Tiger 12th April 1975

This is the issue that I have been waiting for - Tallon Of The Track is finally leaving Russia and heading home. Considering that it is one of my favourite stories, I have had a miserable run with it recently, I look forward to more positive storylines with a return to Great Britain. Finally, we learn the secret of the balalaika and can leave Russia with peace of mind. I'm sure the other stories will be great this week, but for now, all I care about is Tallon Of The Track getting back on the straight and narrow and giving me the pleasure of Jo racing her bike at high speed.   

Tiger

12th April 1975

Skid Solo

Both a snake and a horse appear in this week's cover for Skid Solo. The horse raring up in front of Skid's car, the snake in Sandy's exclamation of "Great snakes!"  - an expression that immediately puts me in mind of my late father.

Young Tommy Carter is behind the wheel of the car and in the midst of a driving lesson from Skid when the horse has bolted onto the track, and a crash looks inevitable as Skid desperately grabs the wheel from Tommy, while still having time to explain the wheels have locked with his braking, and he should take his foot off the brake immediately. 

Poor Tommy is frozen in fear, and all Skid can do to save the situation is to wrench the wheel in Tommy's hand and send them crashing to a stop in the barrier. 

Both are shaken, but all are unharmed - including the horse. While Sandy escorts the horse back to its paddock, Skid steers Tommy towards a sports car to continue driving. Tommy is reluctant to do so and clearly shaken up by the experience and it's only at Skid's strong insistence that he climbs behind the wheel again and takes to the track. 

Skid urges him to drive faster and faster, and after a quick run, they return to the pits. There Skid jumps into his Grand Prix car and zooms onto the track as Sandy explains to Tommy that Skid too was shaken by the accident and will be giving himself a highspeed workout to clear his mind. 

While Skid is on the track, Sparrow Smith approaches Tommy and Sandy and offers a friendly hello. Sandy tells Tommy that Sparrow is the current World Champion and that he used to be Skid's teammate. Sparrow takes his own car out onto the track and soon is duelling with Skid. 

Tommy watches on, falling in love with racing as the two racers speed around the track. Later as he puts Skid's car away he puts himself in the driver's seat and imagines himself racing. In his imagination, he is crashing through a barrier, and all he can think about is the way he froze. Negative thoughts enter his head, and he decides that he'll never make a racing driver. 

Sandy and Skid are quietly watching on, and Sandy comments that Tommy obviously hasn't fully recovered from the crash. Skid agrees, but tells Sandy that he'll get over it and in a few years he'll be out on the track challenging Skid for the World Championship. 

They do say that if you fall off a horse, the first thing you should do is climb back on it, so it was a nice twist here to see that old adage used in regard to a car accident caused by a horse. Plenty of signposts to the future with Tommy behind the wheel fantasizing about being a race car driver, while Skids comments late in the story also dwell on the same thought. It's clear now that one day Tommy Carter will be behind the wheel of a race car, and all this is just planting the seeds for that future. As for the here and now, I wasn't so fussed about the horse story. While I appreciated the message that was being put across, I never felt the drama of the moment. The handling of the fallout in the wake of the accident was much more to my taste, and I thought it was handled supremely well. It helps that the artwork is so easy on the eye, but throughout it was the writing that kept me steadily reading. The aftermath of the accident was highly relatable, and put across in a way that most people could simply understand. Once again, this Skid Solo story was understated, yet retained a readability that helped start this week's comic in good style.  

Rating: 6/10

Best line: "That's the best thing the lad could have done...go out again! A mon could lose his nerve completely after a crash like they just had."

Roy Of The Rovers

Playing against not only the eleven Zarnov players but also the weak officials, Rovers are struggling in their away leg of the Cup Winner's Cup. Obvious fouls against Rovers go unpunished before a blatant off-side is ignored to gift Zarnov a second goal. 

As halftime is blown, Roy and his players endure a barrage of abuse and missiles as they make their way off the field. Despite the danger of the situation, Roy spots a bottle that has a note inside it and commands Blackie to quickly grab it as they make their way to the changing room. 

In the dressing room, Roy finds it is another note from the mystery man. Once again it offers advice, advice that Roy will follow, although he doesn't think it will work, and refuses to tell the team exactly what the advice was. 

Back on the field play resumes, and it isn't long before Roy accidentally kicks the ball into the back of the referee's head. The referee is injured and cannot continue, and the Zarnov captain is quick to point to one of the linesmen as a replacement. However, it is the other linesman who steps forward to take the whistle, and the game soon continues. 

Zarnov is still playing rough, and the new referee blows the whistle in Rover's favour. Rovers may have won the free-kick, but with Zarnov putting their wall just a few years in front of the spot it seems that nothing has changed concerning bending the rules.

A solid outing for Roy Of The Rovers. It wasn't spectacular, but did just enough to hold my interest without being a challenging or demanding read. The mystery notes continue to frustrate me, especially in this case as Roy spots the note in a bottle thrown at them. One minute they are fleeing the hurled missiles, yet it is not desperate enough that Roy doesn't have time to look at what is actually thrown at them. Still, it did help move the story forward and I await with interest to see how this scheme with the new referee will work out. A good enough issue, it will be next week when we take a giant step forward with this story and the game. 

Rating: 6/10

Best line: "Excuse me, but I am the senior linesman. I must insist that I take over as referee!" 

Martin's Marvellous Mini

Martin and Tiny's winning cheque of 250 pounds is rapidly disappearing in a pig's mouth. Despite Martin's heroic efforts, in this case taking a frightful blow from behind from a charging pig, there is nothing they can do and the money is gone. Tiny's idea to go back is to ask the race organisers to write them another cheque is the correct one, although too late to save Martin from taking a dive into the mud.

While collecting their new cheque they notice a poster for a novelty race with a prize of one thousand pounds. It's a wild-sounding race using the army testing ground. It doesn't take long for Tiny and Martin to decide that they'll enter, and soon they're off to see what they've got themselves into. 

Following another competitor around the muddy track, they are surprised to find themselves taking a bend in a giant pipe. Coming out of the pipe they are rapidly shaken on a cobbled road. Slowing down, they soon find themselves facing another corner with a sign telling them to increase speed now. They prudently pull off the track to find out what lies ahead and are just in time to see the other car speeding towards a ramp jump across a river. The other car is going nowhere never fast enough, and as the lads watch on it crashes into the water.

Tiny and Martin are shocked, and as the strip ends they are left wondering how much worse could the track be.

A tidy story with enough action to keep the reader turning the page. However, this is merely the entree and we are only getting a taster of what is to come once the race properly starts. I was pleased to see the pigs eating the cheque quickly wrapped up and this new race introduced. The race holds plenty of thrills and spills and should propel us forward for the next few weeks. We have seen races such as this before on the pages of Martin's Marvellous Mini, and I always find them enjoyable, despite the constant feeling of Deja Vu. This race has a few different twists, and based on what we have seen this week, it should prove to be a most enjoyable issue.   

Rating: 7/10

Best line: "Stone me...where's he going?"

Johnny Cougar with Splash Gordon

Finally, it is the showdown we have been waiting for, man versus robot as Johnny squares off against Grarg in the ring. Johnny is brave, but he is facing overwhelming odds as is amply demonstrated in the first panels as Grarg tears out one of the ring posts and hurls it at Johnny. 

Johnny knows he has little chance in a straight fight against Grarg, and in the following panel he collapses in the ring. As he lies there, he whispers his plan to Splash and Grarg's two human minders. 

With instructions issued, Johnny regains his feet and all four men step into the ring. It looks as though all four will be fighting the robot, but instead, the four men begin to fight among themselves. The crowd is confused, for as the men strike each other, the man doing the hitting cries out in pain. Things become more confusing, as the men striking blows fall to the floor, while those taking the punch remain standing. With two falling, there is only Johnny and Grarg's manager left standing. Grarg's manager strikes Johnny with the broken ring post, and once again the unexpected happens as the manager falls to the floor while Johnny stands strong. 

Jonnhy faces Grarg and tells him that he wants him to hit him hard on the chin and that Johnny Cougar wants to lose the match. This is all too much for the robot, and he begins to blow fuses before collapsing into a smoking heap on the floor. Johnny has worked out that the robot has been programmed for a variety of situations, but faced with a situation where everything is opposite to what is expected his circuits couldn't cope with it eventually overloading the computer brain and blowing his fuses. 

Grarg's manager and the scientist who built him are apologetic, and Johnny Cougar tells them that he forgives them as they are not criminals and that they have learnt their lesson. Thus we end with Johnny telling us that he needs to get back to wrestling, and this time facing some human opponents. 

Grarg was a great opponent, and although I expected Johnny Cougar to win using his brains, I was still disappointed in the weak way he was eventually defeated. I thought this final showdown may have stretched across several issues, and was surprised to see it finish in a single issue, The fight didn't even last the entire issue and we still had panels to spare to give us an introduction and a resolution. Seeing Grarg fall with smoke coming from his ears wasn't the thrill I expected, and although I enjoyed many aspects of this story, I felt cheated in this final issue. Still, everything looked good and it is hard to dislike anything in the story, although this was weaker than some of the other stories we have seen previously in Johnny Cougar.

Rating: 6/10

Best line: "I...I don't get it. The guys who did the hitting collapsed!"  

Hot Shot Hamish

Hamish is no longer being transferred, and Princes Park has just won a hectic Scottish Cup game. The only dark cloud is the injury to Donald McGregor, and that's where we start this week, with the team assembled around the table where he is stretched out. It is not as bad as it looks, and the doctor tells us that there's nothing to worry about, he has merely fainted with all the excitement. 

Using the funds raised by the fans, Princes Park began to rebuild their stand. They only have half the money required, but Mr McWhacker is sure they'll get the rest of the money needed by winning the Scottish Cup. 

Princes Park certainly looks a lot better than they did, and on the field, in their next league game, they play outstandingly well. Hamish leads the way with a hat-trick, while from the director's box, Mr McWhacker watches on. The gentleman next to Mr McWhacker enquires about Hamish's transfer and Mr McWhacker tells him that Hamish is no longer on the transfer list. The man expresses disappointment, telling him that he is interested in buying Hamish for four hundred thousand pounds. He thinks it's well worth it for a first-class international like Hamish. Mr McWhacker tells him that Hamish isn't an international player, but the gentleman corrects him, telling him that Hamish has been selected to play for Scotland. This leaves McWhacker with something to think about, and with four hundred thousand pounds he could pay for the new stand and two top-class replacements for Hamish. 

This new development is interesting and it looks as though once again Hamish may be on his way out. We had some great faces throughout the strip, and the images of the gentleman's face, as he negotiated for Hamish, looked fantastic. His face oozed wealth, and it was excellent work by the artist to express this in a single panel. I had to smile at the record offer of four hundred thousand pounds, it was another reminder of how much football has changed from the 1970s. Nowadays it would be an offer of one hundred million pounds to lure Hamish away. Still, this is part of the reason I read these comics, a warm nostalgia for simpler times. This week put us on firm ground for what comes next, and I read on with interest to see what the outcome of this will be.

Rating: 7/10

Best line: "Och, you've not heard? Well, Hamish has been chosen to play for his country! Quite rightly, too...just look at him..."

Nipper

Nipper was outstanding in the reserves game and is now facing the fallout of this performance as director Clive Norton confronts him. The Blackport first team has lost by a solitary goal at home, and Norton lays the blame at the feet of Nipper, blaming him for the lack of crowd support as all the fans went to watch him rather than the first team. 

Nipper reacts angrily, and as Norton yells he is suspended until further notice, Nipper retorts that suits him fine. Seeking refuge at Kerry's, Nipper tells her brother Stan that he is going on strike until Andy Stewart is back in charge. Stan sees an opportunity and asks Nipper that since he isn't playing for Blackport, could he please play for his amateur team on the weekend. It's an offer Nipper can't refuse, and he readily agrees. 

Arriving at the field, Nipper and Stan change under the trees. There is a group of the amateur team's supporters there, and they tell Nipper they won't be going easy on him just because he's a star. Nipper tells them he's more than ready for them and the game begins.

Nipper soon learns that the supporters are correct, and a burly opposition player barges him over early in the match. Nipper is still wondering what hit him when a shiny luxury car pulls up. We can't see who is in it, but we do hear that they have arrived intending to sign Nipper for Gatesfield. 

The problem for Nipper is that Clive Norton is just as stubborn and quick to anger as he is. Both characters are similar in this respect, and that is the root cause of their current conflict. I like that about the story, and I'm enjoying seeing the two butting heads. Part of me is hoping that Nipper does make the move to Gatefield, but we'll have to wait and see. Nipper's storylines always move fairly quickly and this was no exception, with quite a bit happening across two pages. My heart lifted when we saw Kerry, and this time we saw a little more of her home life with Nipper talking with her brother Stan. It filled out Nipper's world a little more and added a touch more realism to his storyline. No football, but plenty of drama, this was a big step forward in Nipper's battle with Clive Norton, and it should all come to a head in the next couple of weeks. I can't wait to see if Nipper continues on as a Blackport player, or if he will make a move.  

Rating: 7/10

Best line: "Why not? It's a game of footer, isn't it? And if old Norton finds out, he can't suspend me, because he's done that already! Ya-haaaaa!"

Billy's Boots

At the end of last week, Billy was concerned that he might not be named in the first team again now that Granger is returning from injury. He needn't have worried for Jimmy tells him that Mister Renton, the sports master, has put up the team for the next game and Billy is in. 

The next game is against Candale School, who currently sit at the top of the league. Gossiping with his friends, Billy learns that Candale's pitch is terrible and that it has a slope on it.

Billy is still thinking about this when he gets home, and as bad weather closes in on Friday evening, he heads home to read Dead-shot Keen's book to see if he ever faced anything similar. He had, although in his case he was playing on a water-logged pitch that was almost unplayable, even for a player of his high skill. Dead-shot survived the game, but the following week was in bed with a severe chill, a fact that set alarm bells ringing in Billy's mind. 

Game day arrives with bad weather and heavy rain. The Candale School pitch is covered in water, and after some debate, it is decided that the game can be played. On the pitch both teams struggle, especially Billy who has a terrible afternoon and spends most of the game falling into the water.    

With a minute left, Candale scores the winning goal. However Billy is too wet to care, and as expected is already beginning to show symptoms of a cold. And so it comes to pass, and when his Gran goes to raise him from his bed on Monday Billy is sick with a nasty cold. However, Billy denies it and is soon off to school despite his illness, hoping that he can still make the team for the Saturday cup game. 

 A predictable story and it ended as we all knew it would. On the way there we didn't get some exciting panels, and some nice artwork as Billy throughs himself into the game, and the water. I enjoyed the spectacle of it, and considering it is a story about a boy catching a cold, it was surprisingly thrilling. We also managed to get plenty of Billy's Gran into the story, something that always warms the pages and adds some depth to Billy's character. Here she was in top form, berating him for getting sick, while earlier she silently complained about Billy reading at the table. She is a treasure, and Billy is lucky to have her in his life. In fact, we are all lucky to have her, and I'm rating the story highly, based purely on her strong role.

Rating: 8/10

Best line: "You out to stay in bed, young man. You were coughing all night. You've caught a nasty cold!" 

Tallon Of The Track 

This week the mystery of the balalaika is finally solved. As Sven and Jo speak to the old Russian man in his hospital bed it seems like he is about to tell all, but they are interrupted just as he mentions the words 'stolen' and 'jewels'

Back at their hotel, Sven notices that the balalaika has a rattle to it, and pully it apart he finds a diamond necklace hidden in the instrument. Jo puts it all together quickly, explaining that the jewels must be stolen, and this is the perfect way of smuggling them out of the country. 

Deciding the best thing they can do is take them home, and hope they can catch the men behind it when they attempt to snatch the jewels, they board their plane and fly back to Heathrow, Sure enough, just after they pass through customs, a mystery man grabs the balalaika and makes a dash for it. He is fast, but Jo is faster, and pushing a luggage trolly at him, she knocks him over and retrieves the jewels. 

And that's all there is. No explanation of who the man is, or why he chose Jo and her team. Neither do find out the source of the stolen jewels, and the story ends on an unsatisfactory note. I would have liked just a line or two more to fill out the story, but it never came. We don't even know where the old man fits in the story. As I said last week, I have never taken to this storyline, and it is with some relief that I read the final line "A great new Jo Tallon story starts next week." I for one can't wait, and I'm immensely pleased that this overstretched Russian storyline has finally finished.   

Rating: 4/10

Best line: "And before he's deported, he can pay for this little lot! He's broken two strings on my guitar!"

Issue final ratings:

Overall: 6.5/10

Best Story: Billy's Boots

Best Line: "The times I've told that boy about reading at the table! It's like talking to a brick wall..."

Best Panel:

Roy's Sports Quiz: