Tiger 1st March 1975

Great news for all readers! I have survived Christmas and despite being fat, tired, and hung over, I'm back with a weekly dose of Tiger comic. Even better, it's a great issue and a fine reminder of why I love this comic so much. Football action, hard-hitting wrestling, and some high-speed racing make for a well-rounded issue that appeals on many fronts. What a great way to welcome in the new year.      

Tiger

1st March 1975

Billy's Boots

Billy and Jimmy Dawson had been practising on a training ground that Jimmy's father had built in the nearby woods when they were suddenly startled by an approaching car. Things are worse than I imagined as we see on the front cover that it's a police car. Billy and Jimmy are crouching behind some bushes but two policemen quickly rustle them out and tell them that they trespassing. 

They are escorted to the owner of the woods, who lives in a large house not too far away, where they are let off with a warning, and told to ask permission next time. 

With this drama behind them, they carry on training hard and building up an on-field rapport between themselves. Both are confident that this will pay dividends in the next game and so it proves with the two combining well and creating chances. 

However, dark clouds are on the horizon. Jimmy is unable to play in the next game, while supporters of the player Billy has replaced, Granger, are making plans to sabotage Billy by stealing his boots. 

The most impressive part of this week's story was the colour front cover that heightened the sense of drama we ended last week with. I was torn between immediately turning the page to see what happens next or letting my eyes linger on the front cover and soak it all in. Over the page, the story slowed a little. There was some good football action, and I appreciated seeing Billy and Jimmy working on their teamwork. There wasn't a lot to grab the eye, although the plot itself moved swiftly on. Billy's boots didn't have any impact on the game being played, and what we saw was purely down to the relationship being built between Billy and Jimmy. We had several parts of the story coming together this week to conspire against Billy, and next week should see the drama ratcheted up a notch. It may not be due to Billy's boots, although they will certainly be at the forefront of the story. Good in places and great in others, this was the perfect start for this week's issue of Tiger.

Rating: 7/10

Best line: "I won't be half as good without you in the side, Jimmy!"

Skid Solo

We are crash-started into the action of Skid Solo, as the very first panel shows a car wreck and Skid and Sandy running to pull the driver free. 

It's a Martine car and they fear that Sparrow Smith is caught up in the wreckage. The driver is lifted from the car, and they are relieved to see the driver is uninjured, and not Sparrow Smith, but rather the number one Martine driver, Gino Renga. 

Gino and the team owner Mario Martine survey the damage, and Gino tells Mario that he will take Sparrow Smith's car in the next race. There is a brief argument, and Ginio demands it as he is the number one driver. 

Martine breaks the bad news to Sparrow, and Sparrow takes it in his stride, managing to secure a borrowed car for the South African Grand Prix the following day.

On race day Skid and Gino are fast off the start and soon have a lead over the field. In his slower car, Sparrow Smith manages to hold his own, only half a lap and a couple of places behind. 

Skid and Gino continue their duel, with Skid's car proving to be faster. Gino does his best, but pushes his car too hard in the corners and eventually spins off the track. Although he manages to get back out on the track, the race is effectively over, and Skid takes the chequered flag. Further back, Sparrow Smith finishes a respectable fourth place in his borrowed car.

This leads to trouble in the pits as Mario Martine tells Gino that he can't claim to be the number one driver if Sparrow Smith manages to finish ahead of him in an older borrowed car. The altercation escalates to the point where Gino quits the Martine team, and storming over to Sparrow Smith angrily tells him that he is out to get him. Furious that Sparrow has taken his job, Gino is out for revenge, and we finish with Skid and Sandy telling Sparrow to keep an eye on him, and if he needs any help he knows who his friends are. 

Like Billy's Boots, this story had a fantastic beginning that set up the rest of the strip in grand style. The first panel was everything you could want from a Skid Solo story, and after seeing it the rest of the story had a lot to live up to. This it did, with a compelling narrative underlying the Grand Prix action. As good as it was seeing the cars on the track, it was the facial expressions of the characters that sold this story to me. This has always been a strong point of Skid Solo, and here we saw several fabulous panels that highlighted this strength. The first panel with a bystander calling for help was noteworthy, as was the twisted scowl of Gino Renga that appeared a couple of times later in the strip. All added to the depth of the story and gave it a gravitas that sometimes cars on the track don't give us. I hadn't expected to like this story as much as I have, but Skid Solo has delivered a very strong plot for their South African sojourn, and I look forward to seeing more in the coming weeks. 

Rating: 8/10

Best Line: "I don't care whether Sparrow likes it or not! I am number one driver! If there is only one car left...then I drive it!" 

Martin's Marvellous Mini

With a big cash prize on offer, Tiny and Martin have entered a mini race, only for George to be left behind on the start line with Martin unable to get into first gear. It doesn't stop him long, he starts from second gear and is soon speeding around the track in pursuit of the other racers. 

He makes a good fist of it, and with two laps left, he has got himself into fourth place. It is at this point that disaster strikes as the gear lever sticks once again, leaving him stuck in top gear and a corner fast approaching. 

Martin takes it fast, skidding off the track but managing to remain in control, and retakes the track in second place. With one lap left, he has it all to race for.

However, he is still stuck in top gear and it is a hair-raising final lap. It all comes down to the final corner, with Martin taking it on two wheels as he skids past the leader.

The race is won, and the two pals are duly awarded the cup and prize money. All that remains now is for the pair to repair George's gearbox and hopefully have enough money left to fly home to Britain. The problem of the gearbox is soon fixed, with a stray shirtbutton being the cause of all their racing woes. Martins tells Tiny he needs to be more careful while they are doing repairs to George, but Tiny rightfully points out that it is one of Martin's buttons, to which he bashfully replies that it could happen to anyone. 

We finish with the two contemplating a long-awaited return home, although Tiny is the voice of doom as he points out that they shouldn't be too sure of themselves - things just seem to happen to them.

Thanks for that thought Tiny, just when I was getting my hopes up you had to point out that we may not be heading home just yet. I enjoyed the race that we saw this week, although it could have been raced anywhere, and there was no mention of Australia or Australian themes. That makes me think that we have finally run out of ideas for this Australian jaunt, and it is finally time to send the boys back to Britain. Apart from the joy of seeing the Mini on the track, there was little here that excited me, and I long for a stronger storyline to emerge now that there is enough money to get the boys home. An adventure on the way back would be a nice transition back to the real world, I certainly hope this will be on the cards for the next couple of weeks. 

Rating: 5/10

Best line: "It's that limey who started last! He's won!" 

Roy Of The Rovers

In the absence of Tony Storme, Roy has taken on the role of player-manger. His first game in charge is not going well, and Melchester Rovers are trailing two-nil at halftime. A rock is thrown through the dressing room window as the team gathers, and around the rock is a note urging Roy to stop fussing like a mother hen and play his own game. 

Roy tells the team to cut the fancy stuff and play their natural game. This gets the desired result, and the Rovers storm back in the second half to win three-two, with Roy nabbing himself a hattrick. 

Roy suspects that the mysterious note came from Tony Storme, although he has no firm evidence. The conversation about the source of the note ends when Blackie looks towards the next game, telling Roy that it's the first leg of the quarter-final of the European Cup-winners cup against the dirtiest team in football, Dynamo Zarnov.

Although I'm not fussed about the disappearance of Tony Storme, I love this week's issue and especially the football action. Roy scoring a hat-trick was the highlight, with each goal coming uniquely. We are slowly moving forward with the Tony Storme storyline, and this frantic football action propelled the strip in the absence of any real action in regards to Tony. The story achieved a nice balance between the two and it worked well despite my reservations. Next week promises to up the stakes yet again, and I look forward to seeing more thrilling football action like we saw this week. 

Rating: 7/10

Best line: "Sure! Just stop 'em from scoring...and score some goals ourselves!" 

Tallon Of The Track

The Ospreys have finally made it to Moscow where they will be competing against the Russian Comets. It's taken a long time to get here, but we're not quite ready for the track yet as Jo introduces the team to some local folk musicians. With the balalaika ringing out, Jo forces her team into some poor Cossack dancing, ostensibly to increase their muscle strength. 

Most of the team struggles, although Sven Jansson, a part-time pop star as well as a rider in the team, takes to it well and is especially enamoured by the balalaika.  

Later that evening they are in their sleeping quarters at the local stadium, where most of them complain about their aches and pains from the training. This moaning and groaning ends abruptly as a brick crashes through the window. The team races outside to see who has thrown this brick, only to find a balalaika leaning against a tree with a note attached to it. 

Another story with a brick thrown through a window feels too much for me. I liked that it got the team out of the sleeping quarters and to the balalaika, but I would have preferred something different to achieve this. I'm pleased to report that the team have finally reached Moscow, it seems months since we first left Britain, and finally, they have arrived. The rest of the story dipped into silliness which was disappointing after waiting so long to get here. The Cossack dancing was foolish and didn't appeal to me, even when I considered the comic through the eyes of a young boy. Perhaps this balalaika story will lead somewhere, although for now, I'm not very hopeful and just want to see Jo and her team on the track,. The comic is called Tallon Of The Track, so let's get them out there and racing. 

Rating: 6/10

Best line: "Yikes! That gal's doing one of those way-out Cossack dances!"

Johnny Cougar with Splash Gorton

Johnny is in the heat of the action from the very first panel as we see his robot opponent Grarg strike him with a fearsome blow. It looks like the bout might be over right there, but a Tiger reply shows that Johnny managed to pull back as the blow was struck and a lot of the sting was taken out of it.

The rest of the strip focuses on the fight between the two, with Grarg dominating from start to finish. The final indignity for Johnny comes in the last panel of the strip as Grarg throws him from the ring like a rag doll, the match looking like it has been decided right there and then. 

This strip was dedicated to wrestling action alone, and for this I commend it. We have had Grarg built up as an opponent for some time now, and it's only right that the payoff comes with a couple of weeks of solid wrestling. The artwork was spot on, and the background story fell away as I became engrossed in the battle of these two awesome wrestlers, For now, it looks like Johnny may have bitten off more than he can chew, although I'm sure the writers will find a way for him to fight back next week. This is all solid action, and I am very satisfied with what is on the page. Johnny wrestling his heart out against a tough opponent, for me this is pure nirvana. 

Rating: 8.5/10

Best line: "Wah...Cougar feel heap bad! Cannot find any way to beat this man!" 

Hot Shot Hamish 

Hamish and Wallie Campbell have won their wager with the McDonalds and are now the owners of the McDonald family house.

However, Wallie has no interest in taking their house from them and tells Hamish that he will forego their winnings, electing instead to take five pounds. 

This is all well and good, but when they arrive at the McDonald's house they find the McDonalds bracing themselves for war and Hamish and Wallie are welcomed with a cannon shot fired at their car. 

Hamish and Wallie have come in peace, and this cannon shot changes things drastically. Hamish becomes enraged by this greeting, and taking some footballs from the car he returns fire with a couple of hot-shots of his own.

Things escalate and Hamish storms the house as a veritable one-man army. The battle is short-lived, and soon Hamish has conquered all before him. Once again Wallie reminds the McDonalds that he came in peace, and takes fifty-five pounds to cover the expenses are repairs to his car. We end with the pair of them heading back to Princes Park with Hamish remarking that they've had a lovely day out.

No football this week, and it wasn't needed as the strip delivered a feast of action and humour. Hamish blasting hot-shots at the McDonald's house was a solid highlight for me, as was when he stormed the house single-handedly. Plenty to bring a smile to the face, and matched by excellent art that did it all justice. Anyone who has read my blog before knows that I like to see these characters engage in their sport and it is rare that I like a strip that doesn't feature the primary sport, This was the exception, and I got immense satisfaction from every panel of this story with cracking dialogue to pick up the slack when the dialogue wasn't to the fore. Next week promises more footballing, and I'm happy to wait as I found this issue fabulous. 

Rating: 8/10

Best line: "Right, Mon! Dinna say ye weren't warned!" 

Nipper

Nipper has finally got onto the field for the England under-23 side, hoping to put his ideas into action on how to stop the two Italian stars that are causing issues for the English defence. 

His ideas work, and he dispossesses Carlatti by forcing him to play on his wrong foot, before attacking Gavera with a run straight at him. Gavera is caught in two minds on what to do, and Nipper flashes by him before blasting the ball into the back of the net. 

His strike comes at just the right time and the team comes off the field at halftime happy to be tied at one-one. The England manager, Gordon Jackson, is delighted with Nipper's immediate impact, although some other team members aren't quite as enthusiastic with accusations of Nipper being a glory hunter as they take the field for the second half. 

As Nipper clears an early shot off the line, we jump to a car speeding towards the stadium. Inside the vehicle, Blackport manager Andy Stewart and trainer Ron Bayliss are discussing the trouble Nipper is in. Running away from his foster parents and living in a caravan has caught the attention of the welfare people, and Nipper is a marked man. However, this conversation is cut short as a lorry smashes through the crash barrier and hurtles towards the car. 

A great ending to what has been a very satisfying issue. Nipper has things going well on the field, only for his life off the field to take a turn. It is always this way, when one thing is going well, the other aspects of his life are in strife and he never has a balance. Just as well too, I wouldn't want to read a comic where Nipper's life and career are perfect page after page. I enjoyed seeing Nipper work out the Italian team, and we have some lovely panels of Nipper playing with the ball at his feet. This is just what I want to see from a football story, and the final panel brought a heavy dose of drama to the strip and demanded more attention than the previous two pages combined. Finely balanced and with storm clouds on the horizon, Nipper remains a story that consistently delivers. 

Rating: 8/10

Best line: "Still glory-hunting, eh, Lawrence? Just remember there are ten other players on the pitch! We all like scoring goals you know!"     

Issue final ratings:

Overall: 7/10

Best Story: Johnny Cougar

Best Line: "Honour is satisfied, Wallie! It's been quite an enjoyable trip!"

Best Panel:

Roy's Sports Quiz: