Tiger 15th June 1974

This week's issue of Tiger is particularly good, with several of my favourites delivering strong stories, and some of the stories I'm not so fond of also punching above their weight.  Roy Of The Rovers is heating up, A Horse Called Ugly is reaching its climax, and The Tigers is startlingly good, all that makes for a blockbuster issue. 

Tiger

15th June 1974

Roy Of The Rovers

Roy and Blackie are supposed to be taking a complete break from football, but here they are watching the Spanish village of San Palos playing in a local tournament. Roy just can't help himself and despite his best intentions, he finds himself yelling advice to the players, especially after finding that the team they are playing against t are fielding an elite player that Roy has played against in Europe.

Roy's advice turns the team around in the second half, and San Palos walks away with a three-two victory. But there's more to come, and Roy and Blackie find themselves a couple of days later taking the field as part of the team playing the second game. With a rough pitch, and even rougher opposition, Roy and Blackie begin to express regrets as the game begins. 

After several weeks of steadily building up, this story has finally got some action and has begun to move in the direction we expected. We don't have Roy in onfield action just yet, but he was well in his element yelling advice from the sideline throughout this week's issue. The best images of the issue are the close-ups of Roy's face, they always show such intensity and these panels told the story just as well as the free-flowing football action. It's taken a while, but I'm finally won over by this story and can't wait to see how it will develop next week. 

Rating: 7.5/10

Best line: "wait a minute...that looks like Manolo! I'm sure he played for one of these top Spanish teams that we met in the European cup, a few seasons ago!" 

Johnny Cougar And Splash Gorton

Mighty Man is threatening to end Johnny Cougar's career at a press conference, and Johnny isn't too happy about that. Tearing down the Mighty Man sign, he declares the press conference over. 

Mighty Man doesn't accept this lightly, and after delivering a flying headbutt to Johnny, the pair tumble from the platform. It looks like we will get to the fight earlier than promised, but luckily a police officer is near at hand to break them up. 

After a brief training montage (insert Rocky music here) Johnny and Mighty Man arrive at the venue, rearing to go. There is one final surprise, Mighty Man cannot climb into the ring unassisted and a forklift is on hand to get him into the ring. As he himself says, Johnny has a weighty problem on his hands as he faces a real heavyweight. 

Not a fast-paced story this week, and like a lot of Johnny Cougar stories it takes several weeks of introducing an opponent and building the story before they actually get into the ring and fight. It's understandable, but sometimes these Johnny Cougar stories can feel padded out. This time around, we only met Mighty Man last week and had two weeks of buildup and already that feels like too much. It's not as bad as his previous opponent, but still, I'm keen to see these two get in the ring as soon as possible. Mighty Man looks like a worthy opponent, and it seems a waste for him to be holding press conferences when he could be in the ring and grabbling Johhny. 

Rating: 6/10

Best line: "Miserable dog! Take care the Cougar's temper is not aroused!" 

Martin's Marvellous Mini

The first panel of this week's story is a doozy, with George about to be shunted over the edge of the cliff and Martin astride the tractor swinging a hook and cable above his head. This plays out how you may expect, with Martin catching the hook through George's back window and bringing both vehicles to a halt right on the cliff edge. 

Excitement over, they return to their flattened tent and decide it might be best to sleep in the car. One good sleep and hearty breakfast later, they are off to the start of the treasure hunt. 

The first clue is easily dealt with, they drive to Pettsford bay and solve the puzzle. From there it is on to the Bandfield crossroads. This isn't so easy, as Percy and Algy, their rivals from the motor club, have switched the signs and sent Tiny and Martin down a dangerous, rock-strawn, road. 

Another strong story from start to end, the highlight for me was the resolution from last week's literal cliffhanger as Martin saved the day with his cable and hook. It looked great on the page and was a genuinely exciting moment. The rest of the story didn't reach these heights but was still interesting on every page, and the clues for the treasure hunt kept me reading closely. With the promise of more shocks for the pals next week, this treasure hunt should keep the story moving forward for the next couple of months.

Rating: 8/10

Best line: "It's the country's version of an alarm clock!"

The Tigers

Cricket takes centre stage for The Tigers as Chunky Clarke wonders what sport he should try his hand at next.   

After some high jinx with a ball, Chunky finds himself pursued by an angry Ron Burton. They stumble across a cricket match, and after catching a ball flying at them, and then fending off a ball from Ron Clarke, both Chunky and Ron find themselves invited to join a cricket team, the Digby Eleven. 

This is a strong issue, and although it can be described briefly, it contained many entertaining moments. The first page of Chunky mucking around with a ball was fantastic, and not only did we get the usual dose of slapstick, but also some very funny lines from Chunky. Ron was his typical angry self, and again we had some fine panels of his menacing scowl. There is already some humour from the cricket itself, and the characters from the Digby eleven contain stereotypes that can be played for laughs.  This story is off to a strong start and I can only hope it maintains this standard throughout the coming weeks. 

Rating: 8.5/10

Best line: "I don't know what sport to try next - they all come so easily to me. I only missed catching that ball because I'm so nimble. I baffle myself sometimes!" 

Football Family Robinson

The mystery of the jungle is about to be revealed as Titch calls for help at the beginning of the story. The ball has been thrown back to him by something in the jungle, and soon enough the same happens to Pa as his hat is snatched and thrown away.

The rest of the family joins the action, and over the page, we see Ma's hat seemingly moving by itself through the grass. As Digger is hit in the face by a piece of fruit, we finally see the cause of all this mayhem - monkeys. 

The monkeys are a lively bunch and soon take to kicking the football around with the family, before Bluey intercedes and scares them back to the jungle. There is little the family can do, and they decide the next course of action is to build a fence around the camp to keep them out. It is too late though for the latest round of damage as Digger finds that the monkeys have been at the radio again and now it is beyond repair and there is no chance of calling for help. 

I haven't enjoyed this story for some weeks now, but now that the monkeys have been exposed I feel a little better about it. The mystery of the forest never appealed to me beyond the first week, and I am disappointed that it took so long to be resolved. With this behind us and the radio out of action, we are back to a stranded in the jungle storyline, and all the possibilities that come with this. I'm thinking of it as a new beginning, and I hope the monkeys aren't an ongoing part of the storyline. 

Rating: 6/10

Best line: "Now I've seen everything! Thatchem United playing against a team of monkeys!"

Tallon Of The Track

"Oh no! Jo has just been hit by that box of recording equipment!" 

And so we begin Tallon Of The Track. Jo is out cold and is bundled off to the hospital while a furious Dave Trent lays the blame squarely on Caxton and his documentary. 

Caxton is defended by Basil Oldfield, who agrees that it is nothing more than bad luck. This conversation is the keystone to the strip and covers half a page as Dave and Basil go back and forth. 

The final half of the issue is dedicated to the on-track racing, as the Ospreys do their best to win the meeting for Jo. It delivers as far as the reader is concerned, each panel a self-contained moment that is worth digesting, but overall the Ospreys can't quite snatch the win, and must depend on a strong second leg. 

We finish as we started, with attention turning back to Jo in the final panel as the doctor at the hospital tells us that he has some very bad news.

Tallon Of The Track consistently delivers, and this week is no different. Split into three parts, each part was crucial and I couldn't look away for a moment. Jo's accident kick-started the episode, but it was the confrontation between Dave and the documentary makers that really drove the story. The racing action was a nice little bonus, and just as important for what will come next. I don't know what more I could ask for, perhaps Jo a little more in the story, but overall this was strong in every panel.

Rating: 8.5/10

Best line: "She's deeply unconscious! She'll have to go to hospital!"

Skid Solo

It's hard to follow up on the Tallon Of The Track story, but Skid Solo does an admirable job. It stays away from the track and instead tosses Skid and Sandy and Sparrow into a charity rugby game against pop stars. 

Sandy is confident from the start and lets the others know that he considers pop stars to be weaklings. While Skid goes for a test drive Sandy meets one of these pop stars, and he lets him know that he thinks pop stars need toughing up, He reiterates this several times, and by the end of the drive, the pop star is well aware of how weak Sandy considers him. 

Sandy may be looking forward to the rugby game, but he finds it tougher than he expected. The game sees him take several hard knocks and by the end of it, both he and Skid express how tough it was. 

It is then that they met the pop star from the track again. Sandy is surprised to hear he was playing, and Sparroiw points out that he did score three tries against them.  It is a revelation for Sandy and at the pop show later he is reminded that you can't judge by appearances. 

I'm sure we've had a similar storyline about not judging by appearances a few months ago. This version of it is well told, and it is a lesson well taken. The absolute highlight for me was seeing Skid on the rugby field, and seeing Sandy being buried by a heavy tackle, very satisfying indeed. I normally prefer to see Skid racing, but this was a nice turn and I appreciated the change of pace and scenery. Sandy didn't come across well, I don't think I would have much time for his views in real life. Normally he is one of my favourite characters and this story added another wrinkle to his personality, making for a more fully formed character. A good diversion, and a nice little filler episode between the grand prix races. 

Rating: 7.5/10

Best line: "Aye, I feel like a good hard game of rugger! We'll show these young pop-stars what the game's about!"

A Horse Called Ugly

It has been a hard-fought race, but the end is in sight for Joe and Lord Humphrey and their respective horses. Joe is riding Ugly as hard as he can, desperate to make up for the time he has lost due to Mungro's devious plan. 

Meanwhile, Lord Humphrey is cruising, satisfied that he has the race won with a ten-minute lead. This leads to a careless moment as he whips his horse, Zorro, startling him into jumping too soon and throwing Lord Humprey from the saddle. 

With time lost as he tries to catch his horse, both riders are in the panel for the final gallop to the finish line. It is still anyone's race, and we will know the winner in the first panel of next week's edition, I'm sure. 

My interest had waned in this story, but this issue had me once again hooked. The scenes with Lord Humphrey being tossed from his horse were satisfying, especially the reactions of the spectators around him. He took some stick for his use of the whip, and the spectators were very outspoken about this. Joe and Ugly weren't as interesting on the page, it was mostly Joe pushing Ugly to go faster, but in the final panels the climax brought both racers head to head and ended the story in style. An excellent end to the race, and this issue, this is A Horse Called Ugly excelling at horse driven action.

Rating: 8.5/10

Best line: "Begging yer pardon, yer Lordship...if you 'it that 'orse, it will 'it you- very 'ard!" 

Issue final ratings:

Overall: 8/10

Best Story: The Tigers

Best Line: "Och, ye'll enjoy it, mon! An' these pop-stars won't gi' us any trouble! Those long-haired banjo-players cannae be fit!"

Best Panel:

Roy's Sports Quiz:

Tiger 8th June 1974

My wife is downstairs cleaning, while I'm hiding upstairs with my comics. It's only a matter of time before she finds me. If this week's blog is suddenly cut short you'll know what has happened. Please send thoughts and prayers... 

Tiger

8th June 1974

Johnny Cougar And Splash Gorton

This week's episode of Johnny Cougar is the typical episode we get to introduce a new opponent. Johnny and Splash take a ride on the ghost train at the fun fair, and after several run-of-the-mill frights come across his next opponent lurking in the shadows, Mighty Man.

Disappearing as quickly as he appeared, Johnny and Splash decide to do some hard training in preparation. During a spell of running the following day, they come across a press conference by the Mighty Man, who promises that he will finish Johnny Cougar's wrestling career forever.

Although we meet Cougar's next opponent, not a lot happened this week. True, the creators did try and spice it up with the ghost train at the beginning, and the unexpected appearance of Mighty Man, but overall it felt flat. Mighty man seems the latest in a long line of large opponents who wish to end Johnny's career, and there is little to distinguish him from those that came before. On the plus side, the colour cover did catch my attention, and seeing Johnny and Splash on the ghost train was amusing. What happens next week will largely colour my impression of this starting point, and for now the jury is out until we see where this goes. 

Rating: 5/10

Best line: "We go...but take care that you do not scream too loudly, my friend!"

Roy Of The Rovers

Blackie and Roy are still in San Palos as the general backstory for the coming weeks is laid out. San Palos needs to win a football tournament to save their village and build a proper road up the mountain to draw in the tourists. 

Roy looks over the team but is adamant that he wants nothing to do with football. He will not train their team, nor will he play for them. He sticks to this despite the protestations of the villagers, as well as Blackie and the two girls. 

All is not lost as once they return to the hotel, Blackie tricks Roy into a sightseeing tour that ends up at the very tournament that San Palos is competing in. Down one-nil after five minutes, Blackie implores Roy to do something for the team.

This story is speeding along, and after meeting the villagers for the first time in the last issue we have moved quickly forward. Laying out the plot was well done and took barely two panels, and by the end of the story, we can already see that Roy is wavering. There is no doubt in my mind that by the end of the first page of next week, he will be doing all he can to help the villagers. Blackie featured heavily in this episode and came across strongly. He has been largely absent on the page the last few months, so I appreciated seeing him to the fore and serving in the role of Roy's best friend. A strong episode, and if we continue in this vein the story should deliver on every count. 

Rating: 7/10

Best line: "San Palos are useless! They were fools to even enter the tournament!"

Martin's Marvellous Mini

It was an awkward ending to last week's issue as Martin and Tiny found themselves in a posh clubhouse asking if they could join the treasure hunt. Things improve early on this week, as they are recognised and made welcome. 

Although most of the club accepts them, two characters aren't happy they have joined the treasure hunt, Algy and his pal Percy. Not content with leaving things well enough alone, Algy and Percy follow Martin and Tiny back to where they are camping. Horrified to see them sleeping in a tent, Algy sabotages our boys, a wayward tractor his weapon of choice, which not only wipes out the tent but also shunts George towards the cliff edge.

This is where we leave the action, with Martin and Tiny desperately trying to prevent George from plunging over the cliff. 

An excellent addition to the Martin's Marvellous Mini storyline, this issue gave me all the things I like about this strip. We had the human interactions and relations, which are always crucial to the story, some good panels of friendship and comforts as the boys settle down with a cup of tea, and then the final drama and action with the looming cliff disaster. The fact it is all in colour is a bonus, and even if it was in black and white I would rate it highly. As long as it stays at this level, Martin's Marvellous Mini will always be the first story I turn to.

Rating: 8/10

Best line: "They want the tradesmen's entrance! Scruffy looking pair!"

Tallon Of The Track

Plenty of drama and action in this week's edition, so look away now for those that are faint of heart. 

Jo is still hot under the collar about the addition of a mini camera to one of the bikes for the next race. As is her way, she lets her feelings known, loudly proclaiming that no good will come of it. 

How right she is, as on the next page we see Bill turning the camera on mid-race, only to develop a wobble and cause the crash of the season. With bodies strewn across the track, the director yells to his cameramen to get close-ups and capture every detail. 

There is still more to come, and as one of the cameramen moves on his scaffold, he inadvertently kicks off a large piece of equipment that falls on Jo's head. 

Carnage everywhere, this week's story leaned heavily on visual storytelling. The crash was told over three panels, and despite the subject matter I couldn't help but be thrilled. Likewise, with the equipment falling on Jo, it looked both painful and dramatic at the same time. Perhaps the only moment that took me out of the story was the appearance of the camera itself. Now it is commonplace to see mini cameras all over every sport, and we think nothing of it. However, 1974 was another world altogether, and it really does feel like we stepping back in time to see Jo complaining about the camera. Poor Jo continues to take her lumps, but I appreciate the entertainment value, and despite my feelings of guilt, I am greatly enjoying where this is going. 

Rating: 8/10

Best line: "Sam, get some shots of that pile-up! Zoom close - and switch the sound on, too!"

Skid Solo

We are a few races into the Grand Prix season and Skid Solo is already at the top of the table. He may not have won a race yet, but a couple of second placings have kept the points coming in. 

As they head to the start line of the Swedish Grand Prix, Sparrow Smith is feeling unwell. The race starts, but he shows no improvement, and eventually, he crashes out of the race, piling into the safety barrier. 

In a time before constant radio contact with the cars, Skid has no idea of Sparrow's condition, only that he has crashed out of the race. With thoughts of Sparrow's safety preying on his mind, he drives conservatively into sixth place in the race.

Rushing to the hospital, the Doctor informs Skid and Sandy that Sparrow is a nasty case. Frowning and growing more concerned, smiles return when the Doctor tells them that Sparrow has a bad case of chicken pox, as we see him propped up in bed with a spotty face.

Not quite the life or death situation that Skid expected, and the story deflated in these final panels. The rest of the race was fine, and the cars looked impressive on the track, but chicken pox was anticlimactic. I did enjoy seeing the familiar face of the commentator during the race, and seeing the leaderboard appearing in the first panel helped put the story into context, but overall this story was flatter than what we have had recently. Still a pleasant read, the artwork is always gentle on the eye, but not the Skid Solo I wanted to read today.

Rating: 5/10

Best line: "Ahh, let 'em go! I can't compete now. If only I knew what had happened to Sparrow..."

Football Family Robinson

Titch takes centre stage in this week's strip, and he is looking athletic in the first panel of the comic with his shirt off and physique on display. It is his face that tells the story though, and it is a story of sabotage as the family finds their camp wrecked. Not only that, but the radio in the plane has also been tampered with, setting Digger's repairs back another few days, 

The family decides that it would be best to take turns keeping watch at night, and it is here that Titch again features. During his watch he hears a noise, and taking the torch he looks into the forest. Eyes are watching, but he doesn't see them. We have one final twist, as he turns his back a football hits him from behind, and his calls for help are heard back at the camp. 

This week is an improvement over the last few weeks and I find I enjoy it much more. I'm not sure if the story is improving, or if I'm bending towards the story, but it did seem to flow better and without some of the previous silliness. Having a central focus, Titch, helped streamline the story, and we only dealt with one idea, the mystery of the forest, to deal with. It was also a relief not to have a football game pushed upon us, and overall it seems we have settled on the single story the comic wants to tell. Still not enough Viv for my liking, but we are getting closer to what I like overall. 

Rating: 7/10

Best line: "I saw something horrible up there, watching me"

A Horse Called Ugly

Mungro's rouse to trick Joe out of winning the race is revealed this week. Last time out we saw Joe in the forest, where he saw Lord Humphrey. Thinking he has strayed from his course, Joe loops back around in an attempt to find the flags marking his course.

All he finds is Mugro, hitching a horse to his caravan. Joe exchanges words with him, but it's only once Joe rides off that we see Mugro's subterfuge, he has used a horse and rider disguised as Lord Humphrey to throw Joe off track and delay him. 

Joe is unaware of this and rides easily on thinking that it is Lord Humphrey who is lost. He is snapped out of this when he comes across some spectators who inform him that Lord Humphrey came out of the forest ten minutes ago and currently holds a good lead. 

It is in the final panel that Joe suddenly realises that he has been tricked, and we are nicely set up for a finish next week. 

Last week's edition of this story was great, but this week not so much. The trick on Joe and Ugly was clever enough but was flat on the page. Even the horses in action didn't look as fluid as I have come to expect. However, I am still hooked, mainly for the fact that I want to see the villains of the piece get their due. If Lord Humphrey, Mungro, and Mannering get their just desserts next week, I shall be most pleased and will happily overlook this aberration. 

Rating: 5/10

Best line: "It's a free country, mate...there ain't no law which says I can't take me caravan into the forest!"

The Tigers

Chunky Clarke rides his luck, literally, in this week's instalment of The Tigers. We last saw him careening down the hill in a pram towards the startline of the Penny-farthing race. Burton's gang do their best to try and stop him, but all they succeed in doing is jump-starting him onto his bike and into the race. 

The race itself is par for the course, with Chunky seemingly going from disaster to disaster, but each time his luck shines through and propels him further through the race field. 

We do have a close finish, with Burton attempting to knock Chuny from his bicycle, but once again he fails and Chunky crosses the line first. 

This is the ending I expected from this story, although the fact I knew how it would end didn't detract from my enjoyment. Chunky's luck was overplayed, yet we are used to that now, and it didn't steal too much from the drama that was unfolding during the race. The story in the last few issues feels just the right length, and this bicycle race is a fitting finish. Another week would have been too much, so bringing the curtain down here feels about right, Next week we are promised a cricket story, which is more conventional than we have seen recently, and I eagerly await to see how they will generate drama from the game. 

Rating: 7/10

Best line: "It's easy- except for balance and steering. The pedalling's a bit tricky, too..."

Issue final ratings:

Overall: 7/10

Best Story: Martin's Marvellous Mini

Best Line: "They live in a tent! How ghastly!"

Best Panel:

Roy's Sports Quiz:

Tiger 1st June 1974

This week's Tiger has plenty of great panels and some very fine art to admire, even if the storytelling within is a little uneven. Although I haven't rated the issue highly, the artwork is consistently outstanding, and there is any number of panels I could have chosen as a favourite. Of course, the colour panels always catch my eye more, and it's just a shame there aren't more colour pages, although if there were I probably wouldn't have been able to afford the comic at the time! 

Tiger

1st June 1974

Skid Solo

Skid Solo has been very busy since we last saw him race, and the caption of the first panel quickly fills in the back story - he has gone to the United States to appear on a TV show, and before returning home took a drive in the Californian hills, where he found trouble. 

Suddenly the image of Skid climbing out of a convertible and facing rough-looking characters carrying guns all makes sense. In a dramatic first page, they send his car over the edge of a cliff before taking Skid hostage. 

The front page of a newspaper gives us further information, Skid is being held hostage, and his captors are demanding the release of a bank robber in exchange. We don't have long to digest this information, Skid makes a break for it a couple of panels later, running into the woods, and then doubling back to steel the hostage-taker's car. 

The villains are hard on his heels, but Skid outsmarts them as he comes to a petrol station, and pours a large quantity of petrol onto the road below. Setting it ablaze, he sends the kidnappers off the road where they are apprehended by the local police. 

We wrap up the story with Skid back home and receiving a letter from America. The letter contains a bill for the petrol he used, all seven hundred and eighty-five gallons of it. 

A great way to end this story, that is exactly the thought that crossed my mind when I saw Skid pouring the petrol on the road - how much is all this going to cost? I was thinking of it in modern terms, given the spiralling cost of fuel in the last year, and I did wonder if this was considered outrageous back in 1974. Some quick research gave me the following. A gallon of petrol in 1974 was $0.53 USD, meaning Skid's cunning plan cost a total of $416.05 USD in 1974. That's about $2524 in today's money. Not too bad to catch some kidnappers. 

I was surprised at the way we jumped into this story after last week's Grand Prix, but once I put that behind me, I enjoyed it immensely. The opening page dropped us right into the action, and it didn't let up until the final panel. A fun diversion, I read it with a smile, but secretly I can't wait to get back onto the track with Skid behind the wheel. 

Rating: 7.5/10

Best line: "Maybe it's a reward for capturing those crooks!" 

Roy Of The Rovers 

Roy Race was being taken for a wild ride when we last saw him on these pages. With his Spanish driver skidding down the hill, it looks like this week's story will continue in the same vein, but the driver quickly comes to a halt and by the bottom of the page, we are into a football story. 

Arriving at San Palos, Roy is furious to find a football game in progress, the very thing he was hoping to avoid. Watching on with Balckie, it is apparent that some of the players are very good, but Roy is in no mood to appreciate their abilities, and in a blind rage takes to the field himself to prove that none of these players are good enough to be at a professional level.

It backfires, and Roy is surrounded by players who see him as just the man to help them win the tournament and get this into the league. 

The story ends here for now, and no doubt the full extent of what Roy has walked into will become apparent next week. Seeing Roy in full flight against these village players was the highlight of this week, and next week is bound to be more of the same, despite Roy's best intentions. This story is slightly more interesting than the previous months of Roy Of The Rovers, and it looks like plenty will be on the line as Roy plays for the village team. Quite how it will unfold, we will have to wait, but this is a typical story of Roy being abroad and ending up in a local team. 

Rating: 6/10

Best line: "There! Now perhaps you'll stop charging around, and get down to learning how to play the game! But don't ask me to teach you...because I'm on holiday!"

Martin's Marvellous Mini

We are in the middle of the mini-race as this week's edition begins. Martin is fighting hard against the Carlton team, but they are driving as a team and blocking him from passing at every point of the track. 

However, he does have some luck, and another competitor crash leaves oil on the track, The Carlton team and Martin all hit the oil at the same time, and as they fight to control their vehicles, Amrtin takes advantage and the lead.

There is little more to tell of the race, it's as good as won, and soon enough we have the panel of Martin raising the trophy high. 

The tail end of the story sees Martin and Tiny arriving at a camping ground near the sea. They unpack and find a sign from the Devere Motor Club advertising a grand treasure hunt. The boys are keen to enter, but arriving at the clubhouse they find it is quite posh, and they aren't welcomed by the local members. In fact, they are thrown out for being scruffs. 

A story of two parts, the conclusion of the mini-race was satisfying with the race action minimal, yet fun. The second half of the story was far more interesting for me. I always enjoy the slice-of-life panels as Martin and Tiny seek accommodation, and although this new treasure hunt story is given only two panels I can see that already it has potential. Martin and Tiny often brush up against class barriers, and this looks par for the course with the Devere Motor Club. Next week will be when I find out if this new story branch is worthwhile, but for now, I have enjoyed all I have read here. 

Rating: 7.5/10

Best line: "We've got a bit of cash in hand! We could go camping...that's the cheapest way to have a holiday..."

The Tigers

We're still mucking around on old penny-farthings as Chunky Clarke and his team prepare for their bike race. Ron Burton is determined to get an advantage and he lays a trap for Chunky. Chunky walks right into it, and chasing a pound note, he suddenly finds himself in a net and hoisted into the trees. 

His friends are oblivious to his predicament, and there is some angst at the start line as he fails to appear. 

However, Chunky's luck is always at play, and the last half page sees him break free of his net, ending up in an old pram and racing out of control downhill.

I think we all know how this is going to end. That's not to say that it won't be fun along the way, but it is inevitable that Chunky will arrive at the start line just in time. I did appreciate that the writers have taken this route for the story,m it would have been easy to leap straight to the bike action, but instead, we have another issue with Chunky fighting just to even begin the race. The slapstick level is just right, and once again I enjoy this episode much more than I should. A guilty pleasure is now just becoming a pleasure. 

Rating: 7/10

Best line: "Whatever's happening, I won't worry- 'cos I'm naturally skilful. I must get to the race!"

A Horse Called Ugly

Joe and Ugly are at their very best as their race against Lord Humphrey continues. They are taking the obstacles in their stride, and there is even a spectacular moment as they jump a gully rather than ride up it. It costs them penalty points but saves them several minutes. 

Lord Humphrey is equally skilled on his horse Zorro, but he also has a secret plan with Clive Mannerning simmering in that background to ensure he wins. This plan is put into effect as Clive radios to Mubgro to begin their nefarious scheme. '

We don't see what the scheme is, but as Joe rides into the dark forest he says Lord Humphrey riding not far from him, Thinking he has strayed from his course, Joe immediately plans to turn back. 

This strip looked great on every page, I have often said, and I stand by it, that A Horse Called Ugy is at its very best when we see the horses up close and in action. This week it delivered just that several times, and the image of Joe and Ugly jumping the gully is one of the best. I find the story isn't to my taste, but I can't deny the visual feast in which I am indulging, and I can't wait to pick up next week's issue to see what comes next.

Rating: 8/10

Best line: "Come on, let's show 'em what a real horse can do!"

Football Family Robinson

Stranded on an island, last week something in the forest scared Bluey the kangaroo. We don't find out what that was this week, but there is a lot of talk about it. 

Bluey returns with the ball that was lost in the forest, but he is scared and something has shaken him up. The game continues, but once again the ball disappears into the forest, and this time it is Titch that runs after it. It vanishes before his eyes, and although the rest of the family joins him, no one can find the ball. 

Feeling alarmed, the family ask Digger if he has got the radio working yet. He hasn't, but before we can properly digest this information, Titch calls out, the thing from the jungle has struck again. 

I can understand why we aren't shown the thing in the jungle, and I see how the writer is trying to build suspense. The problem is that it just doesn't look very suspenseful on the page, and I hardly feel engaged with what is happening. I don't really care what has happened to their ball, or what it is that is hiding in the jungle. Perhaps once that is revealed I'll be back on board, but all I can do until then is enjoy those moments when my girl Viv appears on the page. 

Rating: 5/10

Best line: "He ain't goin'! There's something in there he's scared of!" 

Johnny Cougar and Splash Gorton 

Fat, and out of shape, Johnny Cougar just can't get a handle on his opponent, The Gent. He struggles throughout the bout and The Gent dominates on every panel. However, his mind is still sharp and using his extra weight he manages to bear hug The Gent, eventually falling on top of him and winning the match. 

It's all very anti-climatic, and the story never took off this week. Three-quarters of the story was The Gent hitting Johnny with offence, then we see Johnny outsmarting him before the final half page is Spalsh Gorton recapping much of what we have already seen. There is a strong lesson that the characters emphasise in these last panels, the value of hard training, but that's all reward for my disappointment in the rest of the story, Normally I'm all about the in-ring action, but this week it left me cold, and I'm just as disappointed in myself as I am with the story. 

Rating: 4/10

Best line: "Wh-what happened? Did the roof fall in on me?

Tallon Of The Track

Jo was on the verge of resigning at the end of last week's strip, but that is quickly resolved in the first panels of the story. With little choice in the matter, she is forced to go along with the TV film documentary. We also have a fantastic panel of her forcefully telling the director to stop calling her sweetness, striking a strong blow for women's lib everywhere. 

After this outburst, the rest of the strip is a steady cruise. Jo demonstrates some cornering while the cameras roll before the second page takes us to the next race meeting. 

This next meeting is the crux of what's to come. As the riders prepare, it is brought to Jo's attention that the director has fixed a small camera to the front of one of the bikes, Once again enraged, the strip ends with an exasperated Jo exclaiming that this has gone too far. 

This story was modest in its ambition. It didn't progress the story greatly, but it did gently build on the previous week. There was motorcycle action, but it wasn't part of the dramatic story, and the real story was Jo's outburst at the beginning and then at the end. If we could get a little more in between, the story would have really motored, but it was fine as it is, just gently building for the coming weeks. 

Rating: 7/10

Best Line: "Stop calling me Sweetness! The name's Jo!"

Issue final ratings:

Overall: 6.5/10

Best Story: A Horse Called Ugly

Best Line: "Oh, marvellous! I'm hired as a speedway trainer and end up as some sort of second rate film star!"

Best Panel:

Roy's Sports Quiz: