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Mark Trail, 12/6/04

Here’s what they don’t tell you when you decide to marry a taxidermist: you’re going to have perky young women showing up at your door at all hours with four-foot-long dead fish. It’s a good thing Kelly has a suitcase full of pink golf shirts back on the boat, because that one’s going to be pretty pungent.

Meanwhile, while Kelly and Birdie engage in meaningless chatter, the entire seaside community is menaced by TURT-LOR, KING OF THE SEA TURTLES! RUN, GIRLS, RUN!

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Mark Trail, 11/10/04

Mark already has two women in pink polo shirts hot for him — so why not add a third? He hasn’t even been there for 10 minutes and he’s already hearing about how busy Birdie’s husband is with his work … leaving Birdie lonely … so lonely … are you sure I can’t get you more … tea? I’m sure we’ve all seen enough adult entertainment to know where this is going.

In the next day’s strip, we learn that Birdie’s husband’s name is Barracuda. No, really, Barracuda. I couldn’t make this stuff up if I tried. I’m not sure how that affects the Mark Trail-as-porno concept I’ve got going on here. I’m just putting it out there. Barracuda.

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Mark Trail, 10/30/04

I’m not the first to note this, but Jack Elrod doesn’t seem to like drawing people very much. Maybe that’s why everyone in Mark Trail looks the same. Whenever he can, he pulls back the “camera” to give us some lovely frolicking animal shots. Unfortunately, his word balloons are often nowhere near the tiny, distant humans who are supposed to be saying said words, so it usually looks like the animals are conversing among themselves. For instance, there’s no other normal way to interpret today’s strip but to assume that the leftmost bird is proposing a quick trip to the Florida Keys. At least it isn’t talking to the dolphins, though; as near as I can tell, the reply is coming from the boat itself. I’m not sure if that’s more or less realistic.