Tiger 3rd August 1974

This is a great issue of Tiger comic and I have rated several stories very highly indeed. In fact, I have even scored one story 10/10. Anyone who has been following this blog might know which one holds a special place in my heart, but for those that are new - read on to find out which story has scaled such heights this week. 

Tiger

3rd August 1974

Skid Solo 

A fast start to the strip as we are already four laps in on the Nuremberg Ring on the front cover. It seems Solo is going well, after four laps he has a slender lead over Mareillia and Von Vagern. Things are not going quite as well for Sparrow Smith who has driven off the track. 

He may have had an off, but Smith is hot and driving faster than anyone else on the track. He overhauls Johnny Lyon and steadily gains on Mareillia and Von Vagern. 

Out in front Solo is facing issues of his own, a strange noise from his engine and a loss of revs sees him nursing his car and watching helplessly as Von Vagern drives past him. Not only Von Vagern, but Mareillia too, before the familiar car of Sparrow Smith also goes by him. 

The race is on for the finish, and Smith is driving the race of his life. He makes it past Mareillia before catching Von Vagern and racing him side by side towards the finish. It is Smith who snatches victory right on the line, leaving Smith second on the drivers' table with Solo sitting in fourth.

We finish with Sandy thinking aloud that Sparrow Smith might manage to win the driver championship. Skid Solo reminds him that he is still champion, and has no intention of giving up on the championship, even to a pal. 

A solid Grand Prix race, and I appreciated that we dropped right into the action with the race already well underway before it appears on the cover. Skid doesn't need to win for the race to be dramatic, and Sparrow Smith challenging for the lead was every bit as exciting. The powerful cars roaring around the track were perfectly captured on the page, and I felt I was right in the driver's seat as the drivers tore around the track. My favourite type of Skid Solo story, this issue is off to a fast start.

Rating: 8/10

Best line: "Vagern still leads, with Mareillia now in second place. Skid Solo is nursing a sick engine and he's back in third position. But here comes Sparrow Smith...and this boy is moving!"  

Roy Of The Rovers 

Roy and Blackie are back from Spain, and we are straight into football action as they take in Burndean for the community shield.  

The game starts fast, but Charlie Carter in goal doesn't seem to have his head in the game. An early mistake by Charlie sees Rovers concede a goal, and Roy is distracted by Charlie's uncharacteristic mistake. Trying to build his confidence, Roy pokes back another ball for Charlie to get a touch, only for Charlie to make another mistake and concede another goal. 

Down by two goals at halftime, in the dressing room Roy and Tony Storme push Charlie for what's troubling him. Throwing a cassette player on the table, Charlie tells them all to listen - they're in for a big shock. 

I have a hunch of what this big shock might be, but I shall keep my cards close to my chest until next week. Like Skid Solo, it was great to see Roy does what he does best. In this case, it's playing for Melchester Rovers against their great foe Burndean. Even without the Charlie Carter troubles, this would be a tough match, and I loved seeing the free-flowing action on the field. Roy and Blackie in Spain was a lot of fun, but this is their natural environment. The story feels like it is on a firm foundation and although I think we're going to take a turn away from the on-field action, I enjoy what we have here so far.

Rating: 8/10

Best line: "Your, Charlie...come out, you idiot!" 

Martins Marvellous Mini

We left Martin's Marvellous Mini on a cliffhanger last week, literally, as they ran out of road and were about to drive over a cliff edge. The opening panel lives up to all expectations with Tiny struggling to control the car as they go over the side of the cliff.

Luckily they hit a big rock, which arrests their fall but still leaves them in a precarious position. Their nemesis from the previous issue, Grimble and Perch, arrive and although it is their task to put them out of the race, they still stop to help Tiny and Martin, 

They pull Martin and Tiny up to the road, but there is nothing they can do for the car. Making an empty promise to send help, Grimble and Perch drive off, happy that Tiny and Martin will be delayed for days by this development. 

The following morning Tiny and Martin realise that help isn't going to be coming, and they set off to the nearest village. It takes a day to arrange a crane to lift George back to the road and by the time they get underway again the rest of the field is twenty-four hours ahead of them 

They reach the border, and letting them by the soldiers there warn them to follow the speed limits. With time to make up, our pals pay little heed to this advice, and after clipping a hut, we finish the issue with a police car in the rearview mirror as Tiny and Martin panic. 

I nice glimpse at the pre-European Union days, with Tiny and Martin stopping at a border post and being let through by soldiers. I think they would have enjoyed modern times and the effortless speed of travelling through European countries now. I got a kick out of the panel that has the guard raising the barrier arm to enter the next part of the adventure, and the story was sprinkled throughout with memorable panels, I have several favourites, the first three and the last three are immediate contenders for the panel of the week and contain the most dramatic parts of the story. Although not as fast-moving, the middle section of the story also provided several compelling panels, especially the ones of George being hoisted back up to the road. It's a long way to Sydney, even longer with such delays, but with such gorgeous-looking art I intend to be here every step of the way, 

Rating: 10/10

Best line: "Move slow and easy...one false move and George goes straight down!" 

Johnny Cougar and Splash Gorton

An empty lorry is about to run down Johnny and Splash, and this could be a very short issue indeed. However, Johnny moves just as fast out of the ring as he does in it, and with a flying leap he pushes Spalsh out of the path of the lorry and dives to safety. 

There is little time to ponder their escape, they are both on their feet quickly with Johnny giving chase to a man running away into the woods. This pursuit goes mile after mile through the German countryside, until eventually Johnny gets his man, only to find that it is a familiar face - the K.O. Kid who he wrestled not so long ago.

The K.O. Kid does wait around to see what will happen, and he immediately hits Johnny with a flying headbutt before attempting to hit him over the head with a hefty branch. 

Once again Johnny moves quickly, rolling away from the blow, and then snapping the would-be weapon in half. Facing down his opponent, Johnny promises to teach him a lesson - with his bare hands. 

A lot of running here, and although I enjoyed the story I can't say I enjoyed the pacing of it. The opening lorry scene wasn't as gripping as it sounds, and neither was Johnny running mile after mile after the K.O. Kid. The final faceoff was much better, and righted the ship, leaving me feeling positive overall about the story. It wasn't perfect, but it was good, and I found I liked it better than last week. I'm curious to see how this will unfold, there are several strands running through the story, and it still remains to see how they will come together. I guess the only way to find out will be to pick up next week's issue. 

Rating: 7/10

Best line: "Sucker! You should be ready to protect yourself at all times!" 

Football Family Robinson

We are edging closer to an actual football game in the Football Family Robinson, but first, we need to ratchet up the drama on the first page. On the beach, Fred tells Ma that his resort is flying in star players, which, as Ma rightly points out, is cheating. 

There is little they can do, and game day arrives with Mr Richafeller on the sidelines ready to give money to the winning resort. As the teams come on to the pitch we get our first look at the imported stars. They are an impressive bunch of international players, but Ma seems unfazed. 

Whispering some last-minute advice to Titch, she and Viv sit back to watch the game. It starts fast, but not well, with Titch's team conceding an early goal. However, Ma just smiles, while Viv wonders what the advice is that she offered to Titch. 

There are still a lot of unknowns here, foremost what is it that Ma knows and what tip did she offer Titch? Time will tell. This story continues to gently bubble along, and although there was no real action this week, there was still that keeping me turning the page and thinking. A gentle story, this is a balm after the opening few stories of this week's Tiger. Things should heat up next week, and as such this was a nice stepping stone. 

Rating: 7/10

Best line: "This is going to be more nerve-racking than a Wembley final!" 

A Horse Called Ugly

Joe and Ugly are on their way back to Britain, with the two crooks Luigi and Ferdi watching smugly on as the plane disappears on the horizon. 

Quite what they are so happy about we will find out soon enough as Joe and Ugly arrive home. Heading back to the stables, Joe is reunited with Mister Coker, and he quickly settles into the stables. While Joe unpacks his luggage, Luigi and Ferdi watch from the edge of Cokers farm, seemingly happy with how their plan is unfolding,

Pulling out Ugly's saddle, Joe notices that there is an unusual package underneath, Opening it up he finds an artwork, which he dismisses as messy. However, he nails it to the stable wall so that Ugly can appreciate some modern art. 

Carrying the saddle to the house, Joe has every intention of cleaning it up. It is now that the two crooks make their move, bursting into the house and demanding that Joe surrenders the saddle. They quickly discover that their package isn't there and we end the strip with Luigi pointing the gun at Joe and telling him he has five seconds to tell them where it is. 

A great strip, I enjoyed every panel here. It is on par with Martin's Marvellous Mini and has just as many memorable panels. We have finally discovered what the secret package is, and I couldn't help but laugh at Joe's ignorance of art and the way he simply nailed it to the wall. The panel of the crooks bursting into the house looked fantastic, and the story blew wide open at that point. I have long been a fan of A Horse Called Ugly, despite my slow start, and this issue demonstrates why with dynamic art and storyline coming together to elevate it above a mere horse story, 

Rating: 9/10

Best Line: "It's a painting, but it's a bit of a mess! It's probably from one of my fans, as a present."  

The Tigers

It's all fun and games in the nets this week as Chunky Clark's cricket adventure continues. 

After parking his bike at the club rooms, and the fun that comes from that, Chunky and Ron Burton are soon in the nets and crossing paths. With all his luck behind him, Chunky comes out on top, hitting Burton from behind with a stray throw, before upsetting him again with a ball that falls under Burton's feet. 

The next part of the story emerges from the club meeting, they have planned a cricket camping trip to the countryside in the hope of playing a few country teams. With the tents pitched beside a scenic stream, it's up to Chunky to set off on his bike to rustle up some opposition. 

Another issue of The Tigers where very little happens. The conflict in the nets was slight, and not particularly funny, while the cricket camping trip seems just bizarre to me. I can't fathom why a cricket team would go camping and then just think they would find other teams to play against. I understand its a comic, and I suspend reality for most things, but today I can't for The Tigers, and it takes me out of the story. If the rest of the story had been better, perhaps I wouldn't have thought twice about it, but as it is I can't get by this thought. Maybe next week will make better sense, but for now, I just can't get into it.

Rating: 4/10

Best line: "I'm good at organising. And my Mum's Uncle was born in the country."

Tallon Of The Track

Uncharacteristically, we saw Dave Trent causing an accident in the final part of last week's story. This week he faces the wrath of the crowd and the Hawks team as they survey the damage. 

While the Hawks team want to take their damaged bike to the pits, Jo intervenes - demanding that it be left where it is while the race continues. 

Out on the track, Dave Trent rides hard, and his efforts are rewarded with a one-two finish for maximum points. Jo is celebrating getting through to the next round, but the Hawks team have lodged a formal complaint against Dave Trent's riding.

This plays right into Jo's hands as she insists that if they do that they also need to check the fuel tank of the damaged bike. Her perseverance pays off, and this time the race official finds the special additive in the Hawks tank. They are duly disqualified, leaving Jo and the Ospreys to enjoy their victory and progression to the next round. 

This story was better than my bare-bones sketch above and although I didn't like it in previous issues, the last two saw it finish on a high. With Dave playing a string role, it was a well-rounded issue and although Jo was still obsessed with the fuel additive, there was plenty of action on the track to keep the speedway fan in me satisfied. A strong finish to one of the weaker Tallon Of The Track storylines, things can only get better as a new story arc begins next week.

Rating: 7/10

Best line: "G-goodness me! Please restrain yourself, Miss Tallon!" 

Issue final ratings:

Overall: 8/10

Best Story: Martin's Marvellous Mini 

Best Line: "You can have it on the wall, Ugly...perhaps you appreciate modern art more than I do!"

Best Panel:

Roy's Sports Quiz: