So some breaking comic strip news, that I learn through Daily Cartoonist again: James Allen is leaving the story strip Mark Trail. In a Facebook post for his Edge of Adventure comic strip Allan says the strip will continue, “with a bit of a new direction”. And, in comments, that the choice was “a bit of both” his choice and King Features’s. Allen says “I’m tired and they wanted a new direction”.
I have heard nothing about who the new writer or artist (or both) will be. Nor about just when the transition will happen. In comments on that Facebook post Allen says he will not finish the story that’s just begun, and doesn’t know if the new person will.
If I get any news on Mark Trail I’ll post it at this link. If I get any news about any story strip, I’ll post it at this link.
[Edited 25 September 2020: Good news! Jules Rivera is taking over the comic as of the middle of October.]
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I don’t like the “new” Mark Trail or the “new” Cherry. They are weird looking and no longer appealing. I loved it when Allen was still doing it.
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I’m sorry that you’re not enjoying it. Perhaps as Jules Rivera gets more experienced with the characters she’ll settle into a style you find more likable.
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I don’t like the new mark trail either and he certainly doesn’t look 74
He doesn’t fit the 2020 age 74
I’m not going to read it anymore
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I’m sorry that you don’t like the new art. You might want to give Rivera a few months to get used to the daily grind of the strip, and see whether it settles into something more palatable.
Although Mark Trail’s a story strip and I suppose keeps up a continuity I don’t think there’s any attempt to make him age in anything like real-time. Or partially real-time, like Prince Valiant has. I guess I’m not sure how old I’d say he was, in-universe; old enough to be a parent, not so old that he has to plan out how many times he kneels during the week and what for.
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The last thing this country needs is an off the rails person. We already have that in the white house. So much violence in this strip.
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Well, Mark Trail has always been an action-adventure strip. If there’s not a certain amount of punching and boat chases then something’s going wrong. There’s also maybe more animals-trying-to-prey-on-animals than you’d actually see in the wild. The comic has to bow to dramatic interest.
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