Mark Trail's next pen pal - Gainesville Times

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Mark Trail's next pen pal

Iconic comic strip will pass to a 3rd Gainesville artist

Comic strip artist James Allen works Thursday in his Gainesville studio. Allen will take over the “Mark Trail” comic at the end of the month from Gainesville native Jack Elrod, who has been producing the syndicated strip since 1978. Elrod took it over from Gainesville’s Ed Dodd, who created it in 1946.

0308comic3 — Comic strip artist James Allen works Thursday in his Gainesville studio. Allen will take over the “Mark Trail” comic at the end of the month from Gainesville native Jack Elrod, who has been producing the syndicated strip since 1978. Elrod took it over from Gainesville’s Ed Dodd, who created it in 1946.

James Allen said he felt like the heavens opened up before his eyes when he first met cartoonist Jack Elrod a decade ago. In that moment, Allen, 46, of Gainesville, said all he could think was “this is it.” Elrod, a Gainesville native, has been writing the syndicated comic “Mark Trail” since 1978.