Tiger 22nd February 1975

Any day when I quote a Cure lyric in my blog is a good day, and today is a very good day indeed. It's Christmas eve, and instead of dancing around the lounge to the sounds of "Last Christmas" I have instead sequestered myself away in the spare room with a pile of old comics and albums. Why chirp away to Mariah Carey, when you can wail along to Robert Smith and company? It is just like heaven, and my comics and albums will be my refuge as the festive storm of Christmas takes hold for the next twenty-four hours.       

Tiger

22nd February 1975

Johnny Cougar with Splash Gorton

Johnny's next opponent may appear to be an ordinary matman, but beneath his plastic skin, Grarg is an incredible robot. 

Johnny has fought some weird and wonderful characters over the years, and Grarg is right up there with the weirdest and wonderfullest of them. We get an impressive display of his wrestling prowess early as he volunteers to step in and fight the Bearded Beauty before his bout with Johnny. 

Grarg barely flinches as the Bearded Beauty hits him with a flying hit butt and responds with a single forearm smash that lays out the bearded wrestler. Johnny and Splash can only look on helplessly as they realise the scale of the challenge that lies ahead of them.

Stepping into the ring to take his turn against Grarg, Johnny immediately applies a nerve hold in the hope of weakening his opponent. Needless to say, it is ineffective and Grarg reacts with a mighty forearm smash. This is where we leave poor Johnny, with a voice from the crowd commenting that no one could survive a blow like that. 

A lovely set-up to this story, and after seeing Grarg being built up as an incredible fighting machine we finally steered him into the ring against Johnny. The fight against Johnny is only three panels long, but already I can see that all this build-up was worth it and the rest of the match, should Johnny be able to continue, should be fabulous. There were no weak points in this week's story and although it wasn't end-to-end action it delivered on many fronts, giving me a well-rounded and satisfying experience. Nothing is rushed, the characters are well grounded and set up, and when there was action it was kinetic and heavy-hitting. The artwork gave us several memorable images, and I could have picked any number of them as a favourite. The story is yet to peak, and one can only wonder how much better it will get in the following weeks. We shall find out together. 

Rating: 8.5/10

Best line:  "Incrediable! If they'd have counted minutes instead of seconds, he'll still have been out cold!"

Roy Of The Rovers

Roy has taken over as player-manager in the absence of Tony Storme. However, as the team kicks around before their match against Castledene Roy is convinced he has seen Tony Storme in the crowd. 

This thought is still lingering in his head as the game kicks off, and Roy remains distracted as Castledene attacks. Roy loses the ball cheaply and as the minutes tick by he does his best to make amends, playing across a variety of positions and over-thinking the game at hand. Falling for a dummy runner at a Castledene corner kick, Roy leaves his man unmarked and Castledene scores easily to take a one-nil lead.

This leads to Roy dropping deeper to aid his defence, which in turn prompts Castledene to push more players forward. They are rewarded with a second goal, and as the team comes off the field at halftime a lot of angry looks are flashed at Roy. 

Harsh words are spoken in the dressing room, and several fingers are pointed before they are all interrupted by a stone being chucked through the window. Even more intriguing, it has a note wrapped around it, a mystery that we will have to wait until next week to have resolved.

Several developments this week make this feel very much like a boy's story in a boy's comic. The mysterious figure in the crowd with a scarf wrapped around his head wasn't as thrilling or as surprising as you might think, and it fell flat as a plot device to propel this story. Having Roy trying to do too much on the field almost felt right, although  I don't believe a man of Roy's experience would lose his head so easily once the game started. The stone coming through the dressing room window was the weakest of this triumvirate of weak plot points. Even in 1975, it would be hard to get access to the dressing room like this and it all feels just a little too convenient. That's not to say that I didn't like this week's story, even misfiring it still continues to move forward, dragging me along with it. I want more, and it can give more, let's hope next week it returns to firing on all cylinders. 

Rating: 5/10

Best line: "Keep it up, Race! You're the best player-manager that Castledene ever had!"

Martin's Marvellous Mini

"And the way the rain comes down hard…
That’s the way I feel inside…"

So wrote Robert Smith for the Cure's  1992 song "Open," a lyric I am immediately reminded of when I see the open panels of Martin's Marvellous Mini from seventeen years previous. Martin and TIny are suffering through a heavy rain storm in the Australian outback, and the artwork perfectly captures the wet spirit that will permeate through the first page of the story.  

With George firmly bogged, the two pals have no choice but to trudge several miles in search of civilization. They find a farmhouse and an offer of a tractor and help. A surprise is in store for them though when they open up the garage, not only does the farmer have a tractor but also a Formula One car and a Formula Three car. 

It seems this farmer runs the local race track, and once their car is pulled from the mud they are offered a night's accommodation and a chance to enter the mini cup race that is taking place next week.

They return quickly to Perth, although they are forced to stop for a running repair on the fan belt, and once there they get busy in a workshop making all sorts of repairs to George who has taken quite a beating over the last few months. 

The following day at two o'clock sharp the race begins, and as all the cars take off from the start line George remains motionless, all the repairs seemingly for nothing. 

I feel we have seen similar stories already told over the previous year, and after the first half a page I could have filled in the blanks myself. That's not to say it's bad in any way, but it did feel overly comfortable and familiar. They say familiarity breeds contempt, and that is perhaps where I am today as I read the story. If I park the plot for a moment, I find the art style and the easy way between the two pals to be as wholesome as ever, and I get a warm feeling when I read the strip. The plot is bordering on boring, but the characters themselves and the style of the comic carry the day. 

Rating: 6.5/10

Best line: "I bet they win, Dad...they've got a smashing little car!"

Billy's Boots

After arriving late at the game and earning the ire of his teammates and watching pupils, Billy now has a chance to redeem himself with a penalty kick in the final minute of the cup match.

Billy lines up his kick and the goalie picks what direction he is going to strike it, only for Billy's ancient boots to take a hand and push Billy to shoot to the other corner. It's a goal and Billy has redemption for his previous late arrival. Not everyone is pleased, but the sports master is happy enough and he tells Billy and Jimmy Dawson that he wants them to train together for the next game.

With this in mind,  Billy and Jimmy make their own training plans, including an early morning cross-country run and a kickaround. They also train in the evening, although one evening Jimmy inadvertently leaves his sports bag at Billy's house after dinner. 

The next morning Billy sets off early to Jimmy's house to return the bag. Billy reaches the end of the street, but cannot find Jimmy's house. Following the road, he finds it turns into a track in the forest, and there he finds Jimmy's house tucked away in the woods. 

Jimmy is alone, cooking his own breakfast as his Dad is away until Saturday with work.  Billy comments that it is a bit spooky living by yourself in the woods, although it does have its perks as Jimmy leads Billy deeper into the woods where his father has built him a practice pitch. 

They are both admiring the pitch when suddenly they hear a car engine approaching. Both scurry into the woods, assuming that a car can only mean something bad at this time of the morning deep in the woods. 

Great to see another layer added to the story with Jimmy's home life revealed on the page and we learn more about his family and living situation. It wasn't what I expected, although it does explain a lot. Interesting that like Billy, he has absent parents, and the story is tightly focused on the boy's world with little adult attention aside from a bevvy of coaches and schoolmasters. Last week's football match was wrapped up quickly, with little fallout (at least for now), and the emergence of this new story suddenly makes Billy's Boots a lot more interesting as we roll into March of 1975. 

Rating: 8/10

Best line: "Jimmy's a quiet lad, Billy...does he ever invite you to tea at his house?"

Nipper

The England under-23 squad turns out for their qualifying game against Italy, and the crowd is aghast to see that Nipper is wearing a tracksuit and will only be a substitute. 

Although the English manager is angry with him, Nipper does have some support in the crowd with his local fan club in attendance along with his lovely girlfriend, Kerry Carter. 

The game doesn't start well for England, and they find themselves struggling with an Italian attack that pivots around the captain Gavera and the striker Carlatti. The Italian side is soon one-nil up and the English team becomes increasingly frustrated with the two Italian stars. 

On the bench, Nipper has several firm ideas about what should be done with Gavera and Carlatti, and he isn't shy about letting those around him know it. Despite some surrounding players telling him to keep quiet, Nipper is heard by the England manager who surprisingly agrees with him. Not only that, the manager is keen to get Nipper on the field as soon as possible to get some of his ideas into action. 

Nipper is up in a flash and stripping off his tracksuit. Soon after he is on the field, and the England captain tells him to get the forwards going. Nipper tells him that that's not what he's been substituted for, and he's on to take care of Carlatti. The game restarts with Carlatti making another dangerous run and Nipper out to put his money where his mouth is. 

This is just the sort of footballing story one would expect from Tiger comic. Nipper is right behind Roy of The Rovers when it comes to telling believable football stories, and this one is a great example of that. With two Italian players toying with the England team, I look forward to seeing how Nipper will deal with the expectations laid on his shoulders. The story remained purely focused on the game, and despite Nipper fans being in the crowd, the panels remained centred on the on-field action. I did enjoy seeing Kerry again, and it was only proper that once she greeted Nipper she stayed in the background and let him get on with the game. This story has been building for some time, and we have had some silly detours, but it is all paying off now as we see Nipper in an English shirt about to give his all to the cause. 

Rating: 8/10

Best line: "Then you'd better do it yourself, Chum! Jacko's told me to take care of Carlatti, and that's what I'm going to do!"

Skid Solo

Skid is still getting used to this new car, and he isn't helped by the fact that the track is icy and snow is beginning to fall. Abandoning his practice, he and Sandy load the car onto a truck with plans to make for sunny climes - in this case Johannesburg. 

Two days later they are on the flight, where they are surprised to see Sparrow Smith is also flying to South Africa. Sparrow is on his way to the South Africa Grand Prix, and he is surprised to learn that Skid isn't racing in it, electing instead to continue to test his car in anticipation of the Spanish Grand Prix next month. 

Although Skid isn't racing, he is still welcome to use the same track for his testing, and soon he and Sandy have adjusted the car to his liking. With these adjustments, Skid breaks the track record, raising a few eyebrows in the pit lane. It is commented on that it's lucky that he's not racing in the Grand Prix, and Sparrow tells the owner of the Martine teams that he's sure he can get his car to the same speeds as Skid. 

This he does, tying Skid for the track record. Mr Martine is happy but is still concerned that Skid may enter the race. This proves prophetic for at that very moment Skid and Sandy are plotting and changing their plans in the face of the extra speed they have found in their car.

Nicely worked story, although I am surprised at the ease with which Skid was able to suddenly enter his car. We managed to get a surprising amount of car action on the page, and although this was merely practice laps it still contained a thrill. There was also a fine contrast between the sight of Skid driving in the icy British weather and the sunbaked track at Johannesburg. It felt like two stories in one and was a pleasant bonus. Overall, we are heading in the right direction, and the race with Skid and Sparrow promises much for further issues, with the story loaded with potential. 

Rating: 7/10

Best line: "Well, it's a good job he's not in next week's Grand Prix,...otherwise we'd have a race on our hands!"

Hot Shot Hamish

It's all on from the very first panel and the entire field of players rush towards the ball lying on the Dunferlie United goal line. With Hamish and Wallie's houses on the line, there's a lot at stake and it's no surprise to see the whole Princes Park team ending up in the back of the net with the ball to score the equaliser they desperately need.

After repairing the now-destroyed net, the game resumes. Hamish is tricked into passing the ball to an opposing player, a trick that infuriates the big man. Chasing down his opponent, Hamish bullies him off the ball before launching an attack down the field with a mighty hoof. The ball passes back and forth, eventually landing at the feet of Hamish who, you guessed it, unleashes the hot-shot. 

The keeper has no chance, choosing to cower in the corner rather than attempt the save, and the game ends with Princes Park winning two-one. Hamish and Wallie's houses are safe and all are happy. Well, not quite all, for at the moment the McDonalds, whom Hamish and Wallie wagered against, listen on the radio, realising they have just lost their own house to the pair. They may have lost the wager, but the McDonalds will not surrender their house easily and we finish the strip with the McDonalds rolling out the cannon and preparing to defend their house at any cost. 

Another football-heavy story that played to its strengths. There is no better sight than that of Hamish Balfour steaming down the wing to make a tackle, or thundering in to hit the hot-shot. We had both here, the whole story hinged on these two moments, and boy did they deliver. It was made all the better by the delicious artwork that had me salivating over every morsel of football action. The football we saw here was so good that it was easy to forget the wider wager, although this was the plot point that whipped this game up into a frenzied feast of football delights. With a strong plot and expressive artwork that delivers the intensity of the story on the page, Hot Shot Hamish is once again outstanding in its heady mix of humour and life-or-death football. 

Rating: 8.5/10

Best Line: "Och, ye're no' a gentlemen! Ye canna call for it when ye're not one of my team!" 

Tallon Of The Track

Three heats left in the Ospreys' meeting against the Russian amateur team the Gorbski Lions and they lead 33 to 26. You would think that Jo would be happy with this, but she remains concerned about Kurkov, leader of the Lions, who looks a shattered man as his hopes of the team being elected to the Russian Federation are now looking very slim indeed. 

However he feels inside, Kurkov still gives his all on the track, winning the next heat and splitting the points with Ospreys. The following heat looks to be a victory for Ospreys with their riders taking an early lead. Unfortunately, things go awry shortly after with Sven hitting a rut and crashing into his teammate, and the Lions snatch maximum points to set up a thrilling finale. 

It is all down to Jo and Dave now in the final race. In the pits, Jo can't help but look at Kurkov, who can't even bear to watch the final race. If his team fails he will be so distraught that she can't imagine him ever racing again. Dave tells her there's nothing she can do about it, although crouching by her bike Jo tells Dave that yes, there is something she can do. 

The race begins and Jo immediately leaps out to a lead. She holds this lead throughout, until seventy yards from the finish line her front tire blows out and the Russians sweep pass for a victory. The Gorbski Lions have won the meeting, and Kurlov is carried out of the stadium on the shoulders of his team.

Meanwhile, Dave is suspicious and tells Jo that he reckons she jammed a small nail in her front tire just before the race, knowing that it would work its way into the tire and cause a blow-out. Of course she denies it, but a sly wink to the reader tells us all we need to know. 

I can't really ask for much more than a happy ending such as we have here. This story has been a rollercoaster, with strong issues and weaker ones, and a part of me is just glad it is all over. We are still in Russia, and I have almost forgotten what brought us here. The next adventure should be a timely reminder of the overall story and hopefully have us back on the straight and narrow. Tallon Of The Track has lost its way over the last six months, and what we need right now is a tightly focused story that concentrates on the basics. This story was overall enjoyable, although it has been the art that has been carrying the load for many months now. A consistent storyline to match the always expressive art would see this become one of the best, instead of a strip that is cruising on its past glories. 

Rating: 6/10

Best Line: "I wouldn't do a thing like that...would I?

Issue final ratings:

Overall: 7/10

Best Story: Hot Shot Hamish

Best Line: "Ye canna make a fool out of a Balfour and get away with it!"

Best Panel:

Roy's Sport Quiz: