Tiger 10th April 1976

It's been a little while, but I'm back. Like John Lennon famously said, "Life is what happens to you while you make other plans". Well, a lot of life has happened since my blog post. Hopefully, I shall be a little more regular going forward, although to be honest, I'm never going to be back to posting weekly like I used to do. Enough about my life, let's check on the lives of those in Tiger comic, April 1976.  

Tiger

10th April 1976

Skid Solo

A Grand Prix car takes pride of place on the front page, but it's not Skid Solo's, and neither is it Tommy Carter's. Rather, it belongs to Buster Benson, three-time World Champion, now racing in his final race. 

At the trackside, Skid sits in his wheelchair, telling Tommy of Benson's exploits. He earned the nickname "Buster" much like Crash Carter earned his by busting cars in a variety of fashions. 

Skid tells Tommy that, despite this, Buster Benson became World Champion. He hated losing, and this motivated him, even today as an older racer in a slower car. 

Tommy takes all this on board, and as the race starts, he is impressed with Benson's speed off the line. However, soon cars begin to pass Benson, including Tommy. 

However, Tommy has trouble with an oil leak, and he pulls into the pits for Sandy to fix it. He emerges back on the track a lap down and just behind Benson. As the race continues, Tommy remembers Skid's words that Benson hates to lose and that this is Benson's last race.

The race ends with  Tommy coming in last, just behind Benson. Benson is happy; he was slow, but at least he wasn't last. Later, as Benson walks away, Skid quietly says to Tommy that it was a very nice thing that Tommy did on the track, although Tommy mumbles that he doesn't know what Skid is talking about. 

A good lesson for Tommy early on, as Tommy learns that Buster overcame his nickname to later win the World Championship. This is paired with a feel-good ending; however, the story overall felt rather bland and didn't make a strong impression. With Skid still off the track, the Tommy storylines are failing to grab me satisfyingly, and although I can see a lot of potential with the direction we are heading, it remains unfilled. 

Earlier in the year, we had drama with Skid's accident and his time in the hospital. This has now dissipated, and we are left with a story bereft of its hero and seemingly struggling for direction. 

Once can't fault it too much, the artwork remains superb, and the stories still have a feel-good factor that is heavily influenced by Skid Solo's personality. With just a little more edge, we would be back on track, but for now, we are in a rut, and something needs to change. 

Rating: 5.5/10

Best line: "Well, not bad for an old man, Skid. At least I can say...I wasn't last!" 

Hot Shot Hamish

Hamish has been feuding with McKirky, following a family tradition of four hundred years. However, as a great tree is falling upon McKirky, Hamish stops it, holding up the tree and saving McKirky's life. 

With this act, 400 years of feuding are over, and Hamish and McKirky shake hands in peace. McKirky tells Hamish that he is in his debt, and one day he intends to repay him. 

On the football side of the story, Princes Park is two games away from winning promotion. The first game they play ends in a draw after a fortuitous goal from Hamish, and it all comes down to the final game. As the players come down the tunnel toward the pitch, they are greeted by McKirky, who vows to repay Hamish. With that, he leads the McKirky Pipers forward, and the team is treated with the sight of a pipe band bringing them onto the field while the rest of the stadium is tense in anticipation.

The strip standard strongly, the opening panels full of drama, and plenty for the eye to feast upon. The final few panels were equally compelling, with the sight of the McKirky Pipers making their way across the pitch an unforgettable way to finish the strip.

The rest of the strip couldn't quite match these moments, and although we had some football action, none of it reached the heights of the panels containing Hamish and McKirky. There was a crackling electricity between McKiky and Hamish, both characters sharply defined and contrasting well on the page and in the story. The 400-year feud was buried rather easily, yet Hamish and McKirty retained a flinty dynamic which should propel the story through to next week. 

Strong characters, a healthy dose of humour, and the always excellent artwork made this a solid entry,  and with a slightly stronger storyline, I would have rated it much higher.  

Rating: 6/10

Best line: "A Balfour...risking his life for a McKirky! I canna believe it!"

Johnny Cougar

In a strange twist, Johnny Cougar is now a school teacher and dealing with unruly students rather than fearsome wrestlers.

One of his chargers, Dickie Dawkins, has decided to play a trick on Johnny, placing a medicine ball behind Johnny as Johnny addresses the class. However, Johnny has a sixth sense and knows the ball is there. Picking it up, he throws it at Dawkins, telling him to put it away. 

Cougar then sends them a long run, which aggravates Dawkins further. Dawkins has a plan, and with his friend Arnold, he falls behind the runners. Hiding in the groundsman's shed, they plan on coming out and joining the others by the end of the run. However, an Indian cry sees Johnny smashing into the hut and chastises the two boys. 

Not only do the two boys have to write 100 lines, but they also have to complete the run, and by the time they return, their classmates are already in the shower and relaxing. 

Meanwhile, the headmaster has pulled Johnny to one side, telling him that he would like him to take the boys away for a summer camp in the New Forest. 

I was wondering how they were going to shoehorn in the physical nature of Johnny Cougar when he is portrayed as a teacher at a school. The answer was to have him smash into the groundkeeper's shed in a panel that captures Johnny in a typical wrestling pose. I can't say I'm one hundred per cent sold on a Johnny Cougar story outside the ring, but we have seen such stories before, and seen them work.

Next week will be make or break in this regard. If it's a strong episode, then all well and good. But if not, it will be a tough ask to get me to invest in a story where Johnny is babysitting some teenagers. 

Rating: 6/10

Best line: "yyfufuf"

Billy's Boots

Last week on the pages of Billy's Boots, we met Reg Wood and his indomitable mother. Not only did she drag Reg away from practice by his ear, but she also stopped to give Mr "Hardnut" Harris a piece of her mind. 

After training, Mr Harris suggests that Billy and Jimmy pay a visit to Reg Wood and find out why his mother won't let him play football. The two boys oblige, although stopping at Reg's place, they find that he is out with his mother, and only his father is at home. 

His father is welcoming, and inside the house, they find several large photos of Reg's Father playing for Wales. He tells them that he was a good keeper, but only played for the national team twice; in the second game, he sustained a serious leg break and never played again. 

This explains Reg's mother's reluctance to let Reg play, but his father assures the two boys that he will try to talk her around. The next day, Reg appears at training, and the team can once again see what a great keeper he is. A while later, his mother appears, this time with his father in tow, and she tells Mr Harris that she still has to think about whether she will allow it.

The first few strips in this issue have seen weak stories propped up by strong artwork. In Billy's Boots, we finally get a compelling storyline that is ably matched by artwork that reinforces the words on the page.

The story of Reg's overprotective mother plays well to the audience it is aimed at, and still holds up well today. It is relatable to both the young audience and to those adults who choose to pick up the comic later, although the adults reading it may feel more aligned with Reg's mother's point of view, rather than having sympathy for Reg. 

Reg's father's flashback to his accident was handled well, and I found myself enjoying the page it took to tell just as much as any of the pages showing Billy and Jimmy playing football. The moment was touching and created sympathy not just for Reg, but also for his father and his mother. After seeing this backstory, I found I had a lot more empathy for Reg's Mum, and it makes the outcome of the story all the more weighty as we want an outcome that satisfies all parties involved. 

I am already anticipating that next week's story may again be my favourite, as Billy's Boots continues its strong run.   

Rating: 8/10

Best line: "Oh, yes...he's good! But so were you!"

Martin's Marvellous Mini

Martin and Tiny have entered the Cairo to Cape Town rally, despite Sir Hilary Hake trying to have them banned.

After a rough ferry journey to Cairo, they take the car for a drive, seeing their first camel and having a taste of life in the desert. They are curious about the tanks left in the desert after World War Two and are surprised when one opens fire at them. The tank is manned by two men who have been paid off by Sir Hake, and they are disappointed to see Tiny and Martin escape deeper into the desert, although they do comment that Tiny and Martin are driving toward the Valley of Drifting Sand, and it's unlikely that they will ever be seen again. 

Tiny and Martin are soon stuck and, after much effort, free themselves, only to find themselves driving toward another tank. Luckily, this one isn't manned, and as they explore around, Tiny picks up an old sign. Written in German, it warns them of mines, and the two lads realise they have driven into a minefield.

I still can't get used to this new artist. Normally, I embrace change easily, but in this case, every time I look at the page, I feel I am taken out of the story and distracted by the fact that these don't look like the Tiny and Martin I know and love. 

The story remains as strong as ever, and on another day, I would fully embrace the story being told. Old tanks in the desert, a minefield, and the peril created would normally be right in my wheelhouse, and yet I just can't fully engage with the story being told visually. 

I still think the story is strong, and this would score much higher if I could get past the artwork. The fault is all mine, and I'm sure I will be enthusing about future episodes, but for now, the strip is doing just enough to keep me reading until next week.  

Rating: 6.5/10

Best line: "Gosh! Look at that...a tank!" 

Tornado Jones

After a week's break, Tornado Jones returns with a new adventure. On his way to a ride at a Spring Fair, he comes across an oil tanker that has skidded into the ditch. Jones avoids an accident but finds the oil on the road to be treacherous and narrowly avoids crashing into the bridge.

While he is surveying the scene, a motorbike is fast approaching. Jones attempts to warn the rider, but the rider pays no heed and speeds by. Gunning the engine, the rider easily jumps his bike onto the rail of the bridge, riding safely along it before jumping off at the other end. 

The tanker driver is impressed, while Jones is dismissive, calling the rider crazy. Continuing on his way, Jones arrives at the fair and prepares for his stunt, speeding through a wall of ice. However, as he speeds towards the obstacle, his bike suddenly fails him, forcing him to pull up short. He tells those watching that it will take him an hour to fix it, when suddenly the mysterious rider appears. This rider yells that he'll do it, and before Jones has time to react, the rider has accelerated through the wall of ice and exploded out the other side.

I have a love-hate relationship with Tornado Jones, and this week I come down on the side of love as it delivers a fun story that kept me engrossed for the pages it ran. 

The story is relatively simple, and the clean artwork helped keep up the pace of the story as I quickly read through. There wasn't as much silliness as we sometimes see in Tornado Jones, and the humour was more fun than silly when it did occur in this issue. 

We had several dramatic moments, firstly with Jones avoiding an accident, and then with the mysterious rider twice providing dynamic moments on the bike. In not many panels, the story was able to be laid out, while the stunts kept up the energy levels, providing just enough detail to keep one reading. 
This was a well-crafted story, and one of the better Tornado Jones stories I have read for a long while. Hopefully, this should continue through the next week, and if so, I shall have to eat my words about some of the earlier Tornado Jones stories. This was solid from start to finish and deserves recognition for being one of the best stories in this week's comic. 

Rating: 7/10

Best line: "Stone the crows, here comes a motor-bike! That guy must be doing a ton!"

Roy Of The Rovers

Melchester Rovers are playing Deans Park in the sixth round of the F.A. Cup. The Deans' manager, Brian Davidson, has gained a psychological advantage, wearing a loudly coloured jacket and proclaiming it to be his lucky jacket. 

Roy is angry at his team for believing in such things and tells them to forget the gimmick and just concentrate on scoring goals. He puts his words into action and has an early shot that is pushed aside by the keeper.

From the resulting corner, the ball is cleared by the Deans Park players. On the sideline, Brian Davidson waves his jacket, and the Rovers think it is signalling that one of the players is going to make an overlap, but it is merely a distraction, and after a cross-field pass, Deans Park scores.   

After this, Rovers come under further pressure, with Roy pitching in on defence. Seeing Brian Davidon taking off his jacket, Roy can see that he is signalling for a short corner. reading the play, Roy reacts swiftly, not only kicking the ball out but also making sure to hit the jacket, carrying it back into the Rovers fans sitting behind Davidson. 

With the jacket out of the equation, the complexion of the match changes. Roy first sets up Blackie to score the first game, before scoring one himself in the second half. With this, the match is won, and the story of Davidson's jacket is over. 

A great story, and I'm happy to see that the second half of this week's Tiger comic is considerably stronger than the first half. 

