Reading the Morning Sentinel is a key part of my morning routine, and after reading about the woes of the world I look to the comics for a respite, a moment to be entertained with humor and, at times, contemplation. The old Mark Trail was part of that, the storyline a little corny and dated but he was a forthright, true-blue overall “good guy,” and if nothing else, the illustrations were beyond compare. The new Mark Trail? Awful!

I actually Googled articles on the debut of the new Mark Trail; he is to be a “champion for environmentalism.” In his first effort to save the manatees, he punches his father, steals his boat, runs from the police and crashes the boat. A hell of an example this “champion” set for the environmentalism. The new Cherry has a bigger role, an improvement over the dutiful wife, but we are introduced to her as she brawls with her sister.

A recent strip was the last straw. To quote the pair: “I’ll do whatever it takes. Especially if there’s punching involved.” and “All I’d send them is a bunch of swear words and rude emojis.” Really? This new Mark Trail’s family is dysfunctional. What kind of example are we setting for our children? This certainly isn’t entertaining.

If I recall, you have already posted three letters to the editor complaining about this “new” Mark Trail. Each time I assumed you’d gotten the message. You did drop it from the Sunday newspaper, and I was hoping the next day he would be gone too.

You must have a statistical algorithm to estimate the extent of subscriber displeasure from these letters. So, I add one more and appeal to fellow readers to join us; call, write or email the paper and vote “Mark Trail” out.

Peter Newkirk

Winslow