Tiger 25th January 1975

There is something for everyone on the pages of Tiger, and especially in this issue as each character, story, and sport is well represented with containing storylines.  In real life I don't have time to follow multiple sports, preferring instead to follow only my beloved football and a little wrestling. It was a different story when I was a youngster, and the spread of sports represented in Tiger closely aligned with what I was following at the time. I'm not sure which came first, following the sports on the pages of the comics, or experiencing them in the flesh, but there is no doubt that the two fed into each other, giving me a lifelong love of both sports and comics.  This week the two come together in an exciting issue with an array of thrills, thoughts and feelings. 

Tiger

18th January 1975

Johhny Cougar

It's Johnny Cougar on the cover of this week's issue, emerging from the clear cylinders that he and his opponent, Big Jim Jackson, were placed in to keep them safe from each other last week. 

After this, the fight is on, and Big Jim Jackson starts the stronger of the two. Johnny gets the first attack in, but from then on it's all Jackson, who eventually floors Johnny with a double-handed karate chop. 

Johnny regains his feet by the count of eight and although groggy responds by locking Jackson into a Boston crab. Jackson does his best to resist a submission, but by the end of the strip he has tapped out, and Johhny leads the bout by one submission. 

The opening picture of the two competitors emerging from their cylinders was a weak start and perhaps we would have been better to start with something a little more dramatic. The drama of the strip lay within the fight itself, and we started well with some heavy blows. The final submission of Jackson in a Boston crab was well done, and we were faced with a page of this hold as panel after panel Johnny applied the pressure. It could have been boring, but for me, it added to the tension as we could see Jackson struggling to free himself, as well as struggling against his impulse to tap out. The slower pace of this week's strip served the story well, and after often complaining about bouts that are over quickly, I was pleased to see that this felt like a real wrestling match. Once again, the story excels when it remains wrestling-focused, and after dispensing with the needless cylinders of the first panel, that is exactly what we got.

Rating: 8/10

Best line: "That's it...the classic Boston crab!" 

Roy Of The Rovers

With a collapsed barrier and fans spilling onto the pitch, circus recruit Sammy Spangler is dribbling into a whole heap of trouble. He hastily kicks the ball away, a wayward whack that gifts the non-league side Sleeford a goal. 

Roy's unhappy about it and appeals to the referee, who then points out that the crowd didn't interfere and it was Spangler's panicked kick that gave away the goal. 

Intent on putting this behind them, Roy and the team keep feeding the ball to Spangler. However, he is continually frustrated by the Spleeford team who take the ball from him before he can set up for any of his tricks. As Roy rightfully points out, Sleeford's players aren't giving him any time, something they should have thought about before they signed him. 

Sleeford scores again from a hack upfield, but in the final panels, there is some hope for Melchester Rovers as Roy breaks the defence and delivers a beautiful cross towards Sammy Spangler. A goal seems inevitable, but we'll have to wait until next week to find out. 

I had a feeling this would happen to Spangler, and although this is just a comic, I feel superior to Roy for recognising this early on. I am still not a fan of this storyline. I thought the crowd collapsing onto the field had the potential to move us in a different direction, and offered some chance at depth to this story. It wasn't to be, and it feels like a lost opportunity. Overall, it feels like the story is treading water, and until it begins to move forward again I'm finding it the most frustrating strip in Tiger at the moment. 

Rating: 4/10

Best line: "Well, that's what the scoreboard says! I think it's time we started behaving like the best team in the country!" 

Martin's Marvellous Mini

Martin and another driver are neck and neck in coming into the final straight of the baton race. The Australian driver proves to be aggressive, and with a swerve, he crashes hard into the side of Martin. 

Tiny is not one to stay calm in such a situation, and he runs out onto the track to berate the other driver. This leads to both vehicles taking evasive action, Martin managing to keep control while the other driver isn't so lucky and crashes out of the race. 

Oddly enough the officials are fine with all of this, and Martin and Tiny are presented with the cup and prize money for winning the race. 

Still lumbered with the second car they brought for the race, they decide to sell it to a scrap metal dealer. Parking the vehicles on the road, they speak to the owner of the scrap yard, and over a cup of tea, they recount some of their adventures. This is interrupted by the sudden appearance of their car, George, swinging by the window and into the crusher. Bursting from the office they yell to the man driving the crusher, but the machinery is too loud and he can't hear them. 

I wasn't entirely happy with the end of the baton race. It felt all too easy in the end, and once again they triumphed relatively easily. The standout moment was certainly when Tiny ran onto the track, a moment that not only influenced the outcome but also gave a fine demonstration of the type of person Tiny is. We have seen similar situations where he has lost his cool, and this outburst was entirely fitting with his personality. As I expressed above, I was surprised there were no repercussions for running on the track and causing one of the cars to crash. Even in the fantasy world of comics, I would assume this is frowned upon. I like where we are going with the scrap yard, and even though I am looking forward to them getting back to Britain, this is a pleasant and highly readable diversion.

Rating: 7/10

Best line: "You big oaf! You can't knock George about like that!"

Skid Solo

Race day of a major (and unnamed) South American race, and Skid Solo is paying careful attention to the weather. 

Unknown to the other racers, Skid has been speaking to a friend who has been flying a helicopter in the nearby mountains. There he encountered heavy rain, rain that should arrive at the race track sometime just after the race begins. 

Skid is the only one privy to this information, and accordingly, he is the only one on the starting grid with wet weather tires, much to the surprise of the other racers. With no rain forecast, no one else has taken this precaution and they are considerably faster than Skid on the track, with Skid slipping to eighth place, twenty-eight seconds behind the leader. 

With the arrival of unexpected torrential rain, the circumstances change and Skid becomes the fastest man on the track. His wet weather tires pay dividends, and he works his way quickly through the field, snatching a hard-fought victory.

We leave with Skid delivering a lesson to Sparrow Smith, a good driver always pays attention to the weather. 

The outside influence of the weather was too much for me, and I didn't enjoy this story as much as I should have. I always appreciate seeing track racing on the page, and that looked fine, my only issue being the fact that Skid had knowledge the other drivers didn't. It was shoehorned in, with Skid just happening to have a friend who flies a helicopter nearby. It's stretching credibility a little, and in my eyes did the story a disservice. If there was another means by which Skid had this information I should have been happier, it was the delivery of this crucial information that was the sticking point for me. I was also disappointed by Sandy's negative attitude. In one of the panels before the race we see him telling Skid that he he doesn't know why he is racing as he has no chance. Not the type of character that I would want on my team, that's for sure. I would have hoped that Sandy had a little more faith in his car and would have backed Skid all the way. I have a real soft spot for Skid Solo, alas this week's episode didn't speak in my language and overall I walked away from it slightly deflated. 

Rating: 6/10

Best line: "Come on, Skid, tell me...how did you know it was going to rain?"

Nipper

Nipper is still in a daze on the football field after taking a knock to the head before the game. He is still worried that he might not make the England under-twenty-three team if he reports injured and is determined to carry on. 

However, at sideline the reporter Brian Crawford is bending Andy Stewart's ear, telling him that if Blackport loses it would be his fault if he doesn't tell Andy what he knows. 

Out on the field, Len Duggan fires a shot at goal. The keeper clears it with a strong kick that unfortunately hits Nipper in the head. The ball rebounds into the goal for an equalizer, but Nipper is laid out and carried off the field. He thinks he will be in the clear now, this blow to the head will explain away his dizziness on the field, but in the dressing room, Andy Stewart and the physio look at him and confirm what Crawford has told them, the bruise on his head wasn't caused by a football.

A concussed Nipper collapses and is taken away in an ambulance, while onlookers surmise that Andy Stewart will throw the book at him for not reporting it.

A curious story, I haven't warmed to it, but every week I am intrigued by what comes next. It never plays out straight forward and this is something I enjoy about the story. I thought the sideline chat from Brian Crawford would have had a more immediate impact, and I liked that it wasn't resolved immediately and instead is stretching off until next week. I also like that this week wasn't entirely Nipper-focused and it was other characters that carried the bulk of the storyline. Nipper stands out as being different from other stories in Tiger comic, and although this isn't my favourite story, in some ways, it remains the most interesting with all its various threads. 

Rating: 7/10

Best line: "Whatever he's been saying, it...it isn't true! I...I'm all right, Mister Stewart, honest! You can't report this to the England selectors! You can't...!" 

Hot Shot Hamish

An unusual scene for us in the first panel of this week's strip as we see Hamish in the recreational room, playing pool. Tensions are high and after some interference from Hamish's sheep, MacMutton, a fight breaks out. With a pool cue cracked across his head, Hamish upends the table and an all-in brawl ensues. 

All's well that ends well, and as the dust settles Hamish and the team are united. Thoughts may be with their upcoming cup game, but first, they have a league game to play. The team is energetic and enthusiastic, quickly gaining a two-nil lead on the back of Hamish's hot shot and a powerful header. In the stands, two men from Dunferlie, the team the next face in the cup, watch on. Princes Park may be two-nil up, but they are convinced that it's a flash in the pan and when they next face each other Dunferlie will thrash them again. 

The ending was weak in comparison to what came earlier, especially the fight in the recreation room. Seeing Hamish playing pool was a fish out of water situation, and he looked ridiculous. One couldn't help but smile at it. The fight was also humourous, highlighting Hamish's strength and the volatile nature of some of his teammates. It all added to the colour of Princes Park, showing they are more than footballers on the field. The artwork on this opening page was superb, and easily a highlight of this week's Tiger comic. This was a taster of what is to come as we build towards the cup game, and as such wasn't essential this week. However, it remained a lot of fun, and any time we get to see Hamish's hot shot is a treat.

Rating: 7/10

Best line: "Dinna talk about MacMutton that way! Yon sheep's got more brains in his feet than ye have in yere head!"

Billy's Boots

Billy has teamed up with new boy Jimmy Dawson, and this newfound partnership is reaping rewards as the two carve up the field at the trial game. 

Billy and Jimmy's second eleven end up beating the first team, and on Thursday morning there is excitement in the air as Billy and Jimmy scamper to see the team that has been posted by the sports master. 

There's disappointment for Billy as he hasn't made the first team, although Jimmy Dawson has. Trudging home, he stops by the local amateur club to see if he can get a game with their youth side. He can't, but fate intervenes with the appearance of Mister Slade, whom we met a couple of issues ago as Billy jumped the fence into his property. 

Mister Slade is an ex-England international, and he steps in on Billy's behalf, telling the coach to put Billy on, after all, it's only a training session.

Billy does well, showing that he has learnt how to header the ball properly based on the tips that Mister Slade gave him. Slade is impressed, and after the game, he invites Billy to play in a benefit match for Faraday Athletic. It will give Billy a taste of first-division football as they are playing West Barnworth Albion, a team currently fifth in the first division. 

It is a big game, in front of forty thousand people. Coming on as a sub with thirty minutes to do, Billy is told that he will find it fast, but to do his best. Meanwhile from the stands, the headmaster is watching with the sports master. The headmaster is amused that Billy is playing, but can't get a game for the school team, to which the sports master comments that he thinks that Billy will be out of his depth here. 

Unbelievable, but fun. After a string of bad luck, it looks like things have finally turned for Billy. We had previously seen him jumping the fence and being caught trespassing in Mister Slade's yard, and here that is turned on its head as Billy comes up trumps with the reappearance of this character. I'm in two minds about Billy playing at this high level. My first thought is this is fun and is every young boy's dream. That side of it made me smile, and the thought of it warmed my heart. My second thought was it was all a bit unbelievable, and a stretch for my imagination. Even reading it with a cold beer in hand didn't help me, it still seemed all too much of a coincidence and unlikely. However, it sure beats having miserable Billy moping across our pages, and the last two issues have seen him emerge from the depressing fog with a smile and an extra spring in his step. It makes the reading of it all the more pleasant, and although I'm not totally sold on the idea, I did enjoy the story a lot. 

Rating: 7/10

Best line: "All right, if they don't want me...that's it! I won't play for the school again...ever! I'll get a game with someone else!" 

Tallon Of The Track 

Held at gunpoint, Jo and her team are ordered to compete against a local Russian team. 

Jo has little choice but to agree and soon they have unloaded their bikes and got changed into their racing gear. They are agog at the ancient Russian bikes they are racing against, but these bikes prove their undoing during the race. Belching heavy black smoke, the bikes throw up a smoke screen that causes Jo and Valdmir to collide, leaving the race wide open for the local team of Gorbski to take maximum points. 

A page to set up the racing and a page is racing is all we have here. We still haven't learnt the motive for this local team to be so desperate to race the Ospreys, but no doubt we shall find out soon enough. I enjoyed the intensity of the faces on the first page, and the thrill of the bikes on the second page, and we have a good balance and contrast between the two. The story isn't speaking to me, but the artwork is and currently, that is the main reason I am drawn to Tallon Of The Track. Each panel is worthy of a close look, and it is time well spent as actions speak louder than words. It is still some way from its best, but it still finds ways to entertain. 

Rating: 6/10

Best line: "Just look at the opposition! Those machines must have come out of the ark!" 

Issue final ratings:

Overall: 6.5/10

Best Story: Johnny Cougar 

Best Line: "Whatever he's been saying, it...it isn't true! I...I'm all right Mister Stewart, honest! You can't report this to the England selectors! You can't..!"

Best Panel:

Roy's Sports Quiz: