Tiger 23rd November 1974

The first day of spring has arrived and I feel like a new man. A warm breeze, longer evenings, it won't be long until I'm sitting outside with a cider as I read these comics. On the pages of Tiger, it is quite the opposite as we head into the depths of winter of 1974. Football is at the forefront of everyone's mind, while some of the other summer-based stories are taking in adventures in warmer climates. The obvious exception is Tallon Of The Track, where Jo and her team are facing a frozen joinery across the snowy forests of Russia. Thank goodness I'm reading this in the early spring warmth, otherwise, I might have resorted to putting on an extra jumper.  

23rd November 1974

Skid Solo

Finally, we have some on-track racing again for Skid Solo. After a couple of weeks of trying to get to El Marco for an invitational race, Skid, Saprrow, and Sandy have arrived, although Sandy is far from happy with the cars they have been loaned to race with.

Sacking the Mexican mechanic, Sandy takes it upon himself to fine-tune the cars himself. They aren't perfect by the time the race starts, but they are a lot better than they were. 

News of the mechanics sacking has reached the crowd, and Skid and Sparrow are booed from the start. There is a Mexican driver leading the race, but after he crashes the booing intensifies for Skid and Sparrow as the crowd blame them for the crash.

Skid doesn't wait around after the race, forgoing the victory lap and slipping out the back in a rush to catch his plane. On the race track the angry crowd is pacified by the Mexican driver who tells them that the crash was his own fault and Skid had nothing to do with it. He also explains that Skid has donated his winnings to the town for repairs after the tornado struck and that the sacked mechanic has been rehired.

All ends well with Skid receiving a thank you message at the airport that has been dictated by a staff member from a phone call he has received. There is one final smile as he shows Skid the long list of names that it came from, and he explains it took him hours to write it all down.  

Excellent track racing for this story. The images of Skid and Sparrow duelling with the leader are the highlight of the strip for me. I am less happy with the final punchline, or some of the earlier events that set up the plot. It seemed a little too harsh for Sandy to sack the other mechanic, and in real life a better option would have been to have him help. Of course, this isn't real life, and we wouldn't have got the story we did if this happened. The angry mob was good, and I enjoyed seeing Skid being the bad guy for once, even though it was slight and due to an understanding. The cars on the track got an A+ for me, but everything else fell a little flat and the ending was disappointing given how long this race in El Marco was built up.

Rating: 6.5/10

Best line: "Booooooooo! Go home, Solo and Smith!"

Billy's Boots

Billy Dane has a game for the Groundwood Town youth team on Saturday, but first, he must negotiate a midweek cup game for his school team.

He starts poorly for the school team. The opposing team, Featherdale School, have a tall lanky centre-back, and the player effectively neutralizes everything Billy throws at him. 

In the second half, Billy is moved to the wing, and away from the player. Despite jeers from the opposing fans, this works rather well, especially when Billy intercepts a back pass and scores an equaliser. 

With three minutes of the match left, Billy cuts in from the wing. Other players wonder what he's up to, but he continues dribbling across the field before finally backheeling to a teammate who is denied a goal by a fabulous save. Poor Billy sees none of this as he has been clattered by his opposing man. Now injured, the game ends with Billy seriously in doubt for the game on Saturday. 

Nothing too surprising here. Given how predictable it was, it was surprisingly enjoyable. I liked the seriousness bestowed upon a school match, and the jeering and heckles on the sideline added to the intensity of what was being played out on the field. I expected the winning goal to come from Billy's final play, and I was quite pleased to see it saved. This extends the life of the cup draw and shows that Billy isn't Superman. He is still a worrier, however, and he has plenty to worry about before Saturday's game. The artwork feels cleaner, and paired with some familiar storytelling this is a strong entry for Billy's Boots. 

Rating: 7.5/10

Best line: "He's got legs like pieces of elastic! He always manages to get a toe to the ball!"

 

Martin's Marvellous Mini

Martin and Tiny are belting towards the finish line of the Ranchers race, hopeful that they are still in with a chance. There is one final drama left for them, a wrecked bridge over a ravine. What follows is an amazing piece of driving as Martin drives them across the bridge on two wheels, safely making it to the other side. 

With this behind them, the finish line is in sight, and they are overjoyed when they find that they are first over the line. They are less happy when they are told they haven't won and the race has been cancelled due to the other competitors being trapped on the other side of the bushfire. 

Once again broke, they are forced to advise, putting out an advertisement for two rally drivers for hire. This exceeds all expectations and we finish the strip with Martin and Tiny facing three mailbags full of opportunities. 

Not the glorious finish I expected. All that hard work and we are back where we started. The most exciting part of the strip, and the part that dominated most of the panels, was the drive across the broken bridge. This was every bit as dramatic as you might imagine and worthy of any stunt by evil Knievel. Even on the newsprint page, it feels dangerous and exciting, and it is the most memorable thing we have seen for a while. A couple of flat spots, but overall this was a cracking instalment, and next week promises a whole new adventure.

Rating: 8/10

Best line: "I'm not even looking!"

Johnny Cougar and Splash Gorton

Johnny has freed Splash from his wooden cage in the forest where he was held by Robin Good and now has a plan of his own in mind to get payback.

Good and his merry men return to find Splash gone and Johnny missing, Before they can make a move, Splash stampedes some wild horses that he and Johnny previously rounded up, and this stampede leaves Good and his men scrambling for safety inside the wooden cage.

It is now that Johnny springs the second part of his plan, and he shuts the door on the cage, trapping Good and all his men inside their own prison. This is the end of the storyline, and the final panel has Johnny Cougar again enthusiastic to get back into some wrestling action.

Me too, Johnny, me too. Thank goodness this is over. Wonderful artwork and some great-looking characters were not quite enough for me to buy this storyline about a modern-day Robin Hood. I wanted to like it, I really did, but it was all too much for me, and this story was doomed as far as my opinion of it went, from the very first issue. I love to see Johnny wrestling, and although he dabbles with bad guys many times over the years, he will always primarily be a wrestler in my eyes. We had snatches of wrestling here and there through this story, but never enough for my liking. Next week should see Johnny return to his roots, and with that my love if the character should return. 

Rating: 5/10

Best line: "No more holidays! Cougar need to get back to wrestling ring heap fast! Time for grip-and-grapple action!

Roy Of The Rovers

Tony Storme is still feuding with Carford manager Archie Miller as we begin this week's strip. Penny thinks she has found a solution to their problem and shows Roy a book with a relevant paragraph for the two managers. Roy thinks she is right, but when he attempts to show it to Tony Storme, Tony is having none of it.

There is a midweek game, and Tony still hasn't looked at the book Roy gave him. His mood is as foul as ever, and he takes it out on the players. Roy is coming back from injury but subbed off late in the game. Both he and Tony are snappy with each other, but it never develops into anything more. 

Saturday rolls around, and now it's time for the showdown between Melchester Rovers and Carford. The two managers approach each other and it seems trouble is brewing. Archie Miller pointedly tells Tony Storme to make sure the players know it is not a grudge match, but Storme fails to be goaded by him. The stadium is electric as the game kicks off, and it seems anything might happen. 

After a frustrating day at work, I'm not sure I want to see two men sniping and getting angry at each other. I've just had that for nine hours, and I don't need it anymore. My own personal circumstances aside, this is an increase in intensity and a great read. Not much football to speak of, but each panel ramped up the pressure for the game that was to come. Angry Tony Storme was a believable character and fits with some similar people I have known in my time. I was wary of him on the page, and I'd certainly be wary of him in real life. Realism is the name of the game, and I'm totally sold on the story and what will come next. 

Rating: 7.5/10

Best line: "All this aggro is even getting to me now! By the time we get to Carford, the strain is going to be unbearable!"

Nipper

Nipper has been suspended for the next six games and fined two hundred pounds for his part in the scuffle at the newspaper office a couple of weeks ago. The disappointed look on his face as he reports this to his teammates speaks volumes and even a serious talk from his pal Mike Beatson fails to lift his spirits. 

A despondent Nipper leaves the ground and goes in search of former player Bill Hammond, who he hopes will be able to shed some light on the club's goals in a season record holder, Manny Hopwood.  Hammond tells Nipper that Manny died a couple of years ago after a troubled life once his career finished. 

Nipper is at a loss at what to do in light of this information and slopes off to think alone. Meanwhile, Andy Stewart has been notified that the England Under 23s selectors are coming to watch Nipper play. With this news, Stewart is forced to select Nipper for the next game, although nobody knows where to find Nipper to pass on the news. Mike Beatson tries the usual places, but Nipper isn't to be found as the strip ends. 

This rounded off some of the things we saw last week and planted new seeds with the arrival of the English selectors and the possibility of Nipper being selected for the under-23 side. It was a bridging episode in which not a lot happened, yet the story hinges on the small amount of information given. For those hoping for drama, this isn't the issue for you, nevertheless, this is crucial for what comes next and a must-read for those following the long story arch.

Rating: 6/10

Best line: "But the whole affair sort of...broke his heart! He became ill, soon afterwards...and never recovered!"

Hot-shot Hamish 

Hamish has rushed back to his island home with his Daddy in order to defend it from the oil men. Trouble awaits them, it's not the oil men, but rather an angry phone call from Mr McWhacker telling Hamish he must be back at Princes Park the following day for the first game of the season. 

Hamish promises he'll be back, and soon enough he and Daddy are on the boat heading for the island. With night upon them, they grab some weapons from their home, a sword in particular catches the eye, and make for the tents where the oil men are asleep. Waking them from their slumber, Daddy threatens them with his weapon raised, and soon enough the outsiders are on the run back to the mainland. 

With the island once again safe, Hamish catches the boat back to the mainland. He is exhausted from the night's exertions and sleeps all the way. It is then onto a plane and a train, before a desperate sprint to the stadium. 

Arriving he finds it is a sellout crowd. There are only minutes to spare, and the guards at the gate fail to recognise him and refuse him entry.  We end the story with Hamish scrambling over the gates while the two guards do their best to stop him. 

 A curious story, I expected much more from the conflict with the oil men. I thought that it would last at least a couple of issues, but instead, the story is about the journey there and back rather than the conflict itself. Although the stay on the island was brief, it did give us some wonderful lines and accompanying artwork. It was the high point of this week's story, and again I feel it was a lost opportunity. A few more weeks of this would have been truly great. Still, Hamish is finally back and almost playing for Princes Park - all is right in the world. 

Rating: 8/10

Best line: "Well, ye've seen them off, Daddy! They couldna' stand the awe-inspiring sight o' a Scotsman on the war-path!" 

Tallon Of The Track 

I would like to say they've saved the best for last, but...hmmm...

With their plane crashing somewhere west of Leningrad, Jo Tallon shows her resourceful side. In order to get to safety she decides they will ride their bikes across the snowy ground. It's pointed out that they have no fuel, some of the passengers can't ride bikes, and the snow is too slushy. Jo has answers for all of this: they can use fuel from the plane, they'll tow a sledge made from an aircraft door for the other passengers, and they'll ride at night when the ground freezes hard. 

With the bikes lined up and towing the makeshift sledge, they head off into the night. Progress is slow as they stop frequently to refuel. The moon fades as they enter the forest and matters take a turn as they hear a howl in the night. Sven and Jo investigate, and we end the story as a pack of wolves appear and make to attack.

This was far from my favourite story last week, and this week is more of the same. I didn't feel the danger from the wolves at the end, and elsewhere it felt like Jo always had everything under control. It was a little too neat for my liking and never paid off with dynamic visuals. A plane crash in the snowy forest of Soviet Russia should scream peril, instead it felt more like a boy scout adventure. I usually like to end on a positive note, but I'm just not sure about next week.   

Rating: 5/10

Best line: "You've got to hand it to the girl, Dave...she thinks of everything! 

Issue final ratings:

Overall: 7/10

Best Story: Martin's Marvellous Mini 

Best Line: "Come on oot, ye great lump o' Haggis! We've got to get to the plane, the noo!"

Best Panel:

Roy's Sports Quiz: