Sorry I'm late. This week's blog post is a day late, and with the Euros starting this weekend I found I simply ran out of time. It's hard to squeeze in a few hours for this blog when there are fourteen hours of football to watch - especially when those fourteen hours are accompanied by beer and snacks. So today's blog comes saturated in football action, and a slight hangover from the weekend's events. It's going to be the same all month, so I shan't apologise in future, please accept that this blog will be a little average until this football storm has passed over and I'm back on an even keel. I'm sure you'll understand.
Tiger
26th July 1975
Roy Of The Rovers
After the kidnapping drama of last week, Roy has finally made it onto the field for the English team against France.
His warm-up was short and didn't go well, which carries on into the game. Roy just can't get his head into the game as he continues to worry about Jules and his nephew.
Come halftime, Jules still hasn't arrived at the ground and given Roy a signal that it's all gone OK. As Roy heads into the England dressing room he is hailed by one of the members of the French officials. Thinking that he may have news of Jules, Roy stops to talk to him, only to be dragged away by the angry England manager who is furious that Roy would dare to talk to the opposition at halftime.
The game resumes, and Roy is desperate to make amends. He narrowly misses one chance, but after seeing Jules arrive at the sideline for the French team his spirits are lifted. However, as Jules is subbed on for the French he ignores Roy, and Roy is still in the dark about the fate of Jules's nephew and his own position on the English team.
We had some great panels buried in this week's strip, although it never blossomed into the exciting storyline I thought it might have. The cover looked promising, and within the comic, we were treated to some good-looking on-field action. However, the story couldn't deliver on the promise of the artwork, and even with the English manager's rant, Roy never engaged with the reader. He really was in his own world, and I found I couldn't relate to him in this issue. Every time I ran into an exciting panel it was immediately undone by Roy's lack of focus, and I found I was more frustrated at Roy than at the comic. An uneven read, with just enough diamonds buried in the rough to make me want to come back and see the outcome.
Rating: 6/10
Best line: "Roy, what do you think this is...a garden party? You can't go around chatting with the opposition during an international match - not at halftime anyway!
Johnny Cougar
Johnny Cougar has taken a heavy fall after being tripped by the Golden Boy in the 200-metre race. Surveying the damage, Johnny tells the officials that his leg is badly hurt, but he will continue on.
It proves no hindrance in the following event, the long jump, which he wins easily. However, in the javelin, Golden Boy outthrows Cougar. With Cougar's leg getting worse, and Golden Boy only two points behind, it looks like the drama is only beginning in this competition.
Like last week, this was a smooth story that didn't contain a lot of drama. Johnny COugar won events, the Golden Boy won events, and I failed to get excited for either. We are told that Cougar is injured, but it doesn't seem to have affected his performance so far, and it doesn't feel like an important part of the story, In fact, a lot of this competition doesn't feel important, so far I haven't felt caught up in the drama of it. It is a frictionless read, and as much as I love looking at the characters and the sublime artwork, I still don't feel like this is an essential storyline in the current Tiger comic.
Rating: 6/10
Best line: "Gaaach! A fluke! The wind was against me, when I jumped"
Martin's Marvellous Mini
Tiny and Martin have a pile of bills and no money to pay them.
Tiny is repairing George, while Martin has an idea to enter him in a stock car race. Tiny is against the idea, but Martin wanders down to the stock car track for a look anyway.
As luck would have it, he meets a stock car driver who has injured himself in last week's race. He offers his car for Martin to drive, and in exchange, they will split any prize winnings 50/50.
Martin readily agrees, although when he returns to Tiny he finds that Tiny has also managed to find a money opportunity with an offer to tow someone's boat to the lake for fifty pounds.
Both events are on the same day, so they agree to split up and embark on their money-making ventures alone.
Tiny's boat towing scheme starts well, but soon he comes to a steep road that George can't handle towing the boat. Lacking power, they are soon sliding backwards, and the boat comes off - crashing into a tree.
Martin is also having his troubles at the track. His stock car takes several heavy blows, and when he responds in kind he finds his car crashing off the track and into the wire fence.
I like the idea of the two lads working separately to make money and both have their problems. In this case, each scheme is completely different from the other, with Martin fiercely competing against others, while Tiny is only competing against himself and the environment he finds himself in. It looks splendid on the page, and in particular, I was quite taken by the scenes at the race track. We have seen similar scenes before, but it is a great contrast to Tinys idyllic landscape, and the tension feels greater at the track - especially with the owner of the stock car yelling at Martin. His eyebrows alone are worth the price of admission, and I felt in the heat of the moment as he yelled instructions. There seems to be no easy resolution for the situations the boys find themselves in, and next week's issue is a must-read to see how they will get out of this one. Hopefully, it's not all swept away in the opening panels of next week's issue and we get good milage out of this storyline.
Rating: 8/10
Best line: "Phew, the sign said it was steep...but this is like trying to drive up the side of a wall!"
Tallon Of The Track
Great to see Tallon Of The Track earlier in the comic, rather than the final story which it always seems to have been of late.
Basil Oldfield wants to sign an arrogant young rider named Billy Bolton to the team, a move that Jo Tallon is dead against. Racing against Bolton in a cross-country scramble, Jo can see Bolton at the head of the field, where he is suspiciously opening a gate beside the track.
Jo can't understand why he is doing this, but it soon becomes clear as a bull emerges from the paddock and confronts Jo on the track. Jo tries to outride the bull, but unfortunately, the muddy conditions make this impossible and Jo finds herself at the end of the bull's horns and thrown into the fence.
Jo emerges unscathed, although her bike is crushed and she can no longer continue in the scramble. She makes her way back to the finish line, where Billy Bolton wins the race with ease.
This leads to one final confrontation with Jo in which Billy Boulton holds all the cards, revealing that he has already been offered a place on the Osprey's team despite Jo's objections.
I liked seeing Jo appear earlier in the comic, as I am often tired by the time we reach her story at the end of the comic. I didn't expect to enjoy this scramble as much as I did, and having Jo attacked by a bull was an angle I hadn't even considered when I picked up this week's issue. It made for some dynamic panels, and I only wish they were bigger on the page. The story accelerated throughout and we are moving quickly towards a larger confrontation. This scramble is a great start, and I can't wait to see how it will develop from here. Billy Bolton is proving to be a superb villainous foil to Jo, and every line he delivers is toxic and makes his character even more unlikable. The day when he gets his comeuppance will be well deserved, and I shall studiously keep reading until that day arrives.
Rating: 7/10
Best line: "Yikes! A dirty great bull! Bolton is trying to put me out of the race altogether!"
Skid Solo
After the drama of last week's British Gand Prix, Skid is still without a car, although Sandy is trying to get one sorted using the engine out of an American car.
Leaving Sandy to get on with the mechanical side of things, Skid takes Tommy for a driving lesson on the track. Over ten laps Tommy proves that he's a natural driver, and Skid is impressed by what he says. He tells Tommy that he is sure to pass his driving test the next day, and Tommy is confident as they return to the pits to check on Sandy.
Sandy still has a lot of work ahead of him, and after a long night, the car is ready for some testing. While Tommy heads off to sit his driving exam, Skid takes the new car out on the track to put it through its paces. It is fast, although he does have an issue with the aerofoil not being at the right angle, a problem that Sadn assures him will be fixed by the German Grand Prix.
The strip ends with a glum-faced Tommy returning to the team. He tells Skid that he didn't pass his driving exam as the examiner is sick with influenza. He'll have to wait until next week to pass his exam, an event that will coincide nicely with the German Grand Prix.
I'm not convinced that Skid would really take Tommy for a driving lesson in a race car on the track, but it still made for good reading. Tommy's future is well signposted, and seeing him as a natural driver is laying the groundwork for what we will see in the coming years. It was an improvement on the driving lesson we saw a couple of weeks ago, and even if I can't buy into the believability, at least it was better than leaving the Grand Prix to go for a driving lesson. Once again we see poor old Sandy dedicating himself to getting Skid's car ready. I don't know how much he gets paid, but it would never be enough for all the hours he gives Skid and his cars. No wonder he is always grumpy - he never seems to sleep and every time he gets Skid's car ready Skid manages to find a way to damage it. We have the German Grand Prix next week and with Skid in a fast car, and Tommy's final driving test, we should be turning the corner in this story and setting ourselves up for a speedy finish.
Rating: 6/10
Best line: "Howling cats! It's really motoring. This thing's got half as much acceleration again as my other cars!"
Billy's school is playing against Cranworth School, and they are finding the pitch to be virtually unplayable.
Billy ducks to avoid the first ball that angrily shoots off the pitch before he is hit in the shoulder a couple of deliveries later.
At the other end, Jimmy Dawson finds it easier going and begins to score freely. Billy has no such luck, and after a couple of near misses, he finds himself out as he tries to defend his head.
The rest of the team follows in Billy's wake, and they all struggle with the wild pitch. The team are all out for fifty-two runs, with Jimmy Dawson scoring thirty-nine.
The tables are turned as Cranworth bat, and Billy's fast bowling is highly effective on the unpredictable pitch. He grabs a couple of quick wickets, before having a chance for revenge at the bowler who had previously tormented him. Billy can't get him out, but the Cranworth player is run out in an attempt to avoid facing Billy again, and angry words are exchanged as he leaves the field.
Cranworth is bowled out, and Groundwood win by seven runs. Billy has claimed six wickets, and in the dressing room, he is the hero of the moment. However, as the team leave, Billy is the last left in the dressing room. Outside he can hear the Cranworth players waiting for him, and it looks like they are waiting to beat him up when he leaves.
This story appeals to the boy in me, and as Billy overhears what is awaiting him, I know exactly how he feels. This was another classic Billy's Boots story, with Billy coming good on the field, only for the story to turn and leave him once again facing problems. There are days when I don't enjoy such twists and turns, but this week I found it worked well, and I bought into the story without a second thought. The poor quality pitch was relatable and something I encountered often as a boy, as were the other boys waiting to beat Billy up. I still carry such traumas in my heart, and seeing Billy waiting in the dark was a tense moment that I shall hold onto all week until we reach the next issue.
Rating: 7.5/10
Best line: "Use your bat, chum...that's what you've got it for! That's what you told me!"
Nipper
Nipper is doing his best to protect young Roger Gifford from the fiery bowling of Typhoon Tuugey. He has done a fine job thus far, but now Roger is facing a furious Tuggey who is bowling at express pace.
The first ball hits Roger's bat, and Nipper calls for a quick single. This puts pressure on the fielders, leading to a collision and more threats.
As angry as he is, Tuggey just can't get the better of Nipper. Nipper doesn't know much about the next delivery, but he manages to hit it for six. This leads to a series of wild deliveries from Tuggey, some of which strike Nipper on the body, and despite this Nipper gains the upper hand as Tuggey loses control.
The upshot of all this is an easy victory for Nipper's team. In the dressing room, Mike Beatson congratulates Nipper, who tells him that it has come at a cost - Nipper's big toe is red and swallow and Nipper is already fearing for the football season.
Another cricketing story, although I did like that Nipper mentioned the football season in the final panel. This issue saw Nipper facing wild bowling, much as Billy Dane did in the story before, and one couldn't help but draw comparisons between the two. Perhaps a story in between these two cricket stories would have been better and given each story its own space and room to breathe. Of the two, I enjoyed Billy's Boots more. This is because of the relatability, and as much as Nipper is every young boy who has been an underdog, Billy is facing imminent danger from a threat we are all familiar with. Now that Nipper has alluded to the football season, I am beginning to wonder how far away that might be, and looking at the cover date I see we won't be getting too much more out of these cricketing stories. I am enjoying this story far more than expected, but I am happy to see the word football on the page, and I look forward to seeing Nipper return to his first love.
Rating: 7.5/10
Best line: "He gave me a rubbish full toss that time! Looks as if Typhoon is getting rattled!"
Hot Shot Hamish
Hamish is still in Austria with Princes Park and their three-match tour. Watching the Princes Park game on the TV back at the hotel, Hamish finds himself caught up in an all-in brawl with the locals.
He is saved by the outcome of the match, and as the referee blows full time it is a draw. With this result, all is forgiven between Hamish and his combatants.
The next day Prices Park takes a tour of a local castle. Several people comment that Hamish looks a lot like the former occupant of the castle - Baron Von Crumper.
As the tour moves on, Hamish takes a moment to sit alone in a great chair in the hall, only to find the chair tilting and dropping him into a secret underground stream. Soon he is washed out to a wider river, where he wades ashore much to the surprise of the local fishermen who mistake him for the original Baron Von Crumper.
A little silly, but compensated by some brilliant artwork. The sight of Hamish disappearing into the depths of the castle was noteworthy, as was the sight of him appearing in the river. All this comes on the back of the opening fight scene, and as much as the story failed to ignite anything within me, I still found the art to be emotive and compelling. More time at the castle would have been nice, but I feel that our time in Austria is coming to an end. We haven't seen Hamish kick a football for a couple of issues now, and a return to the football field is about due. Next week shall continue this Von Crumper story, but I didn't see too many legs in it, and I look forward to once again seeing Hamish's famous hot shot.
Rating: 6.5/10
Best line: "It-it's him! The- the ghost of Baron Von Crumper!"
Issue final ratings:
Overall: 7/10
Best Story: Martin's Marvellous Mini
Best Line: "It's no good, the bull is gaining fast! It's going to--"
Best Panel:
Roy's Sport's Quiz:
No comments:
Post a Comment