Tiger 11th January 1975

Although some of this week's stories disappointed me, the art was outstanding with some beautiful panels sprinkled throughout. Every story gave us at least one great panel, and many had two or three of note. Even as some plots intensify and others come to an end, the artwork always remains compelling and is one of the best things about reading Tiger comics from the 1970s.    

Tiger

11th January 1975

Roy Of The Rovers

It's been a long time since I saw a trainer running onto the field wearing a flat cap, but that's the image we start with this week and the trainer Taffy comes on to attend to an injured Roy Race. 

Roy has scored a second goal for Melchester, but in doing so has taken a blow to the head. Taffy wants him to come off, yet Roy must continue as the substitute Sammy Spangler still hasn't shown up. 

Roy scores two more times, and each time his condition worsens until eventually he collapses against the barrier and is taken off the field. Melchester are four nil up, and playing with ten men. The game begins to turn against them, and they eventually hang on for a four-all draw. 

Coming off the field they are greeted by Sammy Spangler who has finally shown up. It's too late to save this game, and talk turns to the next game which is an FA Cup fixture. Sammy is feeling confident, but we see that Roy is thinking that they might well be knocked out. 

A brief summary on paper, the story is better than it sounds here. The on-field action was tight and we were only shown what we needed to see. Each one of Roy's four goals was hard fought and justice was done in the artwork. The most dramatic panel of the story was his eventual collapse, and the balance of the panel with Roy off to one side made one feel for his situation. Sammy Spangler doesn't excite me, and the story was better for not having him in it. It adds some fuel for the coming weeks, and it had better be worth it when he finally makes the field. Brilliant artwork tempered with some ho-hum plot makes this a mixed bag, yet overall I remain positive about where this is heading. 

Rating: 7/10

Best line: "You've done enough, lad! Call it a day, Roy...please!"

Skid Solo

The first Grand Prix of 1975 takes place in Argentina and that's where we find Skid Solo and his team this week. 

Both drivers are on track putting in practice laps, and it's already clear to Skid that Sparrow is on form already with some fast driving. 

The practice doesn't end well for Skid, his car starts making a bad noise, and as Sandy inspects it in the pits he tells Skid that the engine will need replacing and he should drive Sparrow's car the following day in the race. 

Sparrow overhears this, and feeling blue he wanders off to watch the other cars. It is then that he is offered a chance to drive for one of the other teams, a chance he takes immediately. 

On the day he finds the Martine car he is driving to be very fast indeed, and after a hard-fought race, he manages to lead the Martine team to a one-two finish.

After the race, Skid congratulates Sparrow, and we receive one final surprise. Sparrow has been offered a job as the number driver for the Martine team for the whole season, an offer he has readily accepted. 

Skid is understanding and wishes him luck. Sandy is equally gracious and later tells Skid that he'll still be seeing plenty of him - they'll be racing hard against each other all season. 

So, Skid Solo is now truly solo. It will be interesting to see where we go from here, and this was just the kickstart we needed for the 1975 season. A lot of questions were raised for the coming months - will Skid race alone, who could possibly join his team, and how will he go racing against Sparrow Smith.  One of my favourite things about Skid Solo is the relationship between Skid, Sandy and Sparrow, and this surprise ending has thrown all that out the window, leaving a world of possibilities ahead of us. All of a brilliant excuse to read the next issue immediately, despite what my instincts tell me. The race action in this issue was intense and was served well by the artwork on the page. If the rest of the season can live up to this we should be in for a great run from Skid Solo over the next few months, and I'll be here for all of it. 

Rating: 8/10

Best line: "Hang on, Skid. I've something to say. Mister Martine has offered me a job...as his number one driver...for the whole season!"

Martin's Marvellous Mini

Martin and Tiny are practising for a baton relay race when their second car has run away downhill on its own. Running after it as fast as they can, Martin manages to jump onto the bonnet. From there he has no choice but to kick in the front windshield and reach to grab the steering wheel. 

Just in time too, as he manages to swerve to avoid a large boulder. Scrambling inside the car, he takes control and drives it back to safety. After a quick chat, the two pals decide that to avoid a similar situation happening again, the safest thing to do would be to remove the doors from both vehicles, simplifying the baton exchange. 

It works well, and thinking that they have the crucial advantage they head to the track. At the track, the race is about to begin, and Tiny and Martin are shocked to see that everyone has had the same idea, all the cars have removed doors. 

All good fun, although nothing here to propel the story forward. The opening hijinks were the best part of the story, and quite rightly took up most of the pages. The debrief and removal of the doors didn't hold much interest, nor did the final revelation at the track. It will be next week when this part of the storyline comes to fruition, and we get the payoff for the meandering final third. Perhaps saved by the colour and the artwork, this week's story was more enjoyable than it had any right to be, 

Rating: 6.5/10

Best line: "Look out! That boulder you're heading for is bigger than the car!"

Johnny Cougar and Splash Gorton

Johnny Cougar has quite a fight on his hands against the Stonage Man and we ended last week with Stoneage Man punching both Johnny and the referee. Things deteriorate this week as the Stoneage Man receives a second official warning. 

Johnny is in no mood for any shenanigans, he fights with intensity for the next minute, throwing the Stoneage Man to the corner with a powerful toss. It is not enough to slow his opponent who comes back equally strongly, wrapping Johnny in a muscular grip against the ropes. The outcome of all this is the ropes giving way and the ring posts collapsing as Johnny and Stoneage Man tumble to the arena floor.

Even then, Stoneage Man is still full of fight and venom. Rejecting Johnny's hand to help him up, he instead bites Johnny's hand. This is the last straw for Johnny, and using his strong legs, he throws Stoneage Man back into the ring and is ready to teach him a lesson. 

Unfortunately for all involved, the referee intervenes, declaring the bout a no-contest. Thus we finish this week's strip with the surprised face of Splash Gorton wondering what happens now with the overall standings as Johnny and Big Jim Jackson share the exact same score.

It may have been a no-contest, but this story was visually top-notch and gave us plenty of memorable images. The sight of Stone Age Man being thrown into the corner post was an early favourite, as was the sight of the ropes all collapsing and Johnny falling from the ring. Stoneage Man was made to look like the brute he was, and although we never got to see Johnny outsmart him, the fight was still intense and as hard-hitting as we might expect. I'm not sure if this is the finale or the beginning of the next round of matches, but we are ending on a high note from this series of bouts. Whatever comes next has a high standard to meet, and I look forward to seeing whatever that might be. 

Rating: 8/10

Best line: "I've had enough...I've seen punching, biting and collapsing rings...its all too much. I'm declaring this no contest!"

Nipper

Asleep in a derelict house, Nipper has been awakened by a ball smashing through the wall, showering him with bricks and glass. 

Pulling himself out of the wreckage, Nipper heads off to the game, although he does have a sore head from where one of the bricks struck him. His troubles compound when the bus driver refuses to let him on board, forcing him to walk to the stadium where he finds he has to scramble over a fence to get in. Even worse, Brian Crawford the journalist sees him doing so and they exchange words in the car park, after which Nipper walks directly into a parked car without even seeing it. 

Thinking a quick shower will sort him out, Nipper is feeling a lot better as he takes to the field. However, as the play comes towards him he realises that he's seeing double.

A lot of build-up here, but the payoff was worth it as Nipper sees double with the opposing player running at him. I thought the ending of last week was a little silly and this week did a lot to improve on that. By the time Nipper had gone through all his trials and tribulations to the game, I was far more satisfied with what I had previously read and now see where all this is going. Some clean and bright artwork helped emphasise poor Nipper's situation, and with the story now moving to the pitch we have more space for the story to bloom. Things are currently delicately poised, and I like where we are a lot. 

Rating: 7.5/10

Best Line: "That shower seems to have done the trick! At least my head has stopped pounding." 

Hot Shot Hamish 

It's New Year's morning, and the Princes Park players are waking up to a glorious Hebridean day, snow and wind howling through the front door that Hamish's Daddy has swung open to embrace the day. 

None of the players are feeling particularly well, and soon Hamish's Daddy has them following his morning routine to get them feeling fit and healthy. Out into the snow, and up the hills through the heather, soon they are struggling to keep up and collapsing where they stand. 

That afternoon they take the ferry back to the mainland, and the players tell Hamish that they still feel terrible. Come game day though, and they are all spritely and energised - it seems Daddy's exercise has paid off.  

They are full of life and confidence as they take to the pitch. This proves misplaced as their opposition, Dunferlie, runs rings around them and soundly beats Princes Park 7-0.

The team sit depressed in their dressing room after the game when they receive one final piece of bad news. The draw has been made for the first round of the Scottish Cup and they have been drawn against Dunferlie - the team that has just thrashed them 7-0.

Not much drama in this week's story, yet I found I warmed to it just the same. Hamish and his Daddy are eminently likeable, and one can't help but smile at their relationship and home life. The sight of Hamish's Daddy embracing the new day summed up all that I like about the character, and his training regime across the land only added to this shine. The football part of the story was short this week, and sadly there was no hot-shot, but it is all part of a wider storyline and I expect we shall see much more for the next game against Dunferlie. Hot Shot Hamish is off to a strong start for 1975 and can only get better.

Rating: 7/10

Best line: "Wake up, ma wee bairns! It's no time to be in bed! Up ye get and greet the new day!" 

Billy's Boots

Billy is on the run from some local lads on bicycles and takes the only escape route available to him- over a wall and into the grounds of a large house. Thinking quickly, his pursuers make for the front door and alert the owner that a potential burglar could be on the grounds. 

Now faced with some angry dogs, Billy again takes the route available - through a window and into the house. Here his luck takes a turn and meets the cook and explains what has happened. The cook takes pity on him and shows him some of the house before they run into the master of the house in the hallway. 

He is a former footballer himself and introduces himself as Tommy Slade. He played for England with Billy's great hero, Dead-shot Keen, and regales Billy with stories of their time together. He goes on to explain that Dead-shot taught him the technique for scoring goals from a header- that is to get above the ball and head it downwards. 

Billy takes the lesson onboard, and after leaving with a warning not to climb over the wall again, he heads home to practice. This practice goes well, and he feels has mastered the skill. However he fails to be named to the school team, and instead, he is listed to play for the reserve team. We finish the story with Billy hopeful of a good performance to propel himself back into the first team. 

A more sedate story this week, we seemed to linger a long time at the house Billy escaped to. It was nice to see some back story for Tommy Slade, but essentially it was all filler just for him to give Billy some advice on how to header the ball.  Still, Billy's Boots excels in its hominess and this week's story fits well with what we have seen before. This is the second skill we have seen Billy learn in the last few weeks, and we must be building towards a storming performance on the field at some stage. One hopes it will be next week, after a gentle month of stories we need to get Billy back on the field and put his skills to use. Not quite as good as some of the recent issues, but we're still building nicely to some sort of climax. 

Rating: 6.5/10

Best line: "Thanks for the tip. I'll set the dogs loose...they'll soon find him!" 

Tallon Of The Track

Somewhere in snowy Russia, Jo Tallon is heading towards a precipice on an out-of-control ski-bike. There is only one option - to try and attempt a jump, and this is exactly what Jo does. 

She doesn't land well, but she does survive. Once again she sets off with Debenko, and two hours later they arrive at the main road. They find they have arrived ahead of the Ospreys convoy, and soon enough they have flagged them down and they are reunited. 

There is talk on the bus of their next opponents, the All-Stars, but this comes to an end when they reach a detour in the road. It leads five miles down a country road before coming to an abrupt halt. It's immediately clear why they have stopped so suddenly- the bus is surrounded by a bunch of hard-looking men all carrying rifles. 

I had expected something like this to happen to Jo and the team ever since they arrived in Russia. With the vastness of Russia and some snow, there were bound to be bandits with rifles at some stage. At least I presume they are bandits, I may well be proved wrong with the next issue. I hope I am proved wrong, I love a surprise twist. The open page of the story was fun had had the energy and excitement that so often propels Tallon Of The Track. Once they reached the road the story could have lost its way with constant talk of the next race meeting, instead, we had this immediate twist which kept the flow of the story moving. Not what I expected this week, but I found I enjoyed the outcome of last week's adventure and the way we are thrust into the next episode, leaving me finishing this week's Tiger comic on a high and ready to plunge straight into the next issue. 

Rating: 7/10

Best line: "Little Tallonski, I hardly dare to look! You haf survived?" 

Issue final ratings:

Overall: 7/10

Best Story: Skid Solo 

Best Line: "An' a breath o' the good salt air from the sea...to tone a man up!"

Best Panel:

Roy's Sports Quiz: