Tiger 1st December 1973

Work has been busy this week and I haven't had much time to think about this week's issue of Tiger, but as soon as I see Johnny Cougar on the cover all thoughts of anything else disappear and I am once again in my happy place. Johnny Cougar is one of the mainstays of the Tiger comics and anytime he is in colour on the cover I am happy. Memories of last week's issue come back to me quickly, and I am ready to dive in and see where his story with Splash Gorton takes us.

Tiger
1st December 1973

Johnny Cougar with Splash Gorton

I am very pleased to see we are immediately dropped into the action from the start, with Johnny and Splash already on a small boat and Splash about to make his first dive to the shipwreck. As an impatient child that has grown into an impatient adult, this is the perfect way to start the comic, and it is something that happens regularly with Tiger comic. Sure, sometimes there is an issue that lays the groundwork in a particular story, but generally, we are straight into the action for every story, every week. Not only does the story jump start with our heroes already in the pacific, but Gorton dives and is immediately by the wreck. The artwork in these opening panels is very good, I am surprised by how ripped Splash Gorton is. I shouldn't be, after all, he is a swimmer, but even so, it's still nice to see him with a flat six-pack stomach. Likewise, Johnny next to him is big and muscular, although it does make his head look rather shrunken in one of the panels. With the current proving to be just as strong as promised, Splash and Johnny are going to need more equipment and soon head back to the island. It may seem slight, but on the boat, they discuss their distrust of the man who gave them the job. Back on the island, they meet the wrestling champ, who immediately hits it off with Johnny for his fine sense of humour. It's at this point that I notice that we haven't been given the name of the island wrestling champ, or of the two men that have hired Johnny and Splash. n fact, even in the boat Johnny and Splash only ever said "the men who hired us" so even they don't know who they are. In the final panel, we aren't given their names again, but there is the excellent caption "The man who had given Splash the job watched the trio depart through narrow, hate-filled eyes." Asides from not knowing their names, this is a great line, and the words "through narrow hate-filled eyes" is particularly evocative. Not only do I want to see where this story goes, but I also want more writing like this, and paired with a menacing final image this is a great way to round out a top story. 

Rating: 8/10

Best Line:  "Cougar also think hard! But maybe we getting too suspicious of people!"

Skid Solo

Last week's episode of Skid Solo was great, and it follows up with an equally strong episode this week. I think the character 'Speedo' is great and this week he is centre stage as he races Skid around the island. This gives us some great panels of Speedo's face as he pushes Skid to his limit, and one can see the glee with which he drives his vehicle. Arty work like this fills me with joy, and along with the continual motion of the cars is a highlight for me. The race continues across the pages, Speedo proving to be a fine competitor, although Skid uses his experience to pass him at just the right point. This brings us to another panel that I must comment on- the picture of Skid with a smug smile on his face as he goes past. I have seen it before, and as much as I like Skid as a character, I have never liked this smug veneer. But then again, he is a race champion and deserves a little leeway, I'm sure that more than a few of the current formula one drivers share this smugness. Speedo isn't so easily beaten though, and his men prepare to throw rocks down on Skid, leading to some evasive driving, before he again takes the lead. There is little time for celebration as he picks up Sandy and they continue to drive to their boat and make an equally quick getaway. This constant motion works well for a Skid Solo story and there is the feeling that we are always rushing forward in a breathless drive to the finish. Previously I have said that I would like to see Ski return to the track as soon as possible, but I like this story a lot and if there were more like this then I would be more than happy to follow Skid through his off-season.     

Rating: 8/10

Best line:  "Try eating my dust for a change!" 

Martin's Marvellous Mini

The first panel of Martin's Marvellous Mini speaks to me and my younger self. Many times have I lounged on a train with a good friend and talked about getting some food. I am right in the picture as the story gathers pace. Tiny and Martin spot the crooks as they go to get some food and decide they need to get off the train as soon as they can.  Crooks is an underutilized word, and after seeing it spoken here I make a pledge to use it as much as possible in my everyday speech from now on. This issue of Tiger is serving up some great dialogue and words I'm rare to hear nowadays, and I enjoy it all the more for these little touches. The next part of the story sees George enter the picture as the boys drive him directly off the back of the train and onto the tracks in a moment worthy of any TV or action film. This proves to be a final hurrah for the two crooks pursuing Tiny and Martin, and a call to their master, Mr. Zarkoff, sees him take matters into his own hands as he gets into his car to deal with Tiny and Martin himself. This final panel has an equally cinematic feel as some of the earlier panels, and the site of his sports car with two rockets mounted in front immediately puts me in mind of James Bond and his variety of weapons. Needless to say, this can only mean that next week is going to be another thrill-a-minute ride, and with the previous two stories in this week's Tiger ending on high, we are off to a great start with all stories hitting my sweet spots. Forty-something-year-old me is loving this just as much as twelve-year-old me would have. 

 Rating: 8/10

Best line: "You are fired! Finished! Go and lose yourselves!"

Roy Of The Rovers

The Jumbo Trudgeon/Pudley village storyline finally comes to a conclusion this week as Roy and Jumbo end their deciding penalty shootout. Penalty shot outs are common in the modern era, less so in 1973, and this would have had a novelty factor at the time. The shoot-out works well on the page, and any panel that has Charlie the cat in action is worth seeing.  I am almost relieved when it ends with a victory for Roy and the village by-pass can be built. I never really warmed to this story, and although it had some nice scenes early on, I never brought into what was at stake. Once the penalty shoot-out started there was never any doubt that Roy would win it, and the story limps to the finish rather than burst triumphantly from the page. Next week promises a return to football action, with Roy's final line a warning that things may not go well for them. I certainly look forward to seeing the team back on the field and Melchester's performance in the league. 

 Rating: 5/10

Best Line: "Remember that I have placed you upon your honour, m'boy! The pride of the Trudgeons is at stake!"

A Horse Called Ugly

We last saw Ugly dashing free from the show jumping arena with Joe looking on helplessly. I quite enjoyed last week's issue, in a low-key sort of way, and am quietly confident that this issue will be at the same level. A Horse Called Ugly delivers on this pleasant mediocrity, and I am very happy to see that last weeks cliff hanger isn't immediately resolved, and the first page is entirely focused on Ugly running away and Joe chasing him. This makes the story well-paced, which is exactly would you would expect from a horse story. There is a twist as Ugly runs into Julian, injuring him so he is unable to take part in the final jump-off. He is further antagonized as Joe is selected to take his place on Guardsman for the jump-off. He's not the only one who is unhappy, and as Joe rides Guardsman to the final jump-off Ugly is shown to be equally jealous. The story is at its best when the horses are in action, and in this case, we have one page of Ugly on the run, and the other page with show jumping action, meaning that the story has its best foot forward for most of the issue. The final panel isn't quite the high-stakes cliffhanger I would like to see, but the story has enough meat on the bones that I find it enjoyable. The real star is the artwork of the horses, and every week I find myself enjoying it far more than I anticipated. 

 Rating: 6.5/10

Best line:  "Not Larcombe. Anyone but Larcombe. I won't stand for it!" 

Tallon Of the Track

This is the story I have been waiting all week to read. I have a soft spot for Jo Tallon, and last week ended with potential trouble right around the corner. She was in peril in the final panel as she entered the enemy territory in the Ottoman Turkish baths. The first panel this week fantastically captures this moment and serves as a timely reminder of where we were at. I love seeing the two thugs watching her through the curtain as she approaches the door, and one can see on her face that she has no idea what awaits her. It is a master class in storytelling, and that one panel conveys so much.  We don't have to wait long to see what will happen as she is immediately snatched as she comes through the door. In a scene that comes straight from a bond film, she is left to slowly perish in a steam box. If that seems familiar, it is because this is exactly how James Bond dispatched one of the villains in Thunderball. The second Bond reference in this issue, but that's no bad thing and only serves to highlight how big James Bond was in the late sixties/early seventies. It sits well in the story, and most modern readers probably get the reference. Leaving Jo to her fate, we return to the track where her absence has been noted by Dave. At this point, the story escalates to its final conclusion as Dave takes the van, sees steam coming out of the bathhouse, and sensing something wrong crashes his van into the front door - just as the police arrive. This last page is where all the action lies, and seeing Dave ram the van through the front door is highlighted. I do wonder how he managed to connect the dots so quickly between the steam venting from the building and Jo being trouble, but I put that aside and just enjoy the smashing ride. best of all, there looks like this story still has plenty of legs and we may well be in for more of the same in the coming weeks. I certainly hope so. 

Rating: 8/10

Best line:  "I've heard of break-ins, but this is ridiculous. Let's grab him!"

Football Family Robinson 

Alf Robinson receives a visit from Detective Sergeant Gill in the first panel of Football Family Robinson this week, and he features heavily in the following pages as the strands of Rodney Bull's assailant draw together. However, despite the feeling that we are getting closer, things are still unclear and there is plenty of time in the following pages for the story to marinate further. With a strong cast of characters, I enjoy the way they all pull the story in different directions, and each has their own perspective on who to blame. Please don't think less of me, but Viv is still my favorite on each page. She is feisty and bold and holds her own against every other character in the story. Every panel with her in it lights up, and even if she's not the main character in the scene she still finds a way to dominate it. Last week she confronted Kev and Fred as they staked out the Maxwell Motors, but in doing so the suspicious character they were watching disappeared. They do have a piece of luck though when they see him again at the hospital, still hiding behind his paper. Calling the family together, they pull back the paper, only to find it's detective Gill. Nothing like a good red herring in the story to keep the plot going. I am happy to say, it's my girl Viv that keeps on his case, ringing him regularly for updates, despite his pleas for her not to. However, her persistence pays off when she receives a phone call while the family is playing Eastborough from Kevin saying Rodney Bull has been discharged. Another solid issue, and once again it is the characters that make this story what it is. 

Rating: 7/10

Best line:  "Look..it's the chap we saw before...the sinister watcher!"

The Tigers

I thought that we would be straight into the action this week as the last time we saw Chunky he was rapidly descending beneath the ballon to the punt racers below. However, it is not until the second page here that he finally crashes into Burton, knocking him into the water. Chunky once again rides his luck to the finish, as he claims a healthy reward for capturing the balloon. Even though it didn't feel like a lot happened this week, I still enjoyed it much more than last week, and like Chunky and his mates, I always like seeing Burton take a tumble and Chunky winning through in the end. This concludes this adventure for Chunky, so we reset ourselves for next week, and I wonder what sport he'll be trying next. 

 Rating: 5.5/10

Best line: "I expect they're admiring my style with this pole. Quite understandable" 

Issue final ratings:

Overall: 7/10

Best Story: Tallon of The Track 

Best Line: Chunky Clark - "Giggling gherkins, I've accidentally biffed Burton! Still, it could be worse- he might have biffed me! "

Best Panel: