Tiger 22nd March 1975

Sunday morning, and all is quiet. It's just me and Tiger comic - and of course my obligatory cup of tea. Time for a peaceful hour of flicking through my favourite comic before the real world beckons and I am thrown into a day of chores, cleaning, and doing whatever my wife tells me!         

Tiger

22nd March 1975

Tallon Of The Track

Tallon Of The Track isn't my favourite story at the moment, so I'm secretly pleased that's the first story this week and we can get it over and done with. 

All talk is still of the balalaika, although, as Sven tells Jo in the first panel, it has now gone missing from the changing rooms. 

There is little time to consider what happened to it as the race meeting is still racing outside.

After three heats the Ospreys have a slim lead. Heat four doesn't go so well, with a bad accident and the Moscow team drawing level on points. 

Sven takes the track for heat five and looks as though things are looking up as he has a handy lead coming into the final lap. It is here that the story takes a turn, with Sven suddenly leaving the track and heading straight towards where Jo and Dave and standing. Without pause, he drives between the pair and down the tunnel under the stand, leaving Jo both furious and wondering what on earth he could be up to. 

Actually, despite my negative opening comment, this was an enjoyable romp and one of the better issues we have had from Tallon Of the Track of late. The race action was tight, and fast-moving, with three heats appearing on the page - a close finish, a crash, and then Sven's dramatic departure. The balalaika opened the story, and with its disappearance, the story has gained an extra depth and more intrigue. It feels as though the story is back in balance after several uneven weeks, and once again I am feeling happy to see Jo's face glaring at me from the page. 

Rating: 7/10

Best line: "The stupid, crazy fool! He's just lost us the heat! What the blazes does he think he's playing at?" 

Johnny Cougar with Splash Gorton

Johnny Cougar is right where we left him last week -  fighting the robot Grarg in an eerie castle in Yorkshire. So far, so normal,  although in this case, Johnny is struggling to gain the upper hand. 

With both combatants picking up swords, the story goes up a gear. The sword fight is short-lived and Johny finds his sword broken in a powerful blow from Grarg. 

Elsewhere in the castle, Splash and Grarg's manager, Jacob Barclay, hear the noise and decide to investigate along with the professor who created Grarg. They find the trouble soon enough and enter the room just as Johnny Cougar strikes Grarg in the head with a well-thrown shield. 

The professor attempts to switch Grarg off with all the key switch-off words but nothing works, and he tells them that Grarg is out of control, the bang on his his head must have caused it. 

There is nothing anyone can do, and before they know it Grarg has left the castle and is striding purposefully into the countryside. 

Another powerful edition of Johnny Cougar, and one that has me hungry for more. Grarg is proving to be quite a challenge, and it is giving us some exquisite artwork as his story is told on the page. The story holds my interest, while it is the artwork that provides the real joy of this week's comic, and my eye is drawn back to it serval times before I can turn the page. Johnny looks strong, while Grarg is fantastically rendered to hold all the power. The facial expressions of those looking on tell a story just as well as any speech bubbles, and overall I am enthralled by all I see here. Johnny Cougar has an extremely long run on the pages of Tiger, and from what I see here I can understand why. 

Rating: 9/10

Best line: "Hey, you guys...you'd better come and take a look at this!"

Martin's Marvellous Mini 

The boys are almost home from their Australian sojourn, although there is one final twist in the tale as George is badly damaged in the ship's hold on the return voyage. 

Eager to make amends, the crew lend them a red mini while George is off having repairs. Tiny and Martin accept, and soon they are back in Buxton Street for a street party to celebrate their return.

Not only a party but also an invite to race tomorrow at Fairfield track. Of course, they have to race in the borrowed car, and things don't start well as they get off to a slow start. Martin manages to get past one car on the first corner, but it comes at a frightful cost as the mini tumbles off the track, rolling onto its roof. 

Walking to the pits, Martin finds that the ship's Captain is there, speaking to Tiny. He has good news in hand, George has been repaired and is waiting for him as good as new.  Rather sheepishly, Martin can only stammer, as the Captain's red mini is towed in at that moment, heavily damaged. 

We finish with Tiny saying that they have to pay for the damage but they'll get cash soon enough now that hat they've got George back. 

As expected, the boys are back and already owe cash to someone. No surprises there, as I have found out over the last two years this is the main driver of these stories - they have an accident, need cash, try to gain cash only to have another accident that results in them owning cash...and so it continues. Much like real life I guess - at least my life is often like this. If only I could make a comic out of it...

Anyway, back to the comic at hand. It was enjoyable, every single panel, and as a boy's comic, this was all I could ask for. There was drama, low key to be sure, but it was enough for my eyes to dance from panel to panel, and I found happiness in seeing Tiny and Martin racing on the track with their friendship always to the fore and their pure love of life. Martin's Marvellous Mini is always uplifting, no matter the fate bestowed on the two heroes, and this one gave me plenty to smile at. We have a lot more ahead of us now we are back in Britain, and I can't wait to see where we will go from here. 

Rating: 8/10

Best line: "You...you've wrecked it!"

Billy's Boots

Billy is in the reserve team and playing a blinder. Linking up with Jimmy Dawson, they have the reserve team purring and are handing a well-deserved thrashing to the first team.

At half-time changes are made, and the sports master swaps the forward line of each team, moving Jimmy and Billy to the first team and the first team forwards to the reserves. Billy and Jimmy continue as they did in the first half, and again the goals flow. 

Come Saturday Billy is named in the first team, but only as a reserve. Jimmy can't play on Saturday and doesn't feature at all. 

Eying up the size of his opposite number, BiIly is pleased to be on the sub's bench. The first team scores an early goal, and the opposing team decide its team to put their size to good use. Granger is knocked heavily off the ball and takes medical attention. He's fine to carry on, but a bad tackle from behind lays him out and it looks like Billy will soon be on the field and in the firing line. 

Plenty of scoring action in the first game put this story on the front foot and built up a reserve of positive feelings for a more dramatic second page. I rejoiced in seeing Billy and Jimmy having a good game with no negative consequences, and it was refreshing to see them play and score at ease. For once in his life, something seemed to go right for Billy. The second game with the first team playing the cup tie was equally compelling, and it gave a firm foundation for next week to build upon. The threat of the opposition is well established, as is Billy's current form, and the two should come together nicely next week. I shall be here for it, and will dutifully blog the outcome. 

Rating: 7.5/10

Best line:  "Granger's twice my size, but that chap's knocking him about as though he were a baby!"

Nipper

The headlines of the day tell us where Nipper currently stands - he has been dropped by the Blackport chairman and moved to the reserves. 

The fans are not happy, and neither is Nipper who puts all his frustration into the training session. There is very little sympathy from his teammates who treat it all as a joke and give Nipper a ribbing every chance they get. 

Later at his girlfriend's house, Nipper is buoyed by the news that all the fans are planning to forego the Blackport game that Saturday, and instead travel to Kelford to see Nipper play for the reserve team.

As so it comes to pass, Nipper turns out for the reserves with a massive crowd coming to watch him play. Meanwhile, at Blackport stadium the stands are only half full, much to the ire of the chairman Clive Norton who quietly promises himself that that will be the last game Nipper will play for Blackport.  

Any story where we see Nipper's girlfriend Kerry is alright in my book, and even more so that we see Kerry putting a record on the record player - a girl after my own heart. This story draws heavily on the characters we know so well, and it is the characters that drive the story rather than the story that drives those characters, a sign of a comic well-written. Seeing Nipper's reaction to being dropped was good, and we had several strong panels showing his displeasure and anger. Likewise, the chairman, Clive Norton, remains the driver of all that is happening to Nipper and the direction the story will go next. With these two butting heads, sparks are beginning to fly, and we should get plenty of mileage out of it in the coming weeks. Kerry, Nipper's girlfriend, threw a shaft of light on these turbulent times, and overall the story was well balanced while feeding us enough conflict to keep the pages quickly turning. 

Rating: 8/10

Best line: "Good grief! Look at that crowd! Kelford don't get this many people for their first-team games!"    

Skid Solo

Pierre Daval wants Skid Solo banned for driving dangerously in the previous race. It's a serious allegation, and the officials tell Skid there will be a court of inquiry the following day. 

That evening Sandy is worried about the case and decides to head inside early. Skid reassures him that it will be fine, and Skid intends to defend himself. 

Left alone with his thoughts, Skid is interrupted ten minutes later by a young boy scrambling over the hotel fence behind him. The boy knows that Skid is in trouble, and introduces himself as Tommy Carter, a name that we will come to know well in future. 

He tells Skid that he can help him out, and after a discussion, Skid is pleased to accept his help and tells him to come along the next day. There is a brief gear change in the story here, and Tommy Carter tells Skid about himself, how he is always in trouble and has been sent to South Africa to live with his Uncle. 

Skid considers him to be a rough diamond, but admires his courage in helping him out. Exactly what that help is we find the next day at the inquiry as Tommy Carter arrives with a film that he filmed himself at the race. It shows an earlier incident in the race when Daval pushed Skid off the track and into the barrier. Confronted with this evidence, Daval has no choice but to angrily withdraw his case against Skid.   

All is well that ends well, and all that remains is to reward Tommy Carter for his help in the matter. Tommy's only wish is to take a ride around the track, a wish that Skid is only too happy to oblige him. However, in the final panel, Tommy has one more thing he wants of Skid - to return to Britain with him and Sandy. 

A notable issue for Tommy Carter will later become Skids mechanic and feature on the pages of Tiger many times in future. Here he is but a boy, and at first, I couldn't remember why his name sounded familiar to me, but by the final panel we can see where the story is going and the pieces fell into place. The trial didn't amount to much, and neither did the following panels. Mostly this issue was given over to setting up Tommy Carter and his back story, and this it did efficiently and with the minimum of fuss. This new character should be further expanded next week with his demand to be taken back to Britain, and I am curious to see how this will unfold. An important issue, but not a particularly exciting one (except for Pierre Daval's magnificent 1970s suit), we are merely laying the groundwork for what comes next.

Rating: 6.5/10

Best line: "I'll defend myself, Sandy...Daval won't have it all his own way! I'll fight him!"

Roy Of The Rovers

Following their feisty encounter with Dynamo Zarnov, Rover's medical room looks like a battlefield. Roy, resplendent in his new suit, surveys the damage. Most are minor knocks and bruises, but Taffy warns him that he expects the return encounter to be much worse. 

Facing the reporters outside, Roy fields a series of questions. While answering one on the matter of how the Rovers will respond to provocation, Roy suddenly stops his answer as he sees the mysterious figure that has been popping up over the last few issues. Roy stops the press conference to chase after him, but the figure escapes using a motorbike, 

Returning to the reporters, Roy finishes answering questions, although the first reporter he was speaking with is now gone. 

On Saturday Rovers beat Weston easily enough and thoughts turn towards the return game against Zarnov. Tensions are high as fuel has been poured on the fire with an incendiary newspaper article setting the tone. Roy has been misquoted, in saying that Rovers will fight fire with fire. Things are exacerbated by a photo from the previous match showing Roy standing over a fallen Zarkov player. It appears that he has punched him, and coupled with the screaming headlines, the fires are well and truly stoked for the return match. 

The final panel captures all this tension, with Rover's plane landing in front of an angry crowd of Zarkov supporters, and the airport police struggling to contain them. 

I didn't much care for Roy running off after the mysterious figure, and it fell to the rest of the story to carry my interest. Tensions have been beautifully ratcheted up for next week, and I'm hoping for a big payoff after the groundwork that was laid this week. It was great to see Roy sporting his suit from the front cover of last week, he seems to have embraced the manager's role through and through. The game against Weston was necessary for the pacing of the story and the timing of the next European match, and it was dealt with quickly and did what it had to do. Next week promises much, and I'm sure it will deliver a cracking storyline. 

Rating: 6/10

Best line: "Here they come...the animals of Melchester! We will teach them to threaten our players!" 

Hot Shot Hamish

Needing money to repair the grandstand, Mister McWhacker, Princes Park manager, is considering selling Hamish. On the field, Hamish is unaware of this, and his only concern is the muddy pitch which is creating havoc for both teams. 

Pulling wee Wallie Campbell from the mud, Hamish tells him of his plan. If Wallie gets the ball he is to bang it done the middle while Hamish will run down the only dry part of the field - down the wing.

It doesn't make sense to Wallie, but he does what Hamish asks and when he gets the ball he dutifully bangs it down the centre of the park. 

Hamish takes off along the touchline at great speed, and as the ball hits the ground and sticks in the mud, Hamish suddenly comes in from the wing, sliding through the mud. 

In a pile of mud and legs, Hamish ends up in the back of the net, with the ball, for the first goal of the game. 

A second goal also comes from a moment of inspiration from Hamish. As the opposition goalkeeper prepares to take a goal kick, Hamish tells his team that he won't be able to kick it far in the mud and they should advance. Hamish is correct and takes a heavy, muddy ball to his face for his efforts. However, a Princes Park player is at his shoulder and cannons home the rebound for the winning goal. 

The team are victorious but as they come off the field it is announced that Hamish is to be transferred, and Mister McWhacker endures a barrage of abuse and rubbish as he makes his way down the player's tunnel. 

Hamish's inventive first goal was the highlight of this strip and delivered an image I'll not soon forget as Hamish came sliding in from the wing. I thought that perhaps more could have been made of Hamish being put up for transfer, as this was how we finished the last issue, and it wasn't any part of this issue until the final two panels. The humour was still present throughout the strip, and although light compared to other issues, still gave me plenty to smile about as I read. I can't bear the thought of Hamish moving to another team, and although he probably won't, it still gives us pause to consider that these things do happen in the world of football. A good issue and this ends this week's Tiger comic with a hook to bring us all back next week 

Rating: 7/10

Best line: "Balfours forever!"

Issue final ratings:

Overall: 7.5/10

Best Story: Johnny Cougar

Best Line: "He...he's out of control! That bang on the head must have caused it...he's not responding to instructions!"

Best Panel:

Roy's Sports Quiz: