Tiger 27th September 1975

"You shouldn't judge a book by its cover" - My Mum.

Well, sorry Mum, you were wrong. I judged this week's issue of Tiger by the cover and was well rewarded as the dramatic opening image was matched by several more within. Even the more gentle stories still contained magic about them in the artwork work, and I was again enthralled by the craft that goes into these comics. The Premier League kicks off this weekend, and I have just enough time before the first game kicks off to lose myself in these pages and some artwork that is just as thrilling as anything I'll see on the field. 

27th September 1975

Skid Solo

The Skid Solo is on the front cover, and it's a case of another week, another experimental car to test. We are a week out from the deciding Grand Prix and Skid is called upon to test an experimental car, starting by crashing it over the side of a cliff and into the river below.

Two small wings help stabilise the fall, and after sinking to the bottom of the river the car is still drivable. This first test is a success, and Skid is called upon to replicate the test in the sea for the army.

He repeats the routine the next day, driving along the seabed and into the deeper seas. He drives past a sunken Spanish galleon, noting the name Neuvo Campeon. 

Ejecting to the surface, Skid reports what he has seen, and all involved are satisfied. However, Sandy is unhappy that Skid is taking such risks and lets his feelings be known. Skid shrugs it off, telling Sandy that he sees it as a good omen - after all, did he not pay attention to the name of the sunken ship? It was Neuvo Campeon, which translates to "New Champion" 

A great opening story and some interesting vehicles initially piqued my interest in this story. It was a shame then that there was no other great dramatic hook within, and I walked away from it feeling fairly ambivalent. We saw Skid test driving an experimental car just three weeks ago as he raced a driverless car, and although this case was quite different, the story still had the same feel. There was no high-stakes sporting drama, and it all felt like a gentle ride. I was taken by the car that Skid was driving, and could not help but notice the comparison to the underwater car driven in the Bond film The Spy Who Loved Me (1977). Interesting that this predated that film by two years, and although Skid Solo is no Bond, it was still a cool moment to see him driving under the sea. Although the story alluded to the season finale next week, it distracts from the championship, and I would have preferred something around the track to hype up the final race of the season. I guess it's down to personal taste, and as enjoyable as this looked on the page, it never rose above mid-level in my eyes.

Rating: 6/10

Best line: "Ye're crazy to do this a few days before the most important race o' yere life! What if something goes wrong?"

Roy Of The Rovers

Duncan McKay is off to a stormy start with Melchester Rovers. He's trying to do too much and on the first page, we see him caught out of position, leading to yet another angry exchange with Roy as they come off for halftime. 

The two continue to have cross words, and when Melchester is awarded a corner kick, an exasperated Roy finally loses control. He tells McKay that the keeper will probably punch it clear, and to wait at the edge of the box. This he does, and as the ball comes toward him, Roy makes a left-handed run, calling for the ball as he goes. 

Duncan McKay ignores Roy's calls, and he instead tries a shot himself. He miskicks it, although fortuitously it lands at the feet of Blackiehe scores. Rovers have edged out a win over their lowly-ranked rival, although Roy is annoyed to see the fans crediting Duncan McKay for the victory. Now he will be even harder to handle, and Roy has his work cut out for him in the next few issues.

A lot of panels of an angry-faced Duncan Mckay and Roy Race made this story tense, without strong football action to back it up. It was all about the conflict between these two men, and the story lacked nuance as we hurtled toward the concluding panels. A subplot could have cushioned the blow and I can't help but feel that this week's story was one-dimensional in comparison with some of the other multilayered stories we have previously indulged in. It looks like there is no break in the weather on the horizon, and I fear the next few issues may be more of the same with the strip dominated by Roy and Duncan glaring at each other. I was happy to see the appearance of Duncan McKay in the story, but now I just want to see him bed into the team and become the best player he can be.  

Rating: 6/10

Best line: "They should be eating these second division sides for breakfast! Sort 'em out, Roy!"

Martin's Marvellous Mini

After six hours of the twenty-four-hour race, Martin has handed driving duties over to a nervous Tiny. There is nothing more Martin can do but hope that Tiny maintains the lead and he heads off to sleep.

Out on the track, Tiny finds driving at night quite an experience. First, he has trouble with the glare of car lights in his mirrors, and then he comes across a car that has slipped off the track. Towards the end of his shift, he even falls asleep at the wheel, but luckily he recovers just in time.

Tiny hands the car back over to Martin, telling him that he has lost the lead but they are only ten seconds behind. Martin is happy with this and sets out to restore the lead as best he can.

Meanwhile, Tiny struggles to fall asleep. When he finally does, he has a nightmare about driving and finds himself waking up on the floor next to his bed. He gets up and makes his way trackside for his second drive, only to be told he is an hour early. The crew beside the track observe that he is still half asleep, and wonder aloud if he's fit to drive.   

David Sque has done an outstanding job with the art in this week's issue, and I especially commend him for the facial expressions of Tiny. The image of him during his nightmare was evocative, and only matched by the final image of him practically falling asleep on his feet. It gave the strip a lively dimension unmatched anywhere else in the comic, and although it's not my favourite strip this week, it's close.  The car racing wasn't as dramatic as one might expect but it was more than made up for by the drama carried in Tiny's face as he battled his demons and wrestled with his fear of driving. This has laid a solid foundation for next week, and I expect it shall be the same high standard as we storm into October. 

Rating: 7/10

Best line: "Well, there's nothing you could do, if he started to go round in reverse, chum! You'd better go get some sleep...you'll soon be back behind the wheel!"

Johnny Cougar

Johnny Cougar has told Splash that he is finished with wrestling. Splash is worried about his pal, and has a plan to get him back in the ring. If Splash could just get Hardy Steele to agree to a rematch against Johnny, he is sure that the Indian matman would come out of his self-imposed exile. 

Splash goes to one of Steele's bouts, and over the next couple of pages, we get to see the dirty tricks he gets up to. Not only is he a dirty fighter, but he is mean with it, and this is emphasised again and again in the fight before he is finally disqualified.

In the locker room, Splash approaches Steele and tells him of his plan to get Cougar back into the ring. Steele isn't having a bar of it, telling Splash that he doesn't do favours for anyone. 

Johnny Cougar is again absent in his own comic as the action focuses on Splash and his manoeuvrings. This week was building up the character of Steele, and this was done efficiently through the bout we were shown. We saw that he is a strong character, a dirty fighter, and he has a mean streak that bodes well for any challenge against Johnny. Apart from this introduction, the story didn't progress much as the foundation was laid for the story to be built upon in the coming weeks.  We still have a least one more episode, and possibly more, before Splash wins over Steele, and then Johnny Cougar, from where we stand now it looks like this story may run for quite some time. I wouldn't be surprised if this current storyline wraps up at Christmas, just in time for Johnny to wish everyone a happy new year. 

Rating: 6/10

Best line: "Fighting back, eh? That's naughty..." 

Billy's Boots

Billy has been dropped from the first eleven for showing off, but he has a chance to redeem himself as he comes on as a substitute.

Billy's usual position as centre-forward is taken by Grant, so he takes up a position in midfield. He is stable in this position, getting an interception and a couple of nice passes which begin to win over the sports master. His best moment comes near the end of the game as he gathers a loose ball, and with a long pass up the field, he picks out Jimmy Dawson. Dawson knows what to do and feeds the ball through to Grant who scores the winning goal in the dying moments of the game. 

Mister Renton still has doubts, but Billy is redeemed in the eyes of several near Mister Renton, and he reluctantly agrees to play Billy again in the next game. 

Game day rolls around, and a coach has been laid on to get the Groundwood players to the game. Billy is just setting off to meet the rest of the team when his Gran calls to him. She's sick, and as it's pouring with rain she wants Billy to go get some medicine for her. Billy is desperate to make the coach, but he is unable to say no to his poor old Gran so he dutifully heads off to the chemist. The rain and a long line at the chemist see him missing the coach and Billy is forced to bike to the ground, getting soaked in the process.

It's all for nothing, for when he arrives at the ground he learns that the game has been cancelled. Jimmy Dawson also tells him that he is in big trouble for missing the coach and that he has never seen Mister Renton so angry.

This deserves a higher rating than I gave it, and I think the only thing missing was some on-field action. Billy's magical boots played no part in the story and we instead stayed firmly in the realm of the angsty school boy and his ever-loving Gran. This was executed well on the page, and we had several panels that displayed the full dismay of Billy as the situation was spinning out of his control. Billy riding his bike through the pouring rain was a highlight, but so too were the moments he was with his Gran and being a dutiful Grandson. I think most could relate as Billy did the right thing by his Gran and went to get the medicine, which meant that when he missed the coach there was an element of sympathy for the lad. This draws the reader deeper into the story, and even though it is quite some time since I was a schoolboy, I still felt every ounce of Billy's pain and his situation. It was a highly believable scenario, and one step removed from the magic boots gave it a grounding that it doesn't normally have, making for a top-notch story buried mid-comic. 

Rating: 8/10

Best line: "I suppose I will have to go myself then. I didn't want to go out in this weather...not with my cough."

Tornado Jones

Arriving in Britain, Australian stunt rider Tornado Jones miss-timed his jump off the ship and crashed his bike into the side of the dock. 

He sinks beneath the waves, and reaching the seabed he finds his foot is caught in the bike. The frog men looking for him can't find him, and it is left to Tornado Jones to save himself, eventually freeing himself and swimming to the surface.

He immediately calls for his second bike, and speaking with the captain he tells him that he will try again. This second attempt is far more successful, and the crowd are suitably impressed when he sticks his landing. 

After a brief line about never giving up, the strip ends with Jones asking to be taken to Wembley Stadium, where he intends to be fired from a cannon. 

Tornado Jones unfolded as expected, and although it didn't offer up any surprises, it did bring the twitch of a smile to my face. There is nothing too serious here, and nothing that grabbed my attention and demanded that I read further. In the simple story of a man jumping his bike, we learn more about the character of Tornado Jones as he insists on completing his stunt. Visually it looked great, and it was the artwork that carried us along more than the plot. I would be happy to look at this art all day, and although the story stayed firmly in second gear I was quite happy with all I saw. 

Rating: 7/10

Best line: "Except for feeling like I've been walked on by a herd of elephants, I'm fine, mate. Now stand back!"

Hot Shot Hamish

On the back of Hamish's recommendation, youngster Alfie McPhee has been offered a month's trial. However, while Alfie was on the pitch, his pal Tommy was nicking everyone's wallets out of the dressing room. And it's not just wallets, he has stolen their clothes and anything not tied down - a whole lorry load.

While Alfie and Tommy drive off, the Princes Park team discover they have been ripped off. While most of the team are worried about what items they have lost, Hamish also has a moment to worry about Alfie and his situation.

He is still concerned about Alfie and later that day he wanders the market with some money he plans to donate to Alfie. However, he stumbles across a stall selling his kilt, bag and jacket, along with a host of other items taken from Princes Park changing room. Hamish is enraged and in a furious moment, he overturns the stall and smashes up the market. 

His rage finishes and suddenly as it starts, and surveying what's left of the market he appears contrite. However, the trouble isn't yet over for the big man, as Big Jackie and his brothers appear, demanding to know what the fuss is about and threatening to thump Hamish.   

We saw the full range of Hamish in this week's strip, and I am reminded why I like this character so much. His heart is always in the right place, and even when he is angrily smashing things it is always for the right reasons. The panels of Hamish smashing up the market dominated this week's comic, but it was a quiet panel near the end of the story that caught my attention. Big Jackie and his approaching brothers had a quiet menace about it, and Hamish naively has no idea what is about to unfold. It said a lot, and although it's not my favourite panel in the story, it was the most essential. As always with Hot Shot Hamish, the plot is secondary to the interaction of the characters, and this was a fine example of that as Hamish the gentle giant, looked after the less able in his team. 

Rating: 7.5/10

Best line: "When I find the mon responsible for this, McBrain...he'll pay dearly. It's a cowardly trick to play on our footballers."

Nipper 

Nipper is furious with his teammate Danny Marvin for not owning up to the accident that made Nipper late for training, and things are about to come to a head as Nipper storms onto the training pitch to confront Marvin. 

Nipper is left fuming as Marvin denies any accident, telling the other players that Nipper is just angry because Marvin has taken his place in the team. There is nothing that Nipper can do, and he resigns himself to his fate, returning to Andy Stewart's office just as he puts up the team sheet, with Nipper destined to play for the reserves. 

The one good thing in Nipper's life is his girlfriend Kerry, and it is her that he turns to now for comfort. Kerry listens patiently to Nipper's problems, before telling him to persevere, after all, class will show through in the end. 

Later Nipper arrives at the reserves game, where all the team give him a hard time about what has happened. Nipper is steaming at this and by the time they take the field, he is at boiling point and about to erupt. 

A little peep behind the curtain here. Normally I write this blog on my battered old laptop, but because of the way things panned out this week, I ended up using my desktop for the final story, Nipper. On a larger screen, the art looked sensational, and after being lowkey about the art in Nipper previously, this was a revelation. The detail jumped out at me, and the scenes of Nipper and Kerry made it all the more intimate. The milk bar panel was a highlight, but it was only the first of three excellent panels which were the highlight for me. The following panel of the couple walking down the street was equally affecting, and it was all capped off by the close-up of Kerry's face as she encouraged Nipper to keep going. It would have been my panel of the comic, had my heart not already been swayed by the image of Billy riding his bike in the rain in Billy's Boots. My love affair with this art (and Kerry!) greatly influenced my feelings about Nipper this week, and although I don't care much about the shenanigans of Danny Marvin, I loved digesting every panel. 

Rating: 7.5/10

Best line: "There's nothing to own up about! Lawrence is just narked because I've pinched his place in the first team!"

Issue final ratings:

Overall: 7/10

Best Story:  Billy's Boots 

Best Line: "GRRRRRR! I'm fed up! I've had my clothes pinched... and I'm no' standing for ye lot throwing things at me!" 

Best Panel:

Roy's Sports Quiz: