Hamish's Hotshot Tiger Blog: Tiger 1st February 1975

What a glorious day. It's 9am and already I have crashed my RC Spitfire, watched Chelsea lose four-nil, and now my wife tells me we are off Christmas shopping before lunch. Oh joy - it's no wonder that I seek solace in comics. Let's hope that someone on the pages of Tiger is having a worse day than me and can lift my spirits. Even Roy Race has days like this.

Tiger

1st February 1975

Billy's Boots

Not only is Billy playing in front of a crowd of forty thousand against a professional side, but he also graces the cover of this week's Tiger.

The pace is faster than what he is used to and Billy realises that he has to take up a position where he can make more space for himself. This pays off five minutes later as he receives the ball and his magic boots send him on a run that results in Billy chipping the ball to his striker who duly scores.

In the stands his headmaster and sports master watch on, the headmaster suggesting that it looks like Billy should be in the first team, and his sports master immediately agrees.

Back on the pitch, the professional side turns up the heat and quickly scores. There is one final moment for Billy to shine and just before the final whistle, Billy hits a diving header that forces the professional keeper into a full-stretch save. The fact he didn't score is tempered by the goalkeeper's comment that it forced him to make the best save of his season, while Billy replies that it's the best header he has made in his life.

Arriving home, Billy's Gran is waiting with a letter that has just come through the letter-box. It is of course a note from Miister Renton, the sports master, telling Billy that he has been selected for the first team the next day. This is not good news for Billy as he has already promised Faraday Athletic that he would play for them. The final panel has a stunned-looking Jimmy Dawson telling Billy that Mister Renton will be wild if Billy doesn't turn out for the first team, while Billy is torn between the two teams and obligations.

I enjoyed last week's issue a lot, and this week is even better. The unbelievable parts of the last issue were handled better this week, and we are grounded back in the real world of schoolboy troubles with the first-team selection. We had Jimmy Dawson arrive on the scene a few weeks ago, and in this strip, we can see his worth as he serves as a foil to remind Billy of his obligations and repercussions,. Previously this would have been handled as a monologue by Billy or a conversation with his Gran, and I am pleased to see this handled in a wider fashion. Jimmy Dawson still isn't fully formed, although he is already a strong friend of Billy's and welcomed into Billy's home life with his Gran. The magic boots played their part without being intrusive, and we ended on a good cliffhanger, making for a strong start to this week's issue of Tiger and an excellent instalment of Billy's Boots.

Rating: 8/10

Best line: "You don't beat a first-division goalkeeper all that easily, son! But that's still the best save I've made all season!"

Johnny Cougar

Johnny Cougar has the first submission over Big Jim Jackson and this week Jackson looks to equal the score. He starts strongly with a flying head scissors and sends Cougar flying through the air.

However, Cougar is quick and manages to land on his feet. This quickness becomes a recurring theme as he later avoids a head butt, before again managing to land on his feet after Jackson throws him with an Irish whip. This all peaks in round three as Jackosn goes for a double karate chop, only for Cougar to duck and Jackson to chop himself. Now infuriated, Jackson swipes with a forearm, missing again and leaving himself open for Cougar to throw him into a ring post before dragging him into the centre of the ring to pin him for victory.

After all this highspeed action, we close the story with Splash congratulating Johnny, and Johnny telling the TV camera that he is looking forward to a new challenge.

Me too, Johnny, me too. As much as I liked this story, it finished at just the right moment and we are ready to move on to what comes next. The strength of this story recently has been its strong focus on wrestling and I can only hope that it stays in this lane for the next story. After a diversion through a Robin Hood storyline, this wrestling tournament, and battle against Big Jim in particular, was just what we needed to reinvigorate the Johnny Cougar strip and remind us what a great character he is. This final bout didn't live up to last week's bout, although the action still looked top-notch and was served well by the artwork and decisions made on the visual front. What comes next week is unknown (I haven't had a sneak peek) and I eagerly await Johnny Cougar's next adventure after finishing this one strongly.

Rating: 7/10

Best line: "Right...that's it! It's got to be the forearm smash...the biggest knock-out in wrestling!"

Martin's Marvellous Mini

George is bound for the crusher at the scrap metal yard, and it looks like our two pals are too late to save him.

It is the lunchtime whistle that saves the day, and as it sounds the machinery is immediately turned off as the machine operator stops for his lunch.

After such an eventful morning, Tiny and Martin are offered a free lunch by the scrap yard owner, and over lunch, they learn of a race next week that pays big prizes. The only catch is that the race is in Perth - two thousand miles away.

A healthy dose of Aussie hospitality helps out, and the boys get a free flight on a cargo plane thanks to the generosity of the scrap yard owner. Not all Aussies are so generous, as Tiny and Martin soon find out as the plane crashes in the middle of the desert. Faced with a long drive to safety, a stowaway emerges from the plane, demanding they take him with them, a loaded rifle pointing at them backing up his argument.

After a slow start and a slightly unbelievable saved-by-the-bell moment, this story finished strongly and has me hooked for next week. I'm not so sure that the crusher operator would be so desperate for lunch that he would stop his machine at once when hearing the lunch whistle, but it did get us out of a situation and push the story onto greener story-telling pastures. The desert may not be green, but it does offer a lot of potential for Tiny and Martin. The appearance of the stowaway added a new dimension and should place their desert drive in a different context. The only problem I have with him is his physical appearance. In a stereotypical Aussie hat and khaki, he is a throwback to similar characters we have seen in Tiger (Digger from the Football Family Robinson springs to mind). Hopefully, he will be deeper than he appears, and for now, I am prepared to give it the benefit of the doubt. There are shades of Tallon Of the Track's current storyline here, with the plane crash and being taken hostage, although I find this one more enjoyable so far - perhaps because it's in colour, or maybe because it looks much warmer than crashing in Russia. Next week I will have a firmer grasp on this story, until then I will read with an open mind and enjoy the beauty of the artwork.

Rating: 6.5/10

Best line: "Whatever you want, chum...it'll have to wait! It's lunch-time! The crusher's switched off until I come back! Sorry!"

Tallon Of The Track

Jo and Vladimir have crashed out of the first race against the village team they are racing, and the Gorbski Lions have snatched maximum points.

In the second race, Dave is the victim of bad luck when his bike crashes after hitting a ridge in the track, although they do gain some points through the fine riding of Sven.

It continues like this throughout the meeting, and slowly the Ospreys fight their way back until finally in heat five they claim all the points and finally snatch the lead with one race to go.

There is one final wrinkle to the story. As Jo goes to replace her wheel she passes a small ramshackle hut. Through the window, she sees a man tied to a chair, bound and gagged.

I'm not surprised - we have seen many people bound and gagged on the pages of Tallon of the Track over the last year and a half. Honestly, it is what stops me from joining the local speedway club myself. If this helps unravel the mystery of why these villagers want to race against the Ospreys, then I'm all for it. If it's another red herring it had better be a good one. The track racing was good, which makes it all the more surprising that I enjoyed the final panels of Jo discovering the bound man the most. I guess I'm finally maturing and realising that there's more to life than sports. Or maybe the rest of the story was a bit boring, which is the more likely. This week's story was more of a lager than a strong stout, and although it's nice to step back from high drama, it looks like we will be back into the heavy stuff next week.

Rating: 6/10

Best line: "What the blue blazes...? There's a man in there..."

Skid Solo.

As usual Sandy looks worried. His car simply isn't fast enough and he's keen to leave South America as soon as possible and head back to Britain to work on it.

However, Skid has other plans and is on the track practising for a sports car race on Wednesday. He's fast, and looking good for a strong finish on Wednesday. However, unbeknownst to SKid, he picks up a nail in one of his tyres on his final practice run, and this will have huge consequences later in the story.

Coming off the track, Skid and Sandy have a disagreement about when to head back to Britain, with Skid telling Sandy that the prize money will come in handy and Sandy doesn't need Skid's help with the new car. Sandy vehemently disagrees, telling Skid that time is vital and it is crucial they get it done. The upshot of all this is Sandy goes to the airport while Skid hits the bar to reflect upon his decision.

It takes Sandy twenty-four hours to get home, and he begins working on the engine immediately. Meanwhile, back in South America the sports car race has started, and there is drama aplenty as the nail we encountered earlier does its nefarious work, blowing out the tire and sending the car spinning off the track and into the bridge. Things worsen as more cars become involved in the pile-up, and we learn that eight cars are involved with several drivers badly injured.

Sandy learns this by watching a news report on TV during his tea break and is immediately concerned for Skid. He needn't be, for just at the moment Skid comes through the door behind him. It turns out that after thinking about what Sandy said, Skid decided not to take part in the race and instead took the next flight out after Sandy. Sandy is speechless, and Skid, unaware of the news report Sandy has just watched, asks him what's wrong as he looks like he's just seen a ghost.

Some fantastic art was the backbone of this story, and the race looks amazing. I hate to say this and sound like a doom merchant, but the crash itself was brilliant and easily provided us with the best three or four panels of this week's Tiger comic. Not only the track racing though, the close-ups of Sandy's face, along with the conflict between the two, also gave us some great visual moments. The story wasn't as strong as the artwork, although it did give some poignant moments with Sandy's thoughts, and again the conflict between Skid and Sandy was handled well. For all that, the story never grabbed me, and although I loved looking at it and seeing the interaction between the two main characters, I never fully embraced it. I'm not sure what the missing magic ingredient is, but if we ever find it, this would easily be my favourite story with its other strong components.

Rating: 7/10

Best line: "Och, that's Skid's car!"

Roy Of The Rovers

It's the third round of the F.A. Cup and so far new signing Sammy Spangler has been played out of the game. However, redemption is at hand and with only the keeper to beat, Spangler has the ball at his feet. It looks like a certain goal, but Spangler tries to be too clever and hits one of his special 'spinners' - only for the keeper to block the shot before it has time to spin. Roy follows up, blazing his shot over the top from close range.

Spangler suffers the ignominy of being subbed off before halftime, while Roy and the rest of the Rovers mount a spirited comeback. They pull back one goal, and then after a furious second half of numerous chances, they score in the final seconds, only for the equaliser to be disallowed because of a push by Lofty Peak.

Rovers have been knocked out of the cup by the non-league side Sleeford, and the directors watching from the grandstands know exactly who is at fault - Tony Storme and his signing of Sammy Spangler.

No one came out of this game with much credit, especially Spangler and his disastrous start. It looks like Tony Storme will be taking the blame, with a potential sacking, although he wasn't alone in signing Spangler. The action on the page was both gripping and realistic and perfectly captured the feeling of a giant-killing performance in the F.A. Cup. I have watched many a game like this, with a lower-placed team clinging on to a slender lead while being battered by the higher-ranked team. We saw that here with Rovers being denied again and again in dramatic fashion, before the final drama of the game with a disallowed goal. Fantastic stuff, in fact, one could say "Roy of the Rovers Stuff". This is the type of Roy of the Rovers storyline people are referring to when they use that phrase, and it was great to finally see it played out on the page. I'm no fan of Sammy Spangler, yet he has ignited the best game we have seen since I started this blog, and for that I thank him.

Rating: 9/10

Best line: "Why in thunder's name didn't you hammer it, Sammy?"

Hot-Shot Hamish

Princes Park was two-nil up when we left them last week, and that's how the game ends this week with Hamish unable to score a third.

In the changing room after the game, Wallie Campbell receives a telegram from his mother informing him that his father is in trouble and he is to return home immediately.

Mister McWhacker lets him go and asks that Hamish accompany him to look after him and to get back as soon as they can for training.

Soon Hamish and Wallie are walking through the snow of the Highlands towards Wallie's family home. Coming across a large house, Hamish wrong assumes that it's Wallie's house, Wallie corrects him, telling him that it's Donald McDonald's house, and his house is a much smaller house just around the corner.

Just as they come across it, a toboggan hurtles towards them, sending them diving into a snow bank. This toboggan is ridden by Wallie's father who, as we soon learn from Wallie's Mother, has challenged the McDonbalds to a toboggan race. Not only that, but he has also staked their house against the McDonald's house. This has Wallie's mother most concerned, and very angry, and it's left to Hamish to reassure her by telling her that he is the toboggan champion of his island and they'll beat the McDonalds together.

After a run of great stories in Hot-Shot Hamish, this one came up short. Hamish generally gives us great characters, but I found Wallie's family to be a ho-hum and not of the usual high standard. Apart from a couple of tobogganing panels, the artwork was safe and didn't have much to do. The first image of Hamish about to strike the hot-shot was as good as it got, with only two panels of the toboggan coming close to it for interest. The story is still developing, next week we should get something a little more interesting, but until then this felt flat after a recent great run.

Rating: 6/10

Best line: "Ye live in a bonny wee part o' the country, Wallie"

Nipper

A run of three football stories to round out this week's issue, and Nipper is the last of them.

Although the story starts in the hospital, things are looking up for Nipper. He is soon discharged and as he leaves he is accosted by the journalist Brian Crawford. Crawford is making amends for their past troubles, pulling Nipper's dog Stumpy from his car, before telling Nipper that there will be no repercussions as he has made things good with Andy Stewart for him. Not only that, there will be a full explanation of his behaviour published in this evening's edition of the newspaper. There is one more final piece of news for Nipper as Crawford hands him a letter that arrived for him at the ground.

It's a letter from the manager of the England under-23 team, and Nipper is delighted to find that he has been invited to join the squad for the game against Italy.

That leaves just one final problem to be resolved - where will Nipper live now that he has walked out on his foster parents after the Christmas party. That too is tidied up in the final two panels as Nipper looks wistfully at a real estate agent's window, a caravan catching his eye - and at a very attractive price.

I have memories of Nipper living in his caravan, and I love that I am about to see that origin story right here. It feels like this was very much a wrap-up of the stories that have been running in parallel the last couple of months, and we can tidy up some of these loose ends and prepare for new beginnings. The concussion, leaving his foster parents, playing for the selectors, and his troubles with Crawford - all that seems to be behind us now. I am curious to see what Crawford will publish, that could potentially be stretched out further, but overall I'm very happy for some fresh beginnings. Low in drama, nevertheless I found this a succinct issue that sweeps away some of the cobwebs from late last year and leaves us with a clean slate as we march into the new year proper.

Rating: 6/10

Best line: "But why bother about a house! Stumpy, old son...how do you fancy the idea of living on wheels?"