I didn't think a story about a manager's jacket could be so good, but this was excellent. Once again, it was Roy driving the action, and he was the strongest character on the page and in the story. Although he dominated the strip throughout, as well he might, after all, it's his name in the title, there were still a couple of cameos from other characters in the story. The Melchester fans once again proved their worth, and the interaction between them and Roy was a key part of the story. It hasn't always been such a rosy relationship, but here we see the two working together for the benefit of the club. 

As for the other players, it was only Blackie Grey and Charlie who got any lines, with Charlie's being merely an apology to Roy for the goal scored. This does make the story rather lopsided, as Roy is again a one-man team, but I am happy to overlook it on this occasion as I found myself invested in the outcome of this tale. 

The jacket was an inetrestiung mcguffin, and one that sounded plausible, as was Roy's solution. It gave football a chance to take centre stage, the jacket driving the story without having to appear on every panel. 

A tasty tale, and one that helps lift this week's issue from a slow start. Roy continues with his strong run, and one can see here why he was eventually given his own comic. 

Rating: 7/10

Best line: "No, you idiots...it's just a decoy! Cover the far post!" 

Nipper

Nipper is still suffering from memory loss, and the story is complicated by the return of Nipper's former guardian, Munger, who insists that Nipper was his accomplice in several crimes. 

Nipper doesn't want to believe it, but Munger takes him to an abandoned house in the rough part of the docks. Pulling up some planks in the fireplace, Munger shows some money in an envelope, and more importantly, a balaclava, which he tells Nipper he used to wear during burglaries. A name sewn into the hat is damning evidence, and the "N Lawrence" is plain for all to see. 

Munger reiterates his demand for 100 pounds to keep him quiet, and Nipper is still worried about it as he arrives at Blackport's next game. Some quick questions to Mike about Nipper's background don't ease his anxiety, and as the game begins, Nipper makes a mistake, leading to an early goal against them.

From the bench, Andy Stewart can see that Nipper has something on his mind. He makes it quite clear that if Nipper continues like this, he won't be coming with them for their next European game. 

Nipper ends this week's comic on a high note. It may be the darkest story in the comic, but it is also one of the best.

teh gritty realism we are used to is obvious on the page, even if the story of Nipper's memory loss is rather fanciful. Munger is a great villain, and the artist more than does him justice with his face leering out at us in the first part of the story. One can almost smell the cigarette smoke; it is visceral. 

Elsewhere, the football action is solid enough, although it is Nipper's friendship with Mike that remains the constant. Their chat as they run onto the field has an easy, naturalness of two friends, and helps deepen the story in just a couple of lines. The story is progressing nicely on two fronts: the main Munger storyline, and the football side of the Nippers' performance suffers. Both are feeding off each other, and I'm hooked. This should be one to watch in the coming weeks, as Nippers' struggles get harder week by week.  

Rating: 7/10

Best line: "fufuyf" 

Issue final ratings:

Overall: 7/10

Best Story: Billy's Boots 

Best Line: "It's that old tank! Get off the road before we get clobbered!"

Best Panel:

Roy's Sports Quiz:

Tiger 3rd April 1976

The opening story of this week's issue threw me off my stride. A new artist gave some familiar faces a new look, and not one I immediately warmed to. I usually embrace change, so I'm not sure why this change made me uncomfortable. Maybe I have been too invested in the story and characters, giving it far more credit than it perhaps deserved, based on my familiarity. However, this new look is closer to what I read when I first started buying the comic in 1982, and with this thought comes the realisation that I have now read more of these older issues than the ones I bought new. Time has a funny way of contracting and expanding, and it doesn't pay to think too much about it. Much like the thought that I am writing about comics from almost fifty years ago, which, when I was a boy, would have been the equivalent of comics in the 1930s. Great, I have officially become my Grandfather, and I'm not too happy about it!    

Tiger

3rd April 1976

Martin's Marvellous Mini

Martin and Tiny have finally joined a Motor Club, and a very smart one at that. This week's strip begins with the lads taking part in a Rally-Cross event. It's wet and muddy, and Martin and Tiny make quite an impression as they slide around the course. Things come to a sticky end as they crash into the private enclosure owned by Sir Hilary Hake. This results in the members being showered in mud, and the outcome of it all is that Martin and Tiny are chucked out of the club, and with that, their chances of racing in the Cairo to Cape Town rally are dashed. 

Sir Hake is pleased with the outcome; now his son has a good chance of winning the rally, and that will be a big boost for Hake cars. However, Martin and Tiny have returned to Buxton Street, and the local community has rallied together to raise the cash for them to take part in the rally.

Martin and Tiny are driving to the start of the race when they drive straight through a large puddle, splashing water over Sir Hake, who immediately threatens to ring Cairo and have them thrown out of the race before it begins. 

It seems a new artist is working on Martin's Marvellous Mini. It has a similar feel, but there are certain panels where the difference is glaring. For the most part, it didn't bother me too much, aside from the panel at the bottom of the first page where Tiny and Martin looked like impostors of the two characters I know and love. 

This distracted me from the main story for quite a while. A reread helped bring me back up to speed, and although the story is good enough, it hasn't yet delivered on the Ciro to Cape Town rally promised last week. That hasn't been entirely forgotten, and these troubles with Sir Hilary Hake are merely setting the scene for that much longer race. 

The muddy rally-cross event gave us a strong cover image, although it was deflating to turn the page and see that change in artwork. The story of Sir Hilary is low-stakes and needed something bold to kick-start this diversion. The images of the cars in the mud did this, and while the rest of the story didn't deliver on the promise of this cover, it did at least keep me enthused enough to finish. 

The story got steadily better as it went along, and once I got used to the new look, I found the story quite engaging. Sir Hilary and his cars played well on the page, and as we head to the start of the Cairo to Cape Town rally, all is in the right place for a cracking story. It was a better-than-expected start, and although the strip had a couple of shaky moments, it gave us a dash of excitement and set us up well for what comes next. 

Rating: 7/10

Best line: "Don't you know? He's that smart gent who had his own private enclosure - the chap who was a bit mud stained!"   

Who the heck are these guys??

Johnny Cougar

Johhny Cougar has received bad news from the editor of Tiger and Scorcher; his story isn't as popular as it used to be, and it's time to spruce things up.

Johnny and Splash meet some young boys in the street and question them about their preferences. The boys tell Johnny that there is too much wrestling (wrong!) and that he should take a break from grip and grapple. 

Things move quickly from there, as the boys encourage Johnny to become a P.E. teacher. Before the end of the strip, not only has he been accepted to teach at the school, but the first lesson has already begun as Johnny pushes his young chargers to run around the gym.

Not everyone is pleased to have Johnny as their teacher, and we see one boy placing a medicine ball behind where Johnny is standing, intending for Johnny to fall backwards when he takes a step back. 

With Johnny and Splash talking to the editor about the popularity of their own strip, Johnny Cougar is ahead of the curve when it comes to being meta. It has since become very trendy, but in the mid to late 70s, this would have been quite groundbreaking. I have mixed feelings about it. It feels right for Johnny Cougar; we have had several instances of him talking directly to the reader over the last three years, and it's not unusual to see him or Splash deliver a final line directly to the reader. However, this is a step beyond that, and although it's no great jump, it does draw back the curtain on Johnny Cougar's popularity at the time. 

Seeing the three boys telling Johnny that there's too much wrestling action goes against everything that I personally feel about the comic. I have often thought the strongest part of any Johnny Cougar story is the wrestling. It seems I am in the minority on that front, and with it now clearly stated on the page, I fear that we may be moving away from what I like most about Johnny Cougar and onto something much more fanciful. 

That hasn't played out yet, and seeing Johnny teaching in a school is a humble beginning. I did question his ease at getting a teaching position, and although they alluded to checking with the authorities, it sounded like no proper police check was done. Oh, how times have changed. Hard to imagine a school now taking on a professional wrestler without a barrage of red tape and hoops to jump through. 

Johnny's first day at school hasn't delivered anything exciting, and my first thought is that any sort of wrestling action would be better than this. Dealing with a problematic student isn't what I want to see from Johnny Cougar, and I can only hope that this is merely a prelude to a much wider story. Only time will tell, and although this was a curious issue, it wasn't an entirely compelling one and needs an extra spark to pay off the first few panels with the editor. 

Rating: 6/10

Best line: "Maybe not...but Cougar heap upset at the news. Words spoken by the editor heap disappointing!" 

Billy's Boots

Billy was facing big trouble last week as he was told to report to the headmaster immediately after the game. This week, that storm quickly blows over as Billy is introduced to the couple whose greenhouse he broke. They return his ball, telling him that they know the full story, including how he is doing Micky Browns paper round. He is a credit to Groundwood School in their eyes, and with this, that part of the story is over, and we can move on to some football. 

The football team is training hard for the cup final, but first, they must face league-leading Fairfield School on the weekend. Training is progressing well when suddenly the Groundswood goalkeeper falls ill with measles. The search begins for a replacement, and Mr Harris calls on some of the surrounding spectators to try out. One of these boys is a new boy named Reg Wood, and he proves to be excellent in goal. It looks as though he is the answer to all their problems, when suddenly his angry mother appears and drags him off by his ear, but not before stopping to put Mr Harris in his place. 

Another Billy's Boots issue to mark in your calendars - the first appearance of Reg Wood. Reg rounds out the triumvirate of Billy, Jimmy, and himself, and he will be a mainstay of their gang in the coming years. Billy's world has grown quickly in the last year, and we have moved on from Billy alone. He now has a small clique of friends around him, and this gives us more angles for storytelling. It also serves to make him more relatable, as most boys his age have a small circle of close friends they can rely on. Billy now has Jimmy and Reg at his side, and not only will they feature in football stories with him, but also in the cricketing stories. 

This is a humble beginning for Reg, and in this first issue, his mother makes more of an impression than he does. She is a force to be reckoned with, and anyone who can put Hardnut Harris in his place isn't someone to be trifled with. I hope we see more of her, and he nicely balances Billy's lovely Gran.

The story started slowly, and it was disappointing to see Billy's trouble with the broken greenhouse dismissed so swiftly. This story has played out for several weeks, and in a single panel, it was closed as the owners of the greenhouse forgave Billy without any real consequence for all that had come before. Another half-page of drama would have been good, and I would have liked just a little more squeezed from the moment.

Still, this issue is all about Reg Wood and his goal-keeping prowess. It's a joy to see him in action, and coupled with his good nature, he is an instantly likeable character. He is a welcome addition to the strip and to the comic, and we have taken a step forward toward the Tiger comic I grew up with.   

Rating: 8/10

Best line: "Reg Wood, sir..."

Hot Shot Hamish

During a vital game, Hamish is being barracked by a man named McKirky, who claims his family has been feeding with the Balfours for hundreds of years. Hamish is about to storm into the stands to sort him out when the referee blows for halftime, and Hamish's team drag him from the field. 

At halftime, Mr McWhacker has good news for the team; the two teams above them on the table are losing, and if they win today, they will be at the top of the league. This is all the motivation the team needs, and they come out to play the second half with new energy. Hamish receives the ball and, for a moment, thinks about kicking it straight into McKirky's face. However, he puts the needs of the team first and instead strikes the hot shot and scores the first goal of the game. The rest of the game belongs to Princes Park, and they finish as 3-0 winners to take the top of the league. 

That night, Hamish is walking back to his lodgings when a storm strikes. Making his way through the pouring rain, he is suddenly confronted by McKirky, who is drawing his sword and vowing revenge. However, before he can make good on his threats, there is a bolt of lightning that strikes a nearby tree. This topples the tree, and the strip ends with McKirky about to be crushed as it falls.   

This was a well-balanced story that gave us both football action and further developments in the McKirky story. The football action started the strip strongly, and although it wasn't the most demanding of games, for the team or for the reader, it did deliver some strong images, especially that of Hamish's first hot shot. 

The McKirky storyline also delivered a striking image, that of the tree being struck by lightning. The sight of the tree falling and McKirky dropping his sword and bracing himself was the best in the strip. It was a story unto itself and said more in a single image than the preceding three panels had told us. On another day, it would have been my favourite panel in the comic, and it was just pipped by another image of an old, familiar face. 

