Mark Trail is a state of mind
Leta over at the The Flibbertigibbet has a post today attacking three great American institutions, Rex Morgan MD, The Phantom, and Mark Trail. Rex Morgan I will refer over to the Comics Curmudgeon who seems to cover it along with the other soap opera strips fairly well. The Phantom is seventy years old this year and one of those comics whose concept has always been cooler to me then the actual strips are. Never the less there is a good Phantom FAQ available as well as a good looking fan site if you are curious over the Mogg-mania over at Leta’s.
Mark Trail is a beast in a whole different league however. Mark Trail is the Blues, either you get it, or you don’t. I am not sure a re-education camp would do any good at all. I remember well my moment of Mark Trail enlightenment, when I became a true trail head. The villains were doing something dastardly in a plane and Mark brought the plane down by throwing a stick into the props.* When I saw that panel I became enlightened to the ways of the Trail. He is the master. Sadly I suspect Leta is deficient in her Sgt. Rock background and thus may never reach this high place.
Now, with a long history and devoted fans it is no suprise that Mark Trail has a great fan site with information on how to spot the villain as well as the mystery of Mark’s age. You can read the current days strip at the Washington Post. Sadly there are no Mark Trail collections available, a niche to be filled but ebay is active in Mark Trail stuff. So Leta if there is no Trail in you, well just don’t ask me to explain the Blues to you either….
* Suprisingly this wasn’t virgin territory for me. I had seen Sgt. Rock shot down a Stuka with a tommy-gun, I had even seen a great Sgt. Rock satire in the National Lampoon where he brings a plane down by throwing his k-bar into the pilots head (February 78 issue if anyone has it), but I had never seen anyone so bad ass as Mark Trail taking down that Cesna with a stick. Makes Chuck Norris look like a muppet.
March 31st, 2006 at 10:10 am
Sadly I don’t read the daily paper, but I very much enjoy the Sunday nature tips. And I can reallly relate to it becasue BIRDS AND BUNNNIES ACTUALLY LIVE IN MY YARD!!!!! It’s true, not just a comic thing, there is wildlife in Wheaton/Kensington!
March 31st, 2006 at 10:14 am
I am pleased to hear that you will not starve if things go bad Carol. We have been working on a bunch of Squirrels in my yard in case we ever hit the hard times…..
March 31st, 2006 at 11:10 am
The lack of starvation will be due to my famous homegrown leek & raspberry pie. I’m afraid the bunnies and birds might be a bit too fast for me. But I’ll have plenty of lettuce and strawberries! Provided the wildlife doesn’t get there first, hmmmmn…
April 4th, 2006 at 3:00 pm
Kensington has mutated squirrels; they are black, not gray like in the surrounding areas. The headquarters for the Nuclear Regulatory Commission is not that far away.