Comic strip Mark Trail just announced a big shakeup today: Jules Rivera will take over the strip starting next on October 12, bringing her STEM background to a character that has been championing environmentalism for more than 50 years.
Still syndicated to more than 150 newspaper, Mark Trail will get an update to the 21st century with contemporary storylines and a larger emphasis on Mark’s little seen wife and son, Cherry and Rusty.
But Rivera has some shoes to fill: Although the strip was created by Edward Benton Dodd, cartoonist Jack Elrod took over after Dodd’s death in 1978 and made Mark Trail something of a campy cult favorite for its sometimes bizarrely on-the-nose storylines and weird nature callouts.
Elrod drew the strip until his death at age 91 in 2016. Cartoonist James Allen took over afterwards, but of late it had gone into reprints while a new cartoonist was sought.
And they have found it in Rivera. Best known for her Love Joolz webcomic — which we literally just spotlighted yesterday in A Year of Free Comics — she’s now the sole daily syndicated female Latinx cartoonist. A former electrical engineer who loves surfing and gardening, Rivera plans to return to Mark Trail‘s roots as a champion for environmentalism.
“I am excited to take up the Mark Trail mantle to reimagine Mark for a new generation and honored to join a pantheon of such talented artists. Dare to witness humor, action, environmental justice, women with strong personalities, mystical talking animals, gardening tips, and Mark like you’ve never seen him before. The new Mark Trail promises to be a real trailblazer,” said Rivera, in a statement.
“When we began our search for the next Mark Trail cartoonist, we knew that we needed someone who could authentically bring the Trail family to new audiences,” said Tea Fougner, editorial director for comics at King Features Syndicate. “Jules’ work speaks for itself and her passion for both conservation and comics makes her an ideal fit to reimagine Mark Trail. Her thoughtful yet humorous approach makes environmental issues accessible, educational and fun while also honoring Mark Trail’s roots as a classic adventure comic.”
The return to the strip’s environmentalist roots couldn’t come at a better time, but the focus on the environment has long been part of its legacy: Over the years it has won more than 30 conservation awards from private organizations and government agencies, including the American Waterfowl and Wetland Association, the Georgia Wildlife Federation, the National Forest Recreation Association, the National Wildlife Federation, the U.S. Coast Guard and the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service.
You can read Mark Trail on line at https://www.comicskingdom.com/mark-trail. And while you’re waiting for Rivera’s run to begin, check out some of that old-timey Elrod stuff because it’s WILD.
I hate the new Mark Trail. It should be dropped!
I can’t stand it either!!!!
me too
Good for teenie-boppers!!! I’m done with Trail. Liked the extremely slow, sometimes weird story lines! All Gone&@&!?
The new Mark Trail strip is shallow, insipid, and worthless. It’s poorly drawn and thoughtlessly written. No more for me.
Worthless new strip. I’ve watched the old for 50 years but I am gone.
I really don’t like the new mark trail. I’ll not read it anymore.
Mark Trail & all other characters are ugly, ugly, ugly. Read it as long as I can remember but it’s turned into stupid conversation & disgusting characters. Lost all credibility!
The new drawing style is awful. Insipid expressions on characters faces and ludicrous character conversations. The adults sound like pre-teens! New cartoonist has infantilized the whole thing – complete turn-off. Already wrote my paper telling them to replace it and fast. Whose brilliant idea was this?!
Absolutely useless – went to Google to find out what had happened – will it GAIN new readers? Not me, however.
It’s awful. And the print is too small to be easily readable. I won’t read it again.
do not like please stop her from killing it
Poorly drawn and ridiculous story lines.
Not a good replacement for Mark Trail . I’ll give her a chance but not for long
I agree with what others are saying above about the ‘new Mark Trail’. It is awful, and we no longer read it. It is hard to understand, the pictures are disgusting, and the text is –well just horrible. If this is what comic writers think is needed, then do not do it with Mark Trail. Create a different one, that perhaps runs off of Mark Trail. Bring back the old Mark Trail and family. Perhaps use some true life stories like they do on the NorthWoods Law stories or something if they need new ideas.
I can not believe that Mark Trail has gotten so bad! I think that the entire strip should be cancelled, not “recreated for a younger audience” All the above comments sum it up pretty well.
Please can we have the ‘old Mark Trail’ back??????????????????
If you want this new version then change the name and bring back the old one. This new one is awful.
Please do something. You have lost me as a reader.
Jules Rivera is doing a total disservice to what “Mark Trail” has stood for. Conservation, family, adventure, education. Always enjoyed reading the strip. Now it’s a case of “what happened” and who knows what the story line even is.. These are weird, sick and troubled characters drawn almost psycho with no meaning and no relation to what the values of Edward Dodd truly cared and wrote about. MT was always interesting and educational. Our planet, the environment, the animals and creatures that inhabit it. Now I have no idea what it’s about. I can’t look or read this strip now and am writing my local newspaper to give it up. This Jules needs a reality check about what Edward and Jack Elrond created. This is not “Mark Trail”
Cancel this Jules strip and give her something else. Call it Jules, but Please don’t continue to link her with the original Mark Trail. If you want her, give her something else. Stop connecting her with Mark Trail.
I won’t be subscribing or reading anything by Jules.
I loved the art work by James Allen, but why draw Rusty and Cherry with pencil necks?
I agree. I don’t think the writers care what we say. I have stopped reading Mark Trail. If they want to do a strip like this, then create a new one, and put Mark Trail back the way he was. Please.
Horrible The newspapers should be ashamed for including such garbage after all we have enjoyed of Mark Trail through the years. I don’t even glance at it anymore. Disgusting!
Agree with you.!!! We also gave up on it.
I agree with the comments. The original Mark Trail was an honorable person and always seemed to strive to do the right thing. And Cherry was a loving and tough woman.
The new Mark Trail doesn’t have a cohesive story line and the personality’s of all the characters have changed so much the strip is no longer enjoyable to read.
Count me among those that will no longer read the strip and I’ll be sending a letter to my newspaper asking them to drop Mark Trail from their comics.
I wish someone at the Beat here would respond to our comments. I don’t think they read this section.
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