Tiger 5th January 1974

Happy new year and welcome to 1974! I must say, I don't remember it well as I was only a few months old at that time, but I have just looked up the records and I see it was a temperate twenty degrees here on January 5th 1974, although cloudy. It wasn't so warm in the UK, and the cover image of Skid Solo battling through the snow gives us a good idea of the weather conditions at the time. Now, I don't want to be one of those guys that always prattles on about the weather, but seeing Skid in the freezing conditions has me wanting to pull the covers up over my head and hunker down with some comics for the day. And what better way to start a comic reading day than with another classic issue of Tiger. 

Tiger

5th January 1974

Skid Solo

The winter weather is to the fore as Skid Solo battles the elements. Towing his race car through the Scottish snow to see Sandy's parents doesn't seem like his best idea, especially once he slides off the road and knocks his head. The first colour panels are particularly evocative, and no matter what comes next, I have already decided that this is a good issue. The story continues to be covered in snow, as Skid seeks help from a farmhouse where he is given a warm welcome by a gentleman with some bagpipes. How so very Scottish. Again, the artwork provides warmth, but we are chilled again as Skid heads back to Sandy and Sparrow, sending them to the farmhouse before he seeks out the village for further help. The story sheds its skin at this point, and we discover its true nature - it's a ghost story. Upon returning, Skid finds the farmhouse is in ruins, and there's no piper. The consensus among his pairs is that he hit his head harder than he thought, despite Skid's protestations. I like the final panel, as there is a flash of fire in Skid's speech as he tells Sandy that next time they'll fly his parents down to see them. It's rare to see Skid get angry, or speak in such a way, and even though it's only two lines at the end of the story, it stands out to my eyes. I am warmed by the story overall, and Skid's final lines are delivered coldly giving me an extra insight into the character, making this an interesting Skid Solo story.    

Rating: 7.5/10

Best line:  "Okay, I'll forget it! But next New Year, Sandy, we'll send your folks aeroplane tickets. They can come down south and visit us for a change!" 

Roy Of The Rovers

I feel like we have turned a corner with the Roy and Len Farmer storyline and this week I am fully engaged throughout. Previously it felt like the story meandered, but this week it takes several large steps forward. We have Roy pondering how to overcome his problems with Len, something we have seen plenty of times already, and then a great action sequence as they practice with Lofty playing the part of Len Framer. It is highly enjoyable, and we see some of Roy's skills in action as he demonstrates why he has remained one of the best for so long.  However, this training run is not enough to see him start the match, but midway through the game, and near the end of this strip, Roy has an epiphany and as he comes onto the field we await to see what he has worked out as a plan again Len Farmer. The art serves the football action well, and the story works much better when there is less talk and more focus on what is happening on the field. My previous negative thoughts about this story are put aside, and I am very happy to see this strip back to football action and solid storytelling. 

Rating: 7.5/10

Best Line: "Good grief! Roy's reactions are so sharp, he got in that shot before Lofty could tackle him...!"

Martin's Marvellous Mini

Martin's Marvellous Mini keeps with the theme of Skid Solo, in that the boys are still in the countryside and facing heavy snow. It's not immediately apparent, however, and the first half is given over to their time on the farm and some tractor driving. It's all pleasant enough, and I enjoy what I see, but the drama of the piece lies on the road ahead. As the rally resumes, George remains in the lead and is making good time. Perhaps a little too good, as they make it through a checkpoint before the mountains only a few minutes ahead of a heavy snow warning that will see the really stopped. Oblivious to the blizzard conditions ahead, they plough on, and we will have to return next week to see what fate awaits them. Martin's Marvellous Mini always seems to gain a little more traction being in colour, but it truly is a heartwarming story of two pals making their way in the world, and without being the most dramatic story in the comic it is certainly the most readable. 

Rating: 7/10

Best line: "The leading car has already gone through!"

The Tigers

The initiative race continues in this week's The Tigers story, and right from the start, we see Chunky Clark's luck in action as he escapes a potentially very dangerous bicycle accident, while inflicting more grief upon Ron Burton and his friends. It's a case of good luck/bad luck throughout the story, as Chunky loses his metal detector to Ron Burton, only for Burton to then use it and dig into a water pipe. It's not laugh-out-loud, but it does deepen the smile lines on my face. I am warmed by its gentle humour and the fact that there's no snow in this story, and it maintains the good run that The Tigers has been on recently.   

Rating: 6/10

Best line: "Galloping gumdrops! I'm really b-branching out!"

Football Family Robinson 

I must admit, I wasn't fussed about the last issue of Football Family Robinson and the arrival of Digger, but this week is a vast improvement and this week's story is a beaut. Digger is given a little more personality, and as a character, I like him. He is also given a large wad of cash, which he naively flashes around at Chez Ambrose while treating everyone to lunch. A generous chap, and with a smile always on his face, it's not just my heart that he's winning, but the whole Robinson family. The only catch is his pesky kangaroo, and it is in the latter part of the story where these two lines of plot collide, as its because of his kangaroo that they discover that the dressing room has been burgled while they're on the field. With the artwork seemingly lighter, the arrival of new characters, and an interesting two-pronged storyline, this is getting better week on week. I may have been a little slow to come around to this storyline in the first two issues, but I'm pleased to eat my words for this issue.    

Rating: 7.5/10

Best line:  "You mean he's got a mind of his own - he's a real Robinson!"

 A Horse Called Ugly

Another excellent outing for  A Horse Called Ugly in this issue. Joe is still with the bandits, and the artwork is top-notch, especially any panel in which we see them up close and their faces. While he may not have Ugly with him, Joe still demonstrates his affection for horses, this time putting himself in peril to save one of the horses being shot by the bandits. This isn't the only dramatic moment in this week's issue, we end by seeing Ugly's journey to reunite with Joe, and there is some excitement as Ugly swims across the Alligator-infested river. This is perhaps even more dramatic than Joe's scuffle with the bandits, and I cannot speak highly enough of the panels featuring Ugly, the artwork is evocative and says a lot in a couple of panels. I am constantly surprised by how much I enjoy this strip, and its panels like this that keep me reading.  

Rating: 8/10

Best line:  "This is your last moment gringo dog! You are finished!" 

Johnny Cougar with Splash Gorton

A lot happens in this week's Johnny Cougar, with a mix of humour and intrigue. The scene is set from the very first panel as we see Johnny and Splash sleeping, and Splash's sleeping position is hilarious, upside down with his legs resting up on the wall. This humour is offset by the appearance of the two villains, and from here the story splits in two with Johnny going off to wrestle and Splash once again taking to the water in the treasure hunt. I like that we have the story moving in multiple directions and with wrestling action thrown into the mix to offset the main treasure hunt storyline. It looks as though Splash will be the one facing the most peril but Johnny is also facing a tough opponent, and although his fight starts well, there is the threat that his opponent has a move which leaves men screaming for mercy. I can't wait to see it, but wait I must as this all lays ahead of us. This issue of Tiger is proving to be very strong, and I have already read several stories that could be best of the week, and Johnny Cougar is another one from the top shelf. 

Rating: 8/10

Best Line:  "No amount of beauty sleep is going to help you guys!"

Tallon Of The Track

It's all about the bikes in Tallon Of The Track as Dave returns from the injury that has kept him off the track during the opening months of this strip. The are no other characters this week, just Jo Tallon and Dave Trent as Jo does her best to get him back to racing standards. It's not on the track where she has him training though, it's on the frozen marshes where she hopes he can build up the strength to race. It reads like a standard sports story, but it all happens in the final panels when Dave crashes through the ice and we are faced with the final words "A grim battle for survival." I don't know if it's as serious as it sounds, the crash didn't look too bad to my untrained eye, but it does close out the comic on a high, and even without a larger story on the horizon, Tallon of the Track delivers up enough of the motorbike action to please any fan of the strip. 

Best line:  "I've done it! Now I'll really show Miss Jo Tallon how to handle a speed-iron!"

Rating: 6.5/10

Issue final ratings:

Overall: 7.5/10

Best Story: A Horse Called Ugly 

Best Line:  "Hello, Tom...we've just had a call from the weather people! The weather forecast for the mountains is severe blizzards! We've got to stop the rally...don't let any cars go through... "

Best Panel: