Tiger 7th June 1975

The leaves are turning brown here and the days getting shorter, while on the pages of Tiger in 1975 we are entering summer and the cricket season. With Nipper donning the whites and Billy Dane pulling on Dead-shot Keen's cricket boots we are nicely working towards several months of summer sports, and although I love football I am quite looking forward to it. We also have Tallon Of Track wrapping up her adventures against Miles Guthrie with a suitable climax. A new adventure for Jo next week, and I wonder where could possibly go from here. Time will tell, but for now, I am deeply immersed in this issue and all the drama within.  

Tiger

7th June 1975

Roy Of The Rovers

Rover's opponents in the Cup Winner Cup final hinge on the outcome of the game between Niarkos and Atletico. Roy has prepared his team to face Atletico, but they are on the verge of losing to tiny Niarkos. With Atletico awarded a last-minute penalty, all Roy can do is watch on and hope they score. 

The penalty misses, and Niarkos are through. This is a disaster for Roy, leaving his preparations in disarray. Scrambling to find information on Niarkos, he speaks to some of the English managers who played against them earlier in the season, but none can provide any information. It's the same story with the sports writers Roy turns to, they haven't bothered to research the team and they too know very little about them.

Arriving at Hampden Park for the final, Rovers find crowds of Niarko fans have made the journey to see their team. This gives Roy an idea, and he engages the chanting fans, fishing for information about what makes Niarkos so special.

Half an hour later, Roy runs into the dressing room and tells all he has learnt. If this will be enough, we will have to wait until next week to find out as the strip ends with the teams running onto the field. 

If Rovers lose this it may cost Roy his job, and deservedly so say I based on his poor decisions in the build-up to the game. The look on Roy's face while he watched the drama of the semi-final playing out said it all, and it gave the reader a good sense of his despair. Always positive though, Roy may have gotten out of jail with the final panels and his on-the-spot research, and this is enough of a hook to leave me feeling relatively satisfied with the story. Little football action is made up for by some fantastic artwork, especially the character's faces which carrier the drama. Great to look at, and even if I didn't care for the latter part of the story, there was still enough there for me to care about the characters.

Rating: 7/10

Best line: "From the noise you're making, you chaps sound pretty confident! But what's so special about Niarkos?"

Skid Solo

An eye-catching start to Skid Solo with an upside-down car flying towards the pits in a spectacular crash. 

Apart from the car in midair, the other thing in the panel that catches my eye is Sandy wearing a Tam o’ Shanter, and both these images will play a big part in the story to come.

The car crashes into the pits. Tommy heroically pulls the driver from the fiery wreck, while Sandy is injured by some of the wreckage. 

Sandy knows that if Skid senses something is wrong he will pull into the pits. Putting a brave face, Sandy grimly stands at the rail with the sign for Skid, telling him everything is OK. 

Shortly after Skid sees the sign, Sandy collapses and is taken to hospital. Tommy, not wanting to upset Skid on the track, steps up to the role. Donning Sandy's  Tam o’ Shanter, he keeps Skid informed of his race position, while keeping his face hidden behind the board and only showing Sandy's cap.

This ruse works, and Skid speeds to victory, unaware of all the drama behind the scenes. After taking the checkered flag Skid pulls into the pits where he learns what has happened to Sandy. 

A quick dash to the hospital and we have a happy conclusion. Skid has won the race, Sandy is in a cast but otherwise OK, and Tommy is awarded a medal for bravery.

A solid story from start to finish, and I knew this would be a good one from the first panel. I was wondering why Sandy was wearing a  Tam o’ Shanter, it was quite noticeable, and it played a strong part in the story. Tommy has had quite an introduction to the world of Skid Solo, and although he's only been with us a few months, he has already been the hero of the piece several times. This was an unusual story. Skid won the race, and there was a spectacular crash, but for all that most of the drama took place off the track and centred on Sandy and Tommy. The story was richer for this, and although I am a big fan of the cars on the track, it was again the comradery between the three main characters that kept me reading closely. 

Rating: 8.5/10

Best line: "Sandy's in hospital. Skid...he was hurt in that crash. I--I kept it from you. Sandy wanted it that way..."

Martin's Marvellous Mini

Although in fourth place behind three Ravnian cars, Tiny and Martin are making up for lost time in the Scandinavian rally, and already have the Ravnian team in sight.

The third of the Ravnian cars tries to block them from passing, but some off-track driving by Martin has the mini moving into third place, although not without a cost. As the car swerves back onto the track it hits a glass bottle, puncturing a tyre. 

The puncture is slow, and it's not until Tiny and Martin reach a village that it really comes into play. The tyre bursts, and the pair crash into a vegetable stall. Luckily no one is hurt, and with the help of one of the large local chaps, they soon have the tyre changed and are pointed in the direction of a shortcut. We finish with the boys driving down this shortcut, worried that the drop is very steep and wondering if this was a good idea. 

Superb action, and seeing the mini get by one of the Ravnian team was a highlight for the story and in the artwork. Their chief nemesis Mister Vedgic only played a small role this week, and most of the action revolved around the car racing. On this front, it delivered in spades, and the artwork was excellent in capturing all the action. We had a good mix of intensity and out-and-out action, perhaps best captured when the mini sideswiped the vegetable stand. The look of Tiny and Martin's faces spoke volumes, while the flying vegetables were visually stimulating and added to the vibrancy of the strip. I often comment on the artwork of Martin's marvellous Mini, and this particular story was a good example of why I hold it in such high regard, 

Rating: 8/10

Best line: "It is a little bit downhill..yes? But it goes up again in the end! It is a very quick way!"

Johnny Cougar

It looked like this Johnny Cougar story was almost done, with the kidnappers caught and Mister Mitchell free. However, a surprise twist in the last issue has revealed that Mister Mitchell is also one of the villains, and now Johnny must catch him too. 

Using his tracking ability, Johnny pursues Mitchell through the woods. Mitchell catches him off guard, jumping out of one of the trees and hitting Johnny with a double-footed kick.

From here it becomes a typical Johny Cougar fight, and after a page of back and forth, Johnny wins with his patented forearm smash.

All that remains is for the final wrap-up as Johnny returns to the school and tells the three boys who asked for his help all that has happened. They are surprised but upbeat as we finish the story of the three watching Johnny win by knockout in a wrestling match. 

There wasn't much to this story, and although there was some crunching fighting action, it was a downbeat finish. Still, I rated it highly on the look of the strip alone and found it an enjoyable read without becoming overly exciting or challenging. I always have such high expectations for Johnny Cougar, and sometimes I forget that even when it doesn't achieve its high standard, it is still better than most. This is one of those occasions. It only suffers in comparison to itself, and any other day this would be rated highly. A new adventure next week gives us a fresh start, and with this story running an issue too long for liking, I look forward to seeing what fresh challenge Johnny faces next.     

Rating: 7/10

Best line: "Broken twig show man go this way. Grass still bent over...Mitchell only just ahead..." 

Hot Shot Hamish 

Hamish has returned to his home island where he has entered the island games - competing against a stranger known as Big John. The rivalry is intense from the start as Big John throws Hamish's Daddie into the sea. 

Hamish has revenge on his mind as the games begin. The games consist of four events - cross-country running, caber-tossing, boxing and golf. The first event is the cross-country run, and as the race begins it's all between Hamish and Big John, none of the other competitors has a chance. 

Hamish's Daddie takes to a bike to act as a pacemaker, and soon Hamish is far ahead of the pack. Coming over the hill they see that Boig John also has a pacemaker, although in this case, Big John is riding on the back of the bike. 

Fighting fire with fire, Hamish jumps on the back of his Daddies bike and soon the pair are zooming downhill in an attempt to catch up. 

Coming around a bend, they find that Big John has blocked the road with a boulder, and taking evasive action Hamish and his Dadiie swerve off the cliff and into the sea. However, this plays in their favour as they come ashore and take a shortcut along the beach, arriving at the finish line far ahead of Big John. 

Big John furiously shakes his fist at Hamish as he crosses the line, promising to tear Hamish to pieces in the boxing match the next day. 

Not a football in sight, but highly enjoyable from start to finish., Plenty of humour on display here and none of it was silly or over the top. It was all part of the story being spun and gave the characters some depth as they competed in the race. I didn't expect a run to deliver as much excitement as it did, and we were treated to some impressive panels as Hamish and his Daddie took to the bike and around the cliff edges. The art has returned to its previous heights after a quiet couple of weeks, and although the previous football story wasn't as rich as I thought it could be, this one is more than making up for it. Next week's boxing match has the potential to be even better and I can't wait. 

Rating: 8.5/10

Best line: "Hey, Daddie - Big John's having a lift on the mon's bike!"

Nipper

Nipper has started his new part-time job as a dealer and discovered a case of coins accidentally given to him at his first call. Nipper is honest, and thinking of the trouble the poor maid would be in for giving him the coins, returns them to the wealthy owner, Sir Henry Gifford. 

Sir Henry is most grateful to Nipper for returning them and asks if there is anything he can do to show his appreciation. At first, Nipper says no, but then he recognises that Sir Henry is the honorary secretary of the Grove cricket club, where he was denied a trial last week. 

He has Sir Henry pull a few strings, and come Wednesday Nipper is on the team sheet. The team are surprised when Nipper appears from Sir Henry's car, and aghast at what has happened. 

Nipper looks scruffy and plays with a taped-up bat, a look the team doesn't approve of. Sir Henry may have requested that Nipper be put on the team sheet, but the team still finds a way to deal with this unwanted interloper, and Nipper is disappointed to see his name last on the batting order. 

A very nice surprise here to find the gold coins storyline intersecting with the cricket storyline. I really thought Nipper was going to be falsely accused of stealing the coins, so I was most pleased to see the story swing the other way and Nipper find a way into the team. This is shaping up to be a fish-out-of-water storyline and Nipper will only fit in by proving his worth on the field. That looks difficult from this position, and next week should give the story plenty of time to show Nipper at his sporting best. There is still plenty of friction between all involved to be had, and with a mix of sporting action and conflict within the team, the story is shaping up nicely to carry us for the next few weeks. 

Rating: 7.5/10

Best line: "Great scott, lad, the Gifford collection is worth thousands! What can I do to show my appreciation?" 

Billy's Boots

Billy and Jimmy are opening the batting in their second school game, and with an expert bowler steaming in Jimmy tells Billy that he will shield him from the strike. 

Scoring in twos and fours, with a single at the end of the overs, Jimmy is doing a good job of hogging the strike, although Billy is frustrated as half an hour passes before he faces a ball. 

Jimmy needn't have bothered protecting Billy as Billy is in fine form - scoring a quickfire eighteen runs off the fast bowler. He isn't as good against a spin bowler though, and is out first ball when the new bowler takes over. 

While his Groundwood team continues their innings, Billy and Jimmy find a football game taking place just over the wall from the cricket pitch. The pair can't help themselves and are soon involved in the game. Billy is surprised to find himself playing well without his old boots, and he and Jimmy earn the respect of the guys they are playing with. So much so, that one of the players tells them to talk to their manager as he is always looking for new talent for the youth side. 

All this goodwill is punctured by the furious sportsmaster who appears at the top of the wall. He angrily tells Billy and Jimmy that the team are all out, and they are waiting for the two of them so they can start fielding. 

Another great episode of Billy's Boots, and having both football and cricket in the same issue appealed to the sporting side of me. Billy playing football well without his boots was surprising and added some intrigue to a straightforward story. He played well in both sports this week, and we had a nice balance as his Achilles heel against the spin bowler was revealed. The sports looked clean on the page, and my eye raced across the panels featuring sporting action. As good as that was, it was the angry sportsmaster that stole the show for me. As I read the final panel I was right in the moment with Billy and Jimmy, it was a familiar page from my own history, and instantly relatable even forty years later. A splendid way to end the strip, and I can still hear the sportsmaster's voice ringing in my ears as I turn the page to Tallon Of The Track. 

Rating: 8/10

Best line: "I think you ought to get back on the cricket field! Groundwood are all out, you know...and we're waiting for you two to start fielding!" 

Tallon Of The Track

Jo and Dave are in the midst of a cross-country race when their bike has let them down with a broken front wheel. Fortuitously they have found an old bike in a shed, and using it for parts Dave makes a running repair. 

With ten miles to go, they are back in the race and as they belt down the track they can see Miles Guthrie and his co-rider taking a rest.

Jo and Dave roar past, and although Guthrie gets back on the bike Jo already has a handy lead on him. However, there is one final twist as they approach the finish line. The front tyre gives out, and Jo and Dave desperately push their bike toward the finish line. They just make it, and they beat Guthrie by a whisker. 

Guthrie is impressed by Jo's never-give-up attitude. He proves to be a man of his word, and conceding defeat he agrees not to sell the Ospreys Speedway stadium. Furthermore, he offers his full support to the club. The story ends with all of them back at the speedway track, with Miles Guthrie taking the club chairman, Basil Oldfield, aside to explain all that has happened.

The last page of the story was anti-climatic, although I immensely enjoyed all that came before that. I was expecting perhaps one or two more twists in the race and perhaps another week's worth of racing. Alas, it wasn't to be and we ended with the bike being pushed across the line. It was dramatic, just not as dramatic as it could have been. Another few panels showing the struggles with the patched-up bike would have been good to further build the tension, and there was certainly time to do that. Still, this has been a worthy adventure for Jo, and the world is our oyster with a new adventure for her next week. 

Rating: 8/10

Best line: "Step aside, Yank! Over here in Britain we never say die! Now catch us if you can!"  

Issue final ratings:

Overall: 7/10

Best Story: Hot Shot Hamish

Best Line: "They've diddled us, Daddie! We've had it!" 

Best Panel:

Roy's Sports Quiz: