…and Mark didn’t even go! at least he didn’t have to rent a tux, or whatever Bill’s wearing.
Golly! Mark won! Who Would’ve thought it?!??
Oh, the excitement is almost too much!
That’s it…beg a little more, Big Boss…
It’s not like Mark and Co. are riding into the sunset…it just feels that way…
…Andy was attacked by wild dogs and is in bad shape (oh no!), and Mark’s boss(es) want him to fly to the Big city to accept an award (double oh no!). Cherry will take case of things, though…
Maybe this is an awkward but exciting segue into the new Mark Trail, though! This will feature a new writer and artist….and a lady, too! New things are coming for sure…I mostly worry that we’ll lose the glorious (and educational) Sunday strips, so I’d better make hay while the sun shines!!
It’s a bright, sunny, autumn morning, and it’s time to check on Andy’s status…
Victory and Band-Aids are ours!
A number of readers continued to fret over the presence of Tabby and Sassy…where were they? were they still alive? were they ever in the strip to begin with? Well, here they are, happy and content to share Rusty’s kennel with Rusty!
But what about the awards ceremony? It’s on television, and I’ll bet it’s in COLOR!
When the Sunday comics mean Mark has to make up something about flowers and bugs…
There’s going to be a sensational movie made! About one of Mark’s sensational nature adventures! Featuring one of Hollywood’s sensational stars! Anything’s gotta be better than the Funky Winkerbean drek…
Wanna talk about weird? James Allen, who we all knew was going to leave Mark Trail (which involved a long, rather ugly back-story) has apparently left in late July, in the midst of the making of a the sensational movie of Mark’s life (and the star of the film desperately needs a drink, too!)! It’s like leaving that goofball cryptozoologist on the top of Mount Everest…HAW HAW!
So now what? Apparently the Syndicate(tm) is running an old Jack Elrod-era story! As if the previous two months had never happened! As if Rusty wasn’t outgrowing his strange, misshapen form!
Some people may just sit by…but not this someone! Is it a real repeated story…or something more sinister? Have you found yourself wondering what has happened to Dawn Weston and her two paramours? I’ve wondered (even if I couldn’t remember what Pepe le Pew’s actual name was). I think the mystery unfolds in Lost Forest…
So, Andy finds the abandoned little cat and takes her home. Cherry and Mark welcome “Tabby” into their Lost Forest home. I like this.
Of course, some dumb animals just don’t want to be friends. Or lunch.
There is a startling resemblance…
And sometimes, it’s nice to just sit around and reminisce…
Wild dogs loose in Lost Forest!!! And still, Tabby has a hankerin’ to ge exploring. (What? You thought Johnny Malotte was the only Frenchman in Lost Forest??? Au contraire!)
Mark Trail doesn’t worry too much. Just enough. Things work out one way or another. And then there’s pancakes! See? I told you life is good!
Still, Mark tries to comfort his worried family…
Who would’ve thought?
Well, the story’s over. There was a tiny forest fire, and Kevin got lost then found, then everyone was reunited, then the Crowleys are going to adopt Kevin, and nothing much else happens aside from the self-congratulations…
And sea-monkeys. Because someone mentioned that Mrs. Crowley and the kids look like sea-monkeys. And you know what? They’re right!
The story might be officially or interesting-worthy over, but there are always a couple of loose ends to tie up…
Maybe it was Rusty’s trusty ol’ alarm clock that’s roused Mark. I’d like to think that Mark just wishes he were back in Nepal, snapping photos of rare, amazing creatures, and far away from weird local orphaned homoculi…
…not literally, like Mark. Or Cherry. Or Andy. Maybe Rusty.
Meanwhile, it’s back to the daily grind, with Mark and Rusty spending a hiking trip with a guy who wants to help orphans, a random orphan or two, a family who might be interested in getting an orphan, and a son who is just fine without adding orphans to the mix.
I don’t know if Rusty was an orphan, or just a neglected child, but if anything, he developed a keen sense of pragmatism.
And we’re just getting started….
And while we’re hanging around the ol’ fishing hole, Geoff lets folks know that he was an orphan, and he spends his time improving the lives of other orphans. What a noble endeavor! (The drawing still looks weird, though.)
The hikers make camp, and it’s suddenly deja vu all over again! (Thank you, Mr. Berra)
