Thank you, oh wise one.

According to a little boy who was shopping at the store with his mother, "Germs are as green as ham."

You know, it's true.

I wonder why I'd never noticed before.

If you'd like to make a call, please hang up and try again.

David Banner just turned into The Incredible Hulk because he didn't have enough money for the pay phone.

I bet things like that happened a lot more than he'd like to admit.

That's a nice thought.

So the fishing/camping/photography trip comes to an end. I'm not sure that anybody really caught anything worth keeping because they don't seem to have done a lot of cooking (though Mark might have caught a nifty new blue hat to replace the worn out tan one). Things winding down, Rusty brings up the subject of the poachers (just to remind everyone that there was some kind of illegal activity in this story), but Mark decides that he's on vacation, that it's really none of his business, and that it's a matter best left to the authorities. (Personally, I think he just wants to snag another cup of coffee from his friend at the wildlife office.) And so, this fishing/camping/photography trip (which really didn't show a lot of any of those three things) begins to wind down to the triumphant return of our intrepid fishermen/campers/photographers to Cherry, Doc, Andy, and everyone back at Lost Forest.
Or maybe not. Just when we think we're about to leave the swamp and this story behind (yeah, right, like Mark would really let something like poaching go uninvestigated), Sassy takes it upon herself to look into the strange noises she hears outside of the tent. Now, it could be that she's just going to go bark at some frogs or herons, but considering this is a Mark Trail comic, I'd say it's just as likely (and probably even more so) that she'll stumble upon the poachers and get in trouble, which means that Rusty will also get in trouble because he'll have woken up in the night, found her gone, and gone off into the dark and dangerous swamp to find her because she would have done the same for him. This means that, even though they should be leaving the swamp once everyone wakes up and has a hearty breakfast, this story isn't over yet. Nope. Not by a long shot.

Smile!

Tracy and Agent Ennen safely out of harm's way, they discover the real reason they're alive: Della Contessa, the charming gal who lowered the trapeze and then pulled our two hapless heroes to safety. It would seem that at least she and Fee Fi don't necessarily have the dark criminal pasts that we were led to believe were possessed by every single member of the circus (and I'm really beginning to think that the only ones with criminal pasts are Ringo and Mr. Pops, and that the only one with a currently active criminal life is Mr. Pops), though they don't necessarily like Ringo being in charge (and I can only believe that that is due to a beloved ringmaster being pushed out of the way or into early retirement by the FBI, thank you very much, Agent Ennen). Still, it isn't such hatred that would lead either of the two to murder, so for the time being, they're cool.
Mr. Pops, thinking that all went according to plan, even though he didn't see either Tracy or Agent Ennen die, didn't hear any anguished screams or cries for help, and didn't hear the sound of bones being cracked in a tiger's jaws, decides that assuming they're dead is good enough and calls the cops, who respond with lightning speed (probably because some of them were still hanging around the circus after Louise's unfortunate demise because they really wanted to win that stuffed animal they saw hanging above the Skee-Ball game). Easily explaining away the gun, Mr. Pops happily watches as Ringo is handcuffed before he goes to lead the authorities to what he can only assume are a couple of chewed up law enforcement officials. (There you go assuming things, Mr. Pops. You do know what happens when you assume, right? I thought so.)
Unbeknownst to Mr. Pops, but beknownst to us, Tracy and Agent Ennen are very much alive and hankering for a fight. Della, on the other hand, doesn't seem so eager and frankly, I don't blame her. The tiger, meanwhile, looks very, very happy, which means that Tracy took care of that dental problem, the steaks for its dinner just arrived, or it's a camera hog (and judging from how much of panel three it's taking up, I'm leaning towards the third option). One thing is for certain, though: Mr. Pops is going to have some explaining to do when they all step inside and see two people who are very much alive and not at all mauled.

Lights, camera, draw.

I miss animated movies.

I miss the old Disney animated movies.

CGI is fine and all, but there's something about those moving drawings that's just...magic.

A lot of the CGI ones also seem to live or die on pop culture references.

If you get them, they're funny.

If you don't, they're not and you might just feel stupid or confused.

Sometimes I wonder if anyone will get them in the future.