McKirky is just as good this week as last, and his abuse from the stands to Hamish was outstanding. Every line had me smirking to myself, and the back and forth between him and Hamish was a highlight of the football match. Hopefully, we will get more of this back and forth as the strip continues. As things stand at the moment, McKirky is the best thing in the story. 

Rating: 6.5/10

Best line: "How do ye like that, ye kilted clown? There's no' a McKirky in all Scotland could  have scored a goal like that!" 

Skid Solo

Tommy has entered the famous Masters' Sports Car race, and after a mistake from his mechanic, he finds himself well down the field as he pulls out of the pits. 

Tommy drives furiously, and as the cars reach halfway, he has pulled himself up to tenth. The commentator is excited by Tommy's speed and breathlessly tells the crowd that Tommy has just equalled the lap record. 

Skid and Sandy had been visiting the local hospital and arrived at the track to find the mechanic fully immersed in the race. He tells them that Tommy is now third, and it's his fault for Tommy's poor start, as he forgot to change the spark plugs.

Out on the track, Tommy continues to push the car hard, while from trackside, Sandy worries that he's pushing it too much. However, Sandy's worrying is for nothing, and on the final bend, Tommy makes his move, snatching victory on the line by a nose. 

Skid and Sandy are in the pits when Tommy comes in, and they witness Tommy's exchange with the mechanic. The mechanic apologises for the incident with the spark plugs, and Tommy gives him a stern dressing down before telling him to never make the mistake again and to check the car thoroughly before he puts it away. Skid and Sandy smile at each other, seeing Tommy's newfound confidence and commenting that it is a good thing. 

The climax of the story came after the race, and seeing Tommy chew out the mechanic was the moment I had been waiting for. It delivered as expected and looked fantastic on the page. While there had been intensity on the track, none of it could compare to seeing Tommy confronting his mechanic.

The race itself looked superb, with the usual high-quality art delivering image after image of close racing action. Two panels in particular caught my eye. The close-up of Tommy's face as he determinedly decided that he would not lose, and the appearance of our old friend, the track commentator. The track commentator appeared in three panels, and each time, the expression on his face captured the excitement of his dialogue. We have seen this character many times now, and he always adds an extra wrinkle to the story being told, his joy at the racing carrying the spirit to the reader. He is still unnamed, but for me, he is equally important as Sandy, Tommy or any of the other characters besides Skid.     

This story was a big step forward for Tommy. With this victory under his belt, one feels he is ready to take on a Grand Prix. I haven't read ahead, but this must be in the next month or so. As for Skid's return, that remains an unwritten mystery. Whether he will be in a position to race with Tommy remains to be seen, but surely, he will be behind the wheel in some capacity as the season begins. 

Rating: 7.5/10

Best line: "Great Highland Chieftains! The laddies won!" 

Roy Of The Rovers

Rovers are playing against Highwood Athletic, and after a convincing win, their thoughts turn to the next round of the F.A. Cup. Switching on the TV after the game, Roy catches an interview with Deans Park manager, Brian Davidson, who is basking in the glow of a 6-0 victory against Tynecastle.

Davidson is wearing a brightly coloured jacket, and he tells the interviewer that he only wears it on special occasions as it has become a lucky mascot. He elaborates, saying he will wear it on Saturday for the F.A. Cup match against Melchester, then again for the semifinal, and the final. 

The idea of a lucky mascot catches on, and the next week, Roy is flooded with lucky mascots from Melchester fans. Even the team gets in on the act, and Roy is horrified on game day to find the team waiting at the bus, all with their individual lucky mascots.

He tells them they look ridiculous and this is just what Davidson wants. Roy is correct, and as they run out at Deans Park, Davidson is laughing, telling Roy that he will remember how lucky he is with every goal they score against Rovers. 

Now we know who the mysterious man in the suit was from the final panel of last week. He isn't as sinister or as dangerous as Blackie made out, and the threat of a lucky suit isn't the most dramatic of storylines. The most villainous thing about Brian Davidson is his smug look in every panel and his greasy smile. 

There was some humour in this week's strip, and the sight of the Rover's players pulling out all their lucky mascots provided some levity against the backdrop of an unchallenging story. The most humorous of these moments was seeing the players board the bus clutching teddy bears and wearing lucky hats and scarves. For a moment, it was almost enough for me to overlook the fact that these are professional footballers worried about an opposing manager's lucky suit. 

We have yet to see this lucky suit in all its glory. We have been told that it is brightly coloured, and one can only imagine that we will see it on the cover sometime in the next few weeks. I am keen to see what all the fuss is about, and it had better live up to its promises. I don't remember such a fuss about a manager's sartorial choices since Jose Mourinho and his famous coat, although I don't remember opposition players loading up on lucky charms when playing Chelsea in the early 2000s. 

Without being a great issue, this was still entertaining. It was worth reading for the sight of Duncan McKay in his tasselled jacket alone, and that is the image I will carry with me until the next issue.     

Rating: 6.5/10

Best line: "Hey, Roy...how d'you fancy a pair of lucky Wellingtons?"

Nipper

Nipper has led Blackport to a 5-0 victory over Zeeden in the European Cup Winners Cup, and emerging from the stadium, he is mobbed by the kids from Docks Road. Nipper engages in a quick kick-around with them, but soon has to head home. 

Back home, Amy Felcher tells Nipper that a man named Nat Munger is waiting for him, claiming to be his guardian. Munger leaps to his feet at the sight of Nipper, telling him that it's hard to believe that two years have passed since he went to Australia to visit his sick brother. 

Munger is a con man and is aware of Nipper's memory loss. When they are alone, he tells Nipper that the story about him being in Australia was a lie, and of course, he was in prison. Nipper is confused, as Munger expands on his story, telling Nipper that Nipper was his accomplice as he robbed a warehouse, serving as a lookout for him. Nipper tells him that it can't be true, but  Munger tells him it is, and Nipper needs to give him some money to keep him quiet. 

Munger is going to be a great villain, but we are still some way from this story blossoming into what it can become. This story is still sketching out the character, and this issue was uneven in that respect. There is no doubt about the trouble Munger is bringing to Nipper, although the setup felt a little clumsy. Of all the things Munger could have told Nipper, he chose to tell him that he is a criminal, someone who can't be trusted. This marks him out as a bad guy right away, and even though he has told Nipper that he, too, is a criminal, there will always be doubt thrown on his character from Nipper's perspective. 

His demands also seem to be low-key and short-sighted. A hundred pounds doesn't sound too bad, but it isn't the payoff one would expect for the trouble Munger is going through. Perhaps a wider plot will reveal itself in the coming weeks; we will wait and see. 

I was pleased to see the return of the dockside kids. We haven't seen them for many months now, and they are a key part of Nipper's world. A side story with them is just what we need to add a little pep to the story, and this should play well with the main Munger story, giving the story balance and providing some football action. 

A case of the best is yet to come, and while this story only hinted at what's to follow, there is enough here to encourage me to keep on reading. 

Rating: 5/10

Best line: "Nipper, there's someone to see you! He says his name is Nat Munger, and that he used to be your guardian a long time ago!"     

Issue final ratings:

Overall: 6.5/10

Best Story: Billy's Boots 

Best Line: "More news of Crash Carter! He's equalled the lap record...from a standing start out of the pits! That is absolutely fantastic!"

Best Panel:

Roy's Sports Quiz: 

Tiger 27th March 1976

"Can they do it on a cold, rainy night in Stoke?"
    -Andy Grey

This week, Billy's Boots answers that question with Billy's Groundwood team playing on a waterlogged pitch. It may not be night, but it is definitely cold and wet. Of course, Billy has a trump card; he has already read Dead-Shot Keen's book and holds no fear of such adverse conditions. Elsewhere in Tiger comic, the other footballers all have obstacles to overcome. For Roy, of Roy of the Rovers, it's an early injury; for Nipper, it is a keeper that can't be beaten. My personal favourite, Hot Shot Hamish, has personal abuse from the crowd, which is putting him off his game. All I can say is he must be pleased that he didn't play in the era of social media. This is a storming issue of Tiger, although none of the stories can top Billy and his boots putting on a blinding performance in the wet. Can they do it on a cold, rainy night in Stoke? Billy Dane can. 

27th March 1976

Billy's Boots

Billy's School, Groundwood, has reached the semifinals of the Schools Cup, and the game is being played on a waterlogged pitch after heavy overnight rain. 

Billy hopes to slide the ball into the net like the Dead-Shot Keen goal he read about, but conditions are making any sort of positive play difficult. There are chances, but the opposing goalkeeper is having a good day, and at halftime, the scores are still locked. 

Mr Harris gives the team clean shirts during the break and tells them to run hard at the large defenders. The clean shirts make a difference, and the team plays brightly in the second half. Billy earns his chance, and after a nice pass to Jimmy Dawson, Billy runs hard, and as the keeper fumbles the cross, Billy slides in at the far post to score the solitary goal of the match. 

Coming off the field, Billy sees trouble brewing as the couple whose greenhouse he broke are at the sideline. Sure enough, as the team celebrates in the changing room, Mr Harris appears and tells Billy that the Headmaster wants to talk to him immediately. 

This was a great Billy's Boots story. It contained all the elements that excited me as a boy, and there wasn't a single flat moment in the strip. The colour image on the front page let us know exactly what to expect within, and although we didn't get to see Billy score his goal in colour, the image of Dead-Shot Keen scoring his was just as thrilling. 

The off-field drama was well played and didn't interfere with the game, yet it came to a head at just the right moment. We had a fantastic build-up of Billy struggling on the pitch before finding a way to score the winning goal, only for this final action to bring it all crashing to earth. The threat of the Headmaster was made all the better by the fact that it is unknown what he is going to say. The image of the boys telling Billy the worst outcomes was, as I remember as a boy, just the type of thing you don't want to hear when you are in trouble. 

This great storytelling is capped off by stupendous artwork that seems to have gone up a notch in the last couple of months. We had some dynamic scenes on the football field, but even the still panels contained drama in the way they were drawn. The image of Billy walking off the field and seeing the couple springs to mind, as does the final panel as he walks out to face the headmaster. Any number of panels could compete for my favourite of the week, and I already know that this won't be bettered anywhere else in the comic. 

Rating: 10/10

Best line: "Perhaps the Head's going to expel you for something!" 

Roy Of The Rovers

Rovers lost the first leg of the League Cup semi-final 3-0 and are desperate to overturn this deficit in the return leg. However, they are playing with several youngsters in the team, and Roy, in an attempt to lead from the front, has now injured himself while scoring the first goal. 

Despite some magic spray, Roy is forced to retire from the field. Big Duncan McKay steps up in Roy's absence, and the team respond to his fighting spirit. Just after halftime, McKay scores a goal, and Rovers are only trailing by one on aggregate. 

The young team plays hard, but they can't break the Hansfield defence. In the game's final seconds, the ball falls for Vernon Eliot for a clear shot, but at that moment, the referee whistles for full-time, and Rovers are knocked out. 

Roy isn't too disheartened, and he compliments the Hansfield manager as they shake hands. He then tells Rovers that there is still the League and the F.A. Cup. However, Blackie looks to a smiling figure in the stands and thinks that man could make sure they miss out on everything. 

I have no clue who this mystery man is or how he may impact on Melchester Rovers, so it is with some intrigue that I will read next week. He cuts a dashing figure in the crowd and is obviously known to Blackie, so no doubt Roy will be well aware of who he is as well. 

The rest of the story was a solid tale of a football match, and it played out as one might expect. We saw Roy's injury, a flurry of chances, and some thoughtful substitutions as some of Rovers' better-known players came to the fore. Duncan McKay (always referred to as Big Duncan McKay), Lofty Peak, Vernon Eliot, and Blackie Grey all appeared at various moments, each playing a role in the theatrics of the game. It was nice to see some of them again, and I only wish each had a larger role. Sometimes it feels like Rovers is only four players, and it is a lottery as to which four we see on the page. 

I enjoyed the football side of this story immensely, and the final panel hints at a wider storyline coming. We still haven't fully resolved the issues surrounding Gerry Holloway, and with new layers being added, the story is continuing to grow in a way that demands I read closely. Built on a solid base of football, we can't go too far wrong with the other aspects of the story, and the strip is in good shape as we continue the march toward Roy's wedding. 

Rating: 7/10

Best line: "Good old Duncan! He's making our youngsters work so hard, they haven't even missed me!"

Johnny Cougar

Johnny Cougar is in a three-way fight with The Masked Maniac and The Pirate, and as we pick up the action this week, Johnny Cougar is standing strong over the other two wrestlers as The Pirate faces a count out. 

Seconds later, it's all over for the Pirate, and the match is now a two-man fight between Cougar and The Masked Maniac. 

The rest of the fight is a hard-hitting affair. Both wrestlers have their moments, and there is intense physical action throughout. Johnny Cougar emerges victorious, finishing The Masked Maniac with a double-handed smash. 

With the cup awarded, all thoughts turn to what might come next, with Splash Gorton telling us that after all this action, everything might seem dull, but he and Johnny will be sure to find something exciting to do. 

Like Roy of the Rovers before it, this strip was built on solid sporting action. The wrestling looked intense on the page, with the artist conveying the physicality of the wrestlers well. The blows looked fearsome, and the impact was earth-shaking - just what you would expect from two large men battling it out in the ring. 

Over the last three months, the story has been built on the unique characteristics of the wrestlers, yet that was largely absent in these last two issues. All the frivolities have been shorn off, and we are left with the basics, big men wrestling it out in the ring. This purity surprisingly made the story more engaging, and of this story arc, this was one of the better episodes. I am surprised by this, although it does remind me of the mantra of any good football manager: "We have to get back to basics." That's exactly what Johnny Cougar did this week, and it gave us an enjoyable story based on nothing more than two men wrestling. As for next week, well, that's a whole other story... 

Rating: 7/10

Best line: "Phew, what a fall...I felt the whole ring shake!" 

Skid Solo 

Another week, another sports car race for Tommy Carter as he proves his worth on the track in the absence of Skid Solo. 

Tommy hasn't had a good time of it so far, and a flashback shows us his earlier troubles. Skid and Sandy are unable to make it to the race, but Skid has arranged for another mechanic to help Tommy at the track.  At first, he was refused entry to the track, the guards thinking he was too young. After producing his ID, Tommy is waved in. In the pits, he is checking his car when an angry mechanic tells him to leave the car alone. The mechanic doesn't realise that Tommy is the driver he has been assigned to, and after an angry exchange, the pair part on bad terms. 

As the race starts, Tommy is determined to put all this behind him. He makes a fast start but soon finds that other cars are easily driving by him. He pulls into the pits and tells the mechanic that something is wrong with the car. The two have another argument, but this time, Tommy puts the mechanic in his place and tells him to have a look at the engine and get it sorted, or he'll never work again. 

The reluctant mechanic does as he is told, and as Tommy pulls back onto the track, the mechanic ruefully looks at the spark plugs in his hands and hopes that Tommy never finds out that he forgot to change them before the race.  

As a fan of angry faces on the comic page, this story appealed to me. We had angry faces glaring at us from almost every panel, and we could feel the pressure of Tommy's situation. The artwork in this regard was outstanding, and while it is often the cars that thrill me, in this case, it was the furious faces that propelled the action. 

I'm not normally a fan of flashbacks, and it does feel like we have had a lot recently, but it worked well in this case and helped connect the arresting first image with the wider story. The opening panel of the cars on the grid caught the eyes, with the flashbacks building the backstory nicely to get us back to this point.

Skid was almost totally absent this week, only appearing in a single panel early in the strip. It didn't matter too much; Tommy is becoming stronger as a character and is now at the stage where he can carry the story by himself. The image of him dressing down his mechanic highlighted his growth and was the defining moment of this week's story. 

We have more to come next week, although it may well be anti-climactic after what we have read here. A good race won't be enough to satisfy me; I want to see Tommy conquer both the track and the officials.  

Rating: 8/10

Best line: "You might have won a few, mate...but you've never won at the Hatch Lane track before! Win today's race...and you will be someone!" 

Tornado Jones

Tornado Jones has been challenged by a rival stuntman, Bill Bannon, to a five-lap race around the studio perimeter fence. However, Bannon released a smoke flare, and the blinded Tornado Jones crashed through a gate and into a lot where a Western was being filmed.

There is mayhem as he blindly drives down the main street, climaxing as he crashes into a saloon where a gunfight is being filmed. With a morning's filming now ruined, Jones doesn't wait around to suffer the consequences and instead rushes back to his race. 

A shortcut through "Tarzan" and then "Napoleon's retreat from Moscow" sees him rejoin the race just seconds behind Bannon. After a furious final lap, Jones pips Bannon at the post and wins by a wheel length.

Bannon is gracious in defeat, and the pair shake hands. Jones reports to the movie set the following day, ready to take on the job as chief stuntman. However, he is greeted with the news that the studio has decided not to fund this movie, and once again, Tornado Jones is out of a job. 

This was an enjoyable romp, although the final panels were a letdown for both Jones and the reader. Until then, the story had been fast-moving and exciting, but it all proved to be for nothing, leaving the action feeling empty and worthless. There was no reward for what we read, and although I don't need a happy ending, I do need a payoff that feels worthy of what has come before. 

The humour of the story was far better balanced than previous Tornado Jones stories, and I liked the way these humorous moments were woven into the story. Jones taking a shortcut through Tarzan and a Napoleonic epic weren't overplayed, but provided a smile as Jones continued with his chaos. The race remained the main driver of the action and was the focus even when Jones was engaging in some silliness. This kept the story moving even while I was laughing and helped frame the humour.   

The final panel tells us that Tornado Jones will be taking a break next week but will be returning in two weeks. I don't know what will be taking his place. I don't think a one-shot story will appear, and I can only assume that the next issue will be a story short. We shall see, but it will be good to read Tornado Jones with fresh eyes upon his return. 

Rating: 6.5/10

Best line: "And I'm so mad, I don't care who I upset - not even Tarazan of the Apes!" 

Nipper

Nipper is playing against the Dutch Club Zeeden and facing the goalkeeper Jan Eyek, who seems to hold an uncanny mastery over Nipper. 

Nipper has tempered his desire to score and instead set up Mike Bateson for the first goal. He continues to play in this style and acts as a decoy as Blackport scores a second goal. 

The Dutch team see that Nipper is acting as a decoy and changes their tactics. This gives Nipper more space, and soon he is through one-on-one with Jan Eyke. Eyke stops Nipper dead with a rugby tackle, and from the resulting penalty, Len Duggan scores. 

Well into the second half, Nipper finally scores himself, and the game ends with a four-nil victory to Blackport. Coming off the field, Nipper thanks former player Bill Robinson for his advice. Bill had told Nipper that Eyke was so desperate to stop Nipper that he virtually forgot the other forwards, and so it proved on the field. 

The final panel points to trouble in Nipper's future as an evil newcomer arrives at Nipper's house, about to find out if the rumours are true and planning to make a lot of money out of Nipper. 

The story of Nipper and Jan Eyke has played out, and it finished as we guessed last week. There weren't a lot of surprises on the field, apart from Eyke not being sent off for rugby tackling Nipper. It was a different game in 1976, and surely, such an effort in modern times would earn Eyke a straight red card. 

I have enjoyed this story arc with Nipper and Eyke, although I am quietly pleased to see that Nipper's memory loss hasn't been forgotten through all this. The appearance of an evil newcomer (and he did very much look like an evil newcomer) in the final panel signals a return to this memory loss storyline, and this time it appears far more serious than forgetting tactics on the football field. This newcomer looks the business, and I expect we shall learn a lot more about him very quickly next week. 

We still haven't had any repercussions for the students who kidnapped Nipper, and I am beginning to wonder if this current story will ever make a loop back there to see them face justice. It looks unlikely from here, and it does feel like a thread that has never been tied to the story. I'm not too concerned, but it does cross my mind from time to time that these people are still out there, and nobody seems too bothered to punish them.  

Rating: 7/10

Best line: "He's stopped Nipper, all right - with one of the best rugger tackles I've ever seen!" 

 Surely that's a red card?

Martin's Marvellous Mini

Tiny and Martin are on the holiday island and are charged with keeping an eye on young Henry, who lives on their street. Henry is currently out of control on a motorbike and careens over the top of a sand dune with Tiny and Martin close behind in the mini. 

It all comes to a rapid end as Henry goes over the handlebars and into the water. Although surrounded by crabs, he emerges unscathed, and the boys drive him back to the hotel, with Tiny riding the motorcycle.

The week ends, and the boys return the now much-politer Henry to his family. From there, they venture onto the Castle Motor Club that Mister Twastle has signed them up to, and they are told that they have been entered into the Cairo to Cape Town rally. 

This excites the pair (and me), but some club members are rather sniffy about their appearance and their old car. Tiny becomes incensed and angrily approaches them, with Martin doing his best to pull him back.  

Not a poor story for Martin's Marvellous Mini, but one that concentrates on wrapping up their time with Henry and setting the groundwork for the next adventure. The story of Henry paled into insignificance after reading that they were about to embark on the Cairo to Cape Town rally, and the previous page felt lightweight after this revelation. 

I never cared much for the story of Henry and their time on the island, so I was rather relieved to see it finish this week. It had a low-key ending fitting for the story, and like so much of the rest of the story, it felt undercooked. Henry was never in serious trouble, and he didn't bring a great deal of humour to the strip. He and the story sat in no man's land for most of its run and failed to make much of an impression on me throughout.

One person who made an impression was the castle's owner, where the motoring club is based. He looked suspiciously like the man in the final panel of the Roy of the Rovers strip, and although there is no connection between the two, I can't help but note it. 

This week's strip didn't excite me, but I'm all in for the Cairo to Cape Town rally. Throw in an angry Tiny and some snobby Motor Club members, and there is drama aplenty on the horizon. The story of Henry will soon be forgotten as we embrace some proper motoring action and another spectacular travelogue from Tiny and Martin. 

Rating: 6/10

Best line: "Who do you think you are...Tornado Jones?" 

Hot Shot Hamish 

Hamish has fixed up a trial for young Jamie McKirky, but now finds himself facing the wrath of Jamie's father. McKirky is waving his sword at Hamish, but is subdued when the rest of the team throws a goal net over him before carrying him from the field. 

The trial for Jamie begins, and he proves himself adept with the ball. However, he isn't quite good enough and is a good amateur rather than a professional player. Hamish sends Jamie on his way with a handshake and the promise to try again next season once he has more experience. 

Princes Park's next game is on Saturday, and as the game begins, Hamish finds himself the target of constant abuse from McKirky in the stands. It's loud, and it's personal, and Hamish finds his game suffering as a consequence.  Things come to a head in the final panel as Hamish loses his cool and storms off the pitch, threatening to sort McKirky out. 

An uneven story from Hot Shot Hamish this week. It started strongly, then sagged in the middle before finding its feet again in the final third. The opening sequence of him fighting McKirky was fun, although not as long as I wanted, and it started the story strongly. The final outcome of this fight was well-played, and I enjoyed the creative use of the goal nets.

The trial of young Jamie wasn't so appealing and consisted of half a page of Jamie using various skills on the field while McWhacker critiqued them. It was as exciting as Jamie's skills. All very good, but not what we expect from a Hot Shot Hamish Story. 

The final third of the game and the abuse from McKirky felt far more in tune with a Hot Shot Hamish story and strongly reminded me of the games when Hamish's Daddie was in attendance.  McKirky and Hamish's Daddie are cut from the same cloth, and I would love to see them both on the page at the same time. They may happen down the line, but for now, it is enough to see McKirky and the trouble he is giving Hamish. His first few appearances have been silly, but now McKirky has become a more well-rounded character and a worthy nemesis for Hamish -all of which should serve up a cracking story in the next few weeks. 

Rating: 7/10

Best line: "That's about yere mark, ye daft pudding!" 

Issue final ratings:

Overall: 7.5/10

Best Story: Billy's Boots 

Best Line: "You check that engine now! And if you ever speak to me like that again...I'll see you never get a job on another track for the rest of your life! Now move..."

Best Panel:

Roy's Sports Quiz: