Tiger 25th May 1974

It wasn't easy getting up this morning. It was our wedding anniversary yesterday, and a lovely meal out with a bottle of wine turned into cocktails in a dive bar, which in turn led to, well, let's just say I'm not moving particularly fast this morning. Luckily, it doesn't take much energy to turn comic pages, and my Tiger read this morning is about the limit of my current abilities. Hopefully, Roy and the team are feeling sharper than me as they take us through our weekly sports stories. 

Tiger

25th May 1974

Roy Of The Rovers 

Pale white Englishmen on the beach in Spain, how very British. And so we begin this week's issue with Roy and Blackie in Spain taking a well-deserved break from football after winning the double. 

However, as famous as they are, there's never any escape from football, and they are soon spotted by English football fans also taking in the sun. With their girlfriends, Penny and Sue, they seek refuge, taking up an offer from a passing vehicle and the promise of a festival in the mountains.

As their driver takes them further into the mountains they have time to reflect on this festival, and they realise that they never saw this festival advertised with all the others back at the resort, nor have they heard of the village of San Palos. 

Things are not what they seem, and we know more than Roy and Blackie as we see a group of men eagerly awaiting the arrival of the English footballers. Communication by flashing a mirror, the driver suddenly veers onto a side road and begins a wild ride. 

Where this will all end, I have no idea. But I am enjoying the ride so far, and this story is a great contrast to what we have been reading the last few weeks. Seeing Roy and Blackie together with their girlfriends makes for a more well-rounded story, and a new setting is always great for refreshing a story. The future is unknown, but with plenty of hooks in the story, I will eagerly digest the next issue. 

Rating: 7/10

Best line: "As long as there isn't a football match on the programme, chum, I don't care what they get up to!"

The Tigers

Disaster is about to strike for Chunky Clark, as his penny fathin' ride is about to end with a collision with Lord Bagby. 

However, I hadn't taken into account his good luck, and the crisis is averted as he manages a spectacular evasive manoeuvre, before an equally impressive dismount. I'm not the only one impressed by his antics, and Lord Bagby takes an immediate shine to his spirit and decides to give a trophy in a veteran bike race for youngsters. 

After a brief few panels of training our contestants are ready, and as we line up for the start Lord Bagby decides that Chunky should be handicapped for the race, given that he is the favourite. 

This is the most enjoyable The Tigters I have read for a long time. It was well-paced throughout the story, it had some action, and an equal amount of plot. It may not have finished with a cliffhanger, but there s enough of a hook with the racing about to start to draw me back next week.  Chunky was lucky, but not too lucky, and Ron Burton wasn't overplayed as a villain. Let's hope next week's issue lives up to all that is laid out here. 

Rating: 8/10

Best line: "By jove! A young stunt rider, Bagby!" 

Martin's Marvellous Mini

This week we see the continuation of the feud between Tiny and Martin, and the Carlton racing team. Tiny and Martin may have lost the rally, but they are determined to get the last laugh as they enter George into the mini-race, a race that the Carlton Mini team is also entered in.  

A quick practice lap from Martin reveals what they are up against, the Carlton cars are fast, and salt is rubbed into the wound as he comes past the pits, where the Carlton mechanics are lined up with signs saying "You've got no chance"

Further fuel is added to the fire when he pulls in and finds Tiny waiting for him, with a black eye. It seems he has had an altercation with one of the Carlton blokes and came out on top as we see his opponent being bandaged up near an ambulance. This is shaping up to be an intense race all around as page by page this rivalry is built. 

Finally, in the last two panels, we come to the start of the race, and as all the minis pull away from the start line, the Carlton cars immediately jump out to the front. 

This story has been building beautifully, and each panel through the issue adds another layer to the story that I assume will be resolved by the race. I particularly enjoy seeing Tiny roughing it with some of the Carlton team, and it added some steel to a story that sometimes feels quaint. The opening panel of the race gives us a great indication of what is to come, and I look forward to seeing how this story will unfold in the coming weeks. 

Rating: 9/10

Best line: "I...er...had a difference of opinion..."

Johnny Cougar with Splash Gorton

The Gent has been quietly killing Johnny with kindness, and we see the end result of that this week. Johnny and Splash enjoy a sleep-in, an enormous breakfast followed by an equally enormous lunch and dinner. 

This continues for several days until we reach the day of the bout, and witness Johnny in the dressing room - struggling to get his wrestling gear around his now-grown stomach. It seems the Gent's plan has paid off, and in the ring he takes control, making the most of Johnny's lack of speed and lack of conditioning. 

Once again this was a story of two parts. The first half of the story was entirely devoted to showing the Gent fattening up Johnny and distracting him from training, and the second half of the story is where we see the consequences of this, and Johnny's inability to perform in the ring. Both halves we equally enjoyable, with one sequence leading naturally enough to another. It doesn't feel dangerous or high stakes, but it is enjoyable and has an interesting twist. The artist has done a great job of drawing a fat Johnny Cougar, and this made me smile more than I perhaps should have. A great job all around, it's hard to see how fat Johnny Cougar will win this one. 

Rating: 7/10

Best line: "Johnny-baby, we've been taken for suckers! All the good living was just a plot to get you out of condition!"   

Football Family Robinson

We pick up with the Robinson Family plane blown off course and making an emergency landing in an unknown location. Proving to be resourceful folks, soon enough the family have built themselves some shelter as Ma Robinson gets the kettle on. 

However, the Robinsons remain Robinsons, and by the next panel, they have organised a football game among themselves. The football game itself isn't particularly interesting, but in the final panel, Bluey chases a wildly kicked ball into the forest, where he says something which made him wide-eyed with fright. What that is, we'll have to wait until next week to find out. 

I liked the idea of this story, and the very first panel of the strip looked great. However, my interest rapidly waned once a football appeared and the game kicked off. Lost in the middle of nowhere, far from civilization, surely the family had more pressing issues to attend to. However, things may get better for my reading enjoyment, depending on what it is that Bluey has seen. We may get some heart-stopping drama, or the story may fall flat altogether, in the next seven days I will know one way or another. 

Rating: 5/10

Best line: "Th-there could be cannibals waiting to pounce on us!"

Tallon Of The Track

A new story for Tallon Of The Track, and the first half page is a superb introduction to some of the technicalities in speedway racing, specifically the start. 

However, the new story emerges later on page as Jo almost runs over a cameraman who has made his way onto the track. It seems that a documentary is to be made about the team, focussing on Jo as the only female speedway trainer in Britain. 

Jo is not pleased with this situation and lets her feelings be known before the final panel sees the chairman of the club, Basil Oldfield, threatening her to co-operate with the TV company, or tender her resignation. 

It's too early to know how I feel about this story, but I do know one thing - the artwork looks fantastic. The finger image of Basil Oldfield waving his finger at Jo as he threatens her is one of the best and conveys the emotion of the moment. The first few panels of Jo showing her team how to get the starts right are also highly rated in my opinion, and provide a good insight into the intricacies of speedway racing. Overall, we are off to a strong start to this story, and next week should continue building on this firm base.

Rating: 7/10

Best line:  "Nuts! I'm not posing and prancing about in front of the camera for anybody!"

Skid Solo

I have always had a soft spot for the Monaco Grand Prix, so I am more than happy to find that race featured in this week's story. 

Things start well enough, with Skid and Sparrow taking their cars out for a couple of practice runs, but things take a turn after a stray newspaper catches Sparrow in the face and his car ends up in the wall. 

As always, it's up to poor old Sandy to fix the car and have it race ready for the race the next day. Pulling an all-nighter, he does get the car to the start line, before hauling himself off to bed for a well-earned sleep. 

The race itself is fairly uneventful, and the experience of Skid and Sparrow pays off with a one-two finish, Sparrow taking the victory narrowly over Skid. 

Sandy has missed all of this and is still asleep, and we leave the story with Skid and Sparrow leaving the winner's trophy at his door as a pleasant surprise for when he awakens. 

A tidy little story, I followed it with interest, but I never felt completely immersed in it. The drama occurred earlier in the story, and the race felt like a forgone conclusion by the time the cars lined up at the start line. With that in mind, I rated the first half highly, and the second half much lower as we cruised to the finish. Everything was enjoyable, but nothing felt essential. 

Rating: 6/10

Best line: "yere car's ready! All te ha' to do the noo...is take it oot...and I'm going to ma bed!" 

A Horse Called Ugly

The race is on in A Horse Called Ugly. With Lotd Humphrey taking the red course and Joe taking the blue course, we are underway. Things are off to a hectic start, with Lord Humphrey failing to take a fence earlier on, before Joe and Ugly face a similar fate over the page as Joe takes a fall. 

With the race in the balance, we round out this week's issue with Joe's nemesis, Nick Mungro, reassuring his son that Joe will definitely lose the race. 

Not a lot happened in this issue, but it seemed to pass quickly. Lord Humphrey took a fall, Joe took a fall, and Nick Mungro looked smug. Even so, I still found some enjoyment in it, especially the crowds following the race, and the radio reporters dictating the action. Until Nick Mungro makes his move, we are in limbo, and as such next week holds the key to where we will go from here.

Rating: 6/10 

Best line: "Shut up, you grinning ape!"

Issue final ratings:

Overall: 7/10

Best Story: Martin's Marvellous Mini 

Best Line: "He looks as if he's been wrestling with a pile of food!"

Best Panel:

Roy's Sports Quiz: