Hamish's Hotshot Tiger Blog: Tiger 12th October 1974

Trevor Francis passed away this week. In an odd twist, the issue at the centre of this week's blog is also the first issue he wrote his weekly column for. With Tiger merging with Scorcher there are several notable changes as well as the appearance of Trevor Francis's column. We also have three new football stories, all of which will be a constant in Tiger for the next ten years. So, although it is with sadness we say goodbye to Trevor Francis, his words will live on in Tiger and with the new stories arriving there is a sense of new beginnings as we digest this week's issue.

Tiger

12th October 1974

Roy Of The Rovers

Roy and the team are playing the second leg of their European Cup Winners Cup tie against Zeeden as we start this week's issue. The team is playing in front of seventy thousand Dutch fans, but Roy is unfazed and urges his team to play confidently.

The match starts fast, and after a couple of misleading back passes the Rovers are soon steaming forward where Roy smashes home the first goal of the match.

Although Rovers now hold a two-nil lead on aggregate, their Dutch opponents are far from down and out. The next panels see them pushing hard, and Tubby Morton is forced to make a couple of critical saves, The next play is the most important of the strip as the Zeeden team is again on the attack. Tubby Morton comes out to challenge a loose ball and is struck by the attacker's boot, leaving him injured on the ground while the ball rolls into his own net.

The Zeeden team have pulled back a goal, and even worse, Tubby Morton comes off the field with his injury. The final panel offers some hope as a player we can't see prepares to come on, while a voice in the crowd offers the opinion that this will make Rovers even stronger.

I think we all know that it's Charlie Carter coming on, and this is just a cliffhanger for the new readers from Scorcher. The story itself is a nice reset from last week. We had a goalkeeper story the last month while this European competition simmered in the background. Now the European competition takes the lead, and we arrive at this second leg with no baggage at all. Playing in front of seventy thousand Dutch fans was a nice touch and gave the game a sense of scale and context. The on-field action wasn't quite what we'd come to expect, although Roy's cracking first goal was entirely in character. I look forward to seeing things heating up on the field next week, and I hope that my prediction about Charlie Carter coming on proves correct. Tubby Morton is a legend, to be sure, but as a younger gentleman myself, I find I relate to Charlie Carter better.

Rating: 6.5/10

Best line: "Ja! Our players will make mince meat of the player who takes Morton's place!"

Hot Shot Hamish

He's here! My namesake, and the reason I first picked up a Tiger comic all those years ago. Hot Shot Hamish will become a mainstay of Tiger comic for the next ten years, but this is his first appearance on these pages, having first appeared in Scorcher in August of 1973. (Coincidentally, one month before I was born).

Like Roy of the Rovers, Hot Shot Hamish and his Princes Park team are facing a game in the European Cup Winners Cup. Their destination is Spain, where they will face an unnamed team in Barcelona.

We see a brief fitness session and get to meet the manager, Ian McWhacker, the coach Alistair McBrain, and of course Hamish Balfour himself.

After this slight introduction, we are off to Barcelona. As the team checks into their hotel, Hamish decides to take a stroll and explore the surrounding countryside. Soon enough he comes across a farmer struggling to get his donkey to pull a load of wood up a hill. Hamish takes it upon himself to help out, and in an early display of his strength, we see him pulling the cart up the hill by himself, with the donkey riding in it.

The villager is grateful and invites Hamish to come and dine with him and his family. Over dinner, Hamish explains why he is in Spain, and the villager tells him that he will come to the game tonight to cheer him on. Not just him, but his family and the entire village will attend.

Hamish arrives back at the hotel just as the bus is leaving and we jump forward to the game itself. Hamish and his team come down the player's tunnel and onto the pitch. Mr McWhacker warns them that they'll have no support and they'll be on their own out on the pitch. However, as they come onto the field the crowd begins to chant Hamish's name - it seems that the friends he made in the afternoon are all on their side and they're not as alone as they think. Mr McWhacker sums it up best with his comment "He's only been here five minutes...'an he's got a fan club already."

Well, yes, and I'm one of those fans myself. Not a lot of excitement in this issue, but it served as a fine introduction to Hamish, and the general feel of the comic. For all his off-field adventures, its Hamish's onfield ability that is most memorable, and new readers have yet to witness his famous 'hot-shot' That will no doubt come to the fore next week, and this issue laid the groundwork for the future, with the key characters named, a sense of what a gentle giant Hamish is, and the wonderful artwork that is almost a character itself. A soft start, next week things will kick off, literally, and we will get a better sense of what this story is all about.

Rating: 6/10

Best line: "I- I dinna believe it! He's only been here five minutes...'an he's got a fan club already."

Johnny Cougar and Splash Gorton

Johnny is still in Britain as we begin a new story for the Indian wrestler. We are dropped straight into the ring as the caption tells us that Johnny is fighting while on holiday, and his opponent is a wrestler called The Zebra. The Zebra doesn't last long against Johnny, a flying drop kick followed by an Irish whip sees him collapsed in a heap by the bottom of the first page while Johnny stands in triumph.

Now we've seen Johnny in action, we cut to the real story that will propel the next few weeks. With one week left on their holiday, Johnny and Splash are looking for places to go and things to do. By chance, an advertisement is pushed under their hotel door for New Forest, and Johnny decides that some time in the outdoors is just what they need.

With backpacks on they arrive at New Forest, and soon Johnny has arranged a horse for himself and a donkey for Splash to ride. While Johnny is a natural rider, Splash is not, and it is an uncomfortable journey into the forest.

Any thoughts of this discomfort vanish in the final panels of the story as an arrow narrowly misses Johnny's head and sticks into the tree beside him.

A nice way to introduce Johnny to the Scorcher audience with some instant in-ring action, before we pull back to the next adventure. Arrows in the forest, it may be some time before we see a wrestling match again, so I'm pleased we saw a page of wrestling before the true story started. This is potentially looking good, and I'm hopeful we will get a longer run with this new villain than we did with the truncated storyline that preceded it. The villain of the piece is still unknown, so maybe I'm getting ahead of myself, but fingers crossed. Splash was again entertaining without being annoying, and he brought a touch of humour to the story that nicely balanced the sometimes dour Johnny. Another soft start, but one loaded with potential that should see us through the next couple of months.

Rating: 6.5/10

Best line: "Yeoouch! I don't think much of the suspension on this thing!"

Nipper

Another new strip from Scorcher, and another one I have fond memories of. Like all the previous stories, this is a gentle introduction to the character Nipper and some of his supporting cast members.

A bus ride to a testimonial game gives Nipper's teammates a chance to fill us in on what a good player Nipper is as well as introducing themselves. We meet Barry Day, as well as Nipper's skipper Len Duggan en route to the match where sixty thousand fans are waiting.

Nipper plays for Blackport Rovers, but the testimonial is for Jimmy Meadows of Fenchurch United. After twenty years of playing for the club, he is now heading off to retirement, leaving Fenchurch in need of a replacement.

The match goes well and is a real contest as Jimmy Meadows gives his all against Nipper and his team. In the second half Nipper shows us some of his class, with a perfect pass splitting the defence, before he finishes the move with a diving header to score.

The final whistle sees Jimmy Meadows raised onto the shoulders of his teammates and everyone seems happy, That is except for the scheming manager of Fenchurch United who is eyeing up Nipper as a potential replacement for Jimmy Meadows. With a determined look on his face, he is preparing to make Blackport Rovers an offer they can't refuse.

I don't always like Nipper, sometimes he comes across as a little whiny, but this is a good introduction to him, and we meet him on one of his better days. The first third of the story was mundane, and after learning the player's names things improved considerably once we got to the game. A small man with a killer pass to split the defence, I was immediately put in mind of Messi, albeit without Nipper's fiery temperament. I'm not sure that having a storyline about Nipper being pursued by a rival club is the best introduction to the character, I would have liked to have seen something much more football focussed, but there will be plenty of time for that as Nipper will be with us for quite a few years now. This is not the best version of Nipper yet, that's still to come, but this is a solid introduction to a future mainstay of the comic.

Rating: 7/10

Best line: "Nipper Lawrence - superstar - how many goals have you scored so far?"

Tallon Of The Track

A fiery start to this week's strip with Jo showing us the skill and bravery on a bike. Jumping through a hoop of fire, she takes another jump off a ramp and through a canvas tunnel, before safely landing on the other side.

Watching on is an impressed Dave Trent and fellow teammate Sam Guthrie. They would like to try this stunt for themselves, but Jo is adamant that no one else is to try, she needs all her riders ready for the last race meeting of the season.

Jo is called away by Basil Oldfield, a prominent member of the board, and told that they have been offered an all-expenses paid tour of Australia. Jo is excited by the proposition, but when she and Basil step back out to the track they find Dave Trent and Sam Guthrie about to attempt the stunt she warned them about.

Jo and Basil can only watch on helplessly as Dave crashes after jumping through the flames before Sam Guthrie follows right behind him.

Things don't look good for this Australian tour already, and Jo is going to have to stamp her authority on the team in the next few weeks. It will be a good demonstration of her character and almost feel sorry for Dave in light of what will be coming next. There seems to be a spectacular crash every few weeks in Tallon of The Track, and here we have got it out of the way early in the story. I'm guessing we might see Jo racing as part of the team, and that would certainly be a good storyline to showcase her ability. With the artwork lifting the storyline above all expectations, this is the strongest story this week, and in such good company with the incoming stories that is high praise.

Rating: 8/10

Best line: "Sock me with a six-inch spanner - she's done it!"

Skid Solo

Once again Sandy is tinkering with the cars, and although the season is over he's still not satisfied with the vehicles. This time it's the suspension he's not happy with, although with an off-season race the following day he only has time to change one car.

It's Skid's car that gets the treatment and at the Invitational 200 it will get a real workout. Early on it seems like not much has changed, and it is Sparrow Smith who is in the lead. As we come into the final lap, Skid is four seconds behind. It is now he decides to push his car to the limit and with Sandy's new suspension he makes up those four seconds. With half a lap left he overtakes Sparrow's car.

It is now that Sparrow has some bad luck as his suspension fails and he finishes second behind Skid with his car showering sparks as his engine scraps the ground. Expecting the worst from Sandy for all the extra work now required, Sparrow apologises. It is a wasted apology, Sandy is overjoyed that his new suspension worked so well for Skid and he can't wait to get to work on Sparrow's car.

A typical off-season storyline for Skid Solo. The race had nothing riding on it, and the was no real drama to the proceedings. Once again I felt sorry for Sandy as he pulled another long shift fixing Skid's car, but it seems that this is when he is at his happiest. It may not have been a Grand Prix race, but it was great to see Skid and Sparrow in their cars racing around the track. I wasn't heavily invested in it, but I enjoyed it well enough, and any story that features Sandy brings a smile to my face.

Rating: 7.5/10

Best line: "Last lap...and Sparrow's four seconds ahead! Now let's really test this crate!"

Billy's Boots

The third story to join us from the pages of Scorcher, and it is another one that will become a mainstay of Tiger in the coming years. Billy Dane and his ancient football boots that give him the ability to play in the style of old-time football star "Dead Shot' Keen.

We meet Billy as he arrives at a charity football match where he has been invited to play for the charity team against a Police team. At first, he is refused admittance, but the policeman who invited him turns up at just the right moment to grant him access.

In the changing room it becomes obvious that Billy is an outsider, and he overhears the Policeman telling some other players that Billy won't be much use and he promised him a game so he can come on in the second half when one of the actors has to leave early.

Both teams are good and Billy is feeling out of his depth, especially once the ball comes his way when he's sitting on the sideline and he miskicks it back down the field.

The second half sees Billy come on, and he's told to keep out of the way on the wing. He does what he's told, receiving the ball early on while he is on the wing and quickly kicking it back towards the captain as instructed. That's not the end of the play though, and Billy feels the boots are forcing him to run faster and towards a central position. Before he knows it he's on the edge of the box and frantically calling for a pass.

Will he get the pass is hardly the cliffhanger I expected to end the story with, but I am intrigued to see what happens next. This is a good taster of a Billy's Boots story, Billy playing for a team as an outsider and the boots forcing him to play better than he really is. Of course, the other central trope of a Billy's Boots story is Billy losing the boots just before a big match. We don't have that here, but it is only a matter of time in the coming months before we will. I'm not sure I will enjoy these Billy's Boots stories as much as I did when I was younger, but I'm hopeful in these early stages and I guess only time will tell.

Rating: 5/10

Best line: "You're taking a chance aren't you, Bob? The kid's not big enough to play against you chaps!"

Martin's Marvellous Mini

The great London to Sydney race has finished and Martin and Tiny are in Australia contemplating their next move.

Needing money fast, they enter George in a banger race, with a first prize of $75 on offer. Although they are the smallest car in the field, they acquit themselves well, and after some spectacular driving by Martin, they win the race and the much-needed money.

With the cash in hand they leave the stadium, still considering their next move but now with the ability to give George an overall, and buy lots of spares.

This was a one-shot storyline, and we are still where we started with Tiny and Martin in Australia and wondering how to get home. It felt like a filler, and apart from getting them some cash, it didn't set up any potential future for the team. After seeing Martin's Marvellous Mini in colour for the past year, it was somewhat of a shock to see it in black and white, and that did take some of the gloss off the story for me. The most pleasing part of the story was the racing on the track, and I would have loved to have seen that in full colour. There is the promise of colour in the coming weeks, so this is a temporary situation, and I for one can't wait to see another colourful and bold adventure unfold next month.

Rating: 5.5/10

Best line: "The pommy driver's got a bit of know-how! Those big fellers aren't getting it all their own way!"