Tiger 31st May 1975

The following blog post was written in a football-funk post the Chelsea loss against Manchester City in today's F.A. Cup semifinal. That may explain why I love the cricketing stories in this week's comic while the football strips remain unloved. Funny how sports can affect one's mood, and even an afternoon's drinking with old friends has failed to lift my spirits. Still, this blog is about Tiger comic and not my feelings about football, and with that in mind here's this week's look back at the comic in 1975. 

Tiger

31st May 1975

Roy Of The Rovers

Evel Knievel is on the front cover of this week's comic in a quintessential 1970s moment, but I am far more interested in the stunts being pulled in Roy  Of The Rovers.

All talk is of the upcoming final of the European Cup Winners Cup, although we learn from a TV interview with Roy that the team they will be playing has yet to be decided in the other semi-final. 

That semi-final is between the Mighty Atletico and Niarkos, a bunch of Greek part-timers. Roy pitches his stall early, telling the TV crew that he expects Atletico to win. We see this thinking play out at the tactical sessions Roy runs, showing plenty of film on how he expects Atletico to play. 

With Roy preparing his team for the threat Atletico presents, there is little thought to the semi-final between Atletico and Niarkos. That changes on the last page of the strip as Roy is informed that Niarkos currently hold a three-one lead with only minutes left in the game. Roy rushes to a nearby TV as Atletico are about to take a penalty, a chance they need to score from to make the team's level on aggregate. 

A nice change of pace in this story as we saw no football action at all. Instead, the drama of the piece relied on Roy's choice to concentrate on Atletico for his coaching. This was a risky move and as we see in the final panel it may be the wrong decision by Roy. I enjoyed seeing the path forward for Rovers dictated by another game and another team. Usually, I would be disappointed not to see Rovers in action, but this is part of the wider story of Roy managing the team and as such I did appreciate why we were concentrating so much on a different game. It didn't reach the same heights as previous strips for drama, although there is just enough of a hook in the final panel to make me want to come back next week to see what happens. 

Rating: 6.5/10

Best line: "Roy, do you think it's wise to concentrate solely on Atletico? Suppose those Greeks manage to scrape through..." 

Martin's Marvellous Mini

The Scandinavian Rally has thrown up an odd situation for Tiny and Martin. Rival team manager, Mister Vedgic, has trapped them in a castle, and with the draw bridge up and locked their chances are rapidly fading. 

However, our two boys are resourceful and after bashing the winding gear with an old mace, they manage to get the draw bridge halfway down. It's enough for them to take a run at it, and in a moment worthy of Evel Knievel on the front cover, they use the draw bridge as a ramp and jump the moat. 

They survive the jump, although their Mini isn't so lucky and requires some urgent work on the suspension. While Tiny works through the night, Martin gets a good night's sleep. Come morning Tiny has finished his work and is asleep next to the car with a note around his neck telling Martin the car is OK to go. Tiny is still asleep as Martin straps him into the car, and Martin silently promises him that he'll do his best for him in an attempt to make up for the time they have lost. 

As usual for Martin's Marvellous Mini, this is a story of two halves. In the first half, we saw them face the obstacle of the castle and its locked draw bridge and this worked us into the position for the second half of the story as Tiny worked on the car. I enjoyed both parts of the story, The first part gave us some good action, and some great artwork as the car flew through the air. The second half brought to light the friendship between Tiny and Martin, and this was again reflected well in the artwork and the dialogue between the two. The final panel of Martin promising to do his best for Tiny was a highlight for me. It was warm and showed some feeling while promising more action in next week's issue. A lovely way to finish the strip, and I am completely sold on the story. 

Rating: 8/10

Best line: "That's a job for you, old buddy...when we get to the night-stop! We can't be far away!"

Johnny Cougar

Johnny and a police officer are in pursuit of a kidnapper when both vehicles suddenly face a head-on crash with a lorry. 

While Johnny and the police officer swerve to the right, the kidnappers swerve to the left, and both cars crash through the barriers at fifty miles an hour. While Baxter, the kidnapper, crashes into a barn, Johnny and the policeman are far more lucky and crash into a haystack. 

Johnny and the policeman run towards the other car as the two crooks pull their pistols for a fight. They needn't have bothered as Johnny and the law is swiftly upon the car and slam the doors shut on the kidnapper's hands, forcing them to drop the guns. 

From here it becomes a brawl, and there can only be one winner in such situations. While the policeman punches out one kidnapper, Johnny deals with the other with a quick chop, followed by a hammerlock move. 

With the kidnappers captured, all attention turns to the school teacher Mister Mitchell who was snatched by the crooks. Here the story takes a massive swerve, as we find Mister Mitchell has vanished. Baxter quickly tells Johnny that it was Mister Mitchell's evidence that had Baxter convicted, but what no one knew at the time was that Mitchell was involved with the bank raid and he was the one that got away with all the money.

Johnny is shocked and asks why Baxter didn't say this earlier, only for Baxter to tell him that he wanted a chance to catch Mitchell himself and get what's left of the money - but now it's too late and Mitchell has got away. 

A fantastic swerve at the end of the story, and just as it looked like the story was coming to an end it reignited with this new information coming to light. It added a bit of interest to a story that otherwise was playing to all the tropes of Johnny versus the bad guys. This story was well served by the artwork, and we had an array of close-ups of the faces of the characters involved, each adding to the layers of the story being told and saying just as much as the dialogue. The car action looked great, the fighting scenes were hard-hitting, and the final panels with the reveal were all superb parts of the story being spun, making for a solid issue that delivered several memorable images that will stick with me until next week's edition. 

Rating: 8.5/10

Best line: "By Manitou...you drive heap well!"

Tallon Of The Track

Jo Tallon and Dave Trent have stopped for the night in their cross-county race against Miles Guthrie, while Guthrie has continued on with lights attached to his bike. 

Jo decides that they should press on too, and sets off at slow speed while waiting for the moon to rise in two hours. Reaching the top of the mountain just as the moon rises, Jo opens the throttle and roars off into the night. 

Unfortunately, they have an encounter with a log lying across the road, and the front wheel is buckled beyond repair. However, they find shelter at a farm at the foot of the valley where they also find a solution to their problem. An old bike in the barn gives Jo the parts they need to fix their wheel and the final panel has Jo excited at the prospect of a fighting chance. 

I wasn't as excited as Jo by the story, although I have nothing but praise for the art. It looked fantastic, and the image of Jo and Dave tumbling over the log was a highlight. Close behind was the panel of them thundering down the mountain. It captured the speed and thrill of the moment, and I felt my enthusiasm rise just at the sight of it. We didn't see the team that Jo and Dave were racing against, and this story was about them against the elements. Fortuitously the writer planted a bike in the barn of the farm they chanced across, and another time I may have rolled my eyes at such a moment. Not this time, such was my hangover of joy from the previous images of the bike coming down the mountain. The art was the driving factor of my overall feeling for the strip, and like Johnny Cougar previously, it said more to me than any words on the page. 

Rating: 7/10

Best line: "Same here, Dave! My fingers have been itching to open this throttle, so hang on! 

Skid Solo

The sight of Tommy loading a kayak onto a car and about to go to the river immediately tells us what this week's story will be all about. 

Being the sensible man that he is, Skid tells Tommy that kayaking is dangerous and that he should be extra careful. 

Driving to the track with Sandy, Skid expands his earlier thoughts, again reiterating how dangerous kayaking can be. Sandy scoffs at this and encourages Skid to try kayaking himself after the practice. Skid says he will come to watch Sandy try, but there's no way that he'll try it himself. 

Reaching the river, an instructor takes Skid aside to show him some basics, while Sandy says he'll be along in a minute, just as soon as he has a look at a couple of things himself. 

Before he knows it, Skid is out on the water, and soon he is caught in a fast stretch of water. Navigating some rapids, he decides that's enough for him, and he waits on the banks of the river for Sandy to come down. Ten minutes later Sandy does appear, but not on the river, instead walking on the bank towards Skid. 

He tells Skid that on second thoughts the river did look too dangerous to try and he changed his mind. Skid is taken aback by this, and the two drive back to their hotel. There Skid gets another surprise, Tommy has returned and the kayaks are smashed up. Skid asks what happened, and Tommy tells them that they never actually got to try kayaking - the kayaks fell off the roof of the car as they were going to the river. He adds that it is just as well too, for once he saw the river he decided it was much too dangerous. 

We finish the strip with Skid saying he was the one telling them all that it was too dangerous but was the only one who actually did it. 

A similar story to last week, and a story that didn't involve racing, I wasn't so fussed by this week's edition of Skid Solo. The drama was weak, and the usual snappy dialogue between the friends was lacking. We didn't even get some good lines out of Sandy, usually, the first character to deliver something clever or fun. The story was gently paced and felt more like a Dad and his sons having a family outing rather than a team of testosterone-fueled racing drivers trying an adventure sport. Skid Solo belongs in a racing car, not a kayak, and this wasn't the type of story I wanted to read this week. Another time it may have been passable, but it was weak in too many departments and left me cold. 

Rating: 4/10

Best line: "This canoeing lark sounds dodgy, Sandy, They don't do it in a pond...they almost do it down a waterfall!"

Hot Shot Hamish

About to be subbed off in his first international game for Scotland, Hamish is determined to put in one final shot before he goes,

Beating a player, Hamish dribbles the ball into the Borania penalty area where he unleashes the hot shot. It's a sensational goal for the big man, but unfortunately his shot not only bursts the net, it also strikes the bottom of one of the floodlight towers. The tower topples over and crashes onto the pitch, and the game is duly abandoned by the referee.

It's an inauspicious end to Hamish's first international, and with the season over Hamish and Willie travel back to Hamish's home island. Of course, they arrive to find trouble between Hamish's Daddie and one of the other men on the island. The Island games are about to begin, and Big John is taking part. The problem for Hamish's Daddie is that Big John is from the mainland, although the rules state that if you have lived on the island for a month you can participate in the games, and Big John meets this criteria. 

Things come to a head, and we finish the strip with Bg John dropping Hamish's Daddie in the water, and Hamish steaming in for revenge. 

I feel sorry for Hamish and the way his first game for Scotland ended. It would have been nice to see a full game, but I guess the writer had his reason for wrapping it up quickly. We have seen towers collapse before in the face of Hamish's hot shot, so I wasn't too surprised with what we saw here. Likewise, Hamish's Daddie causing trouble was no surprise and completely fitting with all that has come before. The story almost writes itself from here, and although I am disappointed with the football story this week, the thought of Hamish competing against Big John at the island games offers plenty of opportunities to see Hamish at his physical best, no doubt with a healthy dose of humour thrown in. Overall, disappointed with this issue, but the future looks bright and I look forward to next week. 

Rating: 6/10

Best line: "Yon goalie saved ma last hot-shot. But he'll no' save this one!"

Billy's Boots

After beating Moreton School at cricket, Billy and his Groundswood team must now face the wrath of the Moreton boys. The Groundswood team are pelted with eggs as they exit the pavilion, and they beat a hasty retreat. 

Billy has the idea of fighting off the Moreton boys by kicking footballs at them, and behind a barrage of footballs, the Groundswood team escape the grounds. However, the Moreton School headmaster has seen them and decides to ring the Groundswood headmaster. 

There is trouble for Billy and the team when they return to school, the headmaster has decided they must all stay behind after school as punishment. However, the sports master is sympathetic to their plight, and aware of the eggs incident, and tells them they will all stay behind - and practice cricket. 

The rest of the issue reads like Billy's Sports tips that will appear in later years in Tiger. Jimmy Dawson runs through some batting tips with Billy, as well as offering a training idea that can help with their skills. By the end of the week, Jimmy feels Billy has improved with the bat and recommends to the sport master that Billy opens the batting with Jimmy. Walking to the crease in the next match, Jimmy tells Billy that he'll keep Billy away from the strike as much as possible as the opening bowler is supposed to be one of the fastest in the country. All Billy can do is hope that Dead-shot's boots will help him.

A strong episode, with problems for Billy both on and off the field. Again it plugs into the world of a young boy navigating his way through school and the issues encountered with other boys and teachers. Every action has a consequence, and this played out in a schoolboy drama that was instantly relatable. This cricket story is proving just as intriguing as the football season that has just finished, and already I am well and truly hooked by the storylines thrown up. Next week should present just as many problems for Billy, and if the artwork continues to match the story for intensity I shall be very happy indeed. 

Rating: 8/10

Best line: "Gosh, I hope I'm good enough!" 

Nipper

We start fresh with this week's Nipper story. A sedate beginning sees Nipper strolling towards the nets where Mike Bateson is taking part in a practice session for the professional cricket team, Grove Lane. 

Nipper is expecting a trial, but despite what Mike said earlier, there is no trial to be had. Things deteriorate as the Grove Lane team instantly dislikes Nipper, and they talk down to him from the start. 

This aggravates Nipper, who picks up a ball to bowl in the nets. The batter he is bowling against isn't ready, and when Nipper strikes him on the elbow, the rest of the cricket team is incensed. 

As Mike criticises him, Nipper realises that Mike is ashamed of him. Nipper accuses Mike of worrying too much about this reputation and his toffee-nosed club. Angrily Nipper leaves for home, where he finds a pile of letters in his mailbox. 

Nipper has been advertising for work in the local newspaper and is now inundated with work. His first call is to an imposing house named Gifford Grange. Here the maid sends him around the back, where there is a large pile of rubbish that Nipper can have for ten pounds. Nipper pays up and begins to load the goods onto his bike. As his dog Stumpy scrambles to get out of the way, he knocks over a box which Nipper has loaded on the bike, exposing a case of gold coins. Nipper is excited by the find and the fact that they were sold to him for merely ten pounds. 

I think I see where this is going, and expect to see some trouble with the law next week in a case of mistaken intentions. Nipper may be excited now, but I can't see this ending well. The drama with the cricket that started the strip is simmering away nicely, and the best panels of this week's strip involved the Grove Lane team and their attitude toward Nipper. The way they looked down on him and spoke to him was beautifully captured, and I felt uncomfortable on Nipper's behalf through these panels. Mike's discomfort was tangible, and it is a credit to both the writer and the artist in the way this played out. There was much to like here, and with two threads of the story building up, this is another storyline with an upward trajectory.  

Rating: 8/10

Best line: "Great Scott, Bateson! Surely this little...urchin, isn't a friend of yours?" 

Issue final ratings:

Overall: 7/10

Best Story: Johnny Cougar

Best Line: "As for giving him a trail for the 'Grove', we've already hired someone to sweep out the pavilion!" 

Best Panel:

Roy's Sports Quiz: