Tiger 23rd August 1975

Twenty-four hours until the final of the Euros 2024, and here I am reading comics from fifty years ago. Living in the moment I am not. The older I get, the more I appreciate the craftsmanship of these comics that I used to read and then throw aside as a kid. I never once gave a thought to the creators at the time of reading them, but now that's all I think about. The hard work of the writers and artists to produce week after week, the people behind the scenes involved with the printing and distribution, all of it a huge operation that I was completely oblivious to when I was a child. I just liked the football stories. I still do like the football stories, but now I can see the extra depth to them, the people behind the crafting of them, and how the stories unfold week after week. It all looks like a lot of hard work, but work that has brought joy to thousands around the world, and still continues to do so fifty years on.      

Tiger

23rd August 1975

Roy Of The Rovers

It is the first game of the season for Melchester Rovers, and Ralph Derry has gone down with what looks like a broken leg. Roy's worst fears are realised as Taffy confirms that it is broken, and as Ralph Derry is stretched off, Gary Fane comes on as a substitute. 

Rovers slowly fight their way back into the match, and after a series of corners, Roy manages to score from close range. 

Gary Fane is playing well, but is a little too keen and gives away a bad foul that brings a rebuke from Roy. Things get worse for the substitute, and in a panicked moment, he accidentally scores an own goal. 

Scores are now level, although the game is far from over. Another attack from Rovers sees Jimmy Slade cut down in the box and a penalty is awarded. Roy steps forward to take it, knowing that the team needs him to score to not only win the game but to also break this bad luck jinx. 

A grim front page of this week's issue, with Ralph Derry lying prone with a broken leg. It gave me traumatic flashbacks to when I was thirteen and my teammate Phillip broke his leg during a game. I still recall the frightful crack as he went down and his cries of distress. Ralph Derry is made of sterner stuff, and although covering his face, seems to be taking Taffy's treatment rather well. The rest of the story progresses well after this shocking cover, and what happens within the pages is both relatable and believable. Seeing an enthusiastic reserve making mistakes is something we have all seen before, and it was covered well in the comic. It gave some great action panels, and the footballing was to the fore for the rest of the strip. This is always welcome, and as I have said many times, Roy Of The Rovers is at its best when it sticks to football. A good way to open up this week's issue, and with all my favourite stories to follow we should be in for a treat. 

Rating: 7.5/10

Best line: "Forget it! You've made a hash of things, and you know it! Now start grafting! It's not the end of the world!"

Billy's Boots

Billy has had himself a day, overachieving on the cricket pitch and then cleaning up at the fairground afterwards. Returning to his Gran with a haul of prizes he relates his adventures and she is delighted to hear how well he has been going. 

The next day Billy arranges to meet his friend Dave at the beach at 10am. However, Dave fails to show up on time, and Billy is concerned for his new friend. He needn't have worried, for Dave eventually shows up and has some good news to share. The reason he is late is that a man from the local cricket club has been around and asked if he and Billy could play in the cup final that afternoon.  

Billy accepts and over lunch, he tells his Gran and invites her too. At the ground, a large crowd has gathered to watch the final, and with expectations high of another good performance from the two boys the team is confident.

Billy asks his Gran if she has his boots, and she tells him that she thought he had them. Before Billy has time to dwell on this he is told to prepare to bat immediately. Billy is worried that he will not be able to perform without his boots, and so it proves as first his friend is out for a duck, and then Billy follows him a few balls later, also without scoring a run. 

Although Dave is confident they can make amends when it's their turn to bowl. Billy isn't so sure and is worried that without his boots this match will be an embarrassing failure. 

A Gran-heavy issue this week, and the story gets a real boost with her appearance on every page. Her pride in Billy is evident on the page and makes the stakes even higher as he looks like failing in the second half of the comic. There is a love between her and Billy which the artist manages to convey on the page, and the story resonates deeply with this relationship given the time that it deserves. The first half of the story did a fine job of setting up what was to come, and the payoff over the page as Billy and Dave took to the pitch was worth it. Again, the artist deserves full credit here as we see some scintillating cricketing action, and it felt as real as it looked. This seaside storyline with Billy and his Gran is coming up trumps, and next week I'm sure we'll see more of the same. 

Rating: 7/10

Best line: "That's my grandson, Billy Dane..."

Martin's Marvellous Mini 

The two lads are preparing to jump over six cars while towing Martin's father's caravan. The first trial works well, with the inflated airbags in the caravan lifting across the jump. However, they do clip the final car as they land, giving Martin several more worry lines. 

The day of the stunt arrives, and the two friends are happy to see a large crowd has turned up. The owner of the fairground is also very happy and tells them that he will give them a bonus of ten pounds in their wages.

Martin still has concerns about the caravan, and with Tiny he makes it clear to the man inflating the bags that he wants extra pumped in, just in case. 

The stunt starts well, and they make a good take-off from the ramp. However, things are going too well, and the caravan is practically floating behind the car. This leaves the pair in peril as we see them in the final panel, their car dangling under the caravan which has now taken off like a giant balloon. 

A great issue that could have come across as silly but instead was a lot of fun. The images of the car floating beneath the caravan were brilliant and the most memorable of the entire comic. It is very rare that I laugh out loud, but I did twice on the second page of the strip, and the smile stayed on my face for a long time after. We have seen the two lads get themselves into some strange situations in the past, and of all of those, this is perhaps the strangest. The images produced from these moments are eye-catching and humourous while pushing me forward to read on. Some may dismiss this all as being unbelievable. I choose to enjoy it for what it is, a highly funny story that at once has me feeling for the two main characters while laughing at their predicament. 

Rating: 8.5/10

Best line: "Oh no! We're floating! There's too much pressure in the airbags!"

Hot Shot Hamish 

Sadly the former star of Princes Park has now been relegated to the reserves. It is not a happy time for Hamish Balfour as we see him pouring all his efforts into getting better, faster, and stronger. 

The day of the game arrives, and Hamish trudges past the crowds at Princes Park on his way to the reserve game at Hollypark. At Hollypark he finds there are no crowds waiting to watch them play, and the manager of the reserves team tells him that nobody ever bothers to watch the reserves game. 

As the only member of the team with first-team experience, the manager tells Hamish that it is up to him to help the youngsters. Hamish nods in assent, and soon on the field, an exciting young player catches his eye. This player dribbles by several players before the opposing side chops him down with a heavy tackle. 

Hamish is incensed by this rough play, and threatens the Hollypark player, earning himself a booking and a stern telling off from the referee. However, in the dressing room, the mood is buoyant as the players hear that the first team is losing two-nil. 

If the first team lose, there is every chance that the manager will make changes. This offers a slim chance for some of the reserve players, and as they return to the field their only thought is to beat Hollypark and earn a place in the first team. 

Not quite as good as last week, although we still had the artwork carrying the load. In particular, the panels of Hamish doing his training are essential, and hold an unspoken humour that lifts the strip above its heavier storyline. We didn't get a lot of football this week, with only half a page, yet it retained all the key elements I have come to appreciate. Spindle-legged footballers being cut down by barrel-chested players who look like they should be playing rugby rather than football, while Hamish retains his innocent nature as he tries to protect his players. It was all spot on, and my only complaint was that there wasn't more of it. The story didn't reach the same heights as the artwork, and it did feel rather flat in comparison to other issues of Hot Shot Hamish I have read. A strong issue next week could easily rectify this, and I look forward to seeing if Hamish can regain his place in the first team. 

Rating: 6.5/10

Best line: "Ye're booked, Hamish. A mon o' yere experience should know better than to raise a hand."

Skid Solo

Skid has decided he needs a holiday before the next Grand Prix in Italy. With this in mind, he and his team are on the back of donkeys and approaching a village high in the Italian Alps. 

The village is so high up in the mountains that there are no cars at all, and for the next few days, Skid has a complete break from racing. Speaking to one of the old men from the village he learns some history of the region, and in particular a story from the Second World War. During the war, the Nazis came to the village. The local men wanted to put up a fight, but they only had one old car and one old cannon. Using the car to haul the cannon further up the mountain they were able to fire a lucky shot from the cannon into the cliffs above the Germans, collapsing the cliff and killing the invaders,

Skid is still pondering this story when a woman emerges from a nearby house with a medical emergency and a baby in her arms. The baby needs to get to the hospital, and fast. Thinking quickly, Skid asks if the old car that was mentioned in the war story is still in the village. he is told that yes, it is, and soon Skid is aboard the rusty old vehicle with Tommy and the baby next to him. 

They make a dramatic drive down the narrow roads, before eventually lowering the car over a cliff edge by rope. From here it is a death-defying drop and drive by Skid until they reach the main road. Once again Skid has saved the day, and the baby makes it to the hospital in time. 

The strip rounds out with Skid telling Sandy and Tommy that the car was ruined but he has replaced it with a new one. This new car is being taken to the village piece by piece on the backs of donkeys and reassembled in the garage there. Tommy wonders why they would need a car at all, given there is nowhere to drive, and Skid tells him that after his intervention, they decided they needed a car for emergencies. It's Sandy who gets the final word, saying it's all very well having a car, but where will they get a world champion to drive it should such an event occur again. Skid points out that it is luck that they rely on, and they have been very lucky twice now. 

For a brief moment, I felt like I was reading another comic entirely. A portion of this story read more like the Battle comic that I used to read, and I must admit, I quite liked seeing it here. With the distinct style of the Skid Solo artist turned to a war setting, the page came alive, and I was reinvigorated by this brief war story popping up in the middle of a Skid Solo strip. The rest of the strip wasn't as good as the war scene, and a lot of that had to do with the story of Skid driving the baby to the hospital. It didn't feel as important or thrilling as the war scene we had just seen, and it paled in comparison. The story peaked too soon, with the art too good early on for what was to follow. It felt uneven, and although I found it overall enjoyable, there were a couple of moments where I dropped out of the story and wished it had been something else - perhaps an entire war story. 

Rating: 7/10

Best line: "This is it, Skid. We asked for somewhere away from it all!"

Nipper

Nipper is reluctant to tell his club about the injury he picked up while playing cricket and is wandering around Blackport in funk, wondering what he can do next. 

In a dilapidated part of Blackport, he spies a sign advertising Mother Carey and her surgery that treats a variety of ailments. Trying his luck, Nipper enters and soon Mother Carey is fussing over him in all her gowns and shawls, preparing a vile concoction in the best traditions of wild witches. 

This remedy is poured over Nipper's foot, and despite the burning sensation and his protestations, Nipper pays his two pounds before leaving. 

He awakes to find that the remedy has set hard around his foot, hard as a plaster cast. He is resigned to his fate and knows that he must face the consequences and return to training. The first thing that the club doctor does when Nipper turns up is to smash off this cast with a hammer. Nipper is pleasantly surprised when he finds that not only is his foot intact, but it is better than ever. 

For the rest of the practice, he puts his full weight on the foot and performs beyond any expectations he may have had. This carries over to the first match of the season, and things start well against Redstoke. However, a heavy tackle sends Nipper crashing to the ground, and just behind him, Mike Beatson thinks that he may have injured his foot just as bad as previously. 

What a fantastic character Mother Carey is. As soon as I saw her sign I had my suspicions about what sort of character she might be and I was more than happy when my wishes were fulfilled. She had the best lines in the strip and the best look, and she stole the show on every page she was on. One had to feel sorry for Nipper, although it looks like he may have got away with one here. I didn't think that this storyline would give me much satisfaction, and I am happy to admit I was wrong as I soaked the joy up from the page. Nipper still whines and grumbles, but in Mother Carey, I had a character I could smile at, perhaps even laugh, as she fussed about in her motherly fashion. An average episode propped up by a fantastic character, and this was a story that surprised me with its humour. 

Rating: 7.5/10

Best line: "Oh no! It's set like a lump of concrete! That does it, Stumpy...I'll have to face the club officials now! It's my only chance of getting my foot back!"

Johnny Cougar

A new adventure this week, and a familiar face returns as we see Splash Gorton in the very first panel. Gorton is on a train to London where he plans to meet Johnny to tell him of a match he has arranged. This match will pitch Johnny against the American Champion, Big Bernioe Kolchak.

Splash is surprised to find that Johnny isn't at the hotel, and even more so when he finds that Johnny checked out a few days ago without leaving a message. Checking at the local gym, Splash learns that no one has seen the wrestler for several days, and he has suddenly vanished. 

Splash goes to the airport to meet Bernie Kolchak, and Kolchak is angry to see that it is Splash waiting for him and not Johnny Cougar. After an angry exchange, Splash is forced to sign a contract, and only after signing does he learn that if Johnny fails to turn up for the fight, SPlash will have to take his place, 

This is exactly what happens, and come the day of the fight there is still no word of Johnny. Splash prepares himself for the bout, and in the final panel, he presents a pitiful sight, too skinny for his wrestling costume, and about to take a beating from a much larger wrestler. 

If Johnny Cougar doesn't appear in a Johnny Cougar story, is it a Johnny Cougar story? It's hard to say, but I'm sure Splash Gorton is familiar to most. He did a good job of laying the groundwork for this new Johnny Cougar story and managed to fill the space left by the big man. His first panels were memorable, and I did enjoy his interaction with the first-class passenger on the train, and his reference to Tiger comic. Our final view of him is also worthy of note. Seeing him dressed for the ring, looking particularly scrawny and weedy in his wrestling outfit, highlights the mismatch that is about to take place and leaves one hoping that Johnny will appear soon. Should Cougar appear next week, the contrast between him and Gorton shall be noticeable, and worth a chuckle itself. Here's hoping we'll see it.  

Rating: 7/10

Best line: "But Splash, you'll be murdered! You'd stand more chance against a tank!"

Tallon Of The Track

Jo has a mutiny on her hands with the whole team threatening to quit in support of new rider Billy Bolton.  Even Dave has turned against her, and by the third panel of the story, the worst possible outcome eventuates with the team quitting and the Ospreys withdrawing from the race meeting. 

The blame for the team quitting is laid firmly at the feet of Jo, and in the next half page, we see her suffering from the boos of the fans, an inquest by the board, and the newspaper headlines full of the story. The is only one possible outcome of all this drama, and Jo's contract with the Ospreys is terminated.

Without a job, Jo is forced to return to her old life as a stunt rider to make a living. We see her at a local county show crashing her bike through a furniture van and out the other side in a display that shows off her skill and determination. As her bike comes to a halt she is approached by a reporter who has been watching in the crowd. He is desperate to talk to her, telling her he has a feeling that Billy Bolton is up to no good. 

I didn't expect the story to move as quickly as it has, and it is all the better for it. The first few issues of Billy Bolton seemed to stretch on as he was set up as the bad guy. Here we get the payoff of that as Jo quickly falls from grace and is left with no option but to go it alone. This all takes place across a mere three panels, and it is almost as if a trap door opened beneath Jo's feet, dropping her straight into another world. A world of stunt riding and country fairs, and it was pleasing to see her on her bike showing her raw courage. The Billy Bolton storyline is far from over, as we saw in the final panel, and I hope that Jo is left in the wilderness for sometime yet before she finds a way to return to the fold within the Ospreys team. 

Rating: 8/10

Best line: "Miss Tallon, the team members flatly refuse to ride again while you're in charge! We have therefore no option but to terminate your contract!"      

Issue final ratings:

Overall: 7.5/10

Best Story:  Martin's Marvellous Mini  

Best Line: "So you'll need my bread and nettle poultice, soaked in a healing ingredient only known to Mother Carey!" 

Best Panel:

Roy's Sports Quiz: