Mr. Pops continues to brandish his gun, aiming directly at Ringo's ponytail, as he continues to slowly explain why the ringmaster has to die. Tracy still can't quite grasp why Mr. Pops feels the need to off his boss, so Mr. Pops tells him he's a snitch (even though he was snitching on a criminal organization), a traitor (to that same criminal organization), and, worst of all, a blackmailer (of a criminal organization. Oh, I wasn't supposed to say that? My mistake.). Oh Mr. Pops, I don't know that Tracy is really going to take your case seriously. It isn't the makeup, it's the fact that you're well, you're a criminal and his job is to bring people like you to justice. (Those are the breaks, kid, sorry.) Taking advantage of his close-up, and also now bringing the gun back into the picture, Mr. Pops starts talking about the difference between circus folk and the rest of the world, and here his logic starts to fall apart. Mr. Pops, please consider that if you kill the ringmaster, won't the circus fold? Won't that then be the end of, as you put it, your "only home"? Maybe you should think about it for a minute. Then again, you might have a point if Ringo is in fact threatening to expose all of your secrets. (That's just bad business sense.) Oh my, I think I'm getting confused. Still, I'm not sure that Mr. Pops is entirely dedicated to his plan since he says that killing is too good for Ringo (even though it would silence him and then no one would be around to tell the scandalous circus secrets). I'm just wondering what is good enough? Perhaps he will be pulled apart by elephants (even though we've only seen one) or snowmobiles (even though we haven't seen any, and the last snow we saw was a couple of stories back). Oh the suspense!
Bob, deciding that it was better if Mark didn't know that he was partly responsible for that killed and skinned alligator Mark found in the swamp (and was it really necessary to say killed and skinned? I would think that if the alligator was skinned, we could safely assume it had also been killed. Oh well.), continues to tend to the intrepid woodsman (even if he did kind of insinuate that it was Mark's fault that he was attacked in the first place since he looks like he's wearing some sort of forest ranger uniform). As Mark begins to tell his tale, he suddenly remembers that he was not alone on this fishing and camping trip, and that a youth and a puppy have been left unattended for who knows how long. (My guess is that they're probably still sleeping.) This realization causes him to cut the story short and head back to camp with Bob in tow. Meanwhile, Terrence the Turtle continues on his way to the court of the Animal Kingdom, though now it appears that his message may get there long before he does as a messenger dragonfly has suddenly appeared on the scene. (I bet the Jack Elrod Ball had something to do with it.) When Mark shows back up at camp he finds that Rusty has disappeared! (Oh no! Oh wait, there he is.) His fears, however, turn out to be unfounded, as Rusty pops up from behind a bush. (My guess is that he was figuring out how to survive in the wilderness and also setting a few traps in case he encountered trouble in the form of kidnappers or other ne'erdowells, taking to heart the phrase, "Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me.") I don't really see what Mark was so worried about, seeing as how the Jack Elrod Ball was with Rusty. I'd actually be more worried about the fact that Sassy seems to have disappeared, but I am not Mark, and he doesn't seem to be too worried. In fact, he doesn't seem to be too worried about whoever hit him on the head since he doesn't bother mentioning it to Rusty. With things returning to normal, and a new friend made, Mark, Rusty, and Bob settle in at the campsite, allowing Bob to tell Mark a little bit about his life on the swamp (though not too much because Mark might put two and two together, come up with four, and come to the conclusion that Bob is a poacher and must be stopped). He even vaguely refers to the poaching in that the swamp "has kept some of us in food," a.k.a., "We poached some alligators for money because we lost our fishing poles." Listening to this pack of lies is a lone frog, who seems to be choosing to remain silent, which I don't entirely blame it for doing seeing as how one less alligator in the swamp is one less alligator with a hankering for frogs. Mark once more dons his hat, losing the appearance of a forest ranger and regaining the appearance of a guy who works at a gas station, and starts cooking breakfast (or lunch or whatever the meal happens to be since I'm not sure what time it is). Bob (who may or may not be a ghost), takes a look at what Mark is cooking up and invites the two campers/fishermen to dinner. (I'm sure Mary won't mind. In tough times doesn't everyone want to cook a big meal for people they don't know that a relative met in the middle of the swamp?) This should be fun. I wonder what the vegetable will be tonight.
Every time I park my car at work, when I check to make sure the doors are locked and it's still in park (don't ask), I end up saying, "Oh Parker," in a British accent like Lady Penelope from Thunderbirds. I don't know why, and I don't think I'll stop.
Watching an episode of Dragnet, I learned that when hanging merchandise, I should be alternating the direction of the hangers to make it hard for someone to grab a handful of merchandise and run out the door. While it's true that it would make the clothes more difficult to steal, it would also make them more difficult to put stuff away and would make the rack look kind of messy. In fact, I think that if I tried to do it, I'd also get fired. I think I'll stick with doing it the way I was told to. Sorry Joe. Better luck next time.
Figuring that it's wrong to waste food, what with the starving children and all, the alligator decides that maybe, even after eating all of those frogs, it still has enough room to eat a good portion of the unconscious woodsman that the poachers so graciously left for it. (Boy, someone's going to have a tummy ache later.) Before the alligator can take a bite of Mark's sole (heh, heh, heh, yeah, I know), Bob appears to save the day...or does he? For all we know, that alligator was summoned by the Jack Elrod Ball to help wake Mark up by nudging him with its tail, but I guess now we'll never know (and now might be a good time for Bob to come clean and confess to Mark what he, Stu, and Phil have been up to, but knowing Bob, he'll end up rambling about how everything is greener in the swamp and how they had beans for a vegetable at dinner when he actually wanted corn because corn would have gone so much better with the rest of the meal). Bob scares the alligator away (or the alligator, seeing that Mark is now safe, just leaves on its own to go about its alligator business) and tends to Mark, glad that he's still alive. With Mark now safe, Terrence The Turtle begins to head back to the the court of the Animal Kingdom to spread the news (this should only take a couple of years and by then there should be some sort of misunderstanding where Bob might or might not meet a terrible end due to someone not knowing that he was now on the side of good and that he had saved Mark's life instead of helped end it). Now we just have to wait and see if Mark will wake up, if Bob has the guts to confess, and if Rusty and Sassy will go out looking for Mark or just sleep in.
Mr. Pops, or whoever he is (and I'm just going to keep on calling him Mr. Pops until he tells us his real name), tells his sad tale of illegal weapons sales, broken dreams, prison time, and thoughts of revenge, and while he might see it as a chance to get some things off of his chest, Tracy, being on the side of the law, can't quite get over the fact that Mr. Pops broke the law and is now holding three people at gunpoint. Reaching for his own gun (which I would have already had drawn, thank you very much), Tracy is stopped by the nefarious clown and is about to lose his only friend (unless he's got one strapped to his ankle and is just waiting for the right time to pretend his shoelace is untied and that he needs to rectify the situation or risk tripping) as Mr. Pops continues his tale of woe and finally explains that he's broke and needed money (which I guess explains the whole clown thing, but really, surely there are other criminal organizations that would want his skills, or maybe he could just get a part time job somewhere). His tale finished, Mr. Pops seems to be relieved, and...wow, he smiled! Mr. Pops actually smiled! (Which of course means things are going according to plan, but what he doesn't know is that this moment of happiness will not last because the strip is not called Mr. Pops, it's called Dick Tracy.) You know, when he smiles, he doesn't look like half the cold-blooded killer that I thought he was (he does look like he's on drugs, but that's neither here nor there). Of course, I'd smile too if someone gave me the old "You'll never get away with this!" spiel. Even Tracy knows it's a bad line given the way he's wincing just having to say it (and he's delivered some humdingers too). The one who looks the most distressed, though, is the tiger, who's about to get three unwelcome cagemates as Mr. Pops follows the example of the poachers from Mark Trail and decides to just let nature take care of things. This could be bad, for Tracy, Agent Ennen, and Ringo don't have someone like Bob to pull their fat out of the fryer (but they do have guns, though shooting a tiger in a cage is like eating a kitten, it's just plain wrong and no one should do it ever...unless there are extenuating circumstances, but that tiger doesn't look very fierce or hungry to me).
The owner of the gun is finally revealed and lo and behold it's none other than Mr. Pops. Didn't I say that I didn't trust those eyes? (Yes, yes I did.) Now, if I were Ringo, I'd be worried. After all, that gun, even if it is one of those flag guns could still poke my eye out and I don't know if anyone would trust a ringmaster with an eye patch (though it would make them seem very mysterious...or accident-prone). Tracy shouldn't be worried. Flag or bullet, whatever the ammunition is, I'd wager that it'd just bounce off of his forehead (he apparently being some sort of robot and all), and besides, Mr. Pops will probably go for Ringo first, giving Tracy plenty of time to tackle the clown or pump a little lead of his own. Agent Ennen is probably in the best position of all since Mr. Pops will inevitably go for Tracy and Ringo first (the reason being that they're all in a line and those two just had to stand in front of her), giving her plenty of time to run away (or at least get to her car and then she can just run over the evil clown easy as pie). Ringo, seeing that his death could mean the end of his beloved circus and the death of his childhood dream, can't quite bring himself to believe that a clown would put an end to what is likely his own livelihood (well, almost, but he has to know that if he kills Ringo, the people who have been paying him will probably stop doing that). He also apparently thought he and Mr. Pops were friends, and maybe they were at one time, but that time is over now. (It could have been all of the whining that drove him away and to evil in the first place.) Now it's all over but the shooting. (Really, it is.)
Bob realizes that his tight-knit group of poachers is beginning to unravel as Stu and Phil begin to distance themselves (probably so that if the authorities come upon the chewed up body of Mark Trail, they can go into their carefully rehearsed story of how Bob is a mad man and made them leave Mark to the alligators after Bob struck him with a shovel, and they really didn't want to leave Mark, but they feared for their lives because Bob has quite a temper). As the three putter away, the plants try to revive Mark by either tickling him or shaking him (I'm not sure which), but I don't know how effective they're going to be. I think a tree branch or something would have to fall to get him to wake up and then they'd run the risk of accidentally hitting Mark. Maybe he'll just wake up on his own. (Maybe that's all we can hope for.)
Finally realizing that he might have fallen in with the wrong crowd, Bob bids Phil and Stu adieu, waiting for a couple of seconds (or at least until they've gone around the bend of the river/swamp) before he jumps into his own boat, intent on keeping Mark from becoming alligator chow. Go Bob, Go! I hope you remembered to put gas in the engine (if that thing even has an engine), or it's going to be a low row back to where you left Mark. I guess we should all be thankful that the Jack Elrod Ball has reappeared on your shoulder, giving you the strength you need to stand up to peer pressure (even though you pretty much already gave in to it, but hey, you're trying, you're trying).
The random policeman returns with more information, this time about dearly departed Louise Trapeze, who seems to have not been so innocent after all. Turns about Ms. Trapeze was a hired gun, and I'd guess that Louise Trapeze isn't even her real name. (It's probably something like Meg Num or Suzi or Bebe Gunn.) Learning this, Tracy immediately concludes that the people at the circus don't like each other. (I'm not sure I'd agree, but I'm not a detective.) He also once more forgets to put in his pupils and scares the bejeezus out of everyone. (It's a conspiracy, I tell ya! Somewhere out there, probably trapped in another dimension or cell of some kind is the Tracy we all know and love. Someday he's going to escape and take care of this doppelganger. Someday, but not today.) Moving along, Agent Ennen steps in and adds some more information about Louise, who was apparently faking her act. Now, call me crazy, but were I a hired gun who had to infiltrate a circus and fake my way around, I can think of a lot of acts that are a lot easier to fake than that of the trapeze artist. Forgive me if I'm wrong, but doesn't that take skill and training? It really doesn't seem like something you can just walk in off of the street and do. Ringo doesn't even seem to consider this and immediately goes back to his "Woe is me! Whatever shall I do!" routine (which I for one am getting a little sick of). He then decides to put the blame for this predicament on the FBI and just refuses to believe that being in so visible a position as the ringmaster of a circus could attract unwanted attention, especially for someone on the run from people who want him dead (and you know that this whole thing is probably his fault anyway. The FBI wanted to put him in a nice quiet little neighborhood and give him a job as a shopkeeper, but he had always wanted to run away to the circus and made them send him there instead.). Ignoring the ravings of a lunatic, Agent Ennen turns to Tracy and calmly continues telling him what else she's found out, mainly that things are not as they seem at this particular circus (and if she had said that they were, I wouldn't have believed her anyway, so there). Meanwhile, a shadowy figure with a gun takes aim at something and he's either announcing himself or talking to himself. Either way, looks like Agent Ennen might be in trouble, unless it's one of those guns with the BANG! flags. Speaking of guns, where is Mr. Pops?
