Tiger 8th March 1975

Tiger is very strong this week. Apart from one weak story, every strip was at its very best and it was hard to choose a favourite. In the end, the sheer drama of Nipper swung it for me, although I could have chosen any of four strips. We have been building towards a strong issue for some weeks now, with groundwork carefully laid out in most stories. Here it all comes together in an issue that reminds me why I followed Tiger comic long after I should have - it's great storytelling buttressed with fantastic art. Almost fifty years on and I'm enjoying these stores as much as when they were first written.         

Tiger

8th March 1975

Roy Of The Rovers

Roy is almost unrecognisable on the front cover of this week's Tiger, resplendent in a flashy suit and a new haircut to match. It is a striking way to start the comic, although over the page we are in more familiar territory as Roy sits the team down and prepares them for their next game against Dynamo Zarnov, reputedly the dirtiest team in football.

Roy tells us that it's not just the team with a fearsome reputation, their fans too come with the label of being dirty and unruly. On the page, we see this in action as the fans arrive at the airport with a heavy police presence and comments that they have smashed up every city they have been to. 

On the field, it becomes clear that the Zarnov team are bigger in every way than the Melchester team, and they immediately begin to intimidate the Melchester players. 

A quick free kick sees Roy with the first chance of the game, only for him to blaze it wide as a Zarnov fan runs onto the field in front of him. The fan is escorted off the field by the police, but not before Roy sees the Zarnov captain giving the fan the thumbs up. 

The game continues and Roy is knocked heavily to the ground by a Zarnov player. Getting to his feet he sees the man in the crowd who he suspects is Tony Storme, holding up a sign that Roy hopes will be some advice on how to deal with his hardened opponents. 

A cracking start to this week's issue and the first image of Roy in his new suit was fabulous. As much as I liked it, I was even more impressed by the fact that we didn't dwell on this and quickly got down to brass tacks with the Zarnov team and their fans arriving and the game getting smartly underway. We had a good mix of hard football action and the off-field going on, which made for a pleasingly well-rounded strip. The artwork looked exceedingly good this week, although I can't quite put my finger on what was different about it. It felt different to previous weeks with a cleaner and faster flow to it. Overall a strong start, and one of the better Roy Of The Rovers of late.

Rating: 8/10

Best line: "Look at Chernik...he's giving a thumbs-up sign to that fan!" 

Skid Solo

Skid is still in South Africa, and after winning the South African Grand Prix last week he is now accompanying Sparrow Smith as Sparrow tries a speedboat he will be advertising. 

The speed boat approaches the jetty and all are impressed with the look of it. The builder and owner of the boat, Mister Henridge, hands the boat over to Sandy and Sparrow and they speed off, leaving Skid and Mister Henridge to watch from the jetty. 

Things soon take a turn as Mister Henridge suddenly comes over dizzy and collapses into the water.  Within seconds Skid is in the water and pulling his to safety. A quick examination from a doctor reveals that he has been gassed, much to the surprise of Skid. 

Half a mile out to sea and Sandy isn't feeling too good either. He falls unconscious, and as Sparrow looks over him he too feels dizzy and collapses next to him. 

Skid is watching from the shore and seeing the big boat going in circles he senses something is wrong. Jumping onboard another boat, Skid and his driver are soon speeding out towards Sandy and Sparrow, and pulling aside he leaps aboard. Just in time too, as the bigger boat is speeding towards the jetty and a certain disaster. Skid swerves in time, saving the day and the boat in the most dramatic moment in the strip. We finish with all back on the jetty with Skid showing the cause of all of their problems - a leaking gas container on the boat. 

I don't normally like stories when Skid isn't in his car racing. However, this one was appealing and had a certain charm about it. It was fast-moving with some of the banter we normally associate with the three characters dropped in favour of more stimulating action. In this case, it works in favour of the strip, and I didn't have time to think about how this wasn't a racing story. The artwork was of the highest level, and coupled with rapid action, this story flew by in a flash. A great filler episode - something I don't say very often.  

Rating: 8/10

Best line: "This is very strange. This man...has been gassed!" 

Martin's Marvellous Mini

It's taken a long time, but we are finally heading home with this week's strip opening with George being loaded onto a ship while Tiny and Martin watch on.

In Buxton Street, where Tiny and Martin live, there are plans for a homecoming party and from the panel we have here it looks like the whole street will be involved. 

After a couple of days on the ship, Tiny and Martin and bored with a capital B. Tiny has sketched a soap-box car with a two-stroke engine, and this immediately enthuses Martin who insists they build it on the ship to pass the time. 

The soap-box car is soon built and taken for a test drive by Martin, passing with flying colours. This leads to the next phase of the adventure as Tiny and Martin decide to see how many laps of the boat they can do from sunrise to sunset, inviting the other passengers to lodge their guesses of how many laps will be completed.

With a small crowd gathered to watch, Martin takes off, only for disaster to strike at the first corner. With a small miscalculation, he clips the corner and loses one of his front wheels. Worse yet, the soap-box car spins around, by chance running into some planks and over the side of the boat - with Martin still at the wheel. 

Finally, we are on our way home. The sweetest panel of the strip was the scene of the Buxton Street neighbours planning a party for our hero's return. It has been quite some time, and they deserve everything they get. The hi-jinks on the strip were well done and as expected. I am pleased that the comic didn't go down the route of George going over the side of the boat, electing instead to have a soapbox car. It added a fun element to the story, and as a plus, it drew the other passengers into the story as they placed bets on the outcome. This was a strong episode and although it's not classic Martin's Marvellous Mini, the art elevated it to a very close level. 

Rating: 7/10

Best line: "I can't stand all this lying about...I want something to do!"

Johnny Cougar with Splash Gorton

Johnny is struggling against his opponent Grarg who, unknown to Johnny, is actually a robot. In the final panel of last week's issue, Johnny was flung from the ring and it looked as though the bout was over. 

We begin this week with Johnny unsteadily getting to his feet and barely beating the count to get back in the ring. This small respite is short-lived, and moments after the bout resumes Grarg catches Johnny under the chin with his knee, knocking Johnny flat to the canvas. 

There is no coming back from this, and the next day the papers are full of the crushing defeat to Johnny. Splash is already talking of a rematch, and as he brings Johnny his breakfast he asks if Johnny has given it any thought. Johnny hasn't, his only thought being that something was suspicious about Grarg. With this idea planted firmly in his mind, he takes Splash across the Yorkshire moors to the Casavein Castle where Grarg and his manager reside. 

Clambering up the wall, Johnny raises himself up to see through the window, where he is shocked to see Grarg with his robotic arms exposed. 

The fight didn't last long this issue and we moved quickly onto the main thrust of the story with Grarg the robot. That was for the better as once we saw how powerful Grarg was there was no point in prolonging the match. This story remained interesting away from the wrestling ring, and there was plenty of intrigue as the story progressed. With many questions left to be answered, and a couple of potential disasters awaiting Johhny, I am well and truly hooked for the next issue. I can hazard some guesses at what will happen next, and I look forward to seeing if these come to fruition on the page. A highly enjoyable story, and although only half of it was devoted it wrestling, I still found it to be a page-turner. 

Rating: 7.5/10

Best line: "Cougar think there much mystery about opponent. We need to find out many things before we talk of new contest"

Nipper 

The first panel is everything for this week's edition, with Nipper's club manager, Andy Stewart, being involved in a horrific traffic accident with a lorry. 

Nipper is unaware of this crash as he continues to play his heart out for England just a few miles away. Cutting up the Italian defence, Nipper passes the ball to Phil Denton. Although Nipper is calling for the return pass, Denton ignores him, electing instead to shoot from an impossible angle. Needless to say, he misses. Nipper, as always, has read the play and is on hand to head in the winning goal, and right on full-time. 

There are celebrations in the dressing rooms, although the underlying friction between Nipper and Denton comes to the fore, eventually resulting in a scuffle. The England manager chooses just that moment to appear, and it looks as though Nipper may be in trouble again. However, the manager tells Nipper that right now they have much bigger problems on their plate, with Andy Stewart involved in a serious accident. 

The first image of this strip was so shocking and dramatic that it cast a long shadow over the rest of the story, This is a story that is growing by the week, and it feels like we have come a long way since Nipper was first selected for the England team. In terms of intense drama, this is the best Nipper has been since his arrival on the pages of Tiger, and this drama is only highlighted by the intensity of the faces on the page. The first panel of the car crash may have been the most shocking, but it is the final panel that is the most intense, a close-up of the English manager's face as he informs Nipepr of the bad news. Brilliant artwork, and with the story reaching new heights, this is one of the best strips we have seen from Nipper. 

Rating: 8.5/10

Best line: "Andy, that lorry! It's AAAAAAAAAAGH!"     

Billy's Boots

Billy is playing for his school team, despite some of the boys wanting him out of the team. We pick up the action this week as Billy's pal Jimmy Dawson, takes a throw in. Billy's boots dictate what happens next, and they send Billy scampering through a gap in the defence. The defence quickly closes the gap and it seems the chance is gone, however, the boots once again take a hand, and Billy beats his man and manages to get a shot in. It's met with a fine save by the keeper. and as the team heads in for halftime, the game is still tied. 

The second string of this story picks up at this point, as the boys who want Billy out of the team begin to cause trouble. Kicking a bucket of water over Billy's boots as he enters the dressing room, they appear to make amends by offering to go get dry socks while he takes his boots off. However it is all a ruse, and as soon as Billy removes his boots one of them secretly, steals them away. 

With the second half about to resume, Billy finds he has lost his boots and cannot take the field. With the sports master pressuring him, Billy is forced to run out wearing a borrowed pair. Without his magical boots, Billy struggles in the second half. The nadir comes late in the second half when, with only the keeper to beat, his feet conspire against him and he trips over his own feet. On the sideline, the boys who want Billy out are in the receptive ear of the sports master, casting aspersions against poor Billy. 

We are back to a typical Billy's Boots story, with Billy being separated from his boots are crucial games. We had a nice balance here, with the boots playing a role in the first half of the game, while in the second half, we see just what sort of player Billy is without them. Although there wasn't anything new here, I found I greatly enjoyed it, and it told the story it wanted to tell well. All the action took place on the field or in the dressing room and was tightly focused on Billy and his beloved boots. With no outside distractions, I couldn't help but become engrossed in the story. It was familiar, but also comfortable and a pleasant few pages in the middle of the comic.

Rating: 7/10

Best line: "You great idiot, Dane...what did you want to do that for?"

Tallon Of The Track

Ah yes, the balalaika story. With a brick smashing through the window of their Russian accommodation, Jo and her team had rushed outside, only to find a balalaika propped against a tree with a note attached.

This week we see that the note is addressed to Sven and that the balalaika has been gifted to him from one of the musicians they saw playing earlier in the day. Sven is smitten by the gift and takes it with him to track the following day.

At the track, the racing goes well, although at one stage nobody can find Sven, only for him to be discovered in the dressing room playing his newfound instrument. Quickly hustled to the track, Sven is in the lead of his particular race when disaster strikes. From the crowd comes the musician who gifted him the balalaika, scrambling over the security fence. Making his way onto the track, the musician causes a crash as the bikes do their best to avoid him, the final panel of the story capturing the moments as bikes and men are thrown everywhere. 

I have mixed feelings about this week's story. I liked the ending, and the final panel looked great. The rest of the story failed to live up to this moment, and in fact, somewhat detracted from it. I would have viewed this story far more favourably without the poor opening of the rock through the window and the balalaika left against the tree. This hangover from last week put the whole story on the back foot from the beginning, and it never recovered from this. Even the much-loved final panel couldn't save it, and I walked away with disappointment. The one positive takeaway is we finished with something to look forward to, and things are well set up for next week.

Rating: 6/10

Best line: "By the stars! That man - what's he doing?" 

Hot Shot Hamish 

Hamish and wee Wallie Campbell are making their way back from the Highlands, and we are told that it's been raining solidly for hours. It's not just in the highlands that it's been raining, back at Princes Park Mister McWhacker can only look on in dismay as the foul weather scuppers his training session. 

Always an ideas man, he hires the town hall for the team to practice, leaving Princes Park and the water that is now rushing in a tremendous torrent around the girders supporting the stand. This will become important later. 

Hamish and Wallie rejoin the team, and practice begins in the town hall. This leads to some humour, not to mention damage, as Hamish tries a hot-shot that smashes the wall. Firmly told off by Mister McWhacker, he instead turns to heading the ball, although this too leads to damage for as Hamish leaps high to head the ball, he lands heavily and crashes through the wooden floor. 

That Saturday they turn up at Princes Park to find it a sodden mess. With the field ankle-deep in mud, Mister McWhacker is doubtful the match will go ahead, although this is a decision for the referee to make. Hamish and Mister McWhacker walk wound the back of the stand, only for the ground to give way under Hamish due to all the excess rain. Hamish is OK, but trapped at the bottom of a hole and rapidly sinking in the mud, setting us up for the next issue. 

The art was wonderful throughout this story, and it captured the feeling of the heavy rain exceedingly well. I could feel the dampness to my bones, and it put me right in the scene. A rainy story could have been dreary, but it was tempered by plenty of humour, and the scenes of the team training at the town hall were exceedingly funny and brought some levity to a damp Scottish winter. A delightful balance was achieved in the story, and we finish this week's Tiger comic on the high it deserves with Hot Shot Hamish once again displaying its vitality and worth to the comic overall. 

Rating: 8/10

Best line: "Great steaming lumps o' Haggis! The grounds subsiding! It's all the rain we've had..."

Issue final ratings:

Overall: 7.5/10

Best Story: Nipper

Best Line: "Not right now, lad! Because Andy Stewart has other problems! I've just heard that he and his trainer, Ron Bayliss, have been involved in a serious car crash!"

Best Panel:

Roy's Sports Quiz: