Tiger 10th August 1974

Changes are coming says the editor's note in this week's comic, and fifty years later I know exactly what those changes will be. I'm not going to say too much, but the next couple of months will see the comic become much more familiar to me. That's all in the future, today let's set our time machine for 10th August 1974

Tiger

10th August 1974

Johnny Cougar and Splash Gorton

There is very little in-ring action this week, as Johnny instead fights his opponent in the forest rather than on the canvas. Last week he ran down the K.O. Kid who had tried to kill Johnny and Splash with a runaway lorry, and this week he seeks vengeance with his bare hands. 

The fight isn't one-sided, and the K.O. Kid acquits himself well before Johnny finally overpowers him. Grabbing the K.O. Kid by his lapels, Johnny shakes the truth out of him. The K.O. Kid blames Johnny for ruining his career, having defeated him in Australia, and since that bout no one has taken him seriously.

Johnny dismisses this notion, telling him he is a good wrestler. The K.O. Kid easily agrees and thanks Johnny before disappearing into the woods. 

Our attention now turns to the tag-team bout with Johnny and  Staff Sergeant Martin preparing to take on their foes. It is in these final panels, just as the fight is about to start, that we see the K.O. Kid hasn't quite given up on his scheme, and is currently in the crowd preparing to poison Johnny and have his revenge. 

The first portion of this was very good, and seeing Johnny and the K.O. Kid fighting in the river and the woods was agreeable to my taste. What I didn't like was the end of this fight, with the K.O. Kid suddenly humbled and easily agreeing with Johnny. It didn't sit well with me, and even though we later see why he was so readily walking away, it still didn't seem right for the character. Apart from this small niggle, I found the strip to be very good, and as always the artwork was beyond reproach. 

Rating: 7.5/10

Best line: "Th-thanks, Johnny. You're the greatest! I won't bother you again!" 

Roy Of The Rovers

With Charlie 'the cat' Carter out of form, this week we find out what is on the cassette player that he offers up as an excuse at half-time. 

It's the most dangerous of all things, a pop song, sung by Charlie himself. The lyrics are terrible, but the music must sound OK as all the players compliment Charlie on his musical ability.

The back story tumbles quickly out. Charlie entered a talent contest at a holiday camp last month, and not only did he win it but there just so happened to be a talent scout there who persuaded Charlie to make a trial recording. This recording has proved to be somewhat of a success, with at least one record company already making an offer to Charlie to sign a contract.

The crux of the problem is now the agent wants Charlie to quit football to concentrate his energies on a musical career.  Roy takes this news in stride and tells Charlie not to worry so much about it after all he has one of the greatest keepers in the game to replace him with. Tubby Morton has been out for months with a broken leg, but Roy reassures Charlie that he is well on the way to recovery and will soon be having a run out with the reserves. 

With this weight lifted from his mind, Charlie plays a blinder in the second half. With the team secure at the back, the attacking weapons of Melchester Rovers take centre stage, scoring two goals and managing to salvage a draw. 

Not all is as well as it seems, and we end with Blackie chastising Roy for not telling Charlie the whole truth about Tubby Morton and that they may well be facing the best teams in Europe without a number-one keeper.

It's hard to see what the agent sees in the song that Charlie has recorded. The lyrics as they are written on the page are terrible, and one can only assume that Charlie has the voice of an angel to sell such tripe. The football action remains the backbone of the strip and after the halftime chat in the dressing room, the story moved quickly in the right direction. As much as I like Tubby Morton, Charlie is my guy and I hope that he will soon give up on his pop dream and focus on what he does best - saving goals. 

Rating: 7/10

Best line:  "They call me the cat, and I'm pleased about that, 'cos I always purr when you're near meeee!" 

Martin's Marvellous Mini 

In an unnamed central European country, Martin and Tiny are being pursued by the law. With the policemen carrying guns, there is only one course of action- stopping immediately. 

Waving his pistol, the first policeman promptly arrests them, under a variety of charges that he quickly reels off. 

Behind bars, things look grim for our two pals. The next day in court they have very little choice but to plead guilty and apologise. This succeeds beyond all expectations. Nobody ever pleads guilty and the judge is so taken by it that he releases them without any further punishment. 

There is a further surprise as they exit the court to find a police escort waiting for them. With two police bikes leading the way, they make the border in quick time and are soon across the frontier into the next country. 

Things are far more relaxed here, and as they stop in a cafe they learn from the radio that they are a day and a half behind. Everyone in the cafe is just happy that they are safe and decide that a party is in order to celebrate. It becomes quite the party, and Tiny and Martin finish the episode wondering how they can get out of it and back on the road. 

The courtroom part of the story was weak, but I enjoyed everything else. The drama of the police stopping them was well-drawn and I had a sense of the danger they were facing. They escaped the court a little too easily for my liking, but I did enjoy the race to the frontier, and the village cafe they ended up in. Not everything was great here, but it was all likeable. Not a page-turner, I want to take my time and marinate in the panels as they stop in the villages, but enough to draw me into the world they are creating. 

Rating: 8/10

Best line: "He's throwing the book at us!"

Tallon Of The Track 

We embark on a new storyline this week as Jo and the team prepare to take part in a charity fete. There is both speedway racing on grass, as well as Jo doing some stunts before a trophy will be given to the most popular event. 

Dave puts the Ospreys through their paces with some training on the grass, and then it's all about Jo as we see plenty of her riding abilities as she goes over several jumps before riding through a flaming hoop.   

It is just as she comes through the hoop of the flame that the story takes a twist with another rider appearing out of nowhere. Clad all in black, he snatches the trophy before riding into the forest. Jo takes up the pursuit, but the other rider proves to be just as good as her on a bike and it looks like Jo will have her work cut out to catch up with them. 

A pleasant start to this story, and I liked the gentle feeling of the fete. I always enjoy seeing Jo on her bike, and we get two good scenes of that here as her stunt riding is highlighted, before the chase in the forest again sees her mastering her bike. There is some intrigue about this mysterious rider and paired with on-bike action, this story has gotten off to a strong start. 

Rating: 7.5/10 

Best line: "We've some trainer, Dave. When courage was dished out she was in the front row" 

Football Family Robinson

The Football Family are on the field and playing for their respective resorts, Fred's team is propped up by a selection of former superstars, while all Titch has is Ma's good advice and some ringers from their resort. 

At first, it is Fred's team that has the upper hand, building a three-goal lead, but Titch remains confident based on the advice from Ma. This advice plays a hand in the second half as the team of former stars begins to tire. Titch's team pulls it back to three goals each, the other team out of shape and unable to compete with the speed of the match. 

That's where the game ends, Fred's team refuses to play extra time as their contract is only for ninety minutes of football. The voice of reason is again Ma, who tells Mr Richafella, the investor looking to put his money into one of the resorts, that the answer is obvious - he should invest in both resorts.

As he agrees with this idea, the story is all but over and all that remains is for the family to board the plane that will take them to the UK and the beginning of the next football season. 

I am pleased that this storyline is over and pleased that it had a solid ending after shaky beginnings. It feels like a long time ago since their plane was forced down and the family first found themselves in the jungle. Since then there have been ups and downs, but the story got better as it went along and we finished on the right note. The football action was crisp and clear, and as always it was the indomitable Ma that stole the show. A fearsome matriarch she is the lynchpin of the family, and the comic strip, and one of the strongest characters on the pages of Tiger. My father always told me that if I meet a pretty girl, I should look at her mother to see what the future holds. In that case, Viv has quite a future ahead of her with both strength of character and beauty. 

Rating: 7.5/10

Best line: "You've got to be joking. We've had it. Besides, our contract with him was to play in a ninety minute game!" 

A Horse Called Ugly 

With pistols drawn, the two crooks - Luigi and Ferdi - are demanding that Joe reveals the location of the package they'd hidden under Ugly's saddle. 

Joe doesn't know what they are talking about, so at gunpoint, the two crooks bundle Joe and Farmer Corker out the door and towards the car. It is at this point that Ugly intervenes, chasing the villains off in a funny moment. 

Farmer Corker and Joe decide that it's not worth getting the police involved, and Joe sleeps soundly in the stable, little realising that the artwork he has nailed to the wall is worth a fortune. 

The next day and Joe and Ugly are called by Angela to take part in a show. Angela jumps well but her fortunes take a turn while Joe and Ugly are taking their turn in the arena. Passing by a small tent, she is grabbed from behind by Luigi and Ferdi and kidnapped. 

Back at the arena, the officials are calling for her to attend a jump-off. She is about to be disqualified for a no-show while Joe pleads with the officials that something must have happened as she would never fail to respond to such a challenge. 

I am greatly enjoying this storyline with Luigi and Ferdi, and the fact that Joe has simply nailed this artwork to the wall of the stable has me laughing long after we have moved to other things. The initial danger of the crooks with guns was dealt with easily, although a little unbelievable, by an angry Ugly. I'm not convinced an angry horse would be enough to dissuade crooks with guns and a fortune on offer. However, that didn't detract a jot from my overall enjoyment of this strip, and I am pleased with the direction we are going. 

Rating: 8.5/10

Best line: "Beat that if you can, Joe Larcombe!" 

Skid Solo 

A week before his next Grand Prix and Skid and Sparrow are taking part in two hundred mile race in a borrowed car. It's hard to imagine a modern driver doing this, but it's not just them, several other top drivers from around the world are also taking part in borrowed cars. 

Not everyone has a borrowed car, Von Vargen has his own car and drives it fast from the beginning.  Skid matches him for speed and soon both of them are out in front. 

Sparrow Smith is determined to catch them, but he suffers some bad luck as one of his wheels falls off. It is not just his bad luck, it's everyones, as his wheel hits a tower beside the track - knocking it over and leaving the track blocked. 

Skid and Von Vargen are the first to encounter this obstacle, and they both take the same evasive action. Turning hard to the left, they find themselves travelling one hundred and sixty miles an hour through an orchard. They daren't hit their breaks, for fear of the cars sliding into the trees, and all they can do is drive to survive. 

They manage to avoid the trees, only to find themselves in a paddock facing a herd of cows. Again, they both take the same course of action, driving side by side into a haystack. Unharmed, they exchange pleasantries before heading back to the track.

At the track, one man has some luck and that's Al Ledstock who has managed to pull off a victory, his first of the year. Skid and Von Vargen are all smiles after their adventures, but we finish with Sandy assuring us that won't last as next week's Grand Prix in Austria will once again bring out their competitive spirit. 

It wasn't Grand Prix racing, but it was dramatic, and the off-track driving by Skid and Von Vargen looked great. Speeding through the orchid was a definite highlight, and nothing on the track came close to the thrill of seeing Skid and Von Vargen driving their cars through the trees. I could have done without the Al Ledstock win, it would have been nice to see it go to an unknown driver, but I can't complain too much about the story, Even without being competitive, Sparrow Smith played a crucial role, and once again his crash was just about as exciting as anything else in the strip, A strong story and with plenty of eye-catching panels, Skid Solo once again remains a favourite.

Rating: 8.5/10

Best line: "A wheel's come off Smith's car...I've got it in picture...a great shot!"

The Tigers 

Chunky Clark is in the countryside and seeking a team to play cricket against Digby's Cricket team. With Ron Burton's two cronies cycling after him, there are high jinks aplenty of the first page of the Tigers. 

The serious meat of the story comes on the next page as we get out first look at a rough and ready country team playing. They are a tough bunch, ignoring the niceties of the game and torturing the opposition. Into this cauldron rides Chunky and Ron Burton's men, ruining the country team's game and immediately making enemies of the team. This is where this week's issue concludes, with the country team about to rough up the townies for their interference. 

I do like the look of this rough team, even if the rest of the strip isn't appealing to me to. They look tough, they talk tough, and they act tough, in contrast to the upturned noses of the team that Chunky has attached himself to. There was no direct confrontation this week but next week should see the two come head to head in what promises to be a battle of contrasting styles. The story falls on the weak side in my opinion, but the core elements are sound and I have positive vibes for what comes next.

Rating: 6.5/10

Best line: "Hurry next man. If I call 'play' an' there b'ain't no-one in, the innings be closed!" 

Issue final ratings:

Overall: 7.5/10

Best Story: Skid Solo 

Best Line: "Just get off with a fine, you said! Huh! Look at us!"

Best Panel:

Roy's Sports Quiz: