Another reason this plan is doomed to fail.

                    

When the robot you intend to use to exact your revenge looks a lot like it was made at the Children's Television Workshop, you know you're in trouble.  (Especially since a lot of people really like those little aliens.)  Or, perhaps that is the plan.  You lull the city into a false sense of security and then while their guard is down you strike.  They'd never see it coming, and they wouldn't want to believe that a beloved childhood friend from Sesame Street would do something like that.  (I mean, sure, you might expect that from the likes of Elmo, but not the aliens.)

Yip.  Yip.  Yip. Yip.  Yip.  Uh huh.  Uh huh.

But he looks so happy.

For some reason, I can just picture that robot clapping its hands and saying, "Goody, goody, goody."  I think it's the happy expression on that cold metal face.  That being said, I'm not sure how effective it's going to be in striking terror into the hearts of the people, getting revenge, or taking over the city.

Someone should also tell Braces (who has apparently turned into a cyclops by the last panel) that those robots he's seen in the movies didn't exactly work very well on their own.  They usually needed someone inside, or a computer to create and then place them in the film, and the ones that have been remotely controlled don't have the greatest track record.  (I think that now would be a good time to learn more about what happened to Jaws and R2-D2.).  Really, I think that someone just needs to pull Braces aside, pat him on the shoulder and say, "It's just a movie, dear.  It isn't real.  Stick to your hired goons."

I also think that he needs to lay off of the crazy pills for a while.  That, or get a job at Target.  I tell you, with eyes like that, he could really go places (especially if they're red).

Hooray!

This is my 100th ramble.

Celebrate with ice cream.

I'd hate to see that in a math problem.

A 13 million-digit prime number was recently discovered.

Most people have trouble with the ones under 100.

Let us never speak of this again.

I would like to nominate a phrase for "Things I Never Want To Hear Again."  This phrase has become the go-to comment for any competition, controversy, or similar event.  No matter what happens, it seems that someone always has to utter that magic phrase, "Throw _________ under the bus."  At first I ignored it, I tried to be civil to it, and all was well when I only heard it occasionally, but lately it seems like everyone is hopping on board that darn bus and getting ready to throw someone under it.  So please, if you see me, try to hold back and refrain from saying it.  I don't think that it's too much to ask.  

(And why can't it be a train?)

Now I know...

Murdock is the tallest member of the A-Team.  It only took 25 years to realize this because it's really not something that I'd noticed, perhaps because he's always running around, squeezing into tight places, sitting, or divided from the other members of the team.  The unfortunate side effect of this realization is that because I know, now I notice it every time I watch.  (Not that that's going to stop me from watching.)

Sort of a milestone.

This is the 200th post.

(Frankly, I never thought that I'd make it this far.)

I wonder sometimes.

Do deaf people hear voices and music in their heads like people who can hear do?

I know that people who lose their hearing can, but what about people who were born deaf and therefore never experienced the act of hearing to begin with?

Are they still able to hear thoughts in their minds?

Are they able to hear music even if they've never heard it played?

Do they even know if they have this second kind of hearing?

Or is it all just silence?

So what can you do?

Everyone worries about the end of the world, but really, if it's going to happen, it's going to happen and there's not a whole lot you can do about it.

(And since there have been so many predictions that haven't come true, I'll believe it when I see it, but hope that I won't.)

That's considerate.

The music in my head is always at just the right volume.

It's still annoying, but at least it's at the right volume and I've never had to turn it down.  

I don't know that I'd be able to if I wanted.

I told you not to open the Ark.

My, my, my.  Things have certainly taken a sinister turn the night before the hospice regatta.  I hope that wasn't expensive wine.  (Probably not since it looks a lot like water.)  I guess it's a good thing that Rex is there to administer medical attention should Tweaks need it (though, since he looks like the Nazis in Raiders of the Lost Ark right before they started to melt, I don't think that the first aid kit will do any good.).

(And yes folks, Rex cracked the case of the missing gym mats and the MRSA.  Now he's taking part in the thrilling adventure that is the hospice regatta.)

Where's Higgins?

I don't ask for much, but I do expect that robot to be sporting a mustache and have a penchant for red Ferraris, Hawaiian shirts, and Tiger baseball.  (I don't think it's too much, do you?)

Oh Braces, Braces, Braces.  Usually a nickname that is short for something else actually has something to do with the actual name of that something else (like an abbreviation or shortening of the name.  You know, things like that.)  It looks like we're gearing up for a robot rumble here.  We'll all be waiting with bated breath to see how it finally goes down (or at least I will).  I also want to know where overseas I can get one of those and how much it costs with shipping because that's where they'll get you every time.

(And in other recurring characters that we didn't know would be recurring characters news, it looks like Shirl from the previous story lost a lot of weight and broke out of the mental institution again.  Come on, Moriarty.  Do your job.)

Mysterious Mustachioed Men Making Maniacal Machinations

There you have it folks.  There's the nasty, wicked, mean developer who's taking the water away from the poor defenseless animals.  (Boo!  Hiss!  Hang him!  Shoot him!  Hit him with a rock!  Or, you know, punch him.)  I guess he could be one of the developer's flunkies, but that's not going to let him off the hook.  I do agree with Pop that Mark needs to get this situation under control.  Those turtles can't run, and by the time they would have found water, there would be little turtle skulls bleaching in the dry swamp sun.  You know who needs to come help the animals?  Bear Grylls.  I think that Mark should give Bear a call and ask for help.  After all, if he can help people survive in the wild, shouldn't he be able to do the same for animals?  (After all, if there aren't any animals and plants, survival gets a lot tougher.)

(And does anybody else think those two LATER at the invisible office, complete with invisible man, look a lot like Cherry and Brawny?)

Let's go six-wheeling.

First off, let me say that I am going to be sorely disappointed if at some point TRAZE-R doesn't get loaded into that trailer while it's racing down the highway a la KITT in Knight Rider.

Now, I'm not a member of the police force or anything, but wouldn't it be kind of dangerous to test the robot in the field during actual crimes, when some poor innocent soul could face the consequences of a malfunction?  Shouldn't they perhaps test the robot under semi-controlled conditions so that if anything does go wrong, the force isn't about to face a lawsuit?  Just a thought.  I also want to know how he's going to get that robot into the police station.  Maybe they'll just set up a giant tent in the parking lot instead.   (Welcome to your new office, Tracy.  Sorry you and your partner there can't fit in the building anymore.  We'll try to get electricity out here as soon as we can, but you know, zoning and paper work.  Say, does TRAZE-R come with an outlet?  If he did, that would really help us a lot.)

Zoinks!

Hmm, looks like Mark is going to have to outsmart a possibly crooked developer to bring water back to the swamp and all of its inhabitants.  (I'm afraid that that's a little out of the Inspector's league what with him being a deer and all and not being able to easily gain access into an office building without everyone freaking out.)  I think that Mark should call Scooby and the gang for help.  They're always messing up the plans of crooked developers and such.  The poor animals can't afford for him to wander around aimlessly through the corporate world, trying to navigate the never ending maze of red tape that would only lead to Form 42-F which, when filed, only means that someone in the next four to six weeks will get back to him on the matter, unless it's been conveniently misplaced and filed in the shredder.

It's a double standard, it is.

          

Why do the same people who look down their noses and faint dead away at the sight, or thought, of a flamingo on their lawn insist on having one of those geese that they can dress up for the holidays?  What makes the goose more socially acceptable than the flamingo?  You can dress them both up, and I dare you not to smile at a flamingo wearing an Abe Lincoln getup in honor of President's Day.  Perhaps it's that not enough people dress up their flamingos.  They should.  The creative opportunities are just about endless.  Why, you could recreate the first Thanksgiving, the Nativity scene, and any number of events that require more than one figure.  Sure, people see flamingos as tacky, but when you think about it, aren't geese that you dress up tacky too?  Personally, I'd rather have a flamingo because you have a better chance of being the only one on your block with a dressed up flamingo than you do with a dressed up goose.

How come I can only see them on the "Urban TV" channel?

I love watching older shows like Magnum, P.I. and the A-Team because you never know who's going to show up as a guest star or minor background character.  For instance, just this past week the Allstate guy tried to beat up Magnum.

(Now how many times are you ever going to be given the opportunity to say that?)

Flip the switch.

Some days it seems like it would be nice if I could find the switch that turns off my brain to stop it from thinking, especially when it does said thinking late at night or early in the morning when it knows that I'll have to get up and do something or risk forgetting the information forever.

(And if I could disable the "What if..." button sometimes, that would be nice too.  Too many characters have suffered the side effects of my mind asking, "What if _______ happened?  Oh no.  There it goes.  It's done.  Sorry.")

The plot thickens. It must be the cornstarch.

Well, it looks like Mark is going to have to investigate this water shortage before it reaches Lost Forest.  I'm sure that the Inspector will be glad to have his help.  It looks like I might have spoken a little too soon about the Avians having nothing to do with this.  They're either somehow involved, or are conducting their own search by using members of the Empire that need water, and therefore would be able to seek it out.  We'll just have to keep an eye on them and see what their next move is.  (It could also be possible that they're now recruiting the trees, which are slowly making their way to the cabin where an unsuspecting Pops is talking with Mark.)

(And be sure to look at both sets of ducks, whose condition may indicate that this shortage is not only a water shortage, but a color one as well.  They may also have fallen prey to the water shortage as well and after a brief visit to the taxidermist are now trapped in perpetual flight.  Very sad.)
Don't let the rustic forest setting of this comic fool you.  Mark Trail is apparently on the cutting edge of technology (and his high tech gadgets seem to work a lot better than Dick Tracy's) as evidenced by the teleportation device that Mark and Cherry seem to have perfected.  (Either that, or they are hopping back and forth between Comic and TV Realities, which would be neat too.)

I don't like the looks of that bird in the last panel.  The Avians have been pretty secretive about their workout regimen, and their plans in general, and if they're trying to work up their strength to where they can wield axes and other weapons, I think we're all in a lot of trouble.

To Srv Mn

Apparently, they haven't worked all of the bugs out of TRAZE-R yet as he seems to have a tendency to drop his vowels.  Oh well, nobody's perfect.  (I mean, what's the worst that could happen? :D)

So the robot can only talk to Tracy.  This sounds like a setup for something, like Tracy being kidnapped and an impersonator taking the robot on a rampage.  Diet still looks a little devious to me.  I don't know that I'd trust him to make a foolproof robot.  (Heck, I don't know that I'd trust him to hand me an untainted carton of milk.)  I think it's the eyebrows.
Isn't that nice?  The robot is strong enough to tear down walls, yet has the finesse and dexterity necessary to open a carton of milk (and I will take this time to tell Diet to open his own milk carton.  You are never too rich or successful to not open your own milk carton.).  I see big things in his future.  Big, big things.  (Still, I don't know that all of this power should be placed in the hands of one man, especially a man with a so-so track record when it comes to the high tech.)

You go squish now!

So there we have it.  Diet has built himself a giant Dick Tracy robot (apparently with torso hover capability).  One would have thought that he would have given the robot some clothes, a keen hat, or at least a snappy tie.  (But hey, who am I to judge?)

Wait, law enforcement is already using robots?  Sure, I mean for bombs and things like that, but this is a giant robot, Tracy, think of all of the crime that can be prevented, all of the damsels in distress that can be saved, all of the giant lizards and monsters attacking the city that can be fought.  There's so much potential here.  (I would warn you not to look at the bill, though.  These things tend to be expensive.  In fact, in light of the current fiscal crisis at the station, it may be best if the chief doesn't find out.)

Just to keep you from asking...

For all of the people who have ignored me, but will inevitably ask me who I voted for come November, like it's their right to know, here are several possible answers:

1. Winners and losers because I am never completely right and I am never completely wrong.  (This one's my favorite if only because it seems to anger people the most.)
2. The Green M&M
3. The Red and Yellow M&Ms because I believe that together they can make the world a better place.
4. None of your business.  (Why are you even talking to me?)
5. People.
6. Space Marshall Graham and Commander Hawkins.  (I really, really want that giant robot, and cannot, in good conscience vote for Zarkon.)
7. That guy who did that thing and made that speech.
8. The person who irritated me the least.  (I've got to say, no one is looking good right now.)
9. The carbon-based life form.  (I just don't trust that silicon-based one.)
10. The one I could trust.  (Again, right now it's not looking good for either one.  Quite the quandary.)

So there you go.  Please never ask again.

If a tree trips in the city, will it fall on your car?

The thought of a tree falling on my car is not a happy one (though it does bring to mind the time my car was broken into and nothing was stolen, not even the fabulous factory installed, it's just a radio, radio), but whenever I see the Allstate ad where the guy asks what I'd do if a city tree falls on my car, I laugh because it doesn't look like the tree just fell over onto the car.  No, it looks like it was either running or walking down the street and tripped, falling onto the car and doing irreparable damage.  (Just try imagining that the next time you see the ad.  It puts it in a whole new light.)

Scrubbing Bubbles, eew!

There is just something that makes me laugh every time I see the Scrubbing Bubbles say, "Eew!" at the thought of touching one of those in-bowl cleaners.

(I'm laughing right not just thinking about it.)

So close, and yet...

There are only 100 pages to go.

(In theory, and theories are wonderful, magical things.)

Someday I will just keep driving.

Sometimes when I'm driving somewhere, and I reach my turn, I consider not taking it and just continuing on down the road.  I consider just seeing where the road will take me, not take any turns, and just see how far I can go by going straight.  I'm curious to know what I would see along the way, what I would find at the other end, and how long it would take to get there.

I want one!

If I were Dick Tracy, I'd be nervous too.  I mean, his track record with high tech gadgets hasn't  exactly been something to brag about lately, and that was just concerning things that could pretty much fit in the palm of his hand (or at least a normal sized room).  This, on the other hand, has the potential to go on a giant robot rampage (not that that would necessarily be a bad thing).

(And another thing: how come Dick Tracy can have a giant robot and I can't?  It's just not fair.)

The Inspector’s on the case.

Sherlock Hooves is going to get to the bottom of this water shortage, and he's not going to be doing it alone.  Dr. Otter and Faline Adler are going to be right beside him, looking for clues and tracking down the culprit responsible for this nefarious plot.  (If the previous adventure has taught the animals anything, it's that you can't depend on the humans these days.)  But who could be behind this?  It doesn't really seem like something the Avians would do, but with a leader as twisted as the Kookaburra, who knows.  If I were the Inspector, I'd get to the bottom of this thing as fast as I could since it looks like any unfortunate animal that falls prey to this shortage ends up making a trip to the taxidermist.  Don't let Raccoon's sacrifice be in vain!

He’s just saying what we’re all thinking.

What if no one really understands what R2-D2 is saying?  What if no one has ever understood what R2 was saying?  Hey, the little guy made it through all six movies, and saved the day more than a few times.  He has to know stuff.  What if all along he's been trying to share his knowledge, but nobody understands anything he's saying?  Take, for example, when Luke is heading to Dagobah.  How do we know that he's asking where they're going.  What if he's simply trying to inform Luke about Yoda so that he doesn't make a fool of himself?  Then there's that whole revelation about Darth Vader being Luke and Leia's father.  What if R2 had been trying to tell them that all along?  A lot of trouble could have been avoided if they'd just listened instead of pretending to understand.

That's good advice.

Indeed.

Here's a short list of other things you could run into with the lights out at night:

1. An axe-wielding maniac.
2. A table with pointy corners.
3. A beloved pet that will no doubt be scarred for life afterwards.
4. Drunken rabble.
5. A rug made by your grandmother.
6. The door.
7. Another person running around in the dark at night with the lights out.
8. The cord connected to your phone, computer, or other expensive electrical device, that you will inevitably trip on and drag forward, pulling said object down to the floor with a mighty crash, rendering it broken forever.
9. The refrigerator.
10. Stairs to fall down.
11. Stairs to fall up.
12. The edge of a dock.
13. A trapdoor.
14. The hole that leads to Wonderland.
15. A vampire, werewolf, or other monster that wants nothing more than to destroy you.
16. That person you've been avoiding for weeks now.
17. Treasure.
18. Spiderwebs.
19. The wall.
20.  Trouble.

And that's only the beginning.

Two-Face has really let himself go.

Oh Two-Face, I know that times have been tough.  I know that you keep losing to Batman.  I know that you're a teensy bit obsessed with that coin of yours, but you need to get out there, hit the gym, lay off the black and white cookies, and pull yourself together man!

Okay, so I know that Diet has been an ally for Tracy for a very long time, but still, I would be a lot more willing to believe that this guy was on the side of justice if it didn't look like he was a top hat, a cape, and a monocle away from tying a pretty young thing to the railroad tracks and twirling his mustache in victory.  One can only wonder what's hiding behind that door (and if he continues to draw this out, we'll continue waiting to see what's behind that door).
Hmm.  Looks like Two-Face has a brother (or else the people in Tracyville really need to invest in some more light bulbs).  The real question should probably be, which is the real Two-Face?  The original first appeared in 1942, so Diet could work for that, but in the comics world, characters age at the whims of their creators, so Braces here would fit that description (actually, probably everyone in this comic would fit that description).  Who knows, maybe he's not even related to Two-Face at all.  Maybe he's Jaws' brother (or maybe they just go to the same dentist).  We'll just have to wait and see.

On to the actual subject of this here comic.  I don't know about this plan of yours, Braces.  HIGH TECH (which seems to have lost its hyphen somewhere along the way) hasn't exactly worked very well in the recent past.  You're taking your life in your hands with that thing (Well, that and I believe that the phone has already progressed into the cordless realm, so you may already be behind.), and if you think the cops are smart, I suggest you take a look at their previous exploits (it's not exactly confidence boosting for the law abiding citizens of this city) and then make your decision.  

Movie Moments IX: And your job would be what?

Aside from the two guys who have to shield their eyes from the Death Star's laser beam, one of my favorite, lesser know, probably not even named, characters from Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope would be the guy in the tower with the spear at the end of the film.  Every time that I see him standing at the top of that watchtower, just hanging out, holding on to the spear, I have to wonder why he's even there.  I mean, the guy looks to be sitting at the top of a cell tower and all he has to protect himself, and the secret rebel base, is a spear (and maybe a blaster if he's lucky).  You could say that he's a lookout, but that doesn't make much sense since the base is surrounded by a heavily forested area, so anything below the canopy is out of his sight, and anything big enough to be seen (like an AT-AT or an AT-ST) would just blast the guy away, and if the rebels have radar, there's no real need for him to be looking to the sky.  Besides, what could he possibly do if there was an attack?  Throw the spear at a TIE Fighter?  I'm not sure how effective that would be, and once he's thrown it, how else is he going to defend himself?  So many questions.  (Who knows, maybe he got in trouble and that's the punishment.  You get elected "Rebel not in an aircraft most likely to be blasted out of the sky during an attack.")  Still, it warms my heart every time that I see him standing there, doing his job, whatever it may be.

If only they were real...

Some kids wanted to pilot the Millennium Falcon.  Others wanted an X-Wing or a TIE Fighter.  Me, I wanted an Imperial Walker.  (I always thought that they looked neat and had great theme music.  I guess my last name should have been Veers.)

I trust that they're okay.

I wonder how Iowa is doing.  The last I heard, it was underwater.  The last I heard, they were sandbagging.  Then it just disappeared from the news, like it had been swallowed up by the Earth, never to be heard from again (though that would certainly be newsworthy).  I guess we were just meant to assume that everything worked out, that the waters dropped, and people began the cleanup process.  Well, I just want to wish the people there the best of luck and let them know that I remember.

He never forgot where he came from.

From the wrist watch radio to the tiny phone, Diet Smith's reputation in the world of innovative products is legendary, beginning when he first encouraged his son, Brilliant, to keep working as he cobbled together his first two-way radio out of Legos, Tinker Toys, two cans, and some wire he found in a drawer, until that fateful day when he contacted a junior detective named Dick Tracy about testing his son's newest invention: the wrist watch radio.  Because of a love of all things new, and an unquenchable thirst for better products, Smith built an empire based on innovation.  Yet, through all of the success and fame, he never once forgot who he was, publicly owing it to the daily delivery of the same school milk cartons he grew attached to as a lad.  One can only wonder what this genius' company will come up with next, what boundaries will broken, and how he will change the world with a simple call to his good friend, Dick Tracy.  And so, for all this and more, Diet Smith, we salute you.

A little bit of this. A little bit of that.

But what gets really weird is when I dream in a combination of animation and live action.

(Have to wonder what my brain is thinking during those times.)

Pretty, pretty pictures.

Sometimes I dream in animation.

I'm not sure why.

(Does that mean I'm crazy?  If it does, it does.  Oh well.)

What have you done!?!

It appears that the animals might have had a change of heart.  They might have decided that any publicity is good publicity.  They might have decided that they just didn't know what they were going to do if they actually got rid of Kelly.  They might have decided a lot of things, but for now they're content with the fact that after Kelly's little scare, surely she will be leaving with a greater respect for nature.  (Yeah, right.  Personally, I think that they just couldn't lower themselves to the level of the Avians and still be able to live the peaceful, happy life they've grown accustomed to living.)

Kelly being Kelly, took advantage of Mark's guard being down to kiss him, much to the dismay of Cherry.  Though, I do believe that the more urgent problem is the fact that said kiss appears to have torn a hole in the space time continuum and may potentially cause Cherry to be erased from existence.  (How's that for gratitude?)  Our only hope is that Cherry will be able to pull herself together before Kelly decides to stay any longer.  (I'm sure she'll be fine.  This isn't as bad as someone being shot or killed, but it would cause quite the scar on the minds of the impressionable young readers.  Someone probably just got a little carried away with the blue, or ran out of pink.)

And so ends this thrilling chapter in the life of Mark Trail.  Tune in next week to see what ne'erdowells and rapscallions our heroic man-about-forest will face next.  Until then, keep your eyes on those Avians.

(Oh, and if you're waiting for the knock-down-drag-out fight between Kelly and Cherry, you can stop now.  Nothing came of it.  They went back to the lodge and said their goodbyes.  The end.)

Me too.

If you've never seen them, I would recommend that you watch all three installments of "I'd Like To Have Been In That Meeting," by vidtronic, on YouTube.  They're fun (and dare I say, "magic").

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qpLPIm5We0Q

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XBGoVMmlUXQ

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xWCYDaZHl6Q

(and if you've never seen the Marvel vs. DC videos by itsjustsomerandomguy, you should take a gander at those too.)

I know what this needs.

Now that Mark has arrived, it's time to stop milling around and actually do something about saving Cherry (and Kelly, to a lesser extent).  Not wasting any time, Mark is using his solar powered clothes dryer to save the day!  Too bad our experienced trail guide and bumbling assistant didn't think of that before now.  Still, for all we know, poor Moss might be suffering from a concussion after getting bucked off of that horse and all of his wilderness skills have been jumbled up in his brain, so I'm willing to give the guy a break.  (Plus, this is Mark Trail, so having Mark Trail show up and save the day is only natural.  Wouldn't want him to look bad, especially since he spent so much time out of frame.)
Thataway Mark, use a little horse (and possibly, mule) power.  It does strike me as a little odd that our three heroes all seem to be going off in different directions as they try to dislodge the log from the rocks.  One would think that by doing that you stand a risk of the log not going anywhere (of course, it could also be done intentionally as a way to stabilize the log while it's being pulled out, but that's just a guess as I have no experience in such things.).    I just hope that they don't cause a second rock slide that entraps the three of them (though really, Mark looks to be the one to get the brunt of it if it does happen).  I guess we'll just have to wait and see if they cleared the entrance to the cave or succeeded in collapsing it completely.

Can you spare a tissue?

Lost Forest truly is a wonderful place.  Where else can you talk to the trees, and where else are the trees considerate enough to use handkerchiefs when they have colds?  (Yes, you could argue that that stick technically has no hand, but you could also argue that the animals aren't plotting anything, and we both know that that's just not true.)  Looks like Moss and Brawny have finally found Kelly and Cherry and are trying to figure out how to rescue them.  (Well, sort of.  They know where they are, though they can't be certain that they aren't talking to ghosts or other apparitions, but this is Mark Trail and with the young readers and whatnot, they have a pretty good chance of being alive.  For now, anyway.)

Inside of the cave, Cherry has distanced herself from Kelly, showing the animals that she'll let them do as they wish.  She has decided to busy herself at the fallen rocks, shouting out a conversation with Moss, and when she tires of that, she can take a seat on the Jack Elrod ball (I bet it's like sitting on a bean bag chair).  Kelly meanwhile, even though she's already expressed concern and fear over the appearance of the mountain lion, has wandered over to said lion, and Momma Mountain lion doesn't look too happy about that (though Kelly looks like she's considering whether or not to perform a a dental procedure on the poor thing).  One would think that now would be the perfect time to get that close up footage of real mountain lions, but apparently Kelly dropped the camera somewhere (possibly down a deep chasm in the cave) so this great shot will have to go unseen by the general public.  (Can someone please tell me how Kelly hasn't been mauled by some other woodland creature yet?  One would think that the lack of a mind and sense of self-preservation would have taken her out of the evolutionary chain by now.  Oh well.)

Hurrah!  Mark has finally arrived and Kelly wisely decided to back away from the mountain lioness (and for all the talk about the lioness being nervous, she looks much calmer than she did in the previous strip where she was about to leap forward and maul Kelly).  Now that the little mountain lion has finished his little lion business, the family can retreat to the safety of the back of the cave.

Mark carries on the charade of being there to help get Kelly out of the cave by handing Cherry a shotgun (but if you look at the pictures, it's obviously a broken one since in one frame he's pushing it up and in the next it's coming down).  I just hope the Jack Elrod ball is something that can be easily pushed aside, otherwise I have a feeling the gun is going to get stuck in between the rocks (with one of them pulling back the hammer so all it would take to pull the trigger is an errant pebble) and make this rescue all the more dangerous.  Still, the real question now is, just who is that shotgun intended for (and did Mark bother to put any bullets in it)?

I almost let this one go...

I almost did, but then there really wouldn't be much of a resolution to the story.  So here goes.  Baskerville has gone to meet his maker because they aren't called demon dogs for nothing, and well, he was pretty mean to them, so he got what was coming to him.  (You know, I think I'm going to miss those slobbering hounds from heck, truly, I am.)  

On a more positive note, our intrepid investigator finally got something right.  Turns out that Tracy knew all about Shirl's plan, from her joining with Baskerville to her use of the hapless janitor at the bank who accidentally disabled all of that high-tech equipment.  (Well he almost had to figure it out.  Once you involve the lip readers and start turning up the undeniable evidence, it's just too hard to ignore the truth.).  

Bankerman is happy that things can return to normal (at least until the next heist), offering The Golden Handshake Of Friendship to Tracy.  (It's a nice gesture, but it's no reward, and they could really use the money to recoup the losses from that misguided purchase of high-tech gadgets.).  

But wait, there's more!  Before Tracy can cart Shirl off to jail, who should show up but Inspector Moriarty.  (Yeah, the name's not lost on me either)  Turns out she's just some crazy mental patient who escaped from a psychiatric hospital in London.  (This turn of events does not restore my faith in the police department.  I think it's time for all employees to undergo a thorough background check.  Who knows what else is hiding behind a badge.)  

But it's not over yet, folks!  No, it's not.  Now introducing the newest member of our cast (probably never to be heard from again): Lt. Teevo!  Yep, who better to deal with someone named after a literary figure than someone named after a piece of technology (though I do hope that he's more effective than those high-tech gadgets Tracy tried to use).  Sure, he might be prone to make all sorts of suggestions and assumptions that might or might not make sense, but at least the boy is eager to please and always there to help.  We'll just have to wait and see if we ever see him again (or ever see him, for that matter), and so I say hello Teevo (and maybe goodbye).

I'm almost caught up.

I swear.

There’s no blood in the water.

I want to believe that it didn't happen.  That I didn't see that professional news anchor look a little sad and disappointed that Gustav wasn't worse and the damage catastrophic.  I want to believe that, but I can't.

(I guess when you basically dedicate the day to watching and hoping for it to happen, latching on to the little things that probably happen every time there's a hurricane, if there's no great damage or loss of life, there's no story, so you'd be disappointed to.  Me, I'd be happy, but I'm weird like that.)