I miss some of those timeless stories.

Those stories that didn't depend on pop culture references, but that might have thrown in something just for a laugh.

But only if it made sense in the story.

And most of the time, those things were more like timeless truths than references.

Most of all, I miss the stories.

The stories that looked just fine drawn out.

That will still look just fine drawn out, even if the technology improves because it gives them a new flavor and doesn't just make them look choppy.

I miss the songs too.

The songs actually sung by the characters.

The songs were fun.

Now there just don't seem to be any.

Some people have said that the hand drawn animation is the problem because the CGI is often seen as being so much better because it looks so real, but I don't think so.

I think that often the problem lies in the story itself.

Because a bad story cannot be saved by good animation, but a good story can survive bad animation.

Because it's all about the story, and if the story isn't there, neither is the movie, no matter how it's animated.

But I still miss the ones that look like they were drawn by hand.

In a lot of ways, those ones seemed more real.

Those ones had magic.

Maybe they'll come back someday.

I hope so.

How about we have mixed vegetables tonight?

Trapped by Stu (who I guess is now Ray), Bob continues to try to talk his way out of going poaching. Unfortunately, arguing just doesn't seem to be one of Bob's strong points, and Ray easily wins, telling him that he and Phil (who still hasn't been given an actual name) need him. Yeah, they need you Bob. They need you to be there so that if anything goes wrong they can pin this whole thing on you and get away. Not even that opossum can get you out of this one. I only hope that it'll spread word to the alligators not to go out tonight. (That's right, folks. Stay inside and spend time with your families, or maybe a good book. I hear there's a baseball game on. Maybe you should think about watching that.)
His orders given, Ray departs, disappearing back into the swamp until the appointed hour, leaving Bob to wrestle with his demons. (Oh my! They've got him in a choke hold! I don't think he's going to be able to get out of this one! And what's this? A folding chair made of two-by-fours? Oh the humanity!) Trying to calm his nerves with a nice chamomile tea, Bob is finally able to tell Mary about his late-night poaching expeditions, and she of course is horrified. She becomes even more horrified when Bob insists that it's the last time. (Sure Bob, you can quit tomorrow. You don't even need to do it. Uh huh. Have you talked to Ray and Phil about this because sure, you're all resolved and ready to take a stand here, but out there in the swamp, well, that's just another world entirely and you've already shown how susceptible you are to peer pressure.) It might be, or it might not be. Frankly, I'll believe it when I see it, and so far, I haven't seen it.

Does he have a song in his heart to go with that spring in his step?

The door into the cage blocked by a ferocious panther (or maybe just locked by a key presently in the hands of a clown), and an angry tiger ready to pounce being held back only by the circus' resident giant, Tracy and Agent Ennen finally manage to pull themselves together and decide that if there's no way to go forward, backward, or to the side, up must be the right answer. Sending up a quiet prayer that's not too specific because you never know who might be listening, they cast their gazes upward and see a trapeze hanging through the hole in the top of the cage. (Gee, that sort of reminds me of the cage they had in Prancer, only this one doesn't contain a reindeer that might or might not be magic and I haven't seen Sam Elliott.) Time may be growing short, but at least they have a way out, if only they can reach it.
The trapeze their only hope for escape and survival, Tracy has no choice but to reveal the secret he's been keeping these many long years: there is another Inspector Gadget (for who else but a man with springs in his feet could jump so high while holding another person in his arms?). With Tracy and Agent Ennen sort of safe but not really, Fee Fi finally releases his grip on the tiger (and we had all better hope that the tiger doesn't have some sort of super jumping ability, or that Tracy has little to no upper body strength), and we are left to ponder the future of the two law enforcement officers who are now dangling above not just one big cat, but two (even though we haven't seen that panther for a while now).

Thanks Leroy.

Now I have music I can eat corn on the cob to.

At night, we all live in a Lite-Brite world.

Some places just have more pegs than others.

The alliance continues to crumble.

As Bob and Mark continue to talk about fishing and photography, Stu (who apparently decided to abandon his hat unless he and Phil decided to swap shirts, much like the camera stealing kidnappers from the the previous story) stumbles upon his accomplice chatting it up with a man who looks a little too familiar for comfort. Stu, now might be one of those times where you should just leave well enough alone, even though I know you won't. Meanwhile, Terrence the Turtle continues his slow progress towards the Court of the Animal Kingdom (and since this is going to be at least the second time he's seen Mark, I'm starting to think that maybe old Terrence isn't too sure of which way he should be going). His progress may be slow, but at least he appears to be learning a lot along the way. We can only hope that his information will still be valid when he actually gets to where he's going.

The gears start to turn as the hamster starts to run on the little wheel and Stu realizes that yes, it is the same guy that he knocked on the head in the swamp and then left to the alligators. (See, Stu, I told you that that alligator looked a little full. The next time you plan on doing something like that, give the alligators a little heads up. That way they won't fill up on frogs before hand.) The fact that Mark is still alive, and the fact that Bob is getting all chummy with him, doesn't sit well with our hatless, side-burned poacher. Better grab another tree branch, Stu. Looks like it's about time for another clobbering, and this time, don't let nature finish the job. Do it yourself.
With the departure of Mark, Rusty, and Sassy, Stu decides to confront Bob and find out what he knows about Mark, the man who should have been alligator chow, but apparently wasn't. Bob, true to form, immediately tries to lie his way out of the mess he's found himself in, trying to convince Stu that he was setting fishing lines and not talking to a guy who was supposed to be in the stomach of an alligator. Stu, however, isn't buying Bob's story and calls him on it, also taking the time to point out that Mark, friendly as he may be, could also put them all in jail. (I'm not really sure about your logic there, Stu. Mark didn't see you hit him and he doesn't know that you've been poaching alligators. Are you afraid that he'll identify you by the scent of your cologne? Your pomade? Your shadow? The sound your feet make as you walk through the swamp? What did you do that makes you so identifiable? Is that why you got rid of the hat?) Let's see if Bob can talk his way out of this one. I'm guessing he can't, but you never know.

Good to see you're staying positive.

Apparently, not everyone at the circus feels that Tracy and Agent Ennen deserve to die (and maybe not everyone at the circus has a criminal record too). Fee Fi may be in the minority when it comes to that (and maybe he's just at the circus because it was either this or the pro wrestling circuit), but hey, he's the biggest guy around, so that's got to mean something. Of course, it could also be that Fee Fi doesn't want the tiger to get a tummy ache after eating all of that rich law enforcement food because for all we know, Fee Fi has to clean the tiger cage every day and doesn't want to have to clean up after this meal. The tiger momentarily held at bay, Tracy and Agent Ennen rejoice (or maybe they're checking out that brand spanking new television or dishwasher), but if I were them, I'd get moving on that escape plan.
Joy quickly turns to panic and fear when Tracy and Agent Ennen find that the cage door is still locked. (Really guys? You knew it was locked before. Pulling on the tail of a tiger is not how you unlock a door unless the tiger swallowed the key and by pulling on the tail really hard you can get the big cat to spit it back out. Oh where is Dr. Noll when we need him? I bet he would have had you out of that cage in a jiffy, and might have even had some sort of tiger repellent.) Fee Fi also seems to be having a little trouble as he's losing his grip on the tiger. In light of all of this, Tracy apparently decides to give up and instead of making some grand, heroic statement about how they'll be all right, they'll survive, or they'll come up with a plan, goes straight for "We're doomed!" (Though I must admit, I have liked these last panels lately. They're fun. The previous one looked like an ad for some sort of home appliance and this one look like the scene from an old horror movie where our two heroes have just encountered the pod people.) Of course, if he was really worried, he'd be on the lookout for that panther, which we can only assume is still prowling the cage. (Maybe they can't get to the locked door because of it, or maybe the panther is wearing the key around its neck. We'll probably never find out the truth.)

Now that's what I'd call a successful trip.

Four planes.

No gremlins.

Yeah, I was out of town for a couple of days...

Went up to Twin Peaks. Killed Laura Palmer.

(And if you know where that came from, I salute you.)

There are other worlds than this...

Constantly having to pick up after people, I have to do something to keep my mind occupied so that I do not go insane and start attacking customers with that broken hanger I found. As a result of this, I have come up with a theory that there are other dimensions and beings from these dimensions are trying to break through. In fact, one particular dimension seems to be trying harder than most. What is trying to come over, you ask? Well, after finding crumpled jeans in the same corner of the same fitting room several times in a row, I have no choice but to admit that there is another world, a world where pants walk around by themselves, but wait, there's more. Not content to remain in their own world, and with a strong desire to see what lies on the other side, they are continuously trying to cross over, be it in the fitting rooms or the jean tables and cubbies. Unfortunately, while they may be sentient beings able to walk by themselves in their own world, once they cross over, they become regular old jeans and fall to the floor or end up with one leg hanging over the side of the table or sticking out of the cubby. Someday they may be able to solve the problem, or perhaps they will just give up, but from personal experience, I don't think they're ready to do that quite yet.

(And that, folks, is why those who keep trying to get into the Dick Tracy and Mark Trail Universes are always people or animals. They can survive the dimensional change because they have similar counterparts on this side.)

(No, I am not crazy. Just bored and maybe a little frustrated sometimes.)

Liar!

Agent Ennen continues to freak out, turning her attention back to the tiger when the last strip clearly showed that she should be more afraid of the panther. (Boy, I can see why the FBI wanted her. Way to go, detective.) The tiger, realizing Agent Ennen's mistake, and not really wanting to be shot by an overzealous FBI agent or gumshoe (even though both are now presumably unarmed, but you never know what people are hiding), announces to the world that it's really helpless, which I would hope would convince them not to do anything too drastic. In fact, it would seem that the tiger might even have a toothache as it clearly appears to be in some sort of distress and just wants Tracy to have a look inside of its mouth to see if he can see anything that's either rotten or stuck between its teeth. Tracy, however, doesn't look too eager to do such a thing and instead of "Nice kitty!", I would have rather had him say something like, "Dang it Tiger, I'm a detective not a dentist!" (and maybe I should cut back on the Star Trek for a while). Meanwhile, Mr. Pops stands outside, apparently trying to hear Agent Ennen and Tracy's demise, all the while practicing another speech (and all the while continuing to say everything, even when what's written is a direction and not actually part of the speech).

You did bring it, right?

Wait a minute, Mark. I thought this was a camping/fishing trip, not a camping/fishing/photography trip. In fact, I didn't even know that Rusty had brought his camera. (I actually thought that he might have locked it away in a safe between shoots so that it couldn't fall into the hands of any bank robbers/kidnappers/evil fishermen.) I hope he remembered to charge the battery before you left Lost Forest. It would be a shame if he was about to take a picture of that duck or that heron (at least, I think it's a heron) with what looks like a Mohawk and the battery died. On the plus side, Sassy has reappeared, which means that she either abandoned her post at the camp, or they had brought her all along and she was just outside running and jumping and playing (and maybe chasing that cat, which has now mysteriously disappeared after it just as mysteriously appeared). The real mystery of this strip, though, is the identity of the person or thing hiding behind the strip, asking them how long they plan on staying in the swamp. (Me, I think it might be Ann Landers, or whoever has taken over since her death. That, or a classified ad for some used furniture or an old car in like new condition.)
Meanwhile, Phil and Stu (who have never been given any names and are simply referred to as "Bob Jackson's poaching friends") discuss their next move at the local bar and grill (I certainly hope it's not the Valhalla Bar And Grill because I don't think that Odin would like this one bit). Since they didn't read anything in the newspaper about their attack on Mark the night before, they come to the conclusion that he was eaten by alligators (because we all know how fast newspapers can cover a story, especially if it occurs after the deadline and everyone has presumably gone home except for the people monitoring the printers and the guy who sweeps the floor). Deciding it's safe to poach again, they decide to grab Bob in the morning and get back to work. In other hunting news, Wise Old Owl (or maybe it's his brother Not-So-Wise Middle-Aged Owl) is on the hunt again too, as the tiny flea on his wing informs him that it's okay to get some more hides (which I can only assume are mice or small rabbits). Be careful Mark, the swamp is turning into a very dangerous place. (Still, wouldn't it be funny if Mark ended up running into Rabbit, too? He probably won't, but it's still something to think about.)

We should make t-shirts.

Last night at work was like experiencing The Johnstown Flood.

You couldn't fight it because if you tried to, you would die.

If you were caught in it, you just had to go with the flow and try to survive.

If you were lucky, you ran for the hills and avoided it completely.

I was in it.

I went with the flow.

I survived.

Ladies and gentlemen, she has a name!

And so we learn that the little blonde girl is really named Cindy. (Good for her. She's only been in this story for about as long as the story has been taking place.) She even has a cat, which could be a problem if Sassy is the sort of dog that runs after cats, which I suppose means that it's a good thing that we haven't seen Sassy since Mark got back. (After all, someone has to guard the camp.) Besides the name of the little blonde girl, we also learn that Mark isn't much of a cook. I guess that could be right. Or not. We really haven't seen him do much cooking and as far as I know, they haven't really caught too many fish, so maybe Rusty's opinion is based on the fact that he had to eat a breakfast of dried fruit and oatmeal (which he isn't too big a fan of).
Putting the bland pleasantries and greetings aside, it's time for a good old fashioned swamp meal of coffee, mashed potatoes, and chicken nuggets (or small sweet potatoes or some potatoes au gratin or orange peeps, I'm just not sure). Yum. As they eat, Bob starts trying to find out just what Mark is doing in the swamp and Mark may have inadvertently just supplied the poachers with their next target for a beaning. (Oh well, at least there's plenty of coffee and chicken nuggets to go around.)
Dinner finished, Rusty disappears to probably watch some television with Cindy while Mark and Bob have a little chat. It's then that Mark learns of Bob's lost job at the mill and his optimism that everything will work out in the end. (He also tries to clarify his earlier statement about getting food from the swamp by clearly stating that it's the fish and not the alligators they use for food. No, certainly not the alligators. Never the alligators...maybe.) Meanwhile, Terrence the Turtle continues his slow progress towards the Court of the Animal Kingdom, pausing briefly to speak to a frog to learn anything else that may be of importance. I'm not sure I'd trust the frog after seeing what the relationship is between the frogs and the alligators, but with all of the time Terrence will have to think about the information before he reaches his destination, I'm sure he'll have it all figured out.

Apparently, the tiger was just a ruse.

Very clever, Mr. Pops, tricking everyone into thinking that you were going to have Ringo feed Tracy and Agent Ennen to a tiger when in fact you were planning to feed them to a panther all along. (Bravo, my friend, bravo. Wait, you're not my friend...) I have to say, that panther looks a lot more threatening than the tiger ever did, because while the tiger seems resigned to its fate behind bars (or maybe it's just patiently waiting to be rescued by five fantastic battle-armored samurai), the panther is a boiling cauldron of rage, and will lash out at anyone and anything that gets too close to it. I'm still not sure that this is going to work to Mr. Pops' advantage as a means of revenge since Ringo could still talk to the cops (and they might even believe him), but hey, I'm just going to go with it for now. The clown's got a plan and who am I to interfere?
Uh oh. I think Mr. Pops is just about to make another mistake. Not only is he planning to keep Ringo alive (thereby not really silencing him or getting rid of the information he possesses), but he's also going to commit one of the cardinal sins of villainy: leaving right before your nemesis is about to meet his or her fate. You see, Mr. Pops, when you've trapped your enemy, don't assume that whatever death you've decided for them will still be carried out if you leave the room. You're just giving your opponent the opportunity they need for some quick thinking and ingenuity that they just wouldn't have if you stayed around to witness their end (no matter how gory it might be) with a gun pointed at their head to deter them from any last-second heroics. Sure, right now Tracy and Agent Ennen look pretty freaked out, but this isn't Tracy's first rodeo and he's been in far tighter spots before. I have a feeling that he's going to do something (and you know it's going to be good) and you're going to have that smile wiped off of your face. Oh well, it was fun while it lasted. We'll just have to wait and see what Tracy does once he gets over his initial shock at the big cat switcheroo (and is it just me, or do you now expect Agent Ennen to say, "Do something else," after he gulped in response to her first request?).

Really?

I just saw an ad for those individually wrapped pineapple slices they're selling now.

It brought to mind several questions:

Don't they already sell cored and pre-cut pineapple?

Even if the cored pineapple hasn't been sliced, how hard is it to slice up a pineapple?

Continuing on with that thought, how hard is it to put pineapple slices in a resealable bag?

What else is in those little pineapple sleeves besides the pineapple?

Do we really have so little time that we can't cut and bag our own pineapple slices?

(Are we really that lazy?)

Seeing the ad does make me want to go out and buy some pineapple, though.

(Of course, now I'm waiting for the pre-peeled bananas.)

They'll either win, or they'll lose.

In which case, they won't win.

I don't think you were supposed to actually say that.

Tracy continues to be defiant, and Mr. Pops continues to wave his gun around, though it seems that Ringo shouldn't be worried because Mr. Pops doesn't plan to shoot him, but enough about that. That really doesn't matter because what may be the best part of this entire strip is the "Laugh, clown, laugh!" bit spoken by the nefarious clown right after a series of laughs by the clown. I thought it was funny the first time I saw it, but didn't really warrant an entire post. Now that it's appeared again, I just can't ignore it. I think that old Mr. Pops is sticking a little too close to the script and now I see him as the guy who, when delivering a speech, if the script says "Look at audience and smile," will actually say, "Look at audience and smile."

Turning back to Tracy and Agent Ennen, Tracy decides that for the moment, they should do what Mr. Pops wants. Agent Ennen, on the other hand, has decided that going into the cage would mean their deaths. Now, I don't want to judge her too harshly, but that tiger just doesn't look too hungry or ferocious (it isn't as if it's had its teeth bared the whole time or been growling). Now, I could be wrong, and it could be very territorial and the moment they enter, it could tear them to shreds, but it could also just be waiting for the cage door to open so that it can leap out and maul Mr. Pops (who it didn't like anyway, and who had been keeping its steaks for himself). At this point, anything could happen. (Why, Tracy's extreme concentration as he clicks his heels together and thinks "There's no place like home," could actually work.) But the most important thing to happen in this strip is that we finally know who shot Louise, and it wasn't Mr. Pops (though I'm still convinced he's the ringleader of this whole operation). No, my friends, it was Barb Els and she only did it because Louise was going to kill Ringo first (which leads me to believe that all of these evil circus performers are going to end up standing in a circle around Tracy, Agent Ennen, and Ringo, and when they start shooting, the three captives will drop to the ground and they'll end up shooting each other instead of their intended targets). Can't you just feel the love in this circus? I know I can.

So that's it? That's your plan for revenge? You're just going to frame Ringo? You're just going to have him live with the fact that he led to the deaths of two law officers? You're not even going to try to feed him to the tiger? I thought that you were hired to kill Ringo. Wouldn't not killing him make your bosses angry? Besides, if you frame Ringo and he's sent away for the rest of his life, who will run the circus?

There appears to be a tear in the spacetime continuum.

Now wait just a gosh darn minute here. Mark, I thought Bob had already invited you to dinner. Why are you suddenly suggesting that you and Rusty come over tomorrow (especially since you already agreed to the dinner)? I sense a disturbance in the spacetime continuum. Be on the look out for clones, robots, and Thrakazog. Putting this latest development aside, Bob suggests that if Mark or Rusty hear any more gunshots, they should leave well enough alone. (Gee Bob, that doesn't make you sound suspicious at all.) Now, I know that Bob hasn't known Mark for very long, but come on, he has to know that if Mark investigated one series of gunshots, there's a good chance he'll investigate more when he hears them. (So, apparently, will Faline Adler.) A word to the wise, Bob: you can't keep an intrepid woodsman down, and Mark is one of the most intrepidest (and I may have just created a word there, but I don't care).
It would seem that Dick Tracy isn't the only one experiencing interdimensional travel. After the perplexing strip where Mark suggested that he and Rusty visit Bob and his family the next day after Bob invited them to that night's dinner, things seem to have snapped back to normal as Mark and Rusty head on over to Bob's for dinner and seem to have forgotten completely about their plans to visit the next day (perhaps their minds were wiped or the alternate Mark and Rusty realized they'd crossed into another swamp dimension and headed back to their own world). Who knows what lies in store in the coming days (or weeks).