Tiger 18th January 1975

I have been waiting for this issue all week, ever since Sparrow Smith left Skid Solo and Sandy to drive for the Martine team. Despite my anticipation that wasn't my favourite story this week - a surprise arrival in Billy's Boots made that a must-read, and in a wider context it is historically significant for the character of Billy. You'll see why below, but it signals a change that will enhance the story and widen the scope of the character.   

Tiger

18th January 1975

Skid Solo

Skid Solo appears on the cover of this issue, although to be honest, the story doesn't live up to this front-page billing.

With Sparrow Smith switching to the Martine team, Skid and Sandy are preparing their car for the next race. With only Sparrow on the track, Skid has a chance to compare the two cars, and he is found wanting as Sparrow and the Martine car put in lap times three seconds faster.

Sandy puts in an all-nighter on the car to coax every last drop of speed out of it, and the next Skid hurls the car as fast as he can around the track, diving at the very limit of control, and manages to eclipse the Martine time by a mere second. 

It's short-lived as the Martine car slips out on the track, and in a display of slick driving beats the time, this time by two seconds. Sandy is shocked, and even more so when he turns around and sees Sparrow Smith standing beside him. It's not been Sparrow out in the Martine car, but rather Skid himself. 

With the Martine car easily confirmed as the fastest in the business, this week's story finishes with Skid and Sandy discussing the need to find a new car as soon as possible. 

Hardly high stakes, nevertheless it was lovely to look at as I flicked through pages. I always appreciate any issue that has Skid Solo adorning the front cover, and there always seems to be a great image of a race car to catch your attention. I didn't find the story overly engrossing, the story of Sandy's car not being fast enough could have been handled better. This story is laying the groundwork for future issues, and one aspect I liked about the story is the interaction between Skid and Sparrow and their respective teams. Odd that Skid could just jump into the Martine car and take it for a lap, hard to imagine that happening today, but it was a demonstration of both how fast the Martine car is and how good Skid is as a driver as it managed to pull a lap time faster than Sparrow could in the car. The future bodes well for this storyline, although this week's strip is a mere taster of what is to come. 

Rating: 5/10

Best line: "Rubbish! That car's won the championship for ye...and for Sparrow! An' it's still tops!"

Roy Of The Rovers

Melchester Rovers have signed circus juggler Sammy Spangler to the club although we have yet to see him play on the field. Meanwhile, Roy is laid up at home with an injury. In the first panel we learn it's been several days now and he's fully recovered and ready to get back into action. 

At the club, there is talk that signing Spangler was a mistake, and the final decision to pick him to play in the F.A. Cup match against non-league side Sleeford is left entirely down to Tony Storme. 

Tony asserts himself and picks Spangler, but further shocks await when they reach the Sleeford ground and discover how small it is. With tiny dressing rooms to suit, this truly is a non-league team. 

The game starts, with Roy urging his players to get Spangler involved early. That they do, but as Splanger makes a run down the wing a section of the barrier holding back the crowd breaks, and a mass of people fall onto the field in front of him. 

This story is rapidly improving and we had some great panels in this week's issue. The opening image of Roy lying in his garden was fantastic, and I always get a kick out of seeing Roy at home and in his home life. The final panel of the crowd spilling onto the field was equally evocative, although after seeing some of the stadium tragedies of the 80s and 90s this does seem a bit dark for a comic. Still, it's on a smaller scale, and it is a dramatic-looking image. Spangler is still leading the storylines, although the man himself only fleetingly appeared on the pages this week, and it was Roy and Tony Storme who featured heavily throughout. Both have big personalities and I did like that we saw both of them expressing a range of emotions on the page rather than just asserting personal strength panel after panel. A tidy edition, once again next week is where things will pick up again, but for now, this laid out the groundwork in fine stye. 

Rating: 6/10

Best line: "I heard a rumour that the directors have been having a go at him about signing Sammy Spangler"

Martin's Marvellous Mini

Tiny and Martin are watching the first heat of the baton race, hoping to glean some hints for their own race next. It's carnage out on the track, and they decide they desperately need to do something to avoid a pileup at the baton change. 

They start well in their heat, with Tiny reversing towards Martin at the baton change, leaving them clear of the hustle and bustle of the other cars. With their heat won easily, they are through to the finals 

They decide that they can't pull the same trick again in the finals, and it is decided the best thing to do is get a big lead, making the baton change clear of the rest of the field. This they do, although on his leg Tiny finds he loses a lot of ground to the other competitors. However, they manage to avoid trouble at the final baton change and it is left to Martin to battle it out with another driver named Mad Mike in a frantic final lap.

I had low expectations for this story, so I was quietly pleased to see how good it looked on the page as I read it. The baton race offers plenty of exciting racing panels, as well as a couple of obligatory crashes. Excitement aplenty when I read through the eyes of a young lad, and even as an adult I found myself quietly thrilled by the cars piling up. Of course, all this is helped by the fact that it takes place in colour, and Martin's Marvellous Mini is so beautifully coloured I would be quite happy even if they only sat around drinking tea and chatting. With the baton race almost over, I wonder how long the boys have left in Australia, but one senses that perhaps their time is coming to an end and shall soon be back to dear old blighty. We will see, but for now, I'm happy with where we are. 

Rating: 6.5/10

Best line: "Haw, haw! Those Pommies have pulled a fast one! They're away!"

Billy's Boots

This is an important issue of Billy's Boots, with the introduction of a new character who will be a mainstay of the strip for the next ten years. 

Billy is preparing to play for the reserve team in a game against the first team. He is determined to do well as we see in the first panel s he prepares his boots at home while chatting with his Gran.

The following day brings snow, and in class, Billy is distracted by the weather and the possibility that the game may be called off. There is a further distraction when a new boy arrives late at the class. His name is Jimmy Dawson, and he is told to quickly take a seat next to young Billy Dane. 

He too is a footballer, and Billy and he strike up an easy friendship, taking lunch at the canteen together while Jimmy tells Billy that he too is taking part in the practice game that afternoon. 

Billy plays well but is constantly frustrated by the heavy defence and he never manages to get a shot in. Later in the game, the sports master calls for Jimmy Dawson to come on, and Jimmy immediately tells Billy that he likes what he has seen and he thinks their styles will work well together.

This proves correct, and the two combine well with Jimmy setting up Billy for his first goal. A few minutes later, Billy makes a dummy run that pulls the defenders away from Jimmy, leaving Jimmy with a shot at goal that cannons off the crossbar. Luckily Billy has continued his run into space and is there to emphatically header the ball home for his second goal.  The reserve team is overjoyed, and there is immediate talk of both Billy and Jimmy making the first team. 

I was caught off guard by the appearance of Jimmy Dawson in this issue. I knew he was going to arrive at some stage, but I had no idea of the timelines and thought that it might be another year before we saw him. The comic has lifted with his appearance, and he is proving to be a fine foil for Billy already. Not only does he take the load off him on the field, but also in the storytelling aspect of the story. No longer is Billy the sole focus, and the story is becoming fuller and broader with the introduction of this new character. Billy has been cast as a lonely figure since his arrival at Tiger, but with Jimmy Dawson now onboard we see a more natural friendship for a young boy developing. Jimmy also provides a lighter touch against the more melancholy Billy, and some of the misery is washed from the strip with his smile. A strong issue with the football action looking great, but the historical importance of the arrival of Jimmy Dawson trumps everything else and makes Billy's Boots a standout.

Rating: 9/10

Best line: "We're a great combination, Billy!"

Tallon Of The Track 

Jo and her team are facing an ambush by bandits in the wilds of Russia as we open this week's strip. 

Things don't improve as the team is ordered off the bus at gunpoint and commanded to walk along a track in the forest. New recruit Vladimir Debenko isn't having any of it, and although the bandits are carrying rifles, he begins fighting against all of them. He makes a good account of himself, but the numbers prove overwhelming and soon enough he is bound and gagged as the Ospreys trudge through the woods. 

The appearance of a village fails to enlighten them about the motives of the bandits, despite Jo's constant questioning of the leader. Things take a turn when they see a speedway track at the village and the leader comes clean about their motives. He is Viktor Korkov, leader of the local amateur speedway team. Jo and her team are to compete against his team, under the threat of force if necessary.

Well, that was weird, yet not totally surprising given some of the situations I have seen Jo in before. I don't like it, despite the art being fantastic throughout. The sight of Debenko lifting one of the bandits above his head was eye-catching, as was the opening panel of the bus being surrounded. It seems a poor excuse to have a speedway meeting in the middle of Russia, and part of me thinks surely we could have got here by some other means rather than down the barrel of the gun. Perhaps my opinion will change once they are on the track, but somehow I doubt it. This sojourn to Russia has so far delivered three silly storylines, and to be honest I would rather they pack it all in now and return to just a regular season in Britain. Too late now, we are forty-five years down the track, but still part of me wishes we could restart with a clear track ahead and a full tank of gas. 

Rating: 4/10

Best line: "Ignorant peasant! To insult little Tallonski is to insult me!"

Johnny Cougar with Splash Gorton

With the International Wrestling Tournament being tied between Johnny Cougar and Big Jim Jackson, the organizers decide that Cougar and Jackson must fight again to decide the winner of the tournament.

Cougar knows that this time won't be so easy, and begins some tough training to prepare. While out running he has a surprising encounter with Jackson, and the two begin a battle of words. This escalates into a game of oneupmanship, as they both try and prove their respective superiority. 

A sprint ends in a draw before a building site becomes the scene for a display of strength with each man lifting a heavy steel guider. Tied again, the feud then moves to the gym and both men tear apart two punching bags. Things come to a sudden end with the appearance of the promoter and his men who encase Cougar and Jackson in two shatterproof cylinders, protecting them both from each other until the start of the fight. 

A strange ending, with the oddball image of Cougar and Jackson in the cylinders. Until then I had loved the story, especially the natural way the feud between the two men was playing out with each goading the other to further displays of strength. It felt realistic, and the animosity between the two on the page was pitched perfectly. Although let down by a weak finish, there was much to enjoy, and if the actual fight is half as good as what we have here then we should be in for a wrestling treat. 

Rating: 7.5/10

Best line: "Yahooooo! That's the greatest news since they invented salted peanuts! A re-match with Cougar is what I've been dreaming of!"

Hot-shot Hamish

Facing a game against the league leaders, to whom they previously lost seven-nil, the Princes Park management team are desperate for training ideas to improve the squad. Reading through a pile of suggestions, it is a training idea from Hamish that they decide to use.

The next day at training the team is faced with a packing case that is going to help them run faster. Hamish opens the case, revealing a ferocious lion. The team immediately sprints the length of the pitch to get away from the wild animal, only for Hamish to repeat the exercise from the other end. 

Things come unstuck at this point for Hamish as the lion suddenly baas and we find out it is his sheep MacMutton disguised as a lion. Not so much mutton dressed as lamb, as mutton dressed as a lion. 

The team is furious with Hamish chasing him across the terraces, which only serves to make them fitter. Catching him they band together to give him a good soaking from a barrel of water, which delights Mister McWhacker as it helps with the team bonding. The team is happy and is now prepared for their game next week.

A funny story, with humour well and truly to the fore. Hamish has had a strong run of late, with several touching and dramatic storylines, but this one harks back to his roots as pure comedy. At first, the lion felt silly and out of place, but the reveal was great and I must admit I was just as taken in as the players. This isn't my favourite type of Hamish story, I like a little more balance between the humour and other aspects, but it was highly enjoyable and readable. This is the typical Hot-shot Hamish story we will see in coming years, and as such touches on the essence of the story as a humourous strip. Not always my cup of tea, but this one had me laughing.

Rating: 7/10

Best line: "Hey...lions don't go baah!"

Nipper

Flippin' Norah, Nipper Lawrance has taken a blow to the head before a match against Sandyford, and now is seeing double as he moves in to make a crucial tackle. 

Needless to say, the crucial tackle isn't made, and it has disastrous consequences as Sandyford scores the first goal of the game. Nipper is roundly chastised by the team, and it becomes apparent that something isn't right as Nipper makes a second calamitous mistake, this time crashing into the Sandyford keeper and giving away a foul. 

From the sideline a furious Andy Stewart looks on, telling those nearby that if Nipper has been hiding an injury from him he will make him regret it for the rest of his days. Things look like they can only get worse as in the final panel of the story journalist Brian Crawford makes his way down from the stands, intent on telling Andy Stewart something he suspects about Nipper. 

I enjoyed the football in this issue, it stood in stark contrast to the more mundane plot involving Andy Stewart and Brian Crawford. Seeing Nipper struggle on the field gave our hero feet of clay and grounded a player who is often too skilful for his own good. His missed tackle was captured well by the artist, although the standout panel of the whole story was as he clashed with the opposing goalkeeper. It looked bone-crunching on the page, and I could feel it in my own body as I took in the panel. This week's story was a case of steady as she goes, with the story still steadily unfolding in front of us while the art captures the here and now in solid fashion. I wanted more, yet I walked away from the strip perfectly happy and ready for whatever comes next.

Rating: 6.5

Best line: "Aye, that's what I thought! By glory, if anything has happened to Nipper...and he's trying to keep it from me...I'll make him regret it for the rest of his days!"  

Issue final ratings:

Overall: 6.5/10

Best Story: Billy's Boots 

Best Line: "I'm coming on now, Billy....we'll work together. I've been watching you. I like your style of play...I reckon we'll fit in nicely..."

Best Panel:

Roy's Sport Quiz: