Tiger 17th August 1974

It's no secret that Martin's Marvellous Mini is one of my favourite stories. When I was a child, I would often play a game with my brother, where if we saw a mini on the road whoever would yell out "Martin's Marvellous Mini" first would win a point. Oh, those were the days. Reading this week's issue of Martin's Marvellous Mini I can see the appeal to the younger me. In colour, with a variety of exotic landscapes, and with two good friends sharing adventures, it's everything a young boy could win. This week ticks all those boxes and more, as they speed across Europe and into the Middle East. The adult me loves it just as much as the boyhood me, and after reading this week's issue I'm sure to be yelling "Martin's Marvellous Mini" at passing cars for the next few days. 

Tiger

17th August 1974

Roy Of The Rovers

Although tempted to quit football and pursue a career in pop music, Charlie Carter is back to his goal-saving best on the cover of Tiger. Making several saves, he is playing with new confidence now that he has been told that Tubby Morton is ready to take his place.

This confidence is misplaced, and from a conversation between Blackie and Roy we learn that Tubby is not back to full fitness, and it all hinges on how he goes in his comeback game for the reserves. 

At the conclusion of training, they return to the changing rooms where Larry Sharp, the variety agent trying to lure Charlie, is waiting for them. Waving his contract in front of Charlie, he is anxious to gain his signature as soon as possible. Tony Stome is not happy with this interference and strongly shows him the door while making his feelings clear. 

Game day arrives, and once again Larry Sharp is proving to be a nuisance. While the team take the field, he makes his way to the stadium's PA system and insists the DJ there plays Charlie's demo recording. 

Roy and Tony Storme are furious, and Tony rushes off to shut it down while on the field Charlie is distracted by the attention and the music, missing an early save. This is all part of Larry Sharp's plan -  Charlie takes up singing or his football career will be ruined. 

Although not my favourite story at the moment, there is plenty to like here. The front cover with Charlie at full stretch pulling off a save is exactly what I want to see in a Roy Of The Rovers comic. This onfield dynamism is matched by the fiery Tony Storme over the page. Twice we see him in this strip with his face twisted into a scowl as he delivers verbal punches. It's stirring stuff and just what we would expect from a top manager like Tony. He has his work cut out matched up against the agent Larry Sharp, who, much like Tony Storme, has a name that matches his personality. I don't care too much for Charlie's singing career, but I do look forward to these two clashing heads in future episodes. 

Rating: 7/10

Best line: "He's got back to smother it! Charlie's recovery rate is fantastic!" 

Tallon Of The Track

We start quickly this week, with Jo on her bike still pursuing the black-clad rider that stole the trophy from the fete. 

It's an exciting chase through the woods, but as expected Jo triumphs as she forces the rider into the water. 

The rider is disappointed to find out he was out-ridden by a female, and as he takes off his helmet we see that he is just a boy.

He was disappointed that he wasn't allowed to take part in the fete having been deemed too young to participate. Jo has a solution at hand, and as the rest of the Ospreys approach, she informs them that she wants to use the young lad for a novelty event.

We see this novelty event in the final panels of the strip, a replay of the trophy snatching and the Ospreys chasing the rider, this time all in the name of entertainment. 

This was a slight story. I enjoyed it for what it was, but it quickly faded from my mind once I finished. The chase through the woods dominated the story, running for almost two pages, and was the best part of the story. The rest of it was merely window dressing for this chase and tidying up loose ends. After some heavy action in earlier stories, the last two stories have been an easier ride for Jo Tallon. She deserves a break, but part of me longs to see her in a life-or-death situation just one more time. 

Rating: 6/10

Best line: "Dave, don't argue with her, she's the boss!"

Martin's Marvellous Mini 

Having escaped the law in the last issue, Martin and Tiny now find themselves prisoners of hospitality at a local village. It's not easy to escape a welcoming party, and Martin and Tiny do what any brave young man would do - they run away. 

Back on the road, Tiny and Martin drive right across Europe, before, as the caption informs us, they one day stop at a filling station in a Middle Eastern country. It is here that they receive some sound local advice. Do not stop, do not leave the road, and be aware there are many bandits in the area. 

Back on the road, they drive across the desert lands, only to encounter a sandstorm. Being good Englishmen, they stop the car, make a cup of tea, and wait for the storm to pass over. 

The storm may have gone, but their problems are only just beginning as any sign of the road is for. They drive on, looking for it, but all they find is sand. Then, to cap it all off, some horsemen approach from over the top of a dune. 

An excellent story, I enjoyed the shorthand employed here to keep the story rapidly moving. We are told they are driving across Europe, and this is expressed in a single panel of them driving past a Roman ruin surrounded by grass. Likewise, we see them arrive in the Middle Eastern country, the petrol station surrounded by sand while a man in ethnic dress ties the load on top of their vehicle. The flip side of this is I would have liked to see more of their time in Europe. We are told simply that they have travelled across Europe and we see them in a Middle Eastern country later. I can't complain too much about this, the following page is one of the best we have seen in Tiger so far. Seven panels that look fantastic singularly, and taken as a whole. First, there are the two panels of George driving in the sandstorm, suffocating sand seeping across the panel. Then Tiny and Martin take in a sandwich and a cuppa while the storm rages around them, all top-notch stuff. To cap it off we have them looking for the road and encountering what may well be the bandits. All of it is superb, and I could choose any one of these for my panel of the week. Needless to say, I rate this highly and it makes clear why this is my favourite strip.

Rating: 10/10

Best line: "We're in the middle of the desert! There's nothing but dunes!" 

Johnny Cougar and Splash Gorton

After talking about it for four weeks, we finally have Johnny Cougar competing in a tag team match with his partner, Staff Sergeant Martin. 

Martin starts strongly for the team, though his German opponent is as clever as he is strong and reverses an early move, giving Martin a sore neck. A quick tag and Martin has little time to think about his neck as his new opponent hits him with a flying headbutt. 

Making the tag to Johnny is about all he can do, and Johnny steps into the ring to face these two fearsome wrestlers.  A flying head scissors starts things well, but once again the continental wrestlers gain an upper hand with Johnny held in a neck hold by his German opposition. 

Johnny tags out, and at this point of the story, his nemesis the K.O. Kid enters the picture. Johnny drinks heavily from his water bottle, little realising that it has been poisoned by the K.O. Kid. We will have to wait until next week to see the outcome of this, but for now, the scene is set. 

I have always said that Johnny Cougar is at its best when Johnny is in the ring, and it proves so here. The panels of Johnny being held in headlocks, or hitting opponents with flying kicks look magnificent, and the worlds on the page can only bow down in front of such captivating artwork. It matters little who he is fighting against, the flow of the wrestling match is all that matters, and I read the panels of the bout far slower than any other part of the story, letting myself get lost in the battle of the big men. The first appearance of the K.O. Kid back in Australia was disappointing, as was his chase through the first with Johnny last week, but here he is finally growing not a worthy villain. We have many questions to be answered next week, and hopefully, these will come with a heavy dose of wrestling actions. I shall cross my fingers now. 

Rating: 8/10

Best line: "Great forearm smash by the soldier...that really hurt!"

The Tigers

Ron Burton and Scully have crashed into a village cricket match while chasing Chunky on their cycles. Being labelled as cricket hooligans from the city, the big country boys are incensed. 

Chunky defuses the situation, challenging the toughs to a fair and friendly cricket match. 

Keen to teach the townies a lesson, they accept, although we know from the previous issue that it is unlikely that this country team will play or friendly. 

The trial and tribulations arise before the match even begins, with Chunky's map to the ground leading the team through some rough terrain. They are attacked by some angry geese, while Ron Burton and his cronies face even worse in the shape of three angry rams. 

Arriving at the match in a foul mood, the rest of the team gets their first look at the opponents, their obvious large size causing immediate concerns. 

The strip closes out with an angry captain telling Chunky that they are already exhausted from his map, and if they are made to look like fools in the match he will be out of the team for good. 

This was surprisingly fun, with both cricket teams expressing their anger with Chunky and his pals. The expedition to find the match was enjoyable, and there were some obstacles thrown up that we hadn't seen before. Chunky didn't ride his luck too much in this episode, and it was far more balanced than previous stories. If it was like this more often I would have far better feelings towards The Tigers, and as it is, this feels more like a lucky one-off rather than an ongoing trend.

Rating: 8/10

Best line: "Stop! Senseless clobbery isn't cricket! I'm here from the Digby cricket eleven to challenge you to a fair, friendly match."

Football Family Robinson

Back from their Australian sojourn, the Robinson are once again rooted in the real world of working as building contractors. 

Digging foundations and talking of the weekend's impending game, Bert digs up something solid. Thinking it might be valuable, he cleans it up and finds it is some sort of statue head. 

Ma thinks it's revolting and tells him he's best to bury it again. However, he clings to his belief that it is valuable and takes it home. It is there that Viv's boyfriend Kevin (who we haven't seen for months!) sees it and takes it into his own hands to do some research. 

His research turns up a picture of a pagan god that looks just like it. The caveat is that is the pagan god of misfortune. How this came to be in Thatchem is explained in the next panel, with the information that there was a temple on the site of Thatchem about two thousand years ago.

Back to the football, the team begin their season against Nottborough. It is not a great start, with Bert bashing his head against the post in the opening minutes. Viv and Ma watch on from the sideline, with Viv sure that the ugly head is going to have an evil influence on the family. 

The Football Family are back in their natural environment, and I love it. The physical toil on the first page speaks to me, and even if I don't believe in evil pagan gods, I did enjoy seeing Bert discover it. I also enjoyed the family's overall negative reaction to his discovery, and I can imagine that my family's reaction to something similar would be the same. The disdain that Viv regards the head with when she first sees it is superb, and her face is worth a thousand words. A vast improvement from the Asutailian storyline, we are back on track. I never thought I would say that about a storyline based on an evil pagan head.

Rating: 8/10

Best line: "That settles it. We'll smash it to pieces before it starts putting some evil influence on us!"

Skid Solo 

The Austrian Grand Prix is on, and it's a fantastic race from start to finish. 

We have a gentle introduction to the race, with Skid approaching his hotel to find a crowd of reporters waiting outside. It's Von Vargen they're waiting to see, but the German graciously invites Skid into the circle, telling him that it costs nothing to be polite. 

Race day and the cars start fast, with Skid taking the lead into the first corner. The race continues for the next two pages, with Skid leading the way while behind him Sparrow Smith and Von Vargen battle hard. 

Late in the race and Von Vargen makes a final run for the lead, catching Skid right on the line. There are only inches in it, but Skid prevails to take the win. 

Trophy in hand, he is surrounded by reporters, but in a move that draws from the first panels of the story, he calls Von Vargen in to stand beside him and share the attention, with the final words "One good turn deserves another."

The racing action was excellent in the story and in particular the battle between Von Vargen and Sparro Smith. They both held the upper hand at various stages of the race and if not for the back markers they were lapping, this battle might have continued right to the finish. The subplot with the reporters was unnecessary, yet entirely par for the course of a Skid Solo story, there is always such a subplot that bookends these races. The track action was what enthused me most though, and once again Skid delivered a race that mirrors just what we see in real life. 

Rating: 8.5/10

Best line:  "Heck! Von Vargen's taken Sparrow...and closed right up on me...he's only three seconds behind...and one lap to go..."

A Horse Called Ugly

Joe is worried about the missing Angela but is forced to compete in the jump-off at the horse show. 

The first round goes well enough for Joe and Ugly but before the next round, Joe finds a note left for him by Angela's kidnappers. This note tells him that they have Angela, and he can swap her after the horse show for the valuable item that he has. 

With thoughts of the fate that may befall Angela, Joe fails to pay attention and rides straight into a wall. This isn't all bad, and he dashes off on Ugly to find Angela. 

There was drama at the show jumping, but the real drama was taking place off-page for most of this story. Like Joe, my thoughts stay with Anglea, and I was just waiting for that final panel when he rode off to find her. A necessary step in the story, what happened the week before and what will happen next week are far more essential than Joe finishing the show jumping. Still, I love seeing Ugly in action, and the artwork looked great on every page. Not the episode I wanted, but we are nicely set up for what will come next. 

Rating: 7/10 

Best line: "You can do some grass-munching Ugly...I've got to sow how our rivals perform" 

Issue final ratings:

Overall: 8/10

Best Story: Martin's Marvellous Mini 

Best Line: "Those crazy British!"

Best Panel:

Roy's Sport Quiz: