Tiger 30th November 1974

I turn fifty years old in a few day's time, which means I have been reading this comic for forty-two years. That's a long time and a lot of comics. Yet, I still find surprises on the pages of Tiger comics, and I'm never short of something to say about it. After all these years it still gives me such joy, and I only hope that more people feel the same way about it. Here are my thoughts on the most recent comic I read, in the death throes of my forties. 

30th November 1974

Johnny Cougar and Splash Gorton

Finally, Johnny Cougar is back and in London, and in the first panel of the story we learn he is about to take part in a four-man contest. The characters are laid out for us right on the first page - The Cowboy, Big Jim Jackson, Stoneage Man, and Johnny Cougar. As the commentator rightly says - what a line-up.

We then have a training montage (insert Eye Of The Tiger music here) before the first match-up begins with the arrival of Johnny Cougar and The Cowboy. There are some shenanigans before the match, and a little banter, before the referee calms things for the start of the bout.

This story came and went pretty fast. It was all about laying out the four-man competition, and then some padding so we could end with the first fight about to begin. There wasn't a lot for me to sink my teeth into here, and I left the story feeling unsatisfied. I know we are setting up for what comes next and I'm already pleased to see that it is proper wrestling action after the previous story. This week didn't deliver what I wanted and it will be next week before this storyline really kicks into high gear. Cowboys and Indians, what more could a young man ask for.  

Rating: 5/10

Best line: "Yahooo! Stand back, folks...the cowboy's in town...and that means trouble for someone!"

Roy Of The Rovers

The battle between Melchester Rovers and Carford City, and their respective managers, continues this week. 

Tony Storme refuses to be riled by the antics of Archie Miller, although the rest of the Rovers become distracted by the sideline conflict, and this directly leads to Rover's conceding a goal as Jimmy becomes overly involved and loses focus on the game at hand. 

The game becomes rougher and the crowd becomes involved, jeering and throwing stuff at the Carford manager. Tony Storme comes over and it looks like the confrontation is about to get worse, but instead, he concentrates his attention on the crowd and insists that everyone stays calm. 

Once again the Rovers manager has failed to be drawn into further conflict with Archie Miller. On the field, however, things are breaking down, and the strip ends with a penalty award to Carford City. 

Things aren't looking too good for Rovers, but they only have themselves to blame. A good story, and fine read, I found myself not frustrated by the comic, but rather by the antics of the Rovers. Professional footballers, and yet they are continually being drawn into the personal dramas between the two managers. I want to give each and every one of them a stern talking to. It feels like this is perhaps the climax of the story, it seems resolution may be near at hand, and I wouldn't be at all surprised to see next week wrap up this storyline. Still, anything could happen, and this was another steady step in the right direction. A good Roy Of The Rovers storyline, it satisfies rather than excites. 

Rating: 6.5/10 

Best line: "That does it! If you blokes put the boot in just once more, it won't be the ref you'll have to worry about!" 

Martin's Marvellous Mini

Our two pals have hundreds of letters in response to their request for work. Most are asking for money rather than job offers, but they do find one letter from a showman who will pay top money for two good drivers. 

They duly meet the showman, and he has several spectacular ideas up his sleeve. They reject his idea of jumping off a ramp and through a brick wall, as well as his car jousting idea. They are equally weary of his idea of doing a somersault off a ramp and landing in a pile of feathers painted to look like dirt, but after Tiny successfully tries it on a bike, they agree to go with it. A poster is printed to promote it, and we'll all be back next week to see what happens.

Similar to the Johnny Cougar story earlier in this issue, this was all about setting up for what comes next. The difference is that this story gave us several enjoyable panels of Tiny attempting the stunt on a bike, and this was all the hook I needed to enjoy what I read. Having it in colour certainly helped the cause, and even with no car action, there was enough on the page to make me want to come back next week. We are just getting warmed up here, but seeing Tiny take on the stunt already has whet my appetite to see more on a larger scale. 

Rating: 6/10

Best line: "It works, my fine friend! Look, take that bike up and have a go! There's nothing to worry about...you'll enjoy it! Go On, try..."

Tallon Of The Track

We drop straight into it, with Jo and Sven on the desperate run from a pack of wolves. It looks like all is lost when Sven falls, but Jo proves her mettle, fighting off the pack with a branch. 

The rest of the Ospreys are alerted by the noise, and it's Dave to the rescue on his bike. Broadsiding through the middle of the pack, he drives them off, leaving Jo and Sven to scramble to safety. 

From here it's a stroll in the park, as the team reunite and continues with their ride towards civilization. Coming across a road that runs east to Leningrad, they run into a lorry driver who rather luckily has an empty truck. Loading themselves and their bikes aboard, they drive towards Leningrad, while Jo tells the team that the Russian riders are world-class, and they will be facing some tough racing.

The threat of the wolves was overcome easily and the rest of this issue passed by all too quick. There was no hook to keep me reading, and once the wolves were dealt with the rest of the comic was dealing with the logistics of getting the team to Leningrad for the racing. Seeing them climbing into a lorry is hardly the dramatic twist we needed after the wolves episode, and it all fell flat after the first few panels. Seeing Dave riding into the wolf pack was thrilling, but that was only a panel, and nothing else in the story came near it as far as the drama of the story was concerned. Hoping for a vast improvement next week, but already this Russian adventure has failed to live up to my expectations.

Rating: 5/10

Best line: "Good morning Comrade...I don't suppose you speak English!"

Skid Solo

Back from their trip to America and Mexico, our trio are now driving through the Lake District with Skid behind the wheel. It's cold and misty, although the mist briefly clears and the team see a bunch of runners running across country.

Skid continues on to the track where they are supposed to be racing. The weather is still bad, and the track is too dangerous for Skid and Sparrow to practice.

By the afternoon the track has dried out and they do get some time in the cars on the track. However the weather closes in again, and the following day the weather is just as bad as ever. 

Skid and Sparrow decide to join the fell runners, and returning three hours later they tell Sandy they have entered a ten-mile race the following day. Sandy thinks it's a mad idea and tells them they'd be better off staying inside for the day. 

The following morning it's teeming with rain and Sandy reiterates that he thinks they're crazy. Skid and Sparrow leave the hotel, and Sandy enjoys a quiet lunch to himself, still thinking about how cold and wet Skid and Sparrow will be.

Finishing his lunch he ventures out to the finish line to see his two pals come in. He waits an hour in the rain, but they never appear. He decides to return to the hotel and slips over in the mud, eventually arriving back soaked and muddy himself. Here he finds another surprise, Skid and Sparrow are already at the hotel. They had taken his advice after all and taken in a movie instead. While it's Sandy who is wet and cold, Skid and Sparrow are quite dry and content. 

We finish the story the following day, as Skid and Sparrow are at the track and ready to race. Both are fit and healthy and all the better for staying dry, while the voice of reason Sandy has picked up a cold. 

Poor Sandy just can't catch a break, and week after week he seems to be plagued by bad luck while Skid always seems to come up smelling of roses. Strangely enough, this makes him more relatable to me, and I can't help but feel sympathy for his plight. Not the most thrilling of stories, nor the funniest, it nevertheless had a certain charm to it and despite its cold theme I warmed to it. We had some very tidy artwork of Sandy, and it was pleasing to see him hold centre stage in a strip that didn't concern racing. I normally come for the motor action, but sometimes these soft heartwarming stories are just what I need and this was the perfect read for a quiet Sunday morning. 

Rating: 6.5/10

Best line: "Where have you been? You look a bit damp!"

Nipper

Nipper has disappeared, and the young kids who follow him lay the blame firmly at the feet of the Chronicle. We start the story with these hooligans throwing stones through the windows of the newspaper office.

They receive a strong telling-off from Mike Bateson, and Mike remains at the centre of the story as he confronts Brian Crawford. Crawford also receives a strong telling-off, but he remains adamant that Nipper's disappearance is unrelated to any of his doing.

Deep in the woods, Nipper is camping out in a disused water tank. He intends to stay away a week, but the following day he decides to sneak in to watch Blackport play.

He's not the only one coming to see the team, the English selectors have turned up especially to see Nipper play. Disappointed to see that Nipper won't be on the field one of them goes down to the touch line to speak with Andy Stewart. He's not the only one wishing to speak to Andy, and in the final panels, a club official runs up to Andy to show him the latest issue of the Chronicle. Taking one look at the sports page, Andy exclaims that if Nipper reads it he will never play for England. 

An intriguing end to the story, I am most curious to know what has been written that has caused Andy Stewart distress. Not much football here, but several attention-grabbing panels. I enjoyed the opening with the hooligans throwing rocks and the appearance of Mike Bateson in his wonderful-looking car. Nipper alone was also handled well and added more depth to the story as he soliloquies. Plenty of story left in the tank, and this should keep delivering for some time yet. 

Rating: 6.5/10

Best line: "oo-'eck! It's Nipper's pal, Mike Bateson and his girlfriend! We'd better get out of here, lads..!"

Billy's Boots

Injured in a midweek game for his school team, Billy Dane now faces playing for the Groundwood Town Youth team carrying an injury. 

As expected, it does not go well, and Billy puts in a poor performance. The Groundwood Town manager is less than impressed, especially once he notices that Billy is limping. Billy is subbed off, and as he receives treatment in the massage room the manager comes in and lets him know what a fool he has been. 

Billy has blown his chance with the Groundwood Town team, and it gets worse on Monday as he reports to practice with his school team. Telling the sports master he has been injured, he is attended to and told that he is definitely out for the cup reply. With Billy now out of every team, he realises that he may not get his place back in any of them.

Well, that's your own silly fault, Billy. Not for getting injured, but for trying to play on with an injury. Seriously, I do feel sorry for him. He was only trying to do his best for every team, and it all blew up horribly in his face. Another typical Billy tale, I never tire of these. His magic boots weren't to the fore this week, but there were plenty of other Billy's Boots tropes at play, with some typical complaining, poor play, bad luck, and a generally miserable atmosphere. Gloomier than the rest of the stories in Tiger, this is still the most relatable, and although I didn't always like Billy, I always relate to his situation.

Rating: 6/10

Best line: "The new boy's limping! I haven't seen him get a knock!"

Hot-shot Hamish 

We last left Hamish scrambling over the gates of Princes Park in an attempt to make it to a vital game in time. This week that plays out as the gates eventually collapse under the strain, and the fans welcome a dazed Hamish into the stadium. 

The players are already on the field, and in the changing room, Hamish realises that he doesn't have any football gear with him. The team is struggling on without him, and under siege from the opposing players when Hamish makes a timely entrance wearing assorted ill-fitting kit. 

This poor kit directly leads to the first goal, as the Princes Park goalkeeper can't see the ball coming for Hamish's large shorts. 

This stings Hamish into action, and he leads his team onto the attack. Striking the ball for his hot-shot, Hamish's boots burst into pieces, seemingly too small to stand the strain. With fans streaming out of the stadium in the face of a potential decimation on the pitch, Mr McWhacker is worried that this could spell the end of the club. 

Lots of things couldn't stand the strain this week, and the club is falling to pieces around the team. I would have found it amusing if it wasn't so serious. The gate collapsing made me smile, as did Hamish's boot exploding, but with so much on the line I left the strip feeling blue. The highlight aside from these humourous moments, was the looks on the faces of those involved, and we had some splendid art throughout the strip that made my heart sing. I may not like the situation they are in, but it has provided the artist with a chance to display a range of emotions on the faces, and this stands heads and shoulders above everything else in the strip. 

Rating: 6.5/10

Best line:  "It's Hamish! What a sight! He canna play football looking like that!"

Issue final ratings:

Overall: 6/10

Best Story: Hot-shot Hamish  

Best Line: "Just you listen to me, laddie...you said you were fit to play this afternoon...and you weren't! Never report fit when you're not! Not only can you do harm to yourself...you let the whole team down!"

Best Panel:

Roy's Sports Quiz: