Tiger 13th September 1975

 "In Football,  everything is complicated by the presence of the opposite team" 
 - Jean-Paul Satre 

After this week's issue, I am sure Roy Race would agree with the above quote. Despite his player Gary Fane playing out of his skin, it is all undone by the opposite team and their outstanding goalkeeper. It is a scene we have seen play out countless times in the world of football comics and in the real world. Mbappé scored a hat trick and a World Cup final and still walked away a loser. Gary Fane surely earned his place in the Rovers team with a great, although ultimately goalless performance. Billy Dane played without his magic boots and....oh well, not every football story plays to type. The football stories in this week's issue were all of a high level, but again it is another performance in the comic that relegates them all to the second tier. Tallon Of The Track bids us farewell this week, and her final performance shades all the football stories and sees her ride off into the sunset on a high. We have had quite a run together, and I shall miss her feisty countenance glaring out of the page at me. Just like football, she too is facing complications from the opposing team, and this week we will see it all put to bed in a satisfying conclusion. Opposition team or not, Tallon Of The Track must finish, and this week it does. 

Tiger

13th September 1975

Billy's Boots

Billy is rubbish without his boots, and we get a good example of that on this week's cover as he blasts a shot over the top of the goal. Not an auspicious start to a trial for Darnbury Rovers and things don't improve for Billy as the trial goes on. 

After the match, Billy is politely told he is no longer required, while his new friend Dave is offered a contract. 

Back to the reality of the school trial, Billy meets the 'D' team he is trying out with. It is a motley group of boys, and many have attitudes as poor as their playing abilities. Mister Renton, the sports master, is unhappy with what he sees and tells Jimmy that it's all kick-and-rush football and there isn't a footballer amongst them. Just at that moment, Billy gets the ball, and Jimmy tells Mister Renton to wait a minute. In the final panel, we see Billy with the ball at his feet and the thought on his mind that it has to go alone as it's now or never.

The final panel of the story was Bily's best moment, but as far as artwork and plot, the real gems all appeared earlier. The subplot of Dave and his trial was dealt with quickly and efficiently and we had a tidy finish to that part of the story. Billy's trial for the school team gave us a few more interesting characters and the sight of the boys Billy has to trail with gave us a fabulous insight into the uphill battle he will be facing. It added a touch of humour, and a moment of despair from Biilly, before finally giving us the moment we had been waiting for as Billy began to dribble the ball. Several ups and downs throughout the story kept things spicy, and the final hook made this one to watch for next week. 

Rating: 7/10

Best line: "Awful! I made a right idiot of myself! I wish I hadn't gone...but I had to take Dave. How did the school trials go?"   

Roy Of The Rovers

The Melchester Rover's board is determined to sign Duncan McKay, but Roy thinks that young wing Gary Fane might be the solution to their problem. 

Gary Fane plays a great game against Burndean, but the Burndean keeper has an equally good game. Despite Rover's best efforts they just cannot score, and to make matters worse they concede an unlucky goal right at the end of the match. 

Coming off the field with a 1-0 loss, Roy meets Sam Barlow, chairman of the Rovers board, who tells him that he is happy to see Gary Fane had a great game, but they still have their heart set on signing Duncan McKay. With that, the die is cast, and the strip finishes with Duncan McKay signing for Rovers a couple of days later.

Duncan McKay is now officially a Rover. The next step will be getting him on the team sheet and out on the field. There will surely be more drama wrung out of this, and this is merely the first stepping stone to a wider story. McKay's appearance was only fleeting, and the story this week mostly concerned Gary Fane. This delivered some strong football action, and I must admit I was just as frustrated about Rover's inability to score as the board of directors were. Fane is still young, and as we all know you don't win anything with kids. I think this may be the last we see of young Gary, and with the arrival of Duncan McKay, he will soon be forgotten. I liked that the opposing team played well, all held together by their goalkeeper. Such is football, and I'm sure we can all recount times when one team clearly outplayed the other, only to be undone by a great keeper and an unlucky goal at the other end. Jean-Paul Satre would understand, as would any other football fan around the world. 

Rating: 7/10

Best line: "There was! You did the right thing to have a go, Gary! It's not your fault that Dawson has picked today to play the game of his life!"   

Martin's Marvellous Mini

The boys have entered a 24-hour race to win a trip to Honolulu, but first, they must qualify in a twenty-lap race. Martin tells Tiny that they'll have to share the driving in the twenty-lap race, as that's what they will expected to do in the much longer 24-hour race. Tiny is petrified by this thought, and they both know that Tiny isn't a very good driver. 

Martin takes to the track, determined to build a large lead before Tiny takes the wheel. The changeover comes halfway through the race, and Martin has built a solid twelve-second lead, almost half a lap, as he hands over to Tiny. 

He tells Tiny to drive with his foot to the floor, but despite Tiny's best efforts, the lead has dwindled to a mere two seconds as they approach the final lap. One car manages to edge by him, but Tiny knows that it's the top two cars that qualify, and he determinedly drives his foot flat to the floor for the final stretch, coming in second, but only just, and earning a place in the next race.

Good action in the second half of this story and the race had some of my favourite artwork in this week's strip. However, it was trumped, in my opinion, by the wonderful sight of Tiny and Martin doing laundry in the opening panels. There was a naturalness to this, and although these panels were mere exposition to explain that Tiny would have to drive, it was presented in a realistic domestic scene that made it believable to me. It also placed the story firmly in the real world and once again showed the domesticity that lies at the heart of Tiny and Martin's friendship. One could easily imagine them sharing a flat together, and living a simple life far from the race track. As far as the racing is concerned, it is all going to plan so far, and it looks like we are on course for that trip to Honolulu. Tiny's driving should again provide an opportunity for drama in the longer race, and this should be unmissable action. A great racing story, but my heart is stolen by the sight of two boys in a caravan hanging out their washing. 

Rating: 7.5/10

Best line: "Ooops! I'd rather stay a mechanic than be a driver!" 

Johnny Cougar

Johnny Cougar is in a brutal fight against the American champion, Kolchak. Last week was heavy-hitting, and this week continues in that vein with both wrestlers unleashing heavy blows. However, it is Johnny who suffers the worst of it, and he loses by knock out. 

Splash comes to him after the match, and Johnny tells him that now he remembers. Splash asks more, but Cougar tells him no more questions, now he has provided his loyalty he must leave immediately. 

This is all very suspicious, and as Johnny leaves Splash decides to follow him Keeping a safe distance he follows Johnny through town, and then only a train. Johnny gets off a Windmarsh, whereupon he climbs onto a horse and rides off. 

It's a strange situation, and Splash needs to solve the mystery as soon as he can. 

It is quite a mystery at the moment. Johnny is only playing a bit part in his own story, and just like in previous weeks, it is Splash who is carrying the storytelling. It feels like we watching Johnny from afar, which is essentially true, as the story is told from Splash's perspective. Despite the cold feel of the story, I am intrigued, and with solid art throughout, one feels drawn to the story. The final sight of Johnny riding off on a horse was compelling and only served to raise more questions -questions that can only be answered by reading next week's issue. I guess in that case, I'll be back next week for more.  

Rating: 7.5/10 

Best line: "Right, driver...as they say in all the best dramas...follow that car!" 

Skid Solo 

The Canadian Grand Prix is on the horizon, but first Skid takes part in a small race meeting in America. 

After the race, Professor Miller, an electronics professor, tells Skid that he can design an electronic driver and eliminate all human error from racing. 

A few days later this self-driving car has been built and the Professor shows Skid and Sandy the innards of the car where all the electronics control the speed and the lines the car will take. 

The Professor wants to race against Skid to test his car, but before they do this he gives a quick demonstration. The self-driving car speeds along the straight, directly toward two cars parked across the track. Just as it looks like a crash is inevitable, the Professor yells "Stop" and the car comes to a halt in front of the parked cars. 

The two race to see just what this new car is capable of in a race situation, and it exceeds all expectations. It drives consistently at the limit, and nothing Skid does can get him past it. This continues for lap after lap and after ten laps Skid is still behind. 

However on the final lap, Sandy exclaims that Skid is in front, and as he crosses the line the electronic car is nowhere in sight. The Professor wonders how this is possible, but Skid offers a sly explanation. On the back straight he managed to get alongside the electronic car and yelled "Stop" With that the car dutifully stopped, and the rest of the race was easily Skid's. 

This story is forty-five years ahead of its time. Self-driving cars are now available, and I can only assume that Professor Miller was snapped up to work for Google or Tesla. The self-driving car aspect of this story was entirely believable, and the only break with reality that I suffered was when the Professor built the car in only a few days. He must have also built a time machine while he was at it. The rest of the story was a little too simplistic for my liking. I enjoyed seeing Skid behind the wheel and battling against the electronic car, but there were no real stakes to it and at the end of the day it was all just a bit of fluff. The real positive in the story was the artwork and the imagination to come up with such a concept. I may not have brought into it entirely but it looked great and had a unique appeal. Futuristic at the time, it has now found the right time and place, and in 2024 it was a believable and enjoyable read. 

Rating: 7.5/10

Best line: "Do you think he really can build an automatic car, Skid?"

Hot Shot Hamish

Princes Park is two-nil up at halftime and playing with a lot of young reserves. The opposition team knows this and as the second half begins they decide that they will run these young reserves into the ground.

The Parcross players turn up the heat, and soon enough the Princes Park youngsters begin to wilt. Their inexperience shows, and they have failed to pace themselves. Parcross scores, and with ten minutes to go they are only a goal behind. However, Mister McWhacker brings on some reserves and instructs the team to give it the big boot. This Hamish does with authority, and Prince Park holds on for a narrow victory, their first of the season. 

In the dressing room, the team management can see that they have too many young players and too many old players. There is no balance to the team, and it is decided they need to ging a new player to link up between the defence and the attack. 

Wandering home that night, Hamish comes across an amateur game. One player stands out, and Hamish enquires after him. An older gentleman tells Hamish that the player might be available, and after the game we see this man talking to the player, telling him that he has a chance to make an honest living for once.

Good action, and a nice set-up for the future. I wasn't fussed by the final panels, and the introduction of the new character failed to excite me. That will change next week when we get to know him better, but for now, the real joy was in the football match that dominated the first half of the strip. The sight of the Princes Park players struggling with their fitness was captured well and remained just on the right side of humourous. It never became too far over the top (that was reserved for Hamish's big boot) and added to the story rather than detracted from it. There was also a warm and natural moment between Hamish and Mister McWhacker as Hamish left after the game, and this smallest of touches felt so natural that I instantly recognised the moment from my own experiences, At that point, I was no longer reading dialogue on the page, but experiencing something that naturally occurs in everyday life. A fantastic little detail, and once again it beautifully offsets the more extreme moments of the strip.  

Rating: 7/10

Best line: "Ye've got to thank Hamish, Boss...he seemed to be playing in every position!" 

Nipper

Danny Marvin is dazzling the fans with his footwork, while Nipper sits on the sidelines wondering if he has lost his position in the team. 

However, it is clear to Nipper and Mike Beatson that Danny Marvin isn't a team player. It looks as though Andy Stewart sees things the same way, and Nipper is quietly pleased to see Andy Stewart speaking sternly to Danny Marvin after the game. 

Back in the real world, Mrs Brodie has asked Nipper to view her paintings in his role as a general dealer. He has forgotten his appointment, and to make amends he sets off immediately to go have a look. 

Danny Marvin is driving his car and sees Nipper on his bike. Marvin decides to give Nipper a scare and speeds by him. He is still laughing about it as he finds himself in the path of a lorry. Swerving to avoid a crash, Marvin's car gets out of control and is heading directly towards a milk cart as the story ends on a cliffhanger. 

A nice mix of football action, and action off the field. Nipper didn't feature in the football side of the strip, but he made up for it as we saw him riding his motorbike. The villainous Marvin is not to be outdone, and he tops the sight of Nipper on his bike with a fantastic image of Marvin in his sportscar. It's a scene stealer, and just as essential as the final image of him crashing towards a milk cart. I am surprised by how much I am enjoying this, and I think in large part it is because of the artwork. It shows us different aspects of Nipper's life, and with a lighter touch, the story suddenly seems to move much faster. Previously it had been muddy and murky, but in this week's issue, the panels of the car and bike on the road are crisp and clear, making the story move just as quick as the vehicles. It's not the first time we have seen some interesting-looking cars on the page, and once again we have returned to an old-fashioned-looking sports car. It has the right feel for the strip, and along with the evil face of Marvin, makes the story all the more appealing. 

Rating: 8/10

Best line: "Well, if it isn't Blackport's wonder-boy! Let's give that old outfit of his bit of a roasting!"

Tallon Of The Track

Jo Tallon is desperately trying to prove that Billy Bolton is on the payroll of the Ruxford Ravens while trying to sabotage Osprey's team from within. Her photographic evidence isn't what she thought it was, and Dave Trent is far from believing any part of her story.

Her journalist friend Pete has an idea. Bolton probably has his bribe money at the tack, so while Jo forceable bundles Dave Trent into the dressing room, Pete pulls the bribe money from Bolton's locker. 

They rush back to the track, with Jo hoping that Dave will see Bolton's sabotage play out on the track. A clean start gives no indication of what is about to unfold, but soon the story explodes as we see Boltons discreetly pulling on his own teammate's jacket. It is enough to cause a crash, and Dave sees every second of it, convincing him that Bolton is guilty as charged. 

Bolton is found guilty by the speedway authorities and banned for life. Jo receives an apology from the Ospreys board and is offered her job back. All is well that ends well, and in the final panel of the story, we see Jo where she rightfully belongs, on her bike roaring down the track past her assembled teammates. 

Goodbye Jo Tallon, and thank you for two years of great memories. It's hard to write about this single issue with so many memories crowding my mind. My thoughts drift to the previous plot lines and scraps that Jo has found herself in, and she lived a full life across the last two years. This was a solid finish for the story, and although it wrapped up quickly we still managed to tick all the boxes and give Jo a happy ending. It didn't reach its previous fights in terms of art or plot, and only a couple of images truly stuck in my mind. The villains lost, Jo won, and Dave and the team are again united behind her. All is right in the world. Next week sees the arrival of a new story in the form of Tornado Jones. He has large boots to fill and had better get off to a fast start. No matter what happens next, Tallon Of The Track will always have a small piece of my heart and in particular, Jo was outstanding as a female lead in a male-dominated comic.  

Rating: 8/10

Best line: "Gentlemen, speedway isn't just a job to me...it's my whole life! I'll be at the stadium first thing in the morning!"

Issue final ratings:

Overall: 7.5/10

Best Story:  Tallon Of The Track 

Best Line: "This thing in front is a real marvel. It takes up a perfect line for every bend...and goes around as if it was on train lines..." 

Best Panel:

Roy's Sports Quiz: