Tiger 11th May 1974

 With Skid Solo on the front cover, I am in my happy place as I begin reading this week's Tiger. Skid Solo equates to face-paced action, and that action looks even better in glorious colour. I can't wait to see what this story is all about, so this week I'm straight into it.  

Tiger

11th May 1974

Skid Solo

Skid Solo is on the cover and it's not sleek Grand Prix cars that catch the eye, but rather saloon cars racing cross-country. Skid is merely an observer, it is Sparrow who is racing in a car lent to him by Professor Ensworth. 

It's a dynamic first page, with Skid introducing us to the action in the first panel, while the other two panels on the page see Sparrow dealing with mud on the windshield before driving over the edge of a cliff. It is definitely a page-turner, and over the page we see the outcome, Sparrow leaping from the vehicle as it sinks to a watery grave.

 It is here that the real story begins, the Professor telling Skid that a briefcase containing his work was in the car and he must get it back. Using the professor's boat, Skid, Sandy and Sparrow sail to the spot where the car went down, and using scuba gear Skid and Sparrow retrieve the now very wet briefcase. It is not all smooth sailing and they surface to find Sandy in an inflatable rescue boat, the professor's boat having hit some rocks and sunk from under him.

Making their way back to the professor, they give him his briefcase, only for him to remember that hadn't left his plans on the briefcase, but rather they were in the safe on the boat. 

It is just the sort of twist we have come to expect from these non-racing stories, and I like it. I consider myself an intelligent man, but I failed to see this twist coming, and the story was all the more delicious for it. On the page, the adventure on the boat looked exciting, and I did like the fact that they showed Sandy suffering from seasickness- this seemed entirely appropriate for his character. The opening page, in full colour, hooked me in straight away and combined with the action on the water, and the final twist, it made this a most enjoyable outing. A great start to this week's comic, the bar has been set for all the stores that follow.

Rating: 8/10

Best line: "The prof's not going to like this! First his car, now his boat!" 

Johnny Cougar with Splash Gorton

The Trickster is not quite so tricky this week, and despite a couple of flourishes, this is a more traditional wrestling match. The two tricks he does employ are a trampoline to leap back into the ring, and later a smoke screen which gives him a chance to clobber Johnny. It matters little, Johnny has the upper hand across both pages, and ends the match in a strong style, slamming the Trickster into a ring post to win by knockout. 

A pure wrestling story, I found it just as enjoyable as the previous convoluted stories with the barrage of tricks from the Trickster. The timing is right to finish this Trickster storyline, and perhaps it was a couple of weeks too long. The final panel reminds us that Johnny is now in the semi-final, and it has been some time since I have considered the overall context of his battle with the Trickster, another pointer that this has been stretched out too long. 

It was great to see wrestling at the forefront of the story, and I have high hopes for the story next week and the promise of a fresh opponent.

Rating: 7.5/10

Best line: "Seminole not talk with forked tongue! You think everyone out to fool you!"

Martin's Marvellous Mini

Martin and Tiny are living their best life, put up in a fancy hotel and about to appear on TV. Although they are looking good in their new clothes, the TV appearance does not go so well as they are goaded into arguing with the owner of the Carlton car company. With the scent of violence in the air, the show is cut short and back at the hotel Martin and Tiny get a good night's sleep before the final time trial to decide the race. 

Needing to average seventy-five miles an hour to win the race they are going swimmingly, that is until the last lap when a sudden oil leak blinds them and sends them skidding off the track. Winning the race looked like a sure thing, but now I'll have to come back next week to see the outcome. 

A sharply told story this week, it was just as quick as George around the track, with the loose ends from last week dealt with, and the new jeopardy appearing just as it looked like things were going right. I enjoyed the speed of the story, and it matched the action in the panels well. A nice little cliffhanger to finish with, once again are heroes are facing disaster after the triumphs of last week. 

Rating: 8/10

Best line: "I wouldn't have a rotten old Carlton car if you gave it to me!" 

Roy Of The Rovers 

F.A. Cup, down one-nil, this is Roy's moment. Laying down the law to his team, he urges them to forget the money and just play their natural game. Slowing the game down, and controlling the pace, Melchester begins to get on top, and as halftime is blown it seems only a matter of time before they get the goal they deserved. 

However, in the dressing room they receive another shock, the director Ted Manning is waiting for them with an increased offer of two thousand pounds per goal. While the team is delighted, Roy is anything but, and he is furious as they head back out onto the pitch. In an angry challenge, Roy gives away a freekick, but Lofty manages to get a head to it and the ball breaks to Roy, who in the final panel launches a thirty-yard attempt on goal. 

This F.A. Cup match is getting better by the moment, and although I wasn't a big fan of the money storyline, I am enjoying the on-field action. An angry Roy Race is a thing to behold, and the panels of him storming onto the pitch and then roughly fouling a player are among the best this week. Like any good football match, things are heating up in the second half and it looks like we'll be building to a thrilling conclusion.

Rating: 8/10

Best line: "You can make it a million pounds a goal, if you like...I don't want any part of it!" 

Football Family Robinson

Like Roy Race, Ma Robinson is also laying down the law to her own team. With Crash and Digger put in their place, she swaps their positions on the field, leaving Crash to cool his heels in goal while Digger takes a turn up front. It doesn't have an immediate impact, but the game does turn on this decision, and by the end of the game Digger has managed to score the goal that begins a rout and the family finishes the season on a high. 

However, Digger doesn't hang around for the celebrations, and the strip ends with the family left holding the kangaroo while they wonder where Digger has got to. I don't feel particularly invested in the whereabouts of Digger, but I did enjoy the ride to this conclusion. 

I love a strong woman, and Ma Robinson is certainly that. She got this week's strip off to a strong start, and it is her image that dominates the final panel of the strip. I can't help but look at Viv and think that one day she'll be just like her Mum, so I am enjoying Viv's youthful good looks while I can. Not my favourite story this week, but very strong and better than it has been of late.

Rating: 7/10

Best line: "You waited too long. I can't rely on anybody. I'll have to do it myself."

The Tigers 

This week we get to witness the great pogo race. As you might remember from last week, Ron Burton has laid a trap for Chunky Clark, having his cronies report to the police that there is someone scaring people by the canal, and then tricking Chunky into racing him by the canal at night. It plays out as you might expect, after a rough start Chunky has some luck and Ron goes by him with a tarpaulin wrapped around his head. The coppers nab Ron, while his two teammates reveal themselves as they exclaim in surprise. 

Less is more and shorn of some of its silliness, this strip is actually quite enjoyable. The pogo race has the potential to cover several issues, but it is wrapped up quickly here. We get some of Chunky's luck, but it's not overplayed, and the story concentrated on Burton's trap. I found myself smiling at this story much more than previously, and I rate it considerably better than the previous weeks.

Rating: 7/10

Best line: "We're off! Boggling blackcurrants. Burton's mate is a bit enthusiastic with his cheering!"

A Horse Called Ugly

When we last saw Joe, Lord Humphrey had just offered him a chance to live like a lord. More details are revealed in the opening panels of this week's issue, and the challenge is sketched out fully. Lord Humphrey and his horse Zorro challenge Joe and Ugly to a race - should Joe win, he gets to live in Lord Humphrey's Scottish castle for a month, while if Lord Humphrey wins he gets all Joe's possessions but just for one day. 

Joe rides off to consider his options, but his hand is forced when one of Lord Humphrey's friends publishes all the details in the local paper. With the local townsfolk excited by such a challenge, we end the story with Joe's exclamation "Oh, no, if they are here it means even more trouble." Just who he is referring to, we'll have to wait until next week and adds just an edge to a story that already has me hooked. 

Normally I love the horse action, especially the artwork, in a Horse Called Ugly, but with little happening on that front this week's strip is much more story-driven, yet just as enjoyable. There are still some memorable panels, and I especially enjoyed the one where Joe was fantasising about winning the challenge.  With the race front and centre next week, I expect the story to get even better. As good as this week was, next week promises much more.  

Rating: 7.5/10

Best line: "It's obvious! My brother has joined forces with Humphrey. They must be plotting something!"

Tallon Of The Track

I love a good surprise and Tallon Of The Track delivers just that on its first page. With the masked intruder knocked out, and Jo about to reveal his face, it seems the sabotage story is coming to a close. However, when she pulls the mask off, they find it is just a kid. Pumping him for details, he tells them he doesn't know anything about sabotage, only that he was offered ten pounds by someone in town to break in and steal some leathers and helmets. Handing him over to the police, Dave thinks that's the end of the affair, but Jo isn't so sure. 

However, the racing goes well, and the Ospreys face no mechanical difficulties at all. It is at this point that the story takes another turn, as the police arrive and show Jo a sketch of the man who had offered the ten pounds to break-in, a sketch that looks just like one of Jo's mechanics Jimmy Benson.  

I thought that this week might have wrapped up this story, but it now looks like it might be next week with this new information unearthed. The story is well-paced, and it doesn't feel like it's being stretched out just for the sake of it. It gives us information throughout, but never gives too much away, nor does it stagnate in its own storyline. Tallon Of The Track excels in its off-track drama, and this week is another fine example of that. 

Rating: 8/10

Best line:  "He's little more than a kid!"

 

Issue final ratings:

Overall: 7.5/10

Best Story: Martin's Marvellous Mini

Best Line: "In the boat? Is...er...that safe waterproof?"

Best Panel:

Roy's Sports Quiz