Mark ventures out into the swamp that he might or might not be too familiar with (and I'm going to have to go with not too familiar with since he had to ask a friend where a good place to camp would be) unarmed and without telling anyone where he was going. Mark, Mark, Mark. That is not responsible hiking/investigating. As an experienced woodsman you should know that you should always tell people where you're going and that you should also take a buddy along in case something happens. (No, the Jack Elrod Ball does not count.) Proving my point, Stu manages to sneak up behind our hero and hit him with a club of some kind when Mark bends down to examine a pile of abandoned ground beef (I mean alligator, which again makes me question whether the group is after the meat or the skin and right now it's looking like the skin). This tells me that his action was premeditated because had Mark happened upon the poachers and been struck with something, I would have thought that it would have been that gun they've been firing. That club just tells me that Stu put some thought into what would be the best thing to use take down an adversary (unless he's been bludgeoning alligators with it, but then why would they have the gun?). Still, I don't know how hard he hit Mark since his club doesn't seem to have made a sound (maybe he picked up a piece of rotten wood by mistake). Phil and Bob arrive on the scene and Bob once more shows that his heart really isn't into this poaching thing because he actually shows some concern for Mark's welfare. Stu, on the other hand, has put everything into this endeavor and will do whatever it takes not to be captured. (Though why he's so concerned about the fact that Mark is a wildlife man I have no idea. Maybe he's heard about the forest animals or the Jack Elrod Ball or maybe he thinks that Mark has very powerful friends or maybe he truly fears finding out what The Law Of The Forest really means.) He also decides to let nature take its course and feed Mark to the very alligators that he wants to protect and that they want to skin (or harvest the meat of or whatever they decide to take next). Unfortunately, this plan may not work out since after seeing the alligator in the second panel, I just can't help but hear him tell Phil, Stu, and Bob, "Aw jeez, guys. I just finished eating. Really, I couldn't eat another thing. You should have told me you were going to do that before I filled up on frogs. Sorry. Maybe next time, okay?" It looks like it's up to Rusty and Sassy to save the day. (Which means that Mark is doomed.)
Safe and secure in their little tan world, Rusty and Sassy drift off to sleep, trusty flashlight by their side...Maybe. (It also looks like they might have gone to sleep, worn out by a wrestling match that ended unexpectedly when the two tired combatants passed out, Rusty still holding Sassy in a headlock.) The serenity does not last long, for with a mighty POW! Mark is jerked out of his peaceful slumber. (Those gosh darn superheroes are fighting again. Don't they ever rest?) Sassy and Rusty still asleep, Mark leaps into action and gets dressed, grabbing his trusty tan shirt as he ventures out into the darkness. (If I were him, I would have taken the flashlight, if not for use as a light, then for use as a club.) Be careful Mark, it could be the poachers, or it could be that alligator you rescued earlier. Who knows. He might be out for blood, and since Bob, Stu, and Phil are nowhere to be found he's going to settle for what he can get. Walking out into the still of the night (well, except for the gunshots, but those seemed to have stopped for now), Mark buttons up his shirt and heads in the direction of the gunfire. Now, if I were him, I would have probably packed up camp, set a watch, called my friend at the Forest Service, or started moving in the opposite direction, but I am not an intrepid woodsman, so I'm not sure what the proper protocol is in this kind of situation. Though, if I really did feel the need to investigate some gun shots, I would have at least put on a vest of safety orange so that I couldn't be mistaken for a deer or a bear or a puma or a Sasquatch. Luckily Mark is not alone in the forest though, for the Jack Elrod Ball has gone on to scout ahead which is a good thing considering what lies ahead on the trail. Look out, Mark! That's no poacher! It's a giant owl and from far away you look like a field mouse! Run! Run! Run!
Unlike the disappointment that was CIA Man, we find that the FBI doesn't just talk about what needs to get done, it goes out and does it, which is why Agent Ennen has finally shown up at the circus to shed a little light on Tracy's latest case (which is a good thing because Ringo sure doesn't seem very willing to give too many details and Tracy had to rely on a lot of guesswork and prodding, which he didn't much want to do because he didn't much want to come to the circus in the first place). It turns out that Ringo is in the Witness Protection Program (and again I have to question the appropriateness of putting him in so visible a position as the ringmaster of a circus, but I guess with a name like Ringo, you work with what you've got), but not for being the target for murder, but for actually murdering someone (and sure, he says that it was self-defense, but I, like the tiger, am not completely buying that, and I hope Tracy isn't either). Finally knowing the facts, Tracy and Agent Ennen get to talking and start comparing notes. Meanwhile, a woman rides an elephant (Check his trunk, Tracy. He could be packing heat.) and Ringo starts to freak out because he claims that someone, or some thing is closing in on him. Now, I'm sure that he means the killer, but (and maybe it's because I watched too many paranormal/alien shows as a child) I can't help but think that he's referring to those orbs floating around him head (that, or he's decided to become a mime, and just hasn't quite gotten the hang of that no talking rule yet). Someone should tell him that the glowing orbs are usually pretty harmless and that it's the poltergeists he should be really worried about. Well, that and the people who want him dead. Boy, this guy really does have a lot of problems, doesn't he?
Well, it looks like the fishing/camping trip is over as Mark and Rusty (and I'm assuming Sassy) stumble upon an alligator caught in a hook trap (which, as everyone knows, is one way that poachers catch their prey). Now it's up to Mark to figure out how to free his reptilian friend that's probably blinded by rage and will lash out at the first thing that comes near it once it's freed, be it friend, foe, or intrepid woodsman (and it's up to us to figure out where Mark's hat went in that first panel since he was wearing it in the previous comic (where nothing much happened), lost it in the first panel of this comic, and found it again for the last two panels. (Can you say magic hat?)). Now, if I were Mark, I'd send the Jack Elrod Ball to free the alligator since it's already proven countless times that it fears nothing and can be quite handy in a tight spot. (That, and it has no arms and legs for the alligator to bite, and could probably just bounce away if the danger became too great.) Of course, maybe Mark always had aspirations to be an alligator wrestler and this opportunity was just too good to pass up. Whatever the case may be, I think we can all rest assured that the hunters (or poachers, as they prefer to be called) are about to become the hunted (and that Bob, Stu, and Phil are going to find out just where each man's loyalties really lie).
It was with great sadness that I learned of the passing of Reading Rainbow. I think it's a real shame that they couldn't keep the show going. It seems like nowadays a lot of educational shows aimed at kids are more about learning to read than what to read. I mean, learning to read is great and all, but there needs to be a show that is simply about books and creating that love of books. (Plus, LeVar is just cool.) So, in honor of this great show, I'd like to highlight a few memorable moments from its long run (or at least the moments that are memorable to me):
First off, we have the original theme song. I loved that song. I loved the animation that went with it, and was it wrong to hope that by reading a book I could somehow be transported into an animated world where anything was possible? No, I didn't think so.
And who could forget the teamwork song? I used to drop everything and watch this episode whenever it was on. (Watching the clip years later, I find that I still know pretty much all of the words, which I think is pretty neat.) Then, years later, watching a tractor burn, what popped into my head but the voice of the firefighter saying that the engine of a burning car could explode. (Yeah, not exactly comforting, but it was still good to know.)
Then there was the song about the library, which was also in the episode that included the songs for "Rag Basketball", "Flying Disc", and "Bleach Bottle Bird House," all of which gave you activities to do with things you could find around the house.
Now, I could go on and on and find all sorts of clips (goat people, claymation frog on a unicycle, Kapiti Plain, fruit stew, the Zambezi River, and the songs for Johnny Appleseed and John Henry, I'm looking at you), but I'm going to stop here. There were just so many great moments on this show, and I for one will miss it a lot. (Heck, I'd even on occasion watch it in college just because I happened to come across it.) I think it was a great show that not only fostered a love of books, but fostered a love of books that you could find at your library. Plus, if you saw a book with the Reading Rainbow seal on it, the chances were good that you were in for a good read. That, and you've got to love the kids that got to do the book reviews (I know I always wanted to be one). This is one show that I'm going to miss, and one that I'd buy if the entire series ever came out on DVD (though it probably won't, and if it did, I'm afraid of what it might cost or how many volumes it might require).
The camping trip underway, Mark cooks up some grub for Rusty and Sassy. (I wonder if it's fruit stew, a la the Reading Rainbow book Three Days On A River In A Red Canoe. I hope it is.) Taken away from the familiar surroundings of Lost Forest, Rusty is in a constant state of alert and those gunshots sure aren't helping things. Mark, on the other hand, seems relatively calm, which means that the hat is working. (What do you mean, what do I mean? Clearly Mark is implementing the Superman/Clark Kent Theory of Secret Identities. Everyone knows Mark Trail, but much like no one knows Clark Kent is Superman if he brushes back the spit curl and puts on a pair of glasses, no one knows that the guy who looks like he should be pumping gas or working in a garage is Mark Trail once the hat goes on. Plus, it will make the inevitable infiltration the poachers' inner circle that much easier. Oh, if only he could grow a pair of sideburns, then everything would be perfect.) Unfortunately, the continued sound of gunfire in the area means that either there is a swamp feud taking place, or this camping trip is about to be cut short (that and maybe Mark should think about relocating the camp. I know that if I kept hearing gunshots, I wouldn't be feeling too comfortable about my location). Apparently unaffected by the sound of gunshots, Mark and Rusty remain at their little camp by the water. (They also seem to be unaffected by all of the mosquitoes that I'm pretty sure should be buzzing around the swamp.) With that random duck and turtle keeping an eye on them, I'm also thinking that the fragile alliance between the Avians and the forest animals is holding, if only for the moment (or perhaps both sides have decided that Mark has to go, but I can't see the forest animals doing that). Turning away from the peaceful campsite, we find the poachers hard at work as Bob watches Stu and Phil tend to the alligator that was taken down by that last gunshot (and if they get caught, you just know they'll say it was self-defense). I guess Bob's chat with Mary went in the poachers' favor (that, or Bob chickened out and what he actually talked to her about was what they were having for dinner, specifically whether they should have corn or beans for the vegetable). Still, Bob doesn't seem completely comfortable with the activity, and it could be the fact that they're all being watched by the Jack Elrod Ball, who was just a little late in getting that particular alligator to safety (or it could have been that that alligator wouldn't go, saying that he'd be fine, he'd survive, and he didn't need any help. I hope it wasn't anyone I knew.). Yeah, Stu, illegal activities sure beat mill work, but mill work won't get you arrested and sent to jail. Personally, I'd stick to the mill work, especially since it looks like Phil is trying to skin that alligator with a butter knife, telling me that you haven't exactly thought this thing through.
Ringo continues on with his story and the Witness Protection Program angle is looking more and more likely seeing as how he alerted the FBI to the weapons and his bosses vowed to secretly kill him (which tells me that there's either a leak or they aren't very good at keeping secrets. Personally, I like to believe that he figured out that they wanted to kill him while he was standing in a shadowy doorway, or had to ask them a question and just happened to be there when they were discussing his fate). Ringo should be careful though, since I don't think his former employers are the only ones who want to kill him. That tiger looks kind of hungry too. (It also looks a lot like White Blaze, who probably was exploring other career options after Ryo gave up for the umpteenth time, and accidentally got himself captured and sold to the circus.) I guess his story explains a lot about the source of those notes (well, no, I guess it doesn't since if someone from Ringo's old life infiltrated the circus, it shows just how small a part he played in that old life), and now Tracy just has figure out who that source could be (unless Ringo has some sort of split personality disorder and is actually sending himself the notes) and then he can leave the circus and stumble onto another case. (Maybe even one about starfish!)
As soon as Mark finishes his coffee, the camping trip finally begins and we have our first glimpse of swamp wildlife. Okay, I'm not an expert or anything, but I have to believe that there are more animals in the swamp than raccoons, alligators, and the occasional heron. I'm also a little surprised that Rusty is counting a group of raccoons as a lot of animals. Surely he's seen a family of raccoons before. Surely he's seen more animals of varying kinds in one place before. Maybe it's a good thing that Mark has decided to take him to the swamp for this camping trip since the kid obviously needs to get out of Lost Forest more. Speaking of Mark, what's up with that hat (and why do I have the overwhelming urge to ask him to fill up the gas tank on my car and check the tires and oil)? I never thought that I'd ever actually say this, but Mark is not a hat man. It just looks weird, but headgear aside, that mysterious POW! tells me that the action is about to ramp up (and by ramp up, I mean that we might find something out about the alligator poaching in the next week or two, even though as far as I know, Bob was still trying to tell Mary about the plan, but perhaps Stu and Phil decided to get an early start on things) and Mark and Rusty are about to stumble upon the alligator poaching operation. Well, that or they're about to stumble upon some sort of superhero fight. Perhaps it's Spider-Man and the Lizard or Batman and Killer Croc. (We'll probably never know, and it probably isn't either of those, but it's nice to dream, isn't it?)
Noticing how uncomfortable Ringo became upon seeing Tracy's real eyes (and possibly his ability to levitate knives or straight razors), our intrepid detective quickly reconfigured them to show pupils, putting the ringmaster at ease and allowing him to go on with his story. It is here that we finally get somewhere, learning that nestled within a shipment of farm equipment was some hi-tech weaponry that wasn't just unusual and illegal, but highly unusual and highly illegal, so you know that it can be used for nothing but evil. (Maybe that was how Braces was able to get Magnum into the country, meaning that this story is essentially meaningless because that robot was destroyed.) Seeing what was in the shipment, Ringo immediately ran to the FBI, which I guess makes those appearances by the FBI people make more sense (though I'm not going to figure them into the story until they actually show up at the circus, what with that debacle by the CIA man a few stories back), and we can only wonder where this story is going and when and how we'll get there.
But before we turn our attention to other issues, I'd like to bring up something that's been bugging me about Ringo: his name. If he hasn't always been a ringmaster, why is his name Ringo? Is he in the Witness Protection Program? If he is, wouldn't putting him in so flashy and prominent a position as the ringmaster of a circus be a little dangerous? (Maybe they're going for that element of surprise thing, or following the philosophy of Pippin who said "The closer we are to danger, the farther we are from harm.") Plus, if someone were in the import business and had the name Ringo, I can't help but turn him into some kind of crime boss or underling of a crime boss running a ring of some sort. Maybe it's just me and the name makes perfect sense and I'm doing a little too much thinking about it. That's always possible (but it still kind of bugs me).
Cliff points out a camping spot on his handy topographic map (and you just know that it's one of those raised topographic maps where you can actually feel the changes in elevation. Man, I loved those things.) for Mark and Rusty to use. We'll just have to take Cliff's word for it that there's water somewhere on that brown map, but I would assume that if there wasn't, Mark would have pointed that out, or at least had the Jack Elrod Ball bring it up later. As Cliff pours Mark a cup of coffee (because that's what a good host would do), he tells him to be on the lookout for alligators. Okay, so I'm confused. I was always under the impression that Mark Trail lived in a northern forest. That Lost Forest was a northern forest and that Mark and Rusty were going fishing in a forest, or at least in a lake surrounded by a forest. (That river was good enough for them on the last trip. Why the need for a different body of water? Are they going to try to catch something really big or maybe even mythical?) Apparently I was wrong because while Lost Forest might seem to be a northern forest, it is also adjacent to a swamp filled with alligators (and probably leeches, chupacabra, and maybe even the Boggy Creek Monster because that didn't exactly live near a creek). I guess this will just make stumbling upon that alligator poaching scheme all the easier, though I don't much like what Cliff had to say about a possible fate for Sassy (but then I remember that this is not a Dick Tracy comic, so the little gal will probably be all right), but if Mark does plan on fighting crime on his vacation, I really hope that Andy is just waiting outside and not back at the cabin in Lost Forest with Cherry and Doc.
Bob returns home to find the little blonde girl watching television and Mary busying herself with what appears to be a dog's water dish (even though we haven't been given any indication that Bob, Mary, and the little blonde girl own a dog). Not wanting to waste any time, and possibly because he's worked up the nerve and is afraid that if he doesn't say something now, he never will, Bob tells Mary that there's something they need to talk about and suggests they do it in the other room. Wait a minute Bob, why would you want to move into the other room to discuss this poaching idea of Stu and Phil's? Wouldn't discussing such a thing in front of a sensitive little girl be a little insensitive? Before the conversation can even begin, though, the strip shifts focus to a car (presumably Mark and Rusty) heading through the forest under the watchful eyes of a pair of ducks. You know, I always figured Mark to be more of a truck kind of guy, but I suppose that's neither here nor there, for the real question raised by this panel is why are there ducks in that tree in the first place? Shouldn't they be on a pond (preferably one beside a cabin where two bank robbers are hiding out)? (Sorry, but you just don't generally equate ducks with trees, or at least I don't.)
While Bob figures out how to explain the alligator poaching plan to Mary, Mark and Rusty arrive at Fish and Wildlife to pay a visit to Mark's old friend, Cliff, in order to find out the best place to camp (and presumably fish since that was the purpose of the trip). Now, one would think that Mark Trail, seeing as how he lives in Lost Forest, would know where all of the good camping spots in Lost Forest are, but Cliff does have all of the information about where campers have been mauled by bears, attacked by wolves, or seen Sasquatch, so having that inside information could help in deciding where to pitch the tents. Looks like this trip is really starting to come together, but with the potential for a string of alligator poachings, how long will it last?
Robots, living mannequins, and pod people aside, the case continues and we learn a little more about Ringo, mainly that he hasn't been a ringmaster for very long (perhaps he was in some sort of rock band), and right now I'd even be tempted to say that he isn't a very good ringmaster either. It seems that in another life he was in the import business, probably jetting off around the world to look at one thing or another and trying to determine if it was worth the cost. Then fate stepped in and he saw his true calling as a ringmaster, well, maybe not. In fact, it would seem that the only reason he became a ringmaster was in order to acquire one thing in particular: a green and gold tiger, sometimes known as Cringer, other times known as Battle Cat, given up by a youth in a fuzzy vest who occasionally does battle with a man with a skull for a head who owns a giant purple panther. This case just keeps getting better and better. I can't wait to see who'll show up next.
If the Jurassic Park tour was supposed to be automated, and they didn't want people to leave the vehicles, why was there a Jurassic Park bathroom on the tour route, and why was it located by the Tyrannosaurus Rex Paddock?
(I could understand if there was a Porta-John there since the park could have still been under construction to a certain extent, but that bathroom was clearly meant for visitors, even though said visitors were clearly not supposed to leave the vehicles during the tour.)
And so, the investigation continues, but now there's a new wrinkle. No, it isn't that another random policeman (possibly Lt. Teevo, though I'm probably wrong) has shown up to tell Tracy exactly what kind of gun put an end to poor Louise's high-flying career, and no, it isn't the fact that the FBI looks to either have a hand in things or is conducting some sort of investigation and that Agent Ennen looks suspiciously like a distant relative of crazy old Shirl Locke Holmes. No, my friends, the wrinkle is that Dick Tracy appears to have been replaced by some sort of robot, living mannequin, or pod person (I guess I was focusing on the wrong set of eyes all along), and in some way he really reminds me of Brainiac (though that could just be the lack of pupils), but before anyone can ask him about those strangely blank eyes of his, Tracy goes back into the old reliable squint and any evidence of his deviation from the norm is once more hidden. Perhaps that portal has been opened again and a Dick Tracy from another world has stepped through, leaving us all to make this request: will the real Dick Tracy please stand up. (Think an episode of The Twilight Zone, not the name of a song.)
Without the support of the Jack Elrod Ball, Bob begins to cave in to the peer pressure of Stu and Phil. (It could be the hat, or it could be the awesome sideburns that both men seem to be sporting, though if I were Bob, I'd be worried that in the end those two would either exclude him or set him up for the cops because he doesn't share in their facial hair brotherhood.) As it seems more and more likely that Bob will decide to join Stu and Phil in this nefarious deed, the Jack Elrod Ball bounces into action. Knowing that at this point it would be useless to try to convince Bob to turn away from the idea of poaching, and because Mark would get really mad if it hurt some more people, the Jack Elrod Ball takes matters into its own hands (or orb, or whatever) and begins herding the alligators in the area away from the three men just in case they decide to get a little practice in before they fully implement their plan. Bob, meanwhile, never quite agrees to join Stu and Phil, but instead tells them that he'll talk to Mary about it. To me, it just sounds like he's trying to use Mary as an excuse not to go through with the poaching plan, sort of like how you'd say that you needed to ask your mom before you did something only because you knew that she'd never let you and you could just blame her that you couldn't when you didn't even really want to do it in the first place. He'd just better hope that Mary didn't have a bad experience with an alligator in the past and has been gunning for them ever since.
Mr. Pops continues to brandish his gun, aiming directly at Ringo's ponytail, as he continues to slowly explain why the ringmaster has to die. Tracy still can't quite grasp why Mr. Pops feels the need to off his boss, so Mr. Pops tells him he's a snitch (even though he was snitching on a criminal organization), a traitor (to that same criminal organization), and, worst of all, a blackmailer (of a criminal organization. Oh, I wasn't supposed to say that? My mistake.). Oh Mr. Pops, I don't know that Tracy is really going to take your case seriously. It isn't the makeup, it's the fact that you're well, you're a criminal and his job is to bring people like you to justice. (Those are the breaks, kid, sorry.)
Taking advantage of his close-up, and also now bringing the gun back into the picture, Mr. Pops starts talking about the difference between circus folk and the rest of the world, and here his logic starts to fall apart. Mr. Pops, please consider that if you kill the ringmaster, won't the circus fold? Won't that then be the end of, as you put it, your "only home"? Maybe you should think about it for a minute. Then again, you might have a point if Ringo is in fact threatening to expose all of your secrets. (That's just bad business sense.) Oh my, I think I'm getting confused. Still, I'm not sure that Mr. Pops is entirely dedicated to his plan since he says that killing is too good for Ringo (even though it would silence him and then no one would be around to tell the scandalous circus secrets). I'm just wondering what is good enough? Perhaps he will be pulled apart by elephants (even though we've only seen one) or snowmobiles (even though we haven't seen any, and the last snow we saw was a couple of stories back). Oh the suspense!
