The Mark Trail Thread of Punching Justice and Smug Life Lessons

[Wolter]

Here’s where I admit I just caught up and i...like it so far.

No snark here, but genuine curiosity: why?

It’s light and goofy. It’s playing with the idea of the stodgy old strip no one read except to dunk on it. It’s WKRP in the woods - a format change long overdue in the non-ironic newspaper strip world, and I guess I didn’t have enough ironic love for the old version to care.

Okay, fair enough, and I can, in the abstract, appreciate that kind of creative assault. But as an approach I'm not sure it isn't something that will kill it. Which seems an odd thing for a creator to do, to radically reimagine things in a way that sheds the original audience. I'm just skeptical that she can build an entirely new audience.

I’ve mostly seen positive response on twitter. Younger fans of comics seem to be taking to it more. But who knows.

[Dr. Medulla]

Here’s where I admit I just caught up and i...like it so far.

No snark here, but genuine curiosity: why?

It’s light and goofy. It’s playing with the idea of the stodgy old strip no one read except to dunk on it. It’s WKRP in the woods - a format change long overdue in the non-ironic newspaper strip world, and I guess I didn’t have enough ironic love for the old version to care.

Okay, fair enough, and I can, in the abstract, appreciate that kind of creative assault. But as an approach I'm not sure it isn't something that will kill it. Which seems an odd thing for a creator to do, to radically reimagine things in a way that sheds the original audience. I'm just skeptical that she can build an entirely new audience.

I’ve mostly seen positive response on twitter. Younger fans of comics seem to be taking to it more. But who knows.

If she pulls it off, even if I'm not likely to stick around, more power to her. Pulling off a radical renovation is a helluva creative coup.

[Flex]

With Wolt here, I like the new strip.

[revbob]

With Wolt here, I like the new strip.

If she can get a following good for her but so far I do not find it very interesting.

[Dr. Medulla]

If she can get a following good for her but so far I do not find it very interesting.

Just from the point of an artist and the legacy of the character, why take on a strip that, seemingly, she finds lacking in every way. Imagine taking on Superman and deciding that all aspects of his private life are dumb and dispense with that, plus change him to an underwater detective. Maybe that proves to be really popular with some new fans even as plenty are turned off by such a radical change, but I'd ask why a writer/artist would want to take on a character if they don't care for the foundation of it all. Go create your own underwater detective character if that's your vision.

[Inder]

The Mark Trail Thread of Millennial Laffs

[Kory]

If she can get a following good for her but so far I do not find it very interesting.

Just from the point of an artist and the legacy of the character, why take on a strip that, seemingly, she finds lacking in every way. Imagine taking on Superman and deciding that all aspects of his private life are dumb and dispense with that, plus change him to an underwater detective. Maybe that proves to be really popular with some new fans even as plenty are turned off by such a radical change, but I'd ask why a writer/artist would want to take on a character if they don't care for the foundation of it all. Go create your own underwater detective character if that's your vision.

I would imagine the main answer is "because my vision is a lot less likely to be published."

[revbob]

If she can get a following good for her but so far I do not find it very interesting.

Just from the point of an artist and the legacy of the character, why take on a strip that, seemingly, she finds lacking in every way. Imagine taking on Superman and deciding that all aspects of his private life are dumb and dispense with that, plus change him to an underwater detective. Maybe that proves to be really popular with some new fans even as plenty are turned off by such a radical change, but I'd ask why a writer/artist would want to take on a character if they don't care for the foundation of it all. Go create your own underwater detective character if that's your vision.

I would imagine the main answer is "because my vision is a lot less likely to be published."

So back in the day Tony Iommi from Black Sabbath wanted to release a solo album. The label said no so it was released as a Black Sabbath album.

It was far from a Black Sabbath album and not very good as a whole either. Black Sabbath has so much to teach us.

[Dr. Medulla]

If she can get a following good for her but so far I do not find it very interesting.

Just from the point of an artist and the legacy of the character, why take on a strip that, seemingly, she finds lacking in every way. Imagine taking on Superman and deciding that all aspects of his private life are dumb and dispense with that, plus change him to an underwater detective. Maybe that proves to be really popular with some new fans even as plenty are turned off by such a radical change, but I'd ask why a writer/artist would want to take on a character if they don't care for the foundation of it all. Go create your own underwater detective character if that's your vision.

I would imagine the main answer is "because my vision is a lot less likely to be published."

I agree, but I can't get behind that kind of opportunist position. Speaking more about comic book characters rather than comic strips, I'm in the camp of those who say that the writers and artists are caretakers of the characters. Tell your stories but don't do so in a way that respects notions of continuity, for both those who came before and will come after. If you can't tell the kind of stories you want within the parameters of those characters, be respectful enough not to do the work at all.

[Spiff]

If she can get a following good for her but so far I do not find it very interesting.

Just from the point of an artist and the legacy of the character, why take on a strip that, seemingly, she finds lacking in every way. Imagine taking on Superman and deciding that all aspects of his private life are dumb and dispense with that, plus change him to an underwater detective. Maybe that proves to be really popular with some new fans even as plenty are turned off by such a radical change, but I'd ask why a writer/artist would want to take on a character if they don't care for the foundation of it all. Go create your own underwater detective character if that's your vision.

I would imagine the main answer is "because my vision is a lot less likely to be published."

I agree, but I can't get behind that kind of opportunist position. Speaking more about comic book characters rather than comic strips, I'm in the camp of those who say that the writers and artists are caretakers of the characters. Tell your stories but don't do so in a way that respects notions of continuity, for both those who came before and will come after. If you can't tell the kind of stories you want within the parameters of those characters, be respectful enough not to do the work at all.

Did you mean to say disrespects?

[Dr. Medulla]

If she can get a following good for her but so far I do not find it very interesting.

Just from the point of an artist and the legacy of the character, why take on a strip that, seemingly, she finds lacking in every way. Imagine taking on Superman and deciding that all aspects of his private life are dumb and dispense with that, plus change him to an underwater detective. Maybe that proves to be really popular with some new fans even as plenty are turned off by such a radical change, but I'd ask why a writer/artist would want to take on a character if they don't care for the foundation of it all. Go create your own underwater detective character if that's your vision.

I would imagine the main answer is "because my vision is a lot less likely to be published."

I agree, but I can't get behind that kind of opportunist position. Speaking more about comic book characters rather than comic strips, I'm in the camp of those who say that the writers and artists are caretakers of the characters. Tell your stories but don't do so in a way that respects notions of continuity, for both those who came before and will come after. If you can't tell the kind of stories you want within the parameters of those characters, be respectful enough not to do the work at all.

Did you mean to say disrespects?

Oof, yes. Or remove "don't" from that sentence.

[revbob]

Magazine chick looks drunk in panel two, what's in that mug?

[Dr. Medulla]

Magazine chick looks drunk in panel two, what's in that mug?

So is panel 1 mocking animal rights supporters, too? And her teeth evolved into fangs in panel 2.

[Silent Majority]

Magazine chick looks drunk in panel two, what's in that mug?

So is panel 1 mocking animal rights supporters, too? And her teeth evolved into fangs in panel 2.

Finally, a strip with the guts to go after people who dislike cultural appropriation.

[WestwayKid]

Magazine chick looks drunk in panel two, what's in that mug?

Everyone in this new version of Mart Trail looks like they stepped out of 1996.