The weekend is almost over and all I have managed to do is read a few comics and watch my garden grow. Sounds pretty good to me, there is no need to complicate my life when it is the simplest things that give me pleasure. This week's Tiger read was interesting, there are several stories that I am following, and I found my mind wandering towards the comic a couple of times during the week. So here we are, my favourite day of the week doing my favourite things, I hope you enjoy it as much as I do.
Tiger
9th March 1974
Skid Solo
Skid solo is on the front page and we're racing - all is good in the world. Last time out we saw Skid driving a new car, a fast car, to be sure, but one that still has some faults to be ironed out. He does have luck on his side in this issue as the car's designer gives Skid his father's lucky watch. It's not quite as lucky as he thinks as Skid accidentally drives over it on the first page of the story. After this, it is all about the racing action and after a slow start, Skid drives his car like it's a rocket. It may not handle well and be a slow starter, but it has straight-line speed a plenty, and soon enough Skid is in his rightful place in polo position. There is one sticky moment in the pits, as he has to take evasive action to avoid another driver pulling out, but with his skills, and a sliver of luck, he manages to keep control of his car for a race victory three laps later. The conclusion of the story sees the car designer reminding Skid that it was the lucky watch that saved him from an accident, only for Skid to reveal that broken watch from earlier in the story. I adore seeing Skid on track and racing at his best, and even if the story about the watch doesn't appeal to me, the panels of the race certainly do. We still haven't reached peak Skid Solo, which will come with the battle for the championship, but with the Grand Prix season underway the story has settled down and we are in for a thrilling ride in the next few months.
Rating: 7/10
Best line: "Skid's in trouble!"
Roy Of The Rovers
Only minutes into the League Cup final and Roy has given away a penalty. With his mind still on George Slater's comments, he is riled up and not at his professional best. However, Charlie Carter is at his best and he makes an outstanding save, followed by Roy who then heads the ball clear from the line. It's breathless action as Melchester sweep forward, Roy himself finishing the move he started, only to hit the woodwork. Even the following Jimmy Slade can't put the ball in the back of the net and the game remains nil all. The rest of the half belongs to Melchester, as we see them coming close to scoring several times in a tidy single-panel montage. It remains to be seen if Melchester can score in the second half, but things don't start well as Roy pulls up in the final panel with a muscle strain. Melchester is struggling with injuries and tiredness, and this translates on the page with the football action low key, and even the chances they do generate feel leaden. There is a crispness missing in the story, and as much as I like the football action I don't lose myself in the action. The highlight for me is Charlie's save, but the rest of this issue lacks the same intensity and wonder if the story has the legs to pick up again.
Rating: 5.5/10
Best Line: "We should be three-nil up by now! Still, I expect George Slater's Happy!"
Martin's Marvellous Mini
I am very happy with this issues story as three threads are woven through the panels. We have the resolution of last week's cliffhanger as the boys pull the lorry driver and his dog from the swamp before we are once again thrown into the rally. With the wild weather continuing to wreak havoc, Martin and Tiny are now behind their American opponents and facing fallen trees, flooded rivers, and blown-over signposts in their race for the front. In the final third of the story, we see them come across a toppled signpost, meaning a fifty-fifty decision on the correct road to take before darkness falls and they find themselves seeking shelter at a farm. The farmhouse is empty, except for a boy crying for his father, who is seemingly lost somewhere in the darkened hills. Another top-notch story this week, and there is certainly plenty packed in the three pages. The weather has played a big part in the rally up to this point and it continues to do so, playing into the image of Britain as a nation obsessed with the weather. In the artwork, I enjoyed seeing Tiny and Martin rescuing the driver and dog, as well as their scrapes on the road as they encounter various obstacles. This rally is giving us plenty to enjoy, and there is a part of me that hopes it will continue for many more issues yet.
Rating: 8/10
Best line: "It's a boy!...and he's crying!"
Johnny Cougar with Splash Gorton
A new Johnny Cougar is in Australia where he is running through the zoo in hope that he will see his next opponent, The Monster. Well, this week he gets his wish and more, as The Monster bends the bar of his cage to escape and confront Johnny face to face. He is more than a match for Johnny, appearing both bigger and stronger, and after a tussle, he asserts himself as the more dominant of the two. With zoo keepers appearing to herd him back to his cage the stage is set for their wrestling showdown next week, a showdown that has Splash wondering just how Johnny will go against such a wild opponent, and for eight rounds. Although we now have a confrontation between the two and a sense of how powerful the Monster is, it doesn't feel like we have progressed very far this week. We are still building for next week, and this issue didn't give us anything we didn't already know - asides from the sheer strength of The Monster. We are in a holding pattern and waiting for a resolution in the wrestling ring, where I hope things will ignite.
Rating: 5/10
Best Line: "Something tells me this could be kinda n-nasty..."
Football Family Robinson
We are off to a great start this week and the first panel with Digger making a spectacular save that looks most impressive. Picking up with the Crash storyline, Digger is well and truly cemented in the first team, leaving a despondent Digger concentrating on the building work rather than the football. Turning down training to continue on the building site, the story takes a twist with an opposition manager approaching Viv to ask where Crash is. It's only after he leaves to visit Crash that Viv realises who this manager is, and he is looking for a new goalkeeper. This is where the heart of the story is, and my heart too at the appearance of my dreamgirl Viv. The first half of this week's issue laid out the story as it is, and in the second half the future appears with this manager looking to sign Crash. The fact that Viv is at the centre of this is an added bonus as far as my reading is concerned, and her facial expressions drive the story just as much as any dialogue. A lift after last week's issue, this story is once again taking flight.
Rating: 7.5/10
Best line: "You're taking a chance, Crash! Ma hasn't said anything about you easing off training"
Chunky Clark's luck is at the forefront of The Tigers with a wild soap box ride highlighting his lucky streak time and time again. Both pages are dedicated to Chunky's ride, and his luck is on display as he manages to ride across a river, duck under a gate, break up some sheep rustlers and jump a barbed wire fence. Watched by Ron Burton and friends, they decide the only way they can beat Chunky is with some special modifications to their own soapbox racer. This riding of his luck and slapstick in the first pages is the meat and potatoes of this strip and something we have seen many times before. There are no real stakes in this issue, the race hasn't started yet, and it is purely about the humour generated by Chunky's ride. It is fun, but I smile rather than laugh, and overall this week's issue sticks firmly to the middle of the road, something that can't be said about Chunky Clark and his soapbox ride.
Rating: 5/10
Best line: "We'll get even with that kid...and soon!"
A Horse Called Ugly
Last week Joe and Ugly went from El Magnifico to a coward, as during a show jumping event Ugly refused to jump a fence that had the horns of a bull on it. This week that story escalates as Joe confronts Carlo and challenges him and his horse to a race around the course, with Ugly blindfolded. Challenge accepted, they are head to head over the first fence and approaching the fence that gave Ugly problems last week. Although the story took a while to get to this point, the final half page of the race looks great and makes up for some of my feelings about the first half of the story Its not that the first half was bad, its just that not much was happening apart from laying the groundwork for this race. Last week was a solid issue, and although slower in pace this week was just as good, with next week looking to be the cherry on top.
Rating: 7/10
Best line: "He's galloping off to hide his shame!"
Tallon Of The Track
Things are developing quickly in Tallon Of The Track, and we have gone from a bad rider with a bad attitude to a full-blown jewel heist in the last two weeks, and this week things take another step forward as Jo and Dave confront a man armed with a shotgun. We left them facing a shotgun blast, and in the first panel, Jo saves Dave's life with a diving tackle. The story continually moves from here on, first, they face another shot as they pursue him underground before he clambers to the surface and into a car. Not one to give up easily, Jo gives chase and manages to cling to the roof of the car in a hair-raising moment, until the crook jumps on the brakes, throwing her off and into a tree. The action is over, but Jo's peril isn't as she awakens to find herself tied to a bed, and her teammate Dan Rowley tied in the bed next to her. This is a story full of hooks and thrilling action, and even away from motorbikes Jo proves her mettle and courage. The action is done well, never once does it feel shoehorned into the story, and it keeps the story moving forward. Since its debut, Tallon Of The Track has been a firm favourite and this week's strip shows why with its combination of fine storytelling and crisp art.
Rating: 8/10
Best line: "Oh, no, we haven't! Watch this!"
Issue final ratings:
Overall: 7/10
Best Story: Tallon Of The Track
Best Line: "Nobody shoots at me and gets away with it! Let's get after him!"
Best Panel